the wife and other stories-第28节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


than　by　words　helps　him　in　his　play。　She　drinks　no　more　than　a　couple　of　wine…glasses　of　wine　the　whole　evening；　I　drink　four　glasses；　and　the　rest　of　the　bottle　falls　to　the　share　of　Mihail　Fyodorovitch；　who　can　drink　a　great　deal　and　never　get　drunk。

Over　our　patience　we　settle　various　questions；　principally　of　the　higher　order；　and　what　we　care　for　most　of　all　　that　is；　science　and　learning　　is　more　roughly　handled　than　anything。

〃Science；　thank　God；　has　outlived　its　day；〃　says　Mihail　Fyodorovitch　emphatically。　〃Its　song　is　sung。　Yes；　indeed。　Mankind　begins　to　feel　impelled　to　replace　it　by　something　different。　It　has　grown　on　the　soil　of　superstition；　been　nourished　by　superstition；　and　is　now　just　as　much　the　quintessence　of　superstition　as　its　defunct　granddames；　alchemy；　metaphysics；　and　philosophy。　And；　after　all；　what　has　it　given　to　mankind？　Why；　the　difference　between　the　learned　Europeans　and　the　Chinese　who　have　no　science　is　trifling；　purely　external。　The　Chinese　know　nothing　of　science；　but　what　have　they　lost　thereby？〃

〃Flies　know　nothing　of　science；　either；〃　I　observe；　〃but　what　of　that？〃

〃There　is　no　need　to　be　angry；　Nikolay　Stepanovitch。　I　only　say　this　here　between　ourselves。　。　。　I　am　more　careful　than　you　think；　and　I　am　not　going　to　say　this　in　public　　God　forbid！　The　superstition　exists　in　the　multitude　that　the　arts　and　sciences　are　superior　to　agriculture；　commerce；　superior　to　handicrafts。　Our　sect　is　maintained　by　that　superstition；　and　it　is　not　for　you　and　me　to　destroy　it。　God　forbid！〃

After　patience　the　younger　generation　comes　in　for　a　dressing　too。

〃Our　audiences　have　degenerated；〃　sighs　Mihail　Fyodorovitch。　〃Not　to　speak　of　ideals　and　all　the　rest　of　it；　if　only　they　were　capable　of　work　and　rational　thought！　In　fact；　it's　a　case　of　'I　look　with　mournful　eyes　on　the　young　men　of　today。'　〃

〃Yes；　they　have　degenerated　horribly；〃　Katya　agrees。　〃Tell　me；　have　you　had　one　man　of　distinction　among　them　for　the　last　five　or　ten　years？〃

〃I　don't　know　how　it　is　with　the　other　professors；　but　I　can't　remember　any　among　mine。〃

〃I　have　seen　in　my　day　many　of　your　students　and　young　scientific　men　and　many　actors　　well；　I　have　never　once　been　so　fortunate　as　to　meet　　I　won't　say　a　hero　or　a　man　of　talent；　but　even　an　interesting　man。　It's　all　the　same　grey　mediocrity；　puffed　up　with　self…conceit。〃

All　this　talk　of　degeneration　always　affects　me　as　though　I　had　accidentally　overheard　offensive　talk　about　my　own　daughter。　It　offends　me　that　these　charges　are　wholesale；　and　rest　on　such　worn…out　commonplaces；　on　such　wordy　vapourings　as　degeneration　and　absence　of　ideals；　or　on　references　to　the　splendours　of　the　past。　Every　accusation；　even　if　it　is　uttered　in　ladies'　society；　ought　to　be　formulated　with　all　possible　definiteness；　or　it　is　not　an　accusation；　but　idle　disparagement；　unworthy　of　decent　people。

I　am　an　old　man；　I　have　been　lecturing　for　thirty　years；　but　I　notice　neither　degeneration　nor　lack　of　ideals；　and　I　don't　find　that　the　present　is　worse　than　the　past。　My　porter　Nikolay；　whose　experience　of　this　subject　has　its　value；　says　that　the　students　of　today　are　neither　better　nor　worse　than　those　of　the　past。

