登陆注册
5215100000037

第37章

Rakitin, of course, was a person of too little consequence to be invited to the dinner, to which Father Iosif, Father Paissy, and one other monk were the only inmates of the monastery invited.They were already waiting when Miusov, Kalganov, and Ivan arrived.The other guest, Maximov, stood a little aside, waiting also.The Father Superior stepped into the middle of the room to receive his guests.He was a tall, thin, but still vigorous old man, with black hair streaked with grey, and a long, grave, ascetic face.He bowed to his guests in silence.But this time they approached to receive his blessing.

Miusov even tried to kiss his hand, but the Father Superior drew it back in time to avoid the salute.But Ivan and Kalganov went through the ceremony in the most simple-hearted and complete manner, kissing his hand as peasants do.

"We must apologise most humbly, your reverence," began Miusov, simpering affably, and speaking in a dignified and respectful tone.

"Pardon us for having come alone without the gentleman you invited, Fyodor Pavlovitch.He felt obliged to decline the honour of your hospitality, and not without reason.In the reverend Father Zossima's cell he was carried away by the unhappy dissension with his son, and let fall words which were quite out of keeping...in fact, quite unseemly...as"- he glanced at the monks- "your reverence is, no doubt, already aware.And therefore, recognising that he had been to blame, he felt sincere regret and shame, and begged me, and his son Ivan Fyodorovitch, to convey to you his apologies and regrets.In brief, he hopes and desires to make amends later.He asks your blessing, and begs you to forget what has taken place."As he uttered the last word of his tirade, Miusov completely recovered his self-complacency, and all traces of his former irritation disappeared.He fully and sincerely loved humanity again.

The Father Superior listened to him with dignity, and, with a slight bend of the head, replied:

"I sincerely deplore his absence.Perhaps at our table he might have learnt to like us, and we him.Pray be seated, gentlemen."He stood before the holy image, and began to say grace, aloud.All bent their heads reverently, and Maximov clasped his hands before him, with peculiar fervour.

It was at this moment that Fyodor Pavlovitch played his last prank.It must be noted that he really had meant to go home, and really had felt the impossibility of going to dine with the Father Superior as though nothing had happened, after his disgraceful behaviour in the elder's cell.Not that he was so very much ashamed of himself- quite the contrary perhaps.But still he felt it would be unseemly to go to dinner.Yet his creaking carriage had hardly been brought to the steps of the hotel, and he had hardly got into it, when he suddenly stopped short.He remembered his own words at the elder's:

"I always feel when I meet people that I am lower than all, and that they all take me for a buffoon; so I say let me play the buffoon, for you are, every one of you, stupider and lower than I." He longed to revenge himself on everyone for his own unseemliness.He suddenly recalled how he had once in the past been asked, "Why do you hate so and so, so much?" And he had answered them, with his shameless impudence, "I'll tell you.He has done me no harm.But I played him a dirty trick, and ever since I have hated him."Remembering that now, he smiled quietly and malignantly, hesitating for a moment.His eyes gleamed, and his lips positively quivered.

"Well, since I have begun, I may as well go on," he decided.His predominant sensation at that moment might be expressed in the following words, "Well, there is no rehabilitating myself now.So let me shame them for all I am worth.I will show them I don't care what they think- that's all!"He told the coachman to wait, while with rapid steps he returned to the monastery and straight to the Father Superior's.He had no clear idea what he would do, but he knew that he could not control himself, and that a touch might drive him to the utmost limits of obscenity, but only to obscenity, to nothing criminal, nothing for which he could be legally punished.In the last resort, he could always restrain himself, and had marvelled indeed at himself, on that score, sometimes.He appeared in the Father Superior's dining-room, at the moment when the prayer was over, and all were moving to the table.Standing in the doorway, he scanned the company, and laughing his prolonged, impudent, malicious chuckle, looked them all boldly in the face."They thought I had gone, and here I am again," he cried to the whole room.

For one moment everyone stared at him without a word; and at once everyone felt that something revolting, grotesque, positively scandalous, was about to happen.Miusov passed immediately from the most benevolent frame of mind to the most savage.All the feelings that had subsided and died down in his heart revived instantly.

"No! this I cannot endure!" he cried."I absolutely cannot! and...

I certainly cannot!"

The blood rushed to his head.He positively stammered; but he was beyond thinking of style, and he seized his hat.

"What is it he cannot?" cried Fyodor Pavlovitch, "that he absolutely cannot and certainly cannot? Your reverence, am I to come in or not? Will you receive me as your guest?""You are welcome with all my heart," answered the Superior.

"Gentlemen!" he added, "I venture to beg you most earnestly to lay aside your dissensions, and to be united in love and family harmony-with prayer to the Lord at our humble table.""No, no, it is impossible!" cried Miusov, beside himself.

