Viktor related to us, omitting no detail, how he had in a certain ‘gay’ house met this officer of the guards, a very nice chap and of good family, only without a hap’orth of brains; how they had made friends, how he, the officer that is, had suggested as a joke a game of ‘fools’ with Viktor with some old cards, for next to nothing, and with the condition that the officer’s winnings should go to the benefit of Wilhelmina, but Viktor’s to his own benefit; how afterwards they had got on to betting on the games.

‘And I, and I,’ cried Viktor, and he jumped up and clapped his hands, ‘I hadn’t more than six roubles in my pocket all the while. Fancy! And at first I was completely cleaned out…. A nice position! Only then—in answer to whose prayers I can’t say—fortune smiled. The other fellow began to get hot and kept showing all his cards…. In no time he’d lost seven hundred and fifty roubles! He began begging me to go on playing, but I’m not quite a fool, I fancy; no, one mustn’t abuse such luck; I popped on my hat and cut away. So now I’ve no need to eat humble pie with the governor, and can treat my friends…. Hi waiter! Another bottle! Gentlemen, let’s clink glasses!’

We did clink glasses with Viktor, and continued drinking and laughing with him, though his story was by no means to our liking, nor was his society a source of any great satisfaction to us either. He began being very affable, playing the buffoon, unbending, in fact, and was more loathsome than ever. Viktor noticed at last the impression he was making on us, and began to get sulky; his remarks became more disconnected and his looks gloomier. He began yawning, announced that he was sleepy, and after swearing with his characteristic coarseness at the waiter for a badly cleaned pipe, he suddenly accosted Fustov, with a challenging expression on his distorted face.

‘I say, Alexander Daviditch,’ said he, ‘you tell me, if you please, what do you look down on me for?’

‘How so?’ My friend was momentarily at a loss for a reply.

‘I’ll tell you how…. I’m very well aware that you look down on me, and that person does too’ (he pointed at me with his finger), ‘so there! As though you were yourself remarkable for such high and exalted principles, and weren’t just as much a sinner as the rest of us. Worse even. Still waters… you know the proverb?’

Fustov turned rather red.

‘What do you mean by that?’ he asked.

‘Why, I mean that I’m not blind yet, and I see very clearly everything that’s going on under my nose…. And I have nothing against it: first it’s not my principle to interfere, and secondly, my sister Susanna Ivanovna hasn’t always been so exemplary herself…. Only, why look down on me?’

‘You don’t understand what you’re babbling there yourself! You’re drunk,’ said Fustov, taking his overcoat from the wall. ‘He’s swindled some fool of his money, and now he’s telling all sorts of lies!’

Viktor continued reclining on the sofa, and merely swung his legs, which were hanging over its arm.

‘Swindled! Why did you drink the wine, then? It was paid for with the money I won, you know. As for lies, I’ve no need for lying. It’s not my fault that in her past Susanna Ivanovna…’

‘Hold your tongue!’ Fustov shouted at him, ‘hold your tongue… or…’

‘Or what?’

‘You’ll find out what. Come along, Piotr.’

‘Aha!’ pursued Viktor; ‘our noble-hearted knight takes refuge in flight. He doesn’t care to hear the truth, that’s evident! It stings—the truth does, it seems!’

‘Come along, Piotr,’ Fustov repeated, completely losing his habitual coolness and self-possession.

‘Let’s leave this wretch of a boy!’

‘The boy’s not afraid of you, do you hear,’ Viktor shouted after us, ‘he despises you, the boy does! Do you hear!’

Fustov walked so quickly along the street that I had difficulty in keeping up with him. All at once he stopped short and turned sharply back.

‘Where are you going?’ I asked.

‘Oh, I must find out what the idiot…. He’s drunk, no doubt, God knows what…. Only don’t you follow me… we shall see each other to-morrow. Good-bye!’

And hurriedly pressing my hand, Fustov set off towards Yar’s hotel.