If　I　were　asked　what　I　don't　like　in　my　pupils　of　today；　I　should　answer　the　question；　not　straight　off　and　not　at　length；　but　with　sufficient　definiteness。　I　know　their　failings；　and　so　have　no　need　to　resort　to　vague　generalities。　I　don't　like　their　smoking；　using　spirituous　beverages；　marrying　late；　and　often　being　so　irresponsible　and　careless　that　they　will　let　one　of　their　number　be　starving　in　their　midst　while　they　neglect　to　pay　their　subscriptions　to　the　Students'　Aid　Society。　They　don't　know　modern　languages；　and　they　don't　express　themselves　correctly　in　Russian；　no　longer　ago　than　yesterday　my　colleague；　the　professor　of　hygiene；　complained　to　me　that　he　had　to　give　twice　as　many　lectures；　because　the　students　had　a　very　poor　knowledge　of　physics　and　were　utterly　ignorant　of　meteorology。　They　are　readily　carried　away　by　the　influence　of　the　last　new　writers；　even　when　they　are　not　first…rate；　but　they　take　absolutely　no　interest　in　classics　such　as　Shakespeare；　Marcus　Aurelius；　Epictetus；　or　Pascal；　and　this　inability　to　distinguish　the　great　from　the　small　betrays　their　ignorance　of　practical　life　more　than　anything。　All　difficult　questions　that　have　more　or　less　a　social　character　（for　instance　the　migration　question）　they　settle　by　studying　monographs　on　the　subject；　but　not　by　way　of　scientific　investigation　or　experiment；　though　that　method　is　at　their　disposal　and　is　more　in　keeping　with　their　calling。　They　gladly　become　ward…surgeons；　assistants；　demonstrators；　external　teachers；　and　are　ready　to　fill　such　posts　until　they　are　forty；　though　independence；　a　sense　of　freedom　and　personal　initiative；　are　no　less　necessary　in　science　than；　for　instance；　in　art　or　commerce。　I　have　pupils　and　listeners；　but　no　successors　and　helpers；　and　so　I　love　them　and　am　touched　by　them；　but　am　not　proud　of　them。　And　so　on；　and　so　on。　。　。　。

Such　shortcomings；　however　numerous　they　may　be；　can　only　give　rise　to　a　pessimistic　or　fault…finding　temper　in　a　faint…hearted　and　timid　man。　All　these　failings　have　a　casual；　transitory　character；　and　are　completely　dependent　on　conditions　of　life；　in　some　ten　years　they　will　have　disappeared　or　given　place　to　other　fresh　defects；　which　are　all　inevitable　and　will　in　their　turn　alarm　the　faint…hearted。　The　students'　sins　often　vex　me；　but　that　vexation　is　nothing　in　comparison　with　the　joy　I　have　been　experiencing　now　for　the　last　thirty　years　when　I　talk　to　my　pupils；　lecture　to　them；　watch　their　relations；　and　compare　them　with　people　not　of　their　circle。

Mihail　Fyodorovitch　speaks　evil　of　everything。　Katya　listens；　and　neither　of　them　notices　into　what　depths　the　apparently　innocent　diversion　of　finding　fault　with　their　neighbours　is　gradually　drawing　them。　They　are　not　conscious　how　by　degrees　simple　talk　passes　into　malicious　mockery　and　jeering；　and　how　they　are　both　beginning　to　drop　into　the　habits　and　methods　of　slander。

