Works of Ivan Turgenev (Illustrated) (450 page)

Eletski: What’s your name, my dear fellow?

Petr: Petr, sir.

Eletski: Well, call the Manager in for me. What’s his name, Egor, or what?

Petr: That’s right, sir, Egor.

Eletski: Call him in.

[Petr goes out. After a moment Egor enters, stops at the door, and folds his hands behind him. He looks subserviently at Eletski.]

Eletski [in an official voice]: Egor, to - morrow I intend to look over the estate of Olga Petrovna.

Egor: Yes, sir.

Eletski: How many serfs are here?

Egor: In the hamlet of Timofeev there are three hundred and eighty - four of the male sex, according to the last census, but in reality there are more.

Eletski: About how many more?

Egor [coughing into his hand]: There will be about twenty or so more.

Eletski: Hm . . . Find out exactly and report. Have we joint land too?

Egor: In the round ridge there is a cottage with some little land.

Eletski [looking doubtfully at Egor]: Hm . . . Have we much fertile land?

Egor: Quite enough. Two hundred and seventy - five desiatin in the wedge.

Eletski [again looking doubtfully at Egor]: And how much unproductive land?

Egor [hesitatingly]: What shall I say . . . Under the bushes . . . there are cavines . . . well, and then the manor . . . also pasture land . . . [Coming to himself a little.] It all lies around the meadows.

Eletski [knitting his brows]: Well, how much?

Egor: Well, who knows? The land has never been surveyed. Maybe it is marked down on the plans. However, there must be about fifty desiatin.

Eletski [to himself]: What disorder! [Aloud.] Any wooded land?

Egor: Twenty - eight desiatin or a little over.

Eletski [aloud but slowly]: That means then that all told there are about five hundred desiatin.

Egor: Five hundred? Why, there’ll be more than two thousand.

Eletski: How’s that. You yourself . . . [Ee stops a moment.] Yes ... I ... I just wanted to say so . . . You understand?

Egor: Yes, sir.

Eletski [quite seriously]: Well, do the peasants behave themselves well? Are they quiet?

Egor: Yes, the people are pretty good. They like to get a warning once in a while.

Eletski: Hm! And are they not desolate, ruined?

Egor: Oh, no! That wouldn’t be possible! Many of them are very well pleased with their situation!

Eletski: Well, I’ll make a personal investigation tomorrow. Now you can go. But tell me, please, who’s the gentleman that lives here?

Egor: Kuzovkin, Yasili Semenych. He is a nobleman. He lives here on charitable bread. He has been here ever since the old master took him in. It may be said that he took him in here more as a family charge.

Eletski: And he has lived here long?

Egor: Yes, very long. It is twenty years since the old master died, and he came to the house quite a little before he died.

Eletski: All right. Have you an office here?

Egor: Yes, we couldn’t get along without one.

Eletski: I shall look that all over to - morrow. Now you can go. [Egor goes out.] This Superintendent seems to be a fool. However, we’ll see. [Gets up and promenades around the room.] Here I am in the country in my own village. Sounds kind of strange. Still it’s agreeable.

[Tropachev’s voice is heard from the anteroom, ashing, “Have they arrived to - day?”]

Eletski [to himself]: Who’s that?

Petr [entering from the anteroom]: Tropachev, Flegont Aleksandrych, is here. He wants to see you. What shall I say to him?

Eletski [to himself]: Who can it be? The name is familiar? [Aloud.] Ask him in.

Tropachev [entering]: How do you do, Pavel Nikolaich, bon jour. [Eletski bows with visible doubt.] You, it seems, do not recognize me. Do you remember in Petrograd in Count Kuntsov’s house . . .

Eletski: Oh, yes! . . . Please come in. I am very glad . . . [Shakes hands with him.]

Tropachev: I am your nearest neighbor. I live within two miles of here. When I go to the city, I pass by your house. I knew that you were expected, so I thought I would step in and find out, but if I have come at an inopportune time, just say so, please. Entre gens comme il faut, you understand? Don’t stand on ceremony with me.

Eletski: On the contrary, I hope that you will remain to dinner with us, although I do not know what our country cook has prepared.

Tropachev [playfully]: Oh, my Lord, I know everything in your house is on a large scale. I hope that you will do me the honor to come and take dinner with me some of these days. You would not believe me if I should tell you how glad I am of your arrival. There are so few respectable people around here. Des gens comme il faut. Et ma dame? How’s her health? I have known her since she was a child. Yes, yes, I know your wife very well — yes, very well. I congratulate you, Pavel Nikolaich, from the bottom of my heart. He! he! She surely wouldn’t remember me at all. [He shows off again and smooths his side whiskers.]

