Maret 15, 2017
fathers and sons by ivan turgenevchapter 19 in spite of her ma5terly self-control andsuperiority to every kind of prejudice, madame odintsov felt awkward when sheentered the dining room for dinner. however, the meal went off quitesatisfactorily. porfiri platonich turned up and toldvarious anecdotes; he had just returned from the town. among other things, he announced that thegovernor had ordered his secretaries on special commissions to wear spurs, in casehe might want to send them off somewhere on horseback, at greater speed.
arkady talked in an undertone to katya, andattended diplomatically to the princess. bazarov maintained a grim and obstinatesilence. madame odintsov glanced at him twice, notfurtively, but straight in his face, which looked stern and choleric, with downcasteyes and a contemptuous determination stamped on every feature, and she thought:"no...no...no." after dinner, she went with the wholecompany into the garden, and seeing that bazarov wanted to speak to her, she walkeda few steps to one side and stopped. he approached her, but even then he did notraise his eyes and said in a husky voice: "i have to apologize to you, annasergeyevna.
you must be furious with me." "no, i'm not angry with you, evgenyvassilich, but i'm upset." "so much the worse.in any case i've been punished enough. i find myself, i'm sure you will agree, ina very stupid position. you wrote to me, 'why go away?'but i can't stay and i don't want to. tomorrow i shall no longer be here." "evgeny vassilich, why are you...""why am i going away?" "no, i didn't mean that." "the past won't return, anna sergeyevna,but sooner or later this was bound to
happen.therefore i must go. i can imagine only one condition whichwould have enabled me to stay: but that condition will never be.for surely--excuse my impudence--you don't love me and never will love me?" bazarov's eyes glittered for a moment fromunder his dark brows. anna sergeyevna did not answer him."i'm afraid of this man," was the thought that flashed through her mind. "farewell then," muttered bazarov, as if heguessed her thought, and he turned back to the house.anna sergeyevna followed him slowly, and
calling katya to her, she took her arm. she kept katya by her side till theevening. she did not play cards and kept onlaughing, which was not at all in keeping with her pale and worried face. arkady was perplexed, and looked at her, asyoung people do, constantly wondering: "what can it mean?"bazarov shut himself up in his room and only reappeared at teatime. anna sergeyevna wanted to say a kind wordto him, but she could not bring herself to address him...
an unexpected incident rescued her from herembarrassment: the butler announced the arrival of sitnikov. words can hardly describe the strangefigure cut by the young champion of progress as he fluttered into the room. he had decided with his characteristicimpudence to go to the country to visit a woman whom he hardly knew, who had neverinvited him, but with whom, as he had ascertained, such talented people and intimate friends of his were staying;nevertheless, he was trembling to the marrow of his bones with fright, andinstead of bringing out the excuses and
compliments which he had learned by heart beforehand, he muttered something idioticabout evdoksya kukshina having sent him to inquire after anna sergeyevna's health andthat arkady nikolayevich had always spoken to him in terms of the highest praise...at this point he faltered and lost hispresence of mind so completely that he sat down on his hat. however, since no one turned him out, andanna sergeyevna even introduced him to her aunt and sister, he soon recovered himselfand began to chatter to his heart's content.
the introduction of something commonplaceis often useful in life; it relieves an overstrained tension, and sobers down self-confident or self-sacrificing feelings by recalling how closely it is related tothem. with sitnikov's appearance everythingbecame somehow duller, more trivial--and easier: they all even ate supper with abetter appetite, and went to bed half an hour earlier than usual. "i can now repeat to you," said arkady, ashe lay down in bed, to bazarov, who was also undressing, "what you once said to me:'why are you so melancholy? it looks as though you were fulfilling somesacred duty.'"
for some time past a tone of artificiallyfree-and-easy banter had sprung up between the two young men, always a sure sign ofsecret dissatisfaction or of unexpressed suspicion. "i'm going to my father's place tomorrow,"said bazarov. arkady raised himself and leaned on hiselbow. he felt both surprised and somehow pleased. "ah," he remarked, "and is that why you aresad?" bazarov yawned."if you know too much, you grow old." "and what about anna sergeyevna?"
