太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > the witch and other stories >

第34节

the witch and other stories-第34节

小说: the witch and other stories 字数: 每页4000字

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!




〃What for?〃 sighed Yegor; taking off his cap and wiping his red
forehead with his hand。 〃There is no object in my coming。 To go
for an hour or two is only waste of time; it's simply upsetting
you; and to live continually in the village my soul could not
endure。 。 。 。 You know yourself I am a pampered man。 。 。 。 I want
a bed to sleep in; good tea to drink; and refined conversation。 。
。 。 I want all the niceties; while you live in poverty and dirt
in the village。 。 。 。 I couldn't stand it for a day。 Suppose
there were an edict that I must live with you; I should either
set fire to the hut or lay hands on myself。 From a boy I've had
this love for ease; there is no help for it。〃

〃Where are you living now?〃

〃With the gentleman here; Dmitry Ivanitch; as a huntsman。 I
furnish his table with game; but he keeps me 。 。 。 more for his
pleasure than anything。〃

〃That's not proper work you're doing; Yegor Vlassitch。 。 。 。 For
other people it's a pastime; but with you it's like a trade 。 。 。
like real work。〃

〃You don't understand; you silly;〃 said Yegor; gazing gloomily at
the sky。 〃You have never understood; and as long as you live you
will never understand what sort of man I am。 。 。 。 You think of
me as a foolish man; gone to the bad; but to anyone who
understands I am the best shot there is in the whole district。
The gentry feel that; and they have even printed things about me
in a magazine。 There isn't a man to be compared with me as a
sportsman。 。 。 。 And it is not because I am pampered and proud
that I look down upon your village work。 From my childhood; you
know; I have never had any calling apart from guns and dogs。 If
they took away my gun; I used to go out with the fishing…hook; if
they took the hook I caught things with my hands。 And I went in
for horse…dealing too; I used to go to the fairs when I had the
money; and you know that if a peasant goes in for being a
sportsman; or a horse…dealer; it's good…bye to the plough。 Once
the spirit of freedom has taken a man you will never root it out
of him。 In the same way; if a gentleman goes in for being an
actor or for any other art; he will never make an official or a
landowner。 You are a woman; and you do not understand; but one
must understand that。〃

〃I understand; Yegor Vlassitch。〃

〃You don't understand if you are going to cry。 。 。 。〃

〃I 。 。 。 I'm not crying;〃 said Pelagea; turning away。 〃It's a
sin; Yegor Vlassitch! You might stay a day with luckless me;
anyway。 It's twelve years since I was married to you; and 。 。 。
and 。 。 。 there has never once been love between us! 。 。 。 I 。 。
。 I am not crying。〃

〃Love 。 。 。〃 muttered Yegor; scratching his hand。 〃There can't be
any love。 It's only in name we are husband and wife; we aren't
really。 In your eyes I am a wild man; and in mine you are a
simple peasant woman with no understanding。 Are we well matched?
I am a free; pampered; profligate man; while you are a working
woman; going in bark shoes and never straightening your back。 The
way I think of myself is that I am the foremost man in every kind
of sport; and you look at me with pity。 。 。 。 Is that being well
matched?〃

〃But we are married; you know; Yegor Vlassitch;〃 sobbed Pelagea。

〃Not married of our free will。 。 。 。 Have you forgotten? You have
to thank Count Sergey Paylovitch and yourself。 Out of envy;
because I shot better than he did; the Count kept giving me wine
for a whole month; and when a man's drunk you could make him
change his religion; let alone getting married。 To pay me out he
married me to you when I was drunk。 。 。 。 A huntsman to a
herd…girl! You saw I was drunk; why did you marry me? You were
not a serf; you know; you could have resisted。 Of course it was a
bit of luck for a herd…girl to marry a huntsman; but you ought to
have thought about it。 Well; now be miserable; cry。 It's a joke
for the Count; but a crying matter for you。 。 。 。 Beat yourself
against the wall。〃

A silence followed。 Three wild ducks flew over the clearing。
Yegor followed them with his eyes till; transformed into three
scarcely visible dots; they sank down far beyond the forest。

〃How do you live?〃 he asked; moving his eyes from the ducks to
Pelagea。

〃Now I am going out to work; and in the winter I take a child
from the Foundling Hospital and bring it up on the bottle。 They
give me a rouble and a half a month。〃

〃Oh。 。 。 。〃

Again a silence。 From the strip that had been reaped floated a
soft song which broke off at the very beginning。 It was too hot
to sing。