"Well, if it is impossible for Pyotr Alexandrovitch, it is impossible for me, and I won't stop.That is why I came.I will keep with Pyotr Alexandrovitch everywhere now.If you will go away, Pyotr Alexandrovitch, I will go away too, if you remain, I will remain.

同类推荐
  • 明伦汇编皇极典帝统部

    明伦汇编皇极典帝统部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 盛京疆域考

    盛京疆域考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Count Bunker

    Count Bunker

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 鸣机夜课图记

    鸣机夜课图记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Within the Tides

    Within the Tides

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 呆萌弃妃快回来

    呆萌弃妃快回来

    裴云一穿越就成了弃妃,很老套,但是并没有被家人嫌弃各种虐待,相反,非但爹娘没有怪她,曾经订过亲的青梅竹马还立刻向她求婚,这是立马就要开第二春的节奏啊。但是,那个早该没有任何关系的前夫却死活不肯放过她,不仅设了个鸿门宴让她出丑,还在各种场合刁难嘲讽,把她往泥里踩,不知道哪里看她不顺眼。裴云也是怒了,忍无可忍之下怼了回去,结果却是……
  • 剩女爱情路

    剩女爱情路

    幼玄是个特别的女孩子,她只想要自己想要的生活,但是在实现的过程中突然发现自己成了剩女。剩女的生活就是整天被人念叨着催着去相亲。过年前答应奶奶回老家的幼玄,在回家后就碰见了高中时期爱恋的林屹,林屹高中时期可是学校里的公认男神,碰见后居然主动过来追林幼玄,两个人会有什么样的故事发展呢?看书
  • 律要后集

    律要后集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 地下室里的阴谋(二)

    地下室里的阴谋(二)

    托马谢夫斯基累了,他感到精疲力尽。尽管他正以相当高的速度沿科尔特一舒尔马赫大街驾驶着他偷来的大众牌汽车,他仍不时地闭上眼睛。他必须闭一会儿眼睛,才能继续忍受阵阵袭来的痛苦万分的疲倦感。尽管他想忍住不哭,但眼泪还是一直流到他的上嘴唇。刚才喝的吉姆酒使他产生了十分强烈的自我怜悯。为什么他没有力量抛弃一切,去追求自己十分向往的安宁呢?为什么在还是孩子的时候,(比如说十二岁),在生活还没有把全部重担压在肩上之前,他没有死去呢?
  • 潋滟风月相思筏

    潋滟风月相思筏

    运筹帷幄的宸王爷本以为一纸婚约是自己算计了那个女人,不料却入了自己的局,终了只想抱得美人归。风谲云诡的京都从不太平,妘瑶只想觅得一地,睡吃等死,不想竟也有戎装上阵不顾小命的一天……情节:他睥睨天下,纵横山河格局,欲为江山王,成四海主,却甘愿入了自己的局;毒发命危之际,想的却是如何换她余生无忧。他生来便又一双很美的眸,上扬流光间盛尽四月芳菲色,揭开嬉笑风流的面皮,其下便是血淋淋的深仇恨,他曾道:亦无忧,无忧自是也无心,直到以命换命的那刻方知——亦无忧避不开俗世三千,躲不了婆娑遗憾,他该是让人心疼的才对。月色锦袍,如竹清韵,他清润也冷情,淡漠也嗜血,谁能想到就是这样一个人,徒手大开杀戒时,竟只是为了一个女子,何其不幸,此女已是他人妻。岁月重来,她只想握住指尖荣华浑噩度日,生平所好睡吃等死,不想事与愿违……
  • 巫女传说

    巫女传说

    不知从何时起,她屡遭恶鬼袭击,那些鬼魅想要夺取的竟是她那颗强壮的心!为了找出问题之症结,她通过各种方法追溯前世寻找前因,却发现每一世的恋人都是夺命凶手!而这一世,看穿真相的她能否躲过命运的牵引?明明是爱人,何时竟开始变为残虐的凶徒?
  • 武道成天

    武道成天

    经典仙侠,一样的经典,不一样的故事。他是个废柴,却要被生活压迫的起身反抗。
  • 你没事吧

    你没事吧

    《你没事吧》中包含了11部中短篇小说,作者选材角度多样,视角独特,立意鲜明。小说内容聚焦市、县两级基层干部,以一个个身处特殊境遇,在责任、欲望和感情中做出自己选择的鲜活人物来诠释作者对生活的理解与认知。
  • 华朝秘史

    华朝秘史

    马华穿越到了五代十国,并且其神识居然被一分为二,其中一部分控制了南唐后主李煜。于是李身征战世俗,而马身则着手收复修真界。且看马华一步步的成长,如何成为修真界的领袖?如何一统天下?
  • 圣帝域鲲鹏

    圣帝域鲲鹏

    本该灭绝的龙族却为何再次现世,三位天帝离奇失踪,三大险地神秘消失,十二天道星印传承现世,妖族,魔族,巫族,暗黑族纷纷崛起,人族示弱,且看叶天如何力挽狂澜!