LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

she held her tongue, and that was all the fond mother required of her.

      “She has refused nine men because she will not leave me!” said Maria. “But this time, I fear — my heart tells me that we are doomed to part! I noticed just now how she looked at you, Prince. You have impressed her with your aristocratic manner, with your refinement. Oh! Prince, you are going to separate us — I feel it, I feel it!”

      “I ad — ore her!” murmured the poor old man, still trembling like an autumnal leaf.

      “And you’ll consent to leave your mother!” cried Maria Alexandrovna, throwing herself upon her daughter once more. Zina made haste to bring this, to her, painful scene to an end. She stretched her pretty hand silently to the prince, and even forced herself to smile. The prince reverently took the little hand into his own, and covered it with kisses.

      “I am only this mo — ment beginning to live,” he mutterred, in a voice that seemed choking with rapture and ecstasy.

      “Zina,” began Maria Alexandrovna, solemnly, “look well at this man! This is the most honest and upright and noble man of all the men I know. He is a knight of the middle ages! But she knows it, Prince, she knows it too well; to my grief I say it. Oh! why did you come here? I am surrendering my treasure to you — my angel! Oh! take care of her, Prince. Her mother entreats you to watch over her. And what mother could blame my grief!”

      “Enough, mamma! that’s enough,” said Zina, quietly.

      “Protect her from all hurt and insult, Prince! Can I rely upon your sword to flash in the face of the vile scandalmonger who dares to offend my Zina?”

      “Enough, mother, I tell you! am I —— ?”

      “Ye — yes, ye — yes, it shall flash all right,” said the prince. “But I want to be married now, at once. I — I’m only just learning what it is to live. I want to send off to Donchanovo at once. I want to send for some di — iamonds I have there. I want to lay them at her feet. —— I — —”

      “What noble ardour! what ecstasy of love! what noble, generous feelings you have, Prince!” cried Maria Alexandrovna. “And you could bury yourself — bury yourself, far from the world and society! I shall remind you of this a thousand times! I go mad when I think of that hellish woman.”

      “What could I do? I was fri — ghtened!” stammered the prince in a whining voice: “they wanted to put me in a lu — unatic asylum! I was dreadfully alarmed!”

      “In a lunatic asylum? Ah, the scoundrels! oh, the inhuman wretches! Ah, the low cunning of them! Yes, Prince; I had heard of it. But the lunacy was in these people, not in you. Why, why was it — what for?”

      “I don’t know myself, what it was for,” replied the poor old man, feebly sinking into his chair; “I was at a ball, don’t you know, and told some an — ecdote or other and they didn’t like it; and so they got up a scandal and a ro — ow.”

      “Surely that was not all, Prince?”

      “No; — the — I was playing cards with Prince Paul De — mentieff, and I was cleared out: you see, I had two kings and three quee — ns, three kings and two qu — eens; or I should say — one king — and some queens — I know I had —— .”

      “And it was for this? Oh, the hellish inhumanity of some people! You are weeping, Prince; but be of good cheer — it is all over now! Now I shall be at hand, dearest Prince, — I shall not leave Zina; and we shall see which of them will dare to say a word to you, then! And do you know, my Prince, your marriage will expose them! it will shame them! They will see that you are a man — that a lovely girl like our Zina would never have married a madman! You shall raise your head proudly now, and look them straight in the face!”

      “Ye — yes; I shall look them straight in the f — ace!” murmured the prince, slowly shutting his eyes.

      Maria Alexandrovna saw that her work was done: the prince was tired out with love and emotion. She was only wasting her eloquence!

      “Prince, you are disturbed and tired, I see you are!” she said; “you must rest, you must take a good rest after so much agitation,” she added, bending over him maternally.

      “Ye — yes, ye — yes; I should like to lie down a little,” said the old man.

      “Of course, of course! you must lie down! those agitating scenes —— stop, I will escort you myself, and arrange your couch with my own hands! Why are you looking so hard at that portrait, Prince? That is my mother’s picture; she was an angel — not a woman! Oh, why is she not among us at this joyful moment!”

      “Ye — yes; charming — charming! Do you know, I had a mother too, — a princess, and imagine! a re — markably, a re — markably fat woman she was; but that is not what I was going to say, —— I — I feel a little weak, and —— Au revoir, my charming child — tomorrow — to-day — I will — I — I — Au revoir, au revoir!” Here the poor old fellow tried to kiss his hand, but slipped, and nearly fell over the threshold of the door.

      “Take care, dear Prince — take care! lean on my arm!” cried Maria Alexandrovna.

      “Charming, ch — arming!” he muttered, as he left the room. “I am only now le — learning to live!”

      Zina was left alone.

      A terrible oppression weighed down her heart. She felt a sensation of loathing which nearly suffocated her. She despised herself — her cheeks burned. With folded hands, and teeth biting hard into her lips, she stood in one spot, motionless. The tears of shame streamed from her eyes, —— and at this moment the door opened, and Paul Mosgliakoff entered the room!

      CHAPTER IX.

       Table of Contents

       He had heard all — all.

      He did not actually enter the room, but stood at the door, pale with excitement and fury. Zina looked at him in amazement.

      “So that’s the sort of person you are!” he cried panting. “At last I have found you out, have I?”

      “Found me out?” repeated Zina, looking at him as though he were a madman. Suddenly her eyes flashed with rage. “How dare you address me like that?” she cried, advancing towards him.

      “I have heard all!” said Mosgliakoff solemnly, but involuntarily taking a step backwards.

      “You heard? I see — you have been eavesdropping!” cried Zina, looking at him with disdain.

      “Yes, I have been eavesdropping! Yes — I consented to do a mean action, and my reward is that I have found out that you, too, are —— I don’t know how to express to you what I think you!” he replied, looking more and more timid under Zina’s eyes.

      “And supposing that you have heard all: what right have you to blame me? What right have you to speak to me so insolently, in any case?”

      “I! — I? what right have I? and you can ask me this? You are going to marry this prince, and I have no right to say a word! Why, you gave me your promise — is that nothing?”

      “When?”

      “How, when?”

      “Did not I tell you that morning, when you came to me with your sentimental nonsense — did I not tell you that I could give you no decided answer?”

      “But you did not reject me; you did not send me away. I see — you kept me hanging in reserve, in case of need! You lured me into your net! I see, I see it all!”

      An expression of pain flitted over Zina’s careworn face, as though someone had suddenly stabbed her to the heart; but she mastered her feelings.

      “If I didn’t turn you out of the house,”

Скачать книгу