He resolved the whole incident into the following propositions. His nephew he knew nothing of, and consequently cared nothing about, and therefore his heart imposed on him no obligations of any kind to him; the matter must be judged simply by the light of reason and common justice. /His brother had married, he had entered upon married life for his own pleasure—why should he, Piotr Ivanitch, be burdened with the responsibility of his brother's son, he who had enjoyed none of the advantages • of matrimony ? There was obviously no reason, i But a point presented itself on the other side. The mother had packed her son straight off to him, to his protection, not knowing whether he was willing to undertake this responsibility, not even knowing whether he was in a position to do anything for his nephew. Granted this
was absurd; still if the deed was done and his nephew Jin Petersburg, without assistance, without acquaintance, J without even letters of recommendation, young and quite inexperienced .... would he be doing right to leave him uncared for, to throw him on the world without advice and warnings, and if anything should go wrong with him, jvguld he not feel answerable to his conscience ?
At this point Adouev chanced to recall how seventeen years ago, his dead brother and Anna Pavlovna had despatched him to Petersburg. They certainly had not been able to do anything for him in Petersburg, he had made his own way .... but he remembered her tears at the leave-taking, her blessing, quite maternal, her fond caresses, her pies, and last of all her parting words: " Ah, when our Sashenka—then a child of three—is grown up, perhaps you, brother, will be good to him." Here Piotr Ivanitch stood up and went with quick steps into the hall.
f' " Vassili!" he said, " when my nephew comes, don't send 1 him away. But go and find out whether the apartment above here has beenfake^ that was tQ.fetnot long ago^ and ifiTlias riot"Beeh let yet, say that I will retain it for myself. Ah, these are the presents ! ' Well," what are we to "do with them ? "
u The man from our shop saw them just now, as they brought them upstairs; he inquired if we could let him have the honey. ' I will give you a good price,' said he,' and the raspberries should he take . . . .'"
" Good ! give them to him. Well, and where are we to put the linen ? Wouldn't it do for chair covers ? Put away the linen then and put away the jam, we could eat that— it looks good."
Piotr Ivanitch had just settled himself to shave when Alexandr Fedoritch appeared. He was just going to throw himself on his uncle's neck, but the latter, holding his soft youthful hand in his powerful one, kept him at some distance from him, ostensibly to get a good look at him, but apparently more with a view of preventing this demonstration and confining him to shaking hands.
" Your mother writes truly," he said, " you are the living image of my late brother; I should have known you in the street. But you are better looking. Well I will go on
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shaving without ceremony, and you sit here opposite me, so that I can see you, and let us have a talk."
So saying Piotr Ivanitch continued what he was doing as though none were present, and began to soap his cheeks, stretching them with his tongue, first one, and then the other. Alexandr was overwhelmed with confusion at this reception and did not know how to begin the conversation. He attributed his uncle's coolness to the fact that he had not taken up his quarters with him at once.
"Well, how is your mother? Is she quite well? I suppose she begins to feel her age?" asked his uncle, making various grimaces before the glass.
" Mamma is well thank God, Auntie Maria Pavlovna desires to be remembered to you," said Alexandr timidly.
" Auntie charged me to embrace you for " He got up
and went up to his uncle, to give him a kiss on the cheek, or the head, or the shoulder, or whatever part of him he could get at.
" It's time your aunt had more sense at her age, but I see she is just as foolish as she was twenty years ago."
Alexandr went back to his seat in bewilderment.
" You received a letter, uncle ? " he said.
"Yes, I did."
" Vassili Tihovitch Zayeshaloff," began Alexandr, " earnestly begs you to examine his affair and interest yourself in it"
" Yes, he writes so to me. Such lunatics are not extinct among you yet then ? "
Alexandr did not know what to think—he was completely dumbfoundered by these remarks.
" Forgive me, uncle," he began at last in trepidation
" What ? " ' '" Forgive me for not having come straight to you; for having put up at the Diligence Hotel. I did not know your rooms."
— " What is there to apologise for ? You did very properly. Your good mother—heaven knows what she is thinking of. How could you have come to me without knowing whether I could put you up, or not ? Mine are bachelor's quarters, as you can see, for one only; a hall, a drawing-room, a dining-room, a smoking-room and a study, a wardrobe-room and a dressing-room—there isn't a room to spare. I
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A COMMON STORY 35
should have been in your way and you in mine. ButT
h ave found aJ Hgfoff Wo far ynii in frh* hniigo
* w Ah! deaPuncle!" said Alexandr, " how can I thank you for this kind service ? " v >
And he leaped up again from his seat with the intention " I
of showing his gratitude both in word and deed.
" Gently, gently, don't touch me ! " said his uncle, " the razors are very sharp," I'm afraid of your getting cut, or cutting me." ^
Alexandr perceived that in spite of all his efforts he would | , n , not succeed that day in even once embracing and pressing ! ^-. to his heart his adored uncle and put off this project for a ^\ future occasion.
"The room is pretty cheerful," began Pictr Ivanitch; " the look-out from the windows is rather on to walls, but of course you won't want to be always sitting at the window; when you are at home, you are always busy with something and haven't time to be gaping at a window. And it is not dear—forty roubles a month. There is an ante-room for vour maTT ' You must accustom yourself from the very be-1 ginning to live alone, without a nurse; to conduct your own little household, I mean to board at home, in a word to have a corner of your own— un chez sot, as the French say. There you will be able to entertain whom you please. However, when I dine at home, you are welcome, but o n other days—young men herejgenerally dine at an eating* houSl but I adviae yuiTtb send out for you7"3Tnher; at home you will be quieter and you won't be exposed to mixing with God knows who. Eh ? "
" I am very grateful, uncle."
" What is there to be grateful for ? Aren't you a relation ? I am only fulfilling my duty. Well, I will leave you now, I v am going out, I have my official work and also & factory ."
" I didn't know you had a factory, uncle."
" Yes, glass and porcelain works : but I am not the sole proprietor, mere are three of us partners."
" Is business good ?"
" Yes, fairly so; our sales are chiefly at the markets in the inland provinces. The last few years have been far from bad! If we have five years more like this, well and good. One partner to be sure is not very trustworthy—he does nothing but spend money, but I know how to keep
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36 A COMMON STORY
him in check. Well, good-bye for the present. You go now and take a look at the town, stroll about, and dine somewhere, but come and have tea with me in the evening. I shall be at home, then we can talk a little. Here! Vassili, you show the room and help to get it ready."
"So this is how it is here, in Petersburg," thought Alexandr, sitting down in his new dwelling. " If my own uncle is like this, what will others be ? "