登陆注册
5382300000024

第24章 CHAPTER IV(2)

as the old proverb has it, 'but a thing is not soon done.' How are we to economise? Even without saving we have the greatest difficulty to make the two ends meet."

"Then the widow and daughters might work and gain a livelihood."

"What, pray, could they work at?" asked Batushka, and paused for a reply. Seeing that I had none to offer him, he continued, "Even the house and land belong not to them, but to the new priest."

"If that position occurred in a novel," I said, "I could foretell what would happen. The author would make the new priest fall in love with and marry one of the daughters, and then the whole family, including the mother-in-law, would live happily ever afterwards."

"That is exactly how the Bishop arranges the matter. What the novelist does with the puppets of his imagination, the Bishop does with real beings of flesh and blood. As a rational being he cannot leave things to chance. Besides this, he must arrange the matter before the young man takes orders, because, by the rules of the Church, the marriage cannot take place after the ceremony of ordination. When the affair is arranged before the charge becomes vacant, the old priest can die with the pleasant consciousness that his family is provided for."

"Well, Batushka, you certainly put the matter in a very plausible way, but there seem to be two flaws in the analogy. The novelist can make two people fall in love with each other, and make them live happily together with the mother-in-law, but that--with all due respect to his Reverence, be it said--is beyond the power of a Bishop."

"I am not sure," said Batushka, avoiding the point of the objection, "that love-marriages are always the happiest ones; and as to the mother-in-law, there are--or at least there were until the emancipation of the serfs--a mother-in-law and several daughters-in-law in almost every peasant household."

"And does harmony generally reign in peasant households?"

"That depends upon the head of the house. If he is a man of the right sort, he can keep the women-folks in order." This remark was made in an energetic tone, with the evident intention of assuring me that the speaker was himself "a man of the right sort"; but I

did not attribute much importance to it, for I have occasionally heard henpecked husbands talk in this grandiloquent way when their wives were out of hearing. Altogether I was by no means convinced that the system of providing for the widows and orphans of the clergy by means of mariages de convenance was a good one, but I

determined to suspend my judgment until I should obtain fuller information.

An additional bit of evidence came to me a week or two later. One morning, on going into the priest's house, I found that he had a friend with him--the priest of a village some fifteen miles off.

Before we had got through the ordinary conventional remarks about the weather and the crops, a peasant drove up to the door in his cart with a message that an old peasant was dying in a neighbouring village, and desired the last consolations of religion. Batushka was thus obliged to leave us, and his friend and I agreed to stroll leisurely in the direction of the village to which he was going, so as to meet him on his way home. The harvest was already finished, so that our road, after emerging from the village, lay through stubble-fields. Beyond this we entered the pine forest, and by the time we had reached this point I had succeeded in leading the conversation to the subject of clerical marriages.

"I have been thinking a good deal on this subject," I said, "and I

should very much like to know your opinion about the system."

My new acquaintance was a tall, lean, black-haired man, with a sallow complexion and vinegar aspect--evidently one of those unhappy mortals who are intended by Nature to take a pessimistic view of all things, and to point out to their fellows the deep shadows of human life. I was not at all surprised, therefore, when be replied in a deep, decided tone, "Bad, very bad--utterly bad!"

The way in which these words were pronounced left no doubt as to the opinion of the speaker, but I was desirous of knowing on what that opinion was founded--more especially as I seemed to detect in the tone a note of personal grievance. My answer was shaped accordingly.

"I suspected that; but in the discussions which I have had I have always been placed at a disadvantage, not being able to adduce any definite facts in support of my opinion."

"You may congratulate yourself on being unable to find any in your own experience. A mother-in-law living in the house does not conduce to domestic harmony. I don't know how it is in your country, but so it is with us."

I hastened to assure him that this was not a peculiarity of Russia.

"I know it only too well," he continued. "My mother-in-law lived with me for some years, and I was obliged at last to insist on her going to another son-in-law."

"Rather selfish conduct towards your brother-in-law," I said to myself, and then added audibly, "I hope you have thus solved the difficulty satisfactorily."

"Not at all. Things are worse now than they were. I agreed to pay her three roubles a month, and have regularly fulfilled my promise, but lately she has thought it not enough, and she made a complaint to the Bishop. Last week I went to him to defend myself, but as I

had not money enough for all the officials in the Consistorium, I

could not obtain justice. My mother-in-law had made all sorts of absurd accusations against me, and consequently I was laid under an inhibition for six weeks!"