Next day I missed seeing Fustov; and on the day after that, on going to his rooms, I learned that he had gone into the country to his uncle’s, near Moscow. I inquired if he had left no note for me, but no note was forth-coming. Then I asked the servant whether he knew how long Alexander Daviditch would be away in the country. ‘A fortnight, or a little more, probably,’ replied the man. I took at any rate Fustov’s exact address, and sauntered home, meditating deeply. This unexpected absence from Moscow, in the winter, completed my utter perplexity. My good aunt observed to me at dinner that I seemed continually expecting something, and gazed at the cabbage pie as though I were beholding it for the first time in my life. ‘Pierre, vous n’êtes pas amoureux?’ she cried at last, having previously got rid of her companions. But I reassured her: no, I was not in love.

XVI

Three days passed. I had a secret prompting to go to the Ratschs’. I fancied that in their house I should be sure to find a solution of all that absorbed my mind, that I could not make out…. But I should have had to meet the veteran…. That thought pulled me up. One tempestuous evening—the February wind was howling angrily outside, the frozen snow tapped at the window from time to time like coarse sand flung by a mighty hand—I was sitting in my room, trying to read. My servant came, and, with a mysterious air, announced that a lady wished to see me. I was surprised… ladies did not visit me, especially at such a late hour; however, I told him to show her in. The door opened and with swift step there walked in a woman, muffled up in a light summer cloak and a yellow shawl. Abruptly she cast off the cloak and the shawl, which were covered with snow, and I saw standing before me Susanna. I was so astonished that I did not utter a word, while she went up to the window, and leaning her shoulder against the wall, remained motionless; only her bosom heaved convulsively and her eyes moved restlessly, and the breath came with a faint moan from her white lips. I realised that it was no slight trouble that had brought her to me; I realised, for all my youth and shallowness, that at that instant before my eyes the fate of a whole life was being decided—a bitter and terrible fate.

‘Susanna Ivanovna,’ I began, ‘how…’

She suddenly clutched my hand in her icy fingers, but her voice failed her. She gave a broken sigh and looked down. Her heavy coils of black hair fell about her face…. The snow had not melted from off it.

‘Please, calm yourself, sit down,’ I began again, ‘see here, on the sofa. What has happened? Sit down, I entreat you.’

‘No,’ she articulated, scarcely audibly, and she sank on to the window-seat. ‘I am all right here…. Let me be…. You could not expect… but if you knew… if I could… if…’

She tried to control herself, but the tears flowed from her eyes with a violence that shook her, and sobs, hurried, devouring sobs, filled the room. I felt a tightness at my heart…. I was utterly stupefied. I had seen Susanna only twice; I had conjectured that she had a hard life, but I had regarded her as a proud girl, of strong character, and all at once these violent, despairing tears…. Mercy! Why, one only weeps like that in the presence of death!

I stood like one condemned to death myself.

‘Excuse me,’ she said at last, several times, almost angrily, wiping first one eye, then the other. ‘It’ll soon be over. I’ve come to you….’ She was still sobbing, but without tears. ‘I’ve come…. You know that Alexander Daviditch has gone away?’

In this single question Susanna revealed everything, and she glanced at me, as though she would say: ‘You understand, of course, you will have pity, won’t you?’ Unhappy girl! There was no other course left her then!

I did not know what answer to make….

‘He has gone away, he has gone away… he believed him!’ Susanna was saying meanwhile. ‘He did not care even to question me; he thought I should not tell him all the truth, he could think that of me! As though I had ever deceived him!’

She bit her lower lip, and bending a little, began to scratch with her nail the patterns of ice that covered the window-pane. I went hastily into the next room, and sending my servant away, came back at once and lighted another candle. I had no clear idea why I was doing all this…. I was greatly overcome. Susanna was sitting as before on the window-seat, and it was at this moment that I noticed how lightly she was dressed: a grey gown with white buttons and a broad leather belt, that was all. I went up to her, but she did not take any notice of me.

‘He believed it,… he believed it,’ she whispered, swaying softly from side to side. ‘He did not hesitate, he dealt me this last… last blow!’ She turned suddenly to me. ‘You know his address?’

‘Yes, Susanna Ivanovna.. I learnt it from his servants… at his house. He told me nothing of his