"what about her?""i mean, will she let you go?" "i'm not in her employment."arkady became thoughtful while bazarov lay down and turned his face to the wall. some minutes passed in silence."evgeny!" suddenly exclaimed arkady. "well?""i shall also leave tomorrow." bazarov made no answer. "only i shall go home," continued arkady."we will go together as far as khokhlovsky, and there you can get horses at fedot's. i should have been delighted to meet yourpeople, but i'm afraid i should only get in
their way and yours.of course you're coming back to stay with us?" "i've left all my things with you," saidbazarov, without turning round. "why doesn't he ask me why i'm going away?--and just as suddenly as he is?" thought arkady. "as a matter of fact, why am i going, andwhy is he?" he went on reflecting. he could find no satisfactory answer to hisown question, though his heart was filled with some bitter feeling. he felt he would find it hard to part fromthis life to which he had grown so
accustomed; but for him to stay on alonewould also be queer. "something has happened between them," hereasoned to himself; "what's the good of my hanging around here after he has gone?obviously i should bore her stiff, and lose even the little that remains for me." he began to conjure up a picture of annasergeyevna; then other features gradually eclipsed the lovely image of the youngwidow. "i'm sorry about katya too," arkadywhispered to his pillow, on which a tear had already fallen...suddenly he shook backhis hair and said aloud: "what the devil brought that idiotic sitnikov here?"
bazarov started to move about in his bed,and then made the following answer: "i see you're still stupid, my boy.sitnikovs are indispensable to us. for me, don't you understand--i need suchblockheads. in fact, it's not for the gods to bakebricks..." "oho!" thought arkady, and only then he sawin a flash the whole fathomless depth of bazarov's conceit."so you and i are gods, in that case? at least, you're a god, but i suppose i'mone of the blockheads." "yes," repeated bazarov gloomily."you're still stupid." madame odintsov expressed no particularsurprise when arkady told her the next day
that he was going with bazarov; she seemedtired and preoccupied. katya looked at him with silent gravity. the princess went so far as to crossherself under her shawl, so that he could not help noticing it; but sitnikov, on theother hand, was most disconcerted. he had just appeared for. breakfast in asmart new costume, not this time in the slavophil fashion; the previous evening hehad astonished the man appointed to look after him by the quantity of linen he had brought, and now all of a sudden hiscomrades were deserting him! he took a few quick steps, darted roundlike a hunted hare on the edge of a wood,
and abruptly, almost with terror, almostwith a wail, he announced that he also proposed to leave. madame odintsov made no attempt to detainhim. "my carriage is very comfortable," addedthe unlucky young man, turning to arkady; "i can take you, while evgeny vassilichtakes your tarantass, so that will be even more convenient." "but really, it's quite off your road, andit's a long way to where i live." "never mind, that's nothing; i've plenty oftime, besides i have business in that direction."