〃Killing　types　one　meets　with；〃　says　Mihail　Fyodorovitch。　〃I　went　yesterday　to　our　friend　Yegor　Petrovitch's；　and　there　I　found　a　studious　gentleman；　one　of　your　medicals　in　his　third　year；　I　believe。　Such　a　face！　。　。　。　in　the　Dobrolubov　style；　the　imprint　of　profound　thought　on　his　brow；　we　got　i　nto　talk。　'Such　doings；　young　man；'　said　I。　'I've　read；'　said　I；　'that　some　German　　I've　forgotten　his　name　　has　created　from　the　human　brain　a　new　kind　of　alkaloid；　idiotine。'　What　do　you　think？　He　believed　it；　and　there　was　positively　an　expression　of　respect　on　his　face；　as　though　to　say；　'See　what　we　fellows　can　do！'　And　the　other　day　I　went　to　the　theatre。　I　took　my　seat。　In　the　next　row　directly　in　front　of　me　were　sitting　two　men：　one　of　'us　fellows'　and　apparently　a　law　student；　the　other　a　shaggy…looking　figure；　a　medical　student。　The　latter　was　as　drunk　as　a　cobbler。　He　did　not　look　at　the　stage　at　all。　He　was　dozing　with　his　nose　on　his　shirt…front。　But　as　soon　as　an　actor　begins　loudly　reciting　a　monologue；　or　simply　raises　his　voice；　our　friend　starts；　pokes　his　neighbour　in　the　ribs；　and　asks；　'What　is　he　saying？　Is　it　elevating？'　'Yes；'　answers　one　of　our　fellows。　'B…r…r…ravo！'　roars　the　medical　student。　'Elevating！　Bravo！'　He　had　gone　to　the　theatre；　you　see；　the　drunken　blockhead；　not　for　the　sake　of　art；　the　play；　but　for　elevation！　He　wanted　noble　sentiments。〃

Katya　listens　and　laughs。　She　has　a　strange　laugh；　she　catches　her　breath　in　rhythmically　regular　gasps；　very　much　as　though　she　were　playing　the　accordion；　and　nothing　in　her　face　is　laughing　but　her　nostrils。　I　grow　depressed　and　don't　know　what　to　say。　Beside　myself；　I　fire　up；　leap　up　from　my　seat；　and　cry：

〃Do　leave　off！　Why　are　you　sitting　here　like　two　toads；　poisoning　the　air　with　your　breath？　Give　over！〃

And　without　waiting　for　them　to　finish　their　gossip　I　prepare　to　go　home。　And；　indeed；　it　is　high　time：　it　is　past　ten。

〃I　will　stay　a　little　longer；〃　says　Mihail　Fyodorovitch。　〃Will　you　allow　me；　Ekaterina　Vladimirovna？〃

〃I　will；〃　answers　Katya。

〃_Bene！_　In　that　case　have　up　another　little　bottle。〃

They　both　accompany　me　with　candles　to　the　hall；　and　while　I　put　on　my　fur　coat；　Mihail　Fyodorovitch　says：

〃You　have　grown　dreadfully　thin　and　older　looking；　Nikolay　Stepanovitch。　What's　the　matter　with　you？　Are　you　ill？〃

〃Yes；　I　am　not　very　well。〃

〃And　you　are　not　doing　anything　for　it。　。　。〃　Katya　puts　in　grimly。

〃Why　don't　you？　You　can't　go　on　like　that！　God　helps　those　who　help　themselves；　my　dear　fellow。　Remember　me　to　your　wife　and　daughter；　and　make　my　apologies　for　not　having　been　to　see　them。　In　a　day　or　two；　before　I　go　abroad；　I　shall　come　to　say　good…bye。　I　shall　be　sure　to。　I　am　going　away　next　week。〃

I　come　away　from　Katya；　irritated　and　alarmed　by　what　has　been　said　about　my　being　ill；　and　dissatisfied　with　myself。　I　ask　myself　whether　I　really　ought　not　to　consult　one　of　my　colleagues。　And　at　once　I　imagine　how　my　colleague；　after　listening　to　me；　would　walk　away　to　the　window　without　speaking；　would　think　a　moment；　then　would　turn　round　to　me　and；　trying　to　prevent　my