The Precipice Part 26

It chanced once or twice that he found himself walking with Vera. Gaily and almost indifferently he poured out for her his store of thought and knowledge, even of anecdote, as he might do to any amiable, clever stranger, without second thoughts or any wish to reap an advantage. He led in fact a peaceful, pleasant life, demanding nothing and regretting nothing. He perceived with satisfaction that Vera no longer avoided him, that she confided in him and drew closer to him; she would herself come to his room to fetch books, and he made no effort to retain her.

They often spent the afternoon with Tatiana Markovna. Vera apparently liked to hear him talk, and smiled at his jokes, though from time to time she would get up suddenly in the middle of a sentence when he was reading aloud or talking, and with some slight excuse, go out and not appear again for hours. He made no effort to follow her.

He found recreation with friends in the town, driving occasionally with the Governor or taking part with Marfinka and Vera in some rural entertainment.

The month which Mark had set as a limit for their wager, was nearly over, and Raisky felt himself free from pa.s.sion. At least he thought so, and put down all his symptoms to the working of his imagination and to curiosity. On some days even Vera appeared to him in the same light as Marfinka. He saw in them two charming young girls, only late left school with all the ideas and adorations of the schoolgirl, with the schoolgirl's dream-theory of life, which is only shattered by experience.

He told himself that he was absolutely cold and indifferent, and in a position truthfully to call himself her friend. He would shortly leave the place, but before that he must visit "Barabbas," take his last pair of trousers, and warn him against making a wager.

He went to Leonti to ask where Mark was to be found and discovered them both at breakfast.

"You might develop into a decent individual," cried Mark to him, "if you were a little bolder."

"You mean if I had the boldness to shoot my neighbour or to storm an inn by night."

"How will you take an inn by storm? Besides, there is no need, since your aunt has her own guesthouse. Many thanks for having chased that old swine from your house, I am told in conjunction with Tatiana Markovna.

Splendid!"

"Where did you hear that?"

"The whole town is talking of it. I wanted to come and show my respect to you, when I suddenly heard that you were on friendly terms with the Governor, had invited him to your house, and that you and your aunt had stood on your hind paws before him. That is abominable, when I thought you had only invited him to show him the door."

"That is what is called bourgeois courage, I believe."

"I don't know what it is called, but I can best give you an example of the kind of courage. For some time the police inspector has been sniffing round our vegetable garden, so probably his Excellency has been kind enough to show an interest in me, and to enquire after my health and amus.e.m.e.nts. Well, I am training a couple of bull-dogs, and I hadn't had them a week before the garden was clear of cats. I have them ready at dark, and if the Colonel or his suite arrive, I shall let my beasts loose. Of course it will happen by accident."

"I have come to say goodbye, for I am leaving here shortly."

"You are going away?" asked Mark in astonishment, then added in a low, serious voice, "I should like to have a word with you."

"Speak, by all means. Is it a question of money again?"

"Money as far as I am concerned, but it is not of that I wish to speak to you. I will come to you later. I cannot speak of that now," he said looking significantly at Koslov's wife to indicate that he could not explain himself in her presence.

"No one will let you go?" whispered Juliana Andreevna. "I have not once spoken to you out of hearing of my husband."

"Have you brought the money with you," asked Mark suddenly, "the three hundred roubles for the wager?"

"Where is the pair of trousers?" asked Raisky ironically.

"I am not joking; you must pay me my three hundred roubles."

"Why? I am not in love as you see."

"I see that you are head over ears in love."

"How do you see that."

"In your face."

"The month is past, and with it the wager at an end. As I don't need the trousers I will make you a present of them to go with the coat."

"How can you go away?" complained Leonti. "And the books--"

"What books?"

"Your books. See for yourself by the catalogue that they are all right."

"I have made you a present of them."

"Be serious for a moment. Where shall I send them?"

"Goodbye. I have no time to spare. Don't come to me with the books, or I will burn them. And you, wise man, who can tell a lover by his face, farewell. I don't know whether we shall meet again."

"Where is the money? It isn't honest not to surrender it. I see the presence of love, which like measles has not yet come out, but soon will.

Your face is already red. How tiresome that I fixed a limit, and so lose three hundred roubles by my own stupidity."

"Goodbye."

"You will not go," said Mark with decision.

"I shall have another opportunity of seeing you, Koslov. I am not starting until next week."

"You will not go," repeated Mark.

"What about your novel?" asked Leonti. "You intended to finish it here."

"I am already near the end of it, though there is still some arranging to be done, which I can do in St. Petersburg."

"You will not end your romance either, neither the paper one nor the real one." said Mark.

Raisky was about to answer, but thought better of it, and was quickly gone.

"Why do you think he won't finish the novel?" asked Leonti.

"He is only half a man," replied Mark with a scornful, bitter laugh.

Raisky walked in the direction of home. His victory over himself seemed so a.s.sured that he was ashamed of his earlier weakness. He pictured to himself how he would now appear to her in a new and surprising guise, bold, deliberately scornful, with neither eyes nor desire for her beauty; and he pictured her astonishment and sorrow.

In his impatience to see the effect of this new development in himself he stole into her room and crossed the carpet without betraying his presence. She sat with her elbows on the table, reading a letter, written as he noticed on blue paper in irregular lines and sealed with common blackish-brown sealing wax.

"Vera!" he said in a low voice. She shrank back with such obvious terror that he too trembled, then quickly put the letter in her pocket.

They looked at one another without stirring.

"You are busy. Excuse my coming," he said, and took a step backward, as if to leave her.

She made no answer, but, gradually recovering her self-possession, and without removing her eyes from his face she advanced towards him with her hand still in her pocket.