Eletski: She’ll be very glad. . . . She went out for a walk in the garden with . . . with this gentleman who lives here.

Tropachev [contemptuously]: Oh, with that! . . . He, I think, acts in the capacity of a buffoon here. . . . However, he’s a peaceful sort of fellow. By the way, another nobleman came with me. He is waiting there in the anteroom. Will you permit me . . .?

Eletski: Surely, surely, bring him in! Why did you leave him in the anteroom?

Tropachev: Oh, ne faites pas attention!
That’s so. Oh, it doesn’t matter. On account of his poverty, he lives with me. Don’t discommode yourself on account of him. Je vous en prie. [Goes up to the anteroom.] Karpachov, come in, my dear boy. [Karpachov enters and bows.] I have the honor to introduce to you, Pavel Nikolaich.

Eletski: I am very pleased to meet you.

Tropachev [takes Eletski under his arm and quietly turns him away from Karpachov, who modestly goes away to one side]: C’est bien. C’est bien. Have you come to stay with us long, Pavel Nikolaich?

Eletski: I am on a three - months’ furlough. [They both promenade around the room.]

Tropachev: That’s very little, very little, but I understand you couldn’t probably get away for longer. I think that you must have had quite a little trouble getting that much time off. He, he, he! Still you must have a rest. Do you like hunting?

Eletski: I never held a gun in my hand in my life. However, before I left for here I bought a dog. Is there much game around here?

Tropachev: Oh, yes. That, if it pleases you, I’ll take upon myself. I’ll make a hunter out of you. [To Karpachov.] Is there much game in Malinik?

Karpachov [from the corner, in a deep voice]: There is quite a little, but in Kamen there is more.

Tropachev: Very well.

Karpachov: Fedul, the forester, told me that in Gori - elo . . . [From the garden, enter Olga with Kuzovkin and Ivanov. Karpachov breaks off his conversation and bows.]

Olga: Oh, Paul, how beautiful our garden is! . . . [She stops short upon seeing Tropachev.]

Eletski [to Olga]: Permit me to introduce to you . . .

Tropachev [interrupting Eletski]: Pardon me, pardon me, we are old acquaintances. . . . Olga Petrovna doesn’t recognize me, and it isn’t surprising. I knew her . . . [Ee shows with his hand about a yard from the floor.”] Comme ga. [He shows off and continues with a smile.] Tropachev, Flegont; don’t you remember your neighbor, Tropachev, Flegont? Don’t you remember he used to bring you playthings from the city. You were then such an amiable child, and now . . . [He puts great stress on the last word, bows, takes a step back, and then straightens up, very pleased with his work.]

Olga: Oh, Monsieur Tropachev, surely, surely, I recognize you now. [Gtt’es him her hands.] You wouldn’t believe me if I should tell you how happy I am since Pm here.

Tropachev [sweetly]: As though only since you are here!

Olga [smilingly]: I recollected my childhood so quickly. . . . Paul, you must go into the garden with me. I will show you the acacia tree which I myself planted. It is now much taller than I am.

Eletski [to Olga, pointing at Karpachov]: Monsieur Karpachov, also a neighbor of ours.

[Karpachov bows and retires to the corner, in which there are already standing Kuzovkin and Ivanov.]

Olga: I am very glad . . .

Tropachev [to Olga]: Ne faites pas attention.
[Aloud while rubbing his hands.] And so you are finally in your own village, a hostess. How time flies, huh!

Olga: I hope you’ll remain for dinner.

Eletski: I invited . . . Pardon . . . What is your name and patronymic?

Tropachev: Flegont Aleksandrych.

Eletski: I have already invited Flegont Aleksandrych. Only I fear that the dinner . . .

Tropaciiev: Oh, nonsense!

Olga [leading Eletski away to the side a bit]: He has come at a most inopportune moment.

Eletski: Yes. . . . However, he seems to be quite a nice man.

Tropachev [he steps aside also and involuntarily takes to chewing the head of his cane, then goes up to Kozovkin and speaks to him in an undertone]: Oh, here you are! How are you?

Kuzovkin: Thank the Lord! I am extremely much obliged to you for inquiring.

Tropachev [pointing with his elbow to Karpachov]: You know him, don’t you?

Kuzovkin: Surely, we are acquainted.

Tropachev: So, so, so. [To Ivanov.] And you are here.

Ivanov: Yes, and I am here.

Olga [to Tropachev]: Monsieur . . . Monsieur . . .
Tropachev . . .

Tropachev [turning around quickly]: Madame?

Olga: You and I, I think, are old friends. We needn’t stand on ceremony, isn’t that right?