How he had altered! How he had filled out, how bald he had become, how stout and rosy he had grown ! With what dignity he carried his corpulence, and the decoration on his breast! His eyes were bright with enjoyment. He kissed his aunt's hand with special feelings, and pressed his uncle's hand.
" Where have you come from ? " asked Piotr Ivanitch.
" Guess," replied Alexandr significantly.
" You seem in unusually good spirits to-day," said Piotr Ivanitch, looking at him inquiringly.
" I bet you a wager you won't guess !" said Alexandr.
"Ten or twelve years ago, I remember you once rushed in on me in the same way," observed Piotr Ivanitch, " and you broke something of mine too—then I guessed at once that you were in love, but now .... can it be so again ? No, it can't be; you have too much sense to "
He looked at his wife and suddenly stopped short.
" Don't you begin to guess ? " asked Alexandr.
His uncle looked at him and still deliberated.
" Not this time—are you going, to be married ? " he said hesitatingly.
" You have guessed! " cried Alexandr in triumph— " Congratulate me!"
" But really ? To whom ?" asked his uncle and aunt together.
" To thedaughterjof Alexa ndr Stepan itch."
" Really j*^well,~~sr7e~is~ a wealthy match," said Piotr Ivanitch. t{ And the father—well ? "
" I have just come from him. Why should her father not consent ? Quite the contrary; he listened to my proposal with tears in his eyes, embraced me and said that now he could die happy; that he knows to whom he is entrusting his daughter's happiness .... ' Only walk in,'he said, ' your uncle's footsteps !'"
" Did he say that ? You see even here your uncle has been of use to you!"
L \».
V
x <~ ^ COMMON STORY 277
1*^ v " But what did the daughter say ? " said Lizaveta Alexan-
^^ drovna.
I \ "Oh! she did, you know, as all girls do," replied
f < ^ Alexandr, "she said nothing, only blushed; and when I
-\ % > t took her hand, her fingers quite played a tune upon my
- hand, they trembled so." <. *~* " She said nothing," remarked Lizaveta Alexandrovna. "*■ " Is it possible that you did not take the trouble to ascertain her feelings before you made your offer? Was it a matter of indifference to you ? Why are you going to be n. *•'' married then ? " v r v, "Why! One can't be a butterfly for ever! I am sick \ : \" ^ of solitude; the time has come, ma tante, to settle, to ^ ^; found a family and set up a house of one's own, to fulfil
\i one's duties My fianck is pretty and rich. But
^ % " > my uncle here will tell the reasons for getting married; he ^ . ' used to tell me them so precisely."
Piotr Ivanitch, unobserved by his wife, made a sign to him
. ; with his hand not to quote him and to hold his tongue, but
Alexandr did not observe it.
-^ . - " But possibly she may not care for you," said Lizaveta
^ ^^'Alexandrovna "it may be that she loves some one else
■^ ^ . . what do you say to that ? "
Uncle, what would you say? You are better at
speaking than I But I will quote your own words,"
Q j\ Alexandr, not noticing that his uncle was twisting uneasily in his seat and coughing significantly to put a stop to his V5^ y speech; "if you marry for love, love will pass and you will come to live by habit; if you marry not for love, you will come too to the same result; you will get used to your wife. Love is love, and marriage is marriage; these two do not always go together, and it is better when they
do not go together Isn't that right, uncle ? you used
to instruct me in that way, you know." "~ ife glanced at Piotr Ivanitch and stopped suddenly, seeing that his uncle was looking at him with a face of fury. He looked open-mouthed in bewilderment at his aunt, then again at his uncle, and said no more. Lizaveta Alexandrovna shook her head mournfully.
"Well, so you are going to be married?" said Piotr Ivanitch: (t it's a suitable time now, to be sure ! But you were wanting to be married at three-and-twenty." " Youth, uncle, youth !"
>.»
\
" Yes, it was youth."
Alexandr grew grave and then smiled.
" What is it ? " inquired Piotr Ivanitch.
•'Oh, I was struck by an incongruity."
" What incongruity ? "
"When I was in love," replied Alexandr meditatively, " I was not able to marry."
" And now you are getting married, and you are not able to love," added his uncle, and both laughed.
"It follows from that, uncle, that you were»right in your theory that suitability is the principal "
Piotr Ivanitch again turned a face of intense fury upon him. Alexandr was silent, not knowing what to think.
" You are going to be married at fiveand-thirty ," said Piotr Ivanitch, " that is quite proper. "^But you remember what a delirium you fell into then, how you vociferated, unequal marriages revolted you, that the bride was dragged, like a victim decked in flowers and diamonds, and thrust into the embraces of an elderly creature, generally unattractive and bald. How about your own head ? "
"Youth, youth, uncle ! I did not understand the realities of things," said Alexandr, smoothing his hair with his hand.
" The realities of things," continued Piotr Ivanitch; " but do you remember how desperate you were over that— what was her name ?—Natasha—was it ? Furious jealousy, transports, heavenly bliss. What has become of all that?"
" Now, now, uncle, stop !" said Alexandr, getting red.
"Where is the titanic passion, tears?"
"Uncle!"
"What? You have done with sincere outpourings, you have done with * gathering yellow flowers.' You are tired of living alone."
" Oh, if that's it, uncle, I am not the only one who has been in love, raved, been jealous, wept. Wait a minute, I have a written document in my possession."
He pulled a pocket-book out of his pocket, and after
fumbling some time among the papers, he drew out an
, old, almost worn-out and yellow sheet of paper.
j "Here, ma fanfe" he said, "is the proof that my uncle
^was not always such a rational, ironical, and practical man.
He too knew something of sincere outpourings and gave
expression to them not on official paper and with special ink. For four years I have carried that scrap about with me and kept waiting for an opportunity to confront my uncle with it* I had all but forgotten it, but you yourself reminded me."
" What nonsense is this ? I don't understand it a bit," said Piotr Ivanitch, looking at the scrap of paper.
" Here, then, look at it."
Alexandr held the paper up before his uncle's eyes. Suddenly Piotr Ivanitch's face darkened.
" Give it up, give it up, Alexandr!" he cried hurriedly and tried to snatch it. But Alexandr quickly drew back his hand.
Lizaveta Alexandrovna looked at him with curiosity.
"No, uncle, I won't give it up," said Alexandr, "until you
• acknowledge here, before my aunt, that you too were in love
1 once, like me, and everybody .... or else this document
4 shall be put into her hands to your eternal reproach."
i " Brute! " cried Piotr Ivanitch, " what trick are you
\ playing on me ? "
" You don't want me to -".
" Come, come, I have been in love ; give it up."
" No, kindly say that you were raving, jealous ? "
"Well, I was jealous and raving," said Piotr Ivanitch, scowling.
" You shed tears ? "
" No, I didn't shed tears."
" It's not true 1 I was told so by my auntie; own up."
" I can't bring my Jongue to utter it, Alexandr. Perhaps I will try now "
" Ma tank) take the document."
" Show me, what is it ? " she inquired, holding out her hand.