"And what is the effect of an inhibition?"

"The effect is that I cannot perform the ordinary rites of our religion. It is really very unjust," he added, assuming an indignant tone, "and very annoying. Think of all the hardship and inconvenience to which it gives rise."

同类推荐
  • 天台三圣诗集和韵

    天台三圣诗集和韵

    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。
  • Prayers Written At Vailima

    Prayers Written At Vailima

    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。
  • 商主天子所问经

    商主天子所问经

    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。
  • 无心论

    无心论

    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。
  • 徐兆玮日记

    徐兆玮日记

    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。
热门推荐
  • 你没错,都怪我

    你没错,都怪我

    在记忆中,总有淡淡的橙子的清香,是她爱吃的橙子,是他不爱吃的橙子,是他。是他。
  • 哈珀·李作品集(全两册)

    哈珀·李作品集(全两册)

    《杀死一只知更鸟》的故事发生在大萧条时期美国南方一个静谧的小镇,几桩离奇的疑案彻底打破了几个孩子平静的生活……《杀死一只知更鸟》续集《守望之心》讲述二十六岁的琼·露易丝·芬奇从纽约回到家乡梅科姆看望病重的父亲阿迪克斯,却发现已与故乡格格不入,而父亲与她青梅竹马的恋人的行为又给了她无比沉重的打击……
  • 穿越西游之无限进化系统

    穿越西游之无限进化系统

    (热血西游,火爆爽文,只此一家,鬼知道有没有分店)穿越到西游世界成为一只泰迪,楚风表示很无奈,幸好随身附带进化系统,上古圣兽、太古妖魔任我进化。什么,进化成兔子?嫦娥你丫能不能别老喊我暖被窝!我去,进化成蟒蛇?仙女姐姐别害怕,我是你的小兔兔啊!一不小心进化成食铁兽,成了天庭的萌物,拜托,再抱我要收费的!这是一个在西游世界装(泡)逼(妞)打(把)脸(妹)的故事。
  • 不正常茶铺

    不正常茶铺

    要来一场交易吗?异瞳的白猫趴在地上,风铃发出诡异的笑声,一切开始方在一个无名茶店中。黑瞳女孩站在惨白的月光下,微侧过头:“花很漂亮,那尸骨便是她们最好的养料,客人应该不会打扰她们的沉睡吧。”毕竟没人爱被打扰。“听说人很爱缘做的菜呢,这些肉丁吗?”栗发的姑娘咯咯地笑,舔舐着溅至嘴边的血液,店长说过要用最好的东西待客的。”
  • 爱会长大

    爱会长大

    下午一两点的地铁,不算很空,但也绝不太挤。相比早晚高峰时段,至少能做到站有站相,坐有坐相。站着的人稳稳拉着扶手,或是倚着车门,不必担心被挤得前胸贴后背。坐着的人大可以腾出空来翻看手机,膝盖绝不会抵着前面人的小腿。各人有着自己的一片空间,互不侵犯。液晶屏幕里滚动放着娱乐新闻,吸引着乘客有一搭没一搭地观看。抱着婴儿行乞的女人,走得犹犹豫豫,此刻没了人墙肉壁的掩护,完全暴露在众人的目光下,多少有些名不正言不顺,喂奶是无论如何不好意思了,胸口那块拉得严严实实,一丝半点也不露。
  • 嗜血霸爱:爵少你老婆又跑了

    嗜血霸爱:爵少你老婆又跑了

    她是个单纯稚嫩的中学生,母亲病危,她求助无门,受尽冷眼,被迫卖身救母;他是称霸一方的嗜血总裁,美如妖孽,却冷如冰窟。他将她带回了家。卖身而来,本应为婢为奴。可是,为什么她从此只能住豪宅、穿世界品牌的衣服?为什么她一人用餐也得是五菜一汤?为什么她出门就是豪车,还有保镖护送?反常则妖。她很惶恐。“为什么对我这么好?”“为什么?我要你做我的妹妹,当然要享有我的一切!”他语气冰冷,却理所当然。不是说做妹妹的吗?可他为什么要禁止她的行为,控制她的一切,还生生地将才十八岁的她变成了他的小老婆!……
  • 妖王宠邪妃

