Some weeks went by. Ivan Afanasiitch had completely forgotten
Vassilissa, and chatted in a friendly way with his servant as before.
One fine morning there came to see him a certain Bublitsyn, an
easy-mannered and very agreeable young man. It is true he sometimes
hardly knew himself what he was talking about, and was always, as they
say, a little wild; but all the same he had the reputation of being an
exceedingly agreeable person to talk to. He smoked a great deal with
feverish eagerness, with lifted eyebrows and contracted chest--smoked
with an expression of intense anxiety, or, one might rather say, with an
expression as though, let him have this one more puff at his pipe, and
in a minute he would tell you some quite unexpected piece of news; at
times he would even give a grunt and a wave of the hand, while himself
sucking at his pipe, as though he had suddenly recollected something
extraordinarily amusing or important, then he would open his mouth, let
off a few rings of smoke, and utter the most commonplace remarks, or
even keep silence altogether. After gossiping a little with Ivan
Afanasiitch about the neighbours, about horses, the daughters of the
gentry around, and other such edifying topics, Mr. Bublitsyn suddenly
winked, pulled up his shock of hair, and, with a sly smile, approached
the remarkably dim looking-glass which was the solitary ornament of Ivan
Afanasiitch’s room.
‘There’s no denying the fact,’ he pronounced, stroking his light brown
whiskers, ‘we’ve got girls here that beat any of your Venus of Medicis
hollow.... Have you seen Vassilissa, the baker girl, for instance?’ ...
Mr. Bublitsyn sucked at his pipe.
Pyetushkov started.
‘But why do I ask you?’ pursued Bublitsyn, disappearing in a cloud of
smoke,--‘you’re not the man to notice, don’t you know, Ivan Afanasiitch!
Goodness knows what you do to occupy yourself, Ivan Afanasiitch!’
‘The same as you do,’ Pyetushkov replied with some vexation, in a
drawling voice.
‘Oh no, Ivan Afanasiitch, not a bit of it.... How can you say so?’
‘Well, why not?’
‘Nonsense, nonsense.’
‘Why so, why so?’
Bublitsyn stuck his pipe in the corner of his mouth, and began
scrutinising his not very handsome boots. Pyetushkov felt embarrassed.
‘Ah, Ivan Afanasiitch, Ivan Afanasiitch!’ pursued Bublitsyn, as though
sparing his feelings. ‘But as to Vassilissa, the baker girl, I can
assure you: a very, ve-ry fine girl, ... ve-ry.’
Mr. Bublitsyn dilated his nostrils, and slowly plunged his hands into
his pockets.
Strange to relate, Ivan Afanasiitch felt something of the nature of
jealousy. He began moving restlessly in his chair, burst into explosive
laughter at nothing at all, suddenly blushed, yawned, and, as he yawned,
his lower jaw twitched a little. Bublitsyn smoked three more pipes, and
withdrew. Ivan Afanasiitch went to the window, sighed, and called for
something to drink.
Onisim set a glass of kvas on the table, glanced severely at his master,
leaned back against the door, and hung his head dejectedly.
‘What are you so thoughtful about?’ his master asked him genially, but
with some inward trepidation.
‘What am I thinking about?’ retorted Onisim; ‘what am I thinking
about? ... it’s always about you.’
‘About me!’
‘Of course it’s about you.’
‘Why, what is it you are thinking?’
‘Why, this is what I’m thinking.’ (Here Onisim took a pinch of snuff.)
‘You ought to be ashamed, sir--you ought to be ashamed of yourself.’
‘Ashamed?’
‘Yes, ashamed.... Look at Mr. Bublitsyn, Ivan Afanasiitch.... Tell me if
he’s not a fine fellow, now.’
‘I don’t understand you.’
‘You don’t understand me.... Oh yes, you do understand me.’
Onisim paused.
‘Mr. Bublitsyn’s a real gentleman--what a gentleman ought to be. But
what are you, Ivan Afanasiitch, what are you? Tell me that.’
‘Why, I’m a gentleman too.’
‘A gentleman, indeed!’ ... retorted Onisim, growing indignant. ‘A pretty
gentleman you are! You’re no better, sir, than a hen in a shower of
rain, Ivan Afanasiitch, let me tell you. Here you sit sticking at home
the whole blessed day ... much good it does you, sitting at home like
that! You don’t play cards, you don’t go and see the gentry, and as
for ... well ...’