〃They say you have put up a new hut for Akulina;〃 said Pelagea。

Yegor did not speak。

〃So she is dear to you。 。 。 。〃

〃It's your luck; it's fate!〃 said the huntsman; stretching。 〃You
must put up with it; poor thing。 But good…bye; I've been
chattering long enough。 。 。 。 I must be at Boltovo by the
evening。〃

Yegor rose; stretched himself; and slung his gun over his
shoulder; Pelagea got up。

〃And when are you coming to the village?〃 she asked softly。

〃I have no reason to; I shall never come sober; and you have
little to gain from me drunk; I am spiteful when I am drunk。
Good…bye!〃

〃Good…bye; Yegor Vlassitch。〃

Yegor put his cap on t he back of his head and; clicking to his
dog; went on his way。 Pelagea stood still looking after him。 。 。
。 She saw his moving shoulder…blades; his jaunty cap; his lazy;
careless step; and her eyes were full of sadness and tender
affection。 。 。 。 Her gaze flitted over her husband's tall; lean
figure and caressed and fondled it。 。 。 。 He; as though he felt
that gaze; stopped and looked round。 。 。 。 He did not speak; but
from his face; from his shrugged shoulders; Pelagea could see
that he wanted to say something to her。 She went up to him
timidly and looked at him with imploring eyes。

〃Take it;〃 he said; turning round。

He gave her a crumpled rouble note and walked quickly away。

〃Good…bye; Yegor Vlassitch;〃 she said; mechanically taking the
rouble。

He walked by a long road; straight as a taut strap。 She; pale and
motionless as a statue; stood; her eyes seizing every step he
took。 But the red of his shirt melted into the dark colour of his
trousers; his step could not be seen; and the dog could not be
distinguished from the boots。 Nothing could be seen but the cap;
and 。 。 。 suddenly Yegor turned off sharply into the clearing and
the cap vanished in the greenness。

〃Good…bye; Yegor Vlassitch;〃 whispered Pelagea; and she stood on
tiptoe to see the white cap once more。


HAPPINESS

A FLOCK of sheep was spending the night on the broad steppe road
that is called the great highway。 Two shepherds were guarding it。
One; a toothless old man of eighty; with a tremulous face; was
lying on his stomach at the very edge of the road; leaning his
elbows on the dusty leaves of a plantain; the other; a young
fellow with thick black eyebrows and no moustache; dressed in the
coarse canvas of which cheap sacks are made; was lying on his
back; with his arms under his head; looking upwards at the sky;
where the stars were slumbering and the Milky Way lay stretched
exactly above his face。

The shepherds were not alone。 A couple of yards from them in the
dusk that shrouded the road a horse made a patch of darkness;
and; beside it; leaning against the saddle; stood a man in high
boots and a short full…skirted jacket who looked like an overseer
on some big estate。 Judging from his upright and motionless
figure; from his manners; and his behaviour to the shepherds and
to his horse; he was a serious; reasonable man who knew his own
value; even in the darkness signs could be detected in him of
military carriage and of the majestically condescending
expression gained by frequent intercourse with the gentry and
their stewards。

The sheep were asleep。 Against the grey background of the dawn;
already beginning to cover the eastern part of the sky; the
silhouettes of sheep that were not asleep could be seen here and
there; they stood with drooping heads; thinking。 Their thoughts;
tedious and oppressive; called forth by images of nothing but the
broad steppe and the sky; the days and the nights; probably
weighed upon them themselves; crushing them into apathy; and;
standing there as though rooted to the earth; they noticed
neither the presence of a stranger nor the uneasiness of the
dogs。

The drowsy; stagnant air was full of the monotonous noise
inseparable from a summer night on the steppes; the grasshoppers
chirruped incessantly; the quails called; and the young
nightingales trilled languidly half a mile away in a ravine where
a stream flowed and willows grew。

The overseer had halted to ask the shepherds for a light for his
pipe。 He lighted it in silence and smoked the whole pipe; then;
still without uttering a word; stood with his elbow on the
saddle; plunged in thought。 The young shepherd took no notice of
him; he still lay gazing at the sky while the old man slowly
looked the overseer up and down and then asked:

〃Why; aren't you Panteley from Makarov's estate?〃

〃That's myself;〃 answered the overseer。

〃To be sure; I see it is。 I didn't know you  that is a sign you
will be rich。 Where has God brought you from?〃

〃From the Kovylyevsky fiel

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的