    妖王宠邪妃

    “来人啊,快点把四皇子和六公子救起来。”某丫鬟欲哭无泪的看着在水池中扑腾着的两小孩童。一边的侍卫,纷纷侧目看着身边一个如天使一般的孩童。孩童很是无辜的道:“你们都看着本郡主做什么?没看到四皇子和六公主还在水里吗?这两人要是丢了命,你们赔得起吗?”众侍卫暗自扁嘴,人可是郡主您亲自踢下水的!腹诽归腹诽,既然郡主发了话,这代表着,人是可以救起来了!【片段二:】“父王,歌儿把丽贵妃娘娘给揍了。”“为什么?”“丽贵妃娘娘说要送歌儿去天圣国和亲。”“那歌儿真的只是揍了丽贵妃这么简单?”某女童嘴角一勾,甜甜笑道:“当时桌子上有把剪刀,歌儿很顺手,然后一不小心剪刀就飞了出去,父王若是不信,可以问青衣。”身后的侍卫不由冒了冷汗,郡主的剪刀一不小心飞出去就能刚刚好在丽贵妃脸上画了个大叉叉,那要是郡主小心的话,岂不是…
  • 重生做个小菜鸟

    重生做个小菜鸟

    大道无情,万年来的宿命。天道不仁,以万物为刍狗,圣人不仁,以百姓为刍狗。故而修炼,当逆天而行。修的大自在,飘飘乎遗世独立!且看林小白如何逆了这天,逍遥世外。
  • 不惑四十

    不惑四十

    改革开放四十年,使中国走向繁荣走向世界。计划生育,改革开放,下岗下海,不包分配,港澳回归,奥运世贸,地产暴富,网络电商,中美贸易……在飞速发展的改革洪流中,普通人的普通生活。进入四十不惑,却比谁都更迷惑。
  • 爱妃,老子是狼王

    爱妃,老子是狼王

    【宠】他是狼崽,她是穿越的人类,她不嫌弃他,教他唤她的名字:黎西,给他取名,黎狼;后来,他是王,她是贱民,他也不嫌弃她,教她用最精致的器皿享用世间最好的一切。可有一天,当她‘嫌弃’地看着他,而他早已说得顺溜儿地人话,“爱妃,老子是狼王!”许久再见,她小虎皮短装,跨于虎背,身背小药框,腼腆一笑,“喂,狼崽~~~”他回头……【有爱之果露篇(1)】:黎西一不小心往下瞧了两眼,便立刻撇开了头去,这厮!虽是匹狼崽子,下身就不能遮掩点什么么?!光天化日,那里就大咧咧光着….黎西心里暗想着的那厮却依旧呲着牙,对她笑得欢快,黎西看去,他得瑟地恨不得屁股中间也有根尾巴摇啊摇的。【有爱之情敌篇(1)】:以前,黎西的情敌是一只母狼,如今,黎西的情敌是一群女人!以前,黎狼没有情敌,黎西从上到下都是他的,如今,黎狼的情敌令他恨不得时时刻刻蹲在黎西身边,防止突变!防止色狼!防止有人不轨!“黎西是我的!给老子滚!”【有爱之狼崽子们(1)】:一大一小炯炯有神,精神百倍,他秀眉深锁,顿时妙计生,“你看父王和母妃演戏。”他爬到她身上,准备…小的跐溜儿爬到他身上,他气地鼻孔生烟,打了他下去。小的大哭,大的在一边装睡也骂着:“该打该打,叫你看戏,谁叫你爬到戏台上去了!”--------------------****************-----------------------小凤给力女强新文【佣兵将妃】尼玛一穿越,就在相当于乱葬岗实则血沫残肢到处横飞的战场,尼玛一站稳,就是娇小柔弱纤细四肢满脸脏黑貌似小少女一枚,尼玛才出手,等待她的就是万箭穿心刀剑相向怒目相视的后果,好吧,憋足了劲,总有一天,老娘会犹如踩着豆腐脑地踩着你们!这是一个貌似冷艳佣兵穿越奋斗向上的励志故事。“我曾经很是愤懑一腔认真换来几缕嬉笑,可是后来,我突然知道,在我看来的那些嬉笑的背后,不过是另一些比我更孤单的灵魂,所以,这一辈子,随心所欲,我想做什么,必会去做,不想做什么,你拿把刀子架在我脖子里,我也不会去做。”【以上,乃女主版简介】【以下,乃男人版简介】艳情帝皇:喂,我养了你那么多年,你这么一下,就要跟着别人,奔向他人怀里,不管我这无被无衣,赤身果体的人么?北柒:你养了我这么多年,就是教会我,必要时机,来个奋然而起,攻得敌人无所适从。