Onisim waved his hand expressively.
‘Now, come ... you really go ... too far ...’ Ivan Afanasiitch said
hesitatingly, clutching his pipe.
‘Too far, indeed, Ivan Afanasiitch, too far, you say! Judge for
yourself. Here again, with Vassilissa ... why couldn’t you ...’
‘But what are you thinking about, Onisim,’ Pyetushkov interrupted
miserably.
‘I know what I’m thinking about. But there--I’d better let you alone!
What can you do? Only fancy ... there you ...’
Ivan Afanasiitch got up.
‘There, there, if you please, you hold your tongue,’ he said quickly,
seeming to be searching for Onisim with his eyes; ‘I shall really,
you know ... I ... what do you mean by it, really? You’d better help
me dress.’
Onisim slowly drew off Ivan Afanasiitch’s greasy Tartar dressing-gown,
gazed with fatherly commiseration at his master, shook his head, put him
on his coat, and fell to beating him about the back with a brush.
Pyetushkov went out, and after a not very protracted stroll about the
crooked streets of the town, found himself facing the baker’s shop. A
queer smile was playing about his lips.
He had hardly time to look twice at the too well-known ‘establishment,’
when suddenly the little gate opened, and Vassilissa ran out with a
yellow kerchief on her head and a jacket flung after the Russian fashion
on her shoulders. Ivan Afanasiitch at once overtook her.
‘Where are you going, my dear?’
Vassilissa glanced swiftly at him, laughed, turned away, and put her
hand over her lips.
‘Going shopping, I suppose?’ queried Ivan Afanasiitch, fidgeting
with his feet.
‘How inquisitive we are!’ retorted Vassilissa.
‘Why inquisitive?’ said Pyetushkov, hurriedly gesticulating with his
hands. ‘Quite the contrary.... Oh yes, you know,’ he added hastily, as
though these last words completely conveyed his meaning.
‘Did you eat my roll?’
‘To be sure I did,’ replied Pyetushkov: ‘with special enjoyment.’
Vassilissa continued to walk on and to laugh.
‘It’s pleasant weather to-day,’ pursued Ivan Afanasiitch: ‘do you often
go out walking?’
‘Yes.’
‘Ah, how I should like....’
‘What say?’
The girls in our district utter those words in a very queer way, with a
peculiar sharpness and rapidity.... Partridges call at sunset with just
that sound.
‘To go out walking, don’t you know, with you ... into the
country, or ...’
‘How can you?’
‘Why not?’
‘Ah, upon my word, how you do go on!’
‘But allow me....’
At this point they were overtaken by a dapper little shopman, with a
little goat’s beard, and with his fingers held apart like antlers, so as
to keep his sleeves from slipping over his hands, in a long-skirted
bluish coat, and a warm cap that resembled a bloated water-melon.
Pyetushkov, for propriety’s sake, fell back a little behind Vassilissa,
but quickly came up with her again.
‘Well, then, what about our walk?’
Vassilissa looked slily at him and giggled again.
‘Do you belong to these parts?’
‘Yes.’
Vassilissa passed her hand over her hair and walked a little more
slowly. Ivan Afanasiitch smiled, and, his heart inwardly sinking with
timidity, he stooped a little on one side and put a trembling arm about
the beauty’s waist.
Vassilissa uttered a shriek.
‘Give over, do, for shame, in the street.’
‘Come now, there, there,’ muttered Ivan Afanasiitch.
‘Give over, I tell you, in the street.... Don’t be rude.’
‘A ... a ... ah, what a girl you are!’ said Pyetushkov reproachfully,
while he blushed up to his ears.
Vassilissa stood still.
‘Now go along with you, sir--go along, do.’
Pyetushkov obeyed. He got home, and sat for a whole hour without moving
from his chair, without even smoking his pipe. At last he took out a
sheet of greyish paper, mended a pen, and after long deliberation wrote
the following letter.
‘DEAR MADAM, VASSILISSA TIMOFYEVNA!--Being naturally a most inoffensive
person, how could I have occasioned you annoyance? If I have really been
to blame in my conduct to you, then I must tell you: the hints of Mr.
Bublitsyn were responsible for this, which was what I never expected.
Anyway, I must humbly beg you not to be angry with me. I am a sensitive
man, and any kindness I am most sensible of and grateful for. Do not be
angry with me, Vassilissa Timofyevna, I beg you most humbly.--I remain
respectfully your obedient servant,