Through Russia [46]
and sauciness gleaming in her brown eyes. Suddenly, however, she contracted her brows, counterfeited a sigh, and whined:
"Ah, I was good-looking then, and desired of all. In those days I had both a good heart and a happy nature."
"But the monk may prove to have been an important factor in the question," was Antipa's thoughtful remark.
"Yes, and many another man than he has run after me for his pleasure," continued Felitzata in a tone of reminiscence. This led Vologonov to cough, rise to his feet, lay his hand upon the woman's claret-coloured sleeve of satin, and say sternly:
"Do you come into my room, for I have business to transact with you."
As she complied she smiled and winked at me. And so the pair departed--he shuffling carefully with his bandy legs, and she watching her steps as though at any moment she might collapse on to her left side.
Thenceforth, Felitzata visited Vologonov almost daily; and once during the time of two hours or so that the pair were occupied in drinking tea I heard, through the partition-wall, the old man say in vigorous, level, didactical tones:
"These tales and rumours ought not to be dismissed save with caution. At least ought they to be given the benefit of the doubt. For, though all that he says may SEEM to us unintelligible, there may yet be enshrined therein a meaning, such as--"
"You say a meaning?"
"Yes, a meaning which, eventually, will be vouchsafed to you in a vision. For example, you may one day see issue from a dense forest a man of God, and hear him cry aloud: Felitzata, Oh servant of God, Oh sinner most dark of soul--"
"What a croaking, to be sure!"
"Be silent! No nonsense! Do you blame yourself rather than sing your own praises. And in that vision you may hear the man of God cry: 'Felitzata, go you forth and do that which one who shall meet you may request you to perform!' And, having gone forth, you may find the man of God to be the monk whom we have spoken of."
"A-a-ah!" the woman drawled with an air of being about to say something more.
"Come, fool!"
"You see--"
"Have I, this time, abused you?"
"No, but--"
"I have an idea that the man of God will be holding a crook."
"Of course," assented Felitzata.
Similarly, on another occasion, did I hear Antipa mutter confidentially to his companion:
"The fact that all his sayings are so simple is not a favourable sign. For, you see, they do not harmonise with the affair in its entirety--in such a connection words should be mysterious, and so, able to be interpreted in more than one way, seeing that the more meanings words possess, the more are those words respected and heeded by mankind."
"Why so?" queried Felitzata.
"Why so?" re-echoed Vologonov irritably. "Are we not, then, to respect ANYONE or ANYTHING? Only he is worthy of respect who does not harm his fellows; and of those who do not harm their fellows there are but few. To this point you must pay attention--you must teach him words of variable import, words more abstract, as well as more sonorous."
"But I know no such words."
"I will repeat to you a few, and every night, when he goes to bed, you shall repeat them to HIM. For example: 'Adom ispolneni, pokaites'[Do ye people who are filled with venom repent]. And mark that the exact words of the Church be adhered to. For instance, 'Dushenbitzi, pozhaleite Boga, okayannie,' [Murderers of the soul, accursed ones, repent ye before God.] must be said rather than 'Dushenbitzi, pozhaleite Boga, okayanni,' since the latter, though the shorter form, is also not the correct one. But perhaps I had better instruct the lad myself."
"Certainly that would be the better plan."
So from that time onwards Vologonov fell to stopping Nilushka in the street, and repeating to him something or another in his kindly fashion. Once he even took him by the hand, and, leading him to his room, and giving him something to cat, said persuasively:
"Say this after me. 'Do not hasten, Oh ye people.' Try if you can say that."
"'A lantern,'" began Nilushka civilly.
"'A lantern?'
"Ah, I was good-looking then, and desired of all. In those days I had both a good heart and a happy nature."
"But the monk may prove to have been an important factor in the question," was Antipa's thoughtful remark.
"Yes, and many another man than he has run after me for his pleasure," continued Felitzata in a tone of reminiscence. This led Vologonov to cough, rise to his feet, lay his hand upon the woman's claret-coloured sleeve of satin, and say sternly:
"Do you come into my room, for I have business to transact with you."
As she complied she smiled and winked at me. And so the pair departed--he shuffling carefully with his bandy legs, and she watching her steps as though at any moment she might collapse on to her left side.
Thenceforth, Felitzata visited Vologonov almost daily; and once during the time of two hours or so that the pair were occupied in drinking tea I heard, through the partition-wall, the old man say in vigorous, level, didactical tones:
"These tales and rumours ought not to be dismissed save with caution. At least ought they to be given the benefit of the doubt. For, though all that he says may SEEM to us unintelligible, there may yet be enshrined therein a meaning, such as--"
"You say a meaning?"
"Yes, a meaning which, eventually, will be vouchsafed to you in a vision. For example, you may one day see issue from a dense forest a man of God, and hear him cry aloud: Felitzata, Oh servant of God, Oh sinner most dark of soul--"
"What a croaking, to be sure!"
"Be silent! No nonsense! Do you blame yourself rather than sing your own praises. And in that vision you may hear the man of God cry: 'Felitzata, go you forth and do that which one who shall meet you may request you to perform!' And, having gone forth, you may find the man of God to be the monk whom we have spoken of."
"A-a-ah!" the woman drawled with an air of being about to say something more.
"Come, fool!"
"You see--"
"Have I, this time, abused you?"
"No, but--"
"I have an idea that the man of God will be holding a crook."
"Of course," assented Felitzata.
Similarly, on another occasion, did I hear Antipa mutter confidentially to his companion:
"The fact that all his sayings are so simple is not a favourable sign. For, you see, they do not harmonise with the affair in its entirety--in such a connection words should be mysterious, and so, able to be interpreted in more than one way, seeing that the more meanings words possess, the more are those words respected and heeded by mankind."
"Why so?" queried Felitzata.
"Why so?" re-echoed Vologonov irritably. "Are we not, then, to respect ANYONE or ANYTHING? Only he is worthy of respect who does not harm his fellows; and of those who do not harm their fellows there are but few. To this point you must pay attention--you must teach him words of variable import, words more abstract, as well as more sonorous."
"But I know no such words."
"I will repeat to you a few, and every night, when he goes to bed, you shall repeat them to HIM. For example: 'Adom ispolneni, pokaites'[Do ye people who are filled with venom repent]. And mark that the exact words of the Church be adhered to. For instance, 'Dushenbitzi, pozhaleite Boga, okayannie,' [Murderers of the soul, accursed ones, repent ye before God.] must be said rather than 'Dushenbitzi, pozhaleite Boga, okayanni,' since the latter, though the shorter form, is also not the correct one. But perhaps I had better instruct the lad myself."
"Certainly that would be the better plan."
So from that time onwards Vologonov fell to stopping Nilushka in the street, and repeating to him something or another in his kindly fashion. Once he even took him by the hand, and, leading him to his room, and giving him something to cat, said persuasively:
"Say this after me. 'Do not hasten, Oh ye people.' Try if you can say that."
"'A lantern,'" began Nilushka civilly.
"'A lantern?'