"selling vodka?" asked arkady, rather toocontemptuously. but sitnikov was already reduced to suchdespair that he did not even laugh as he usually did. "i assure you, my carriage is extremelycomfortable," he muttered, "and there will be room for everyone.""don't upset monsieur sitnikov by refusing...," murmured anna sergeyevna. arkady glanced at her and bowed his headsignificantly. the visitors left after breakfast. as she said good-by to bazarov, madameodintsov held out her hand to him, and
said, "we shall meet again, shan't we?""as you command," answered bazarov. "in that case, we shall." arkady was the first to go out into theporch; he climbed into sitnikov's carriage. the butler tucked him in respectfully, butarkady would gladly have struck him or burst into tears. bazarov seated himself in the tarantass. when they reached khokhlovsky, arkadywaited till fedot, the keeper of the posting station, had harnessed the horses,then going up to the tarantass, he said with his old smile to bazarov, "evgeny,
take me with you, i want to come to yourplace." "get in," muttered bazarov between histeeth. sitnikov, who had been walking up and downby the wheels of his carriage, whistling boldly, could only open his mouth and gapewhen he heard these words; while arkady coolly pulled his luggage out of the carriage, took his seat beside bazarov,and, bowing politely to his former traveling companion, shouted, "drive off!" the tarantass rolled away and was soon outof sight...sitnikov, utterly confused, looked at his coachman, but he was flickinghis whip round the tail of the off-side
horse. finally sitnikov jumped into his carriage--and yelling at two passing peasants, "put on your caps, fools!" he drove to the town,where he arrived very late, and where the next day, at madame kukshin's he spoke severely about two "disgustingly stuck-upand ignorant fellows." sitting in the tarantass alongside bazarov,arkady pressed his friend's hand warmly, and for a long time he said nothing. it seemed as though bazarov appreciatedboth arkady's action and his silence. he had not slept at all the previous night,neither had he smoked, and for several days
he had scarcely eaten anything. his thin profile stood out darkly andsharply from under his cap, which was pulled down over his eyebrows. "well, brother," he said at last, "give mea cigar...but look, i say, is my tongue yellow?""it's yellow," answered arkady. "hm--yes...and the cigar has no taste. the machine is out of gear.""you have certainly changed lately," observed arkady."that's nothing; we shall soon recover. one thing bothers me--my mother is sosofthearted; if your tummy doesn't grow
round as a barrel and you don't eat tentimes a day, she's in despair. my father's all right, he's been everywhereand known all the ups and downs. no, i can't smoke," he added, and flung thecigar away into the dusty road. "do you think it's another sixteen miles toyour place?" asked arkady. "yes, but ask this wise man."he pointed to the peasant sitting on the box, a laborer of fedot's. but the wise man only answered: "who's toknow? miles aren't measured hereabouts," and went on swearing under his breath atthe shaft horse for "kicking with her headpiece," by which he meant, jerking herhead.
"yes, yes," began bazarov, "it's a lessonfor you, my young friend, an instructive example. the devil knows what rubbish it is.every man hangs by a thread, any minute the abyss may open under his feet, and yet hemust go and invent for himself all kinds of troubles and spoil his life." "what are you hinting at?" asked arkady."i'm not hinting at anything; i'm saying plainly that we both behaved like fools.what's the use of talking about it? but i've noticed in hospital work, the manwho's angry with his illness--he's sure to get over it."
"i don't quite understand you," remarkedarkady, "it seems you have nothing to complain about." "well, if you don't quite understand me,i'll tell you this; to my mind it's better to break stones on the road than to let awoman get the mastery of even the end of one's little finger. that's all...," bazarov was about to utter his favorite word "romanticism," but checked himself andsaid "rubbish." "you won't believe me now, but i'll tellyou; you and i fell into feminine society and very nice we found it; but we throw offthat sort of society--it's like taking a
dip in cold water on a hot day. a man has no time for these trifles.a man must be untamed, says an old spanish proverb.now you, my wise friend," he added, addressing the peasant on the box. "i suppose you have a wife?"the peasant turned his dull bleary-eyed face towards the two young friends."a wife? yes. how could it be otherwise?" "do you beat her?""my wife? anything may happen.we don't beat her without a reason."
"that's fine. well, and does she beat you?"the peasant tugged at the reins. "what things you say, sir.you like a joke." he was obviously offended. "you hear, arkady nikolayevich.but we've been properly beaten--that's what comes of being educated people." arkady gave a forced laugh, while bazarovturned away and did not open his mouth again for the rest of the journey.those sixteen miles seemed to arkady quite like double the distance.
but at last on the slope of some risingground the little village where bazarov's parents lived came into sight.close to it, in a young birch copse, stood a small house with a thatched roof. two peasants with their hats on stood nearthe first hut swearing at each other. "you're a great swine," said one, "you'reworse than a little sucking pig." "and your wife's a witch," retorted theother. "by their unconstrained behavior," remarkedbazarov to arkady, "and by the playfulness of their phraseology, you can guess that myfather's peasants are not overmuch oppressed.
but there he is himself coming out on thesteps of the house. he must have heard the bells; it's him allright, i recognize his figure; ay! ay! only how grey he's grown, poor old chap!"
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