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Read books online » Fiction » The Cossacks by graf Tolstoy Leo (leveled readers .txt) 📖

Book online «The Cossacks by graf Tolstoy Leo (leveled readers .txt) 📖». Author graf Tolstoy Leo



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the

whole day at home. Then his chief occupation was watching

Maryanka, whose every movement, without realizing it himself, he

followed greedily from his window or his porch. He regarded

Maryanka and loved her (so he thought) just as he loved the beauty

of the mountains and the sky, and he had no thought of entering

into any relations with her. It seemed to him that between him and

her such relations as there were between her and the Cossack

Lukashka could not exist, and still less such as often existed

between rich officers and other Cossack girls. It seemed to him

that if he tried to do as his fellow officers did, he would

exchange his complete enjoyment of contemplation for an abyss of

suffering, disillusionment, and remorse. Besides, he had already

achieved a triumph of self-sacrifice in connexion with her which

had given him great pleasure, and above all he was in a way afraid

of Maryanka and would not for anything have ventured to utter a

word of love to her lightly.

 

Once during the summer, when Olenin had not gone out shooting but

was sitting at home, quite unexpectedly a Moscow acquaintance, a

very young man whom he had met in society, came in.

 

‘Ah, mon cher, my dear fellow, how glad I was when I heard that

you were here!’ he began in his Moscow French, and he went on

intermingling French words in his remarks. ‘They said, “Olenin”.

What Olenin? and I was so pleased…. Fancy fate bringing us

together here! Well, and how are you? How? Why?’ and Prince

Beletski told his whole story: how he had temporarily entered the

regiment, how the. Commander-in-Chief had offered to take him as

an adjutant, and how he would take up the post after this campaign

although personally he felt quite indifferent about it.

 

‘Living here in this hole one must at least make a career—get a

cross—or a rank—be transferred to the Guards. That is quite

indispensable, not for myself but for the sake of my relations and

friends. The prince received me very well; he is a very decent

fellow,’ said Beletski, and went on unceasingly. ‘I have been

recommended for the St. Anna Cross for the expedition. Now I shall

stay here a bit until we start on the campaign. It’s capital here.

What women! Well, and how are you getting on? I was told by our

captain, Startsev you know, a kind-hearted stupid creature….

Well, he said you were living like an awful savage, seeing no one!

I quite understand you don’t want to be mixed up with the set of

officers we have here. I am so glad now you and I will be able to

see something of one another. I have put up at the Cossack

corporal’s house. There is such a girl there. Ustenka! I tell you

she’s just charming.’

 

And more and more French and Russian words came pouring forth from

that world which Olenin thought he had left for ever. The general

opinion about Beletski was that he was a nice, good-natured

fellow. Perhaps he really was; but in spite of his pretty, good-natured face, Olenin thought him extremely unpleasant. He seemed

just to exhale that filthiness which Olenin had forsworn. What

vexed him most was that he could not—had not the strength—

abruptly to repulse this man who came from that world: as if that

old world he used to belong to had an irresistible claim on him.

Olenin felt angry with Beletski and with himself, yet against his

wish he introduced French phrases into his own conversation, was

interested in the Commander-in-Chief and in their Moscow

acquaintances, and because in this Cossack village he and Beletski

both spoke French, he spoke contemptuously of their fellow

officers and of the Cossacks, and was friendly with Beletski,

promising to visit him and inviting him to drop in to see him.

Olenin however did not himself go to see Beletski. Vanyusha for

his part approved of Beletski, remarking that he was a real

gentleman.

 

Beletski at once adopted the customary life of a rich officer in a

Cossack village. Before Olenin’s eyes, in one month he came to be

like an old resident of the village; he made the old men drunk,

arranged evening parties, and himself went to parties arranged by

the girls—bragged of his conquests, and even got so far that, for

some unknown reason, the women and girls began calling him

grandad, and the Cossacks, to whom a man who loved wine and women

was clearly understandable, got used to him and even liked him

better than they did Olenin, who was a puzzle to them.

Chapter XXIV

It was five in the morning. Vanyusha was in the porch heating the

samovar, and using the leg of a long boot instead of bellows.

Olenin had already ridden off to bathe in the Terek. (He had

recently invented a new amusement: to swim his horse in the

river.) His landlady was in her outhouse, and the dense smoke of

the kindling fire rose from the chimney. The girl was milking the

buffalo cow in the shed. ‘Can’t keep quiet, the damned thing!’

came her impatient voice, followed by the rhythmical sound of

milking.

 

From the street in front of the house horses’ hoofs were heard

clattering briskly, and Olenin, riding bareback on a handsome

dark-grey horse which was still wet and shining, rode up to the

gate. Maryanka’s handsome head, tied round with a red kerchief,

appeared from the shed and again disappeared. Olenin was wearing a

red silk shirt, a white Circassian coat girdled with a strap which

carried a dagger, and a tall cap. He sat his well-fed wet horse

with a slightly conscious elegance and, holding his gun at his

back, stooped to open the gate. His hair was still wet, and his

face shone with youth and health. He thought himself handsome,

agile, and like a brave; but he was mistaken. To any experienced

Caucasian he was still only a soldier. When he noticed that the

girl had put out her head he stooped with particular rested on the

ground without altering their shape; how her strong arms with the

sleeves rolled up, exerting the muscles, used the spade almost as

if in anger, and how her deep dark eyes sometimes glanced at him.

Though the delicate brows frowned, yet her eyes expressed pleasure

and a knowledge of her own beauty.

 

‘I say, Olenin, have you been up long?’ said Beletski as he

entered the yard dressed in the coat of a Caucasian officer.

 

‘Ah, Beletski,’ replied Olenin, holding out his hand. ‘How is it

you are out so early?’

 

‘I had to. I was driven out; we are having a ball tonight.

Maryanka, of course you’ll come to Ustenka’s?’ he added, turning

to the girl.

 

Olenin felt surprised that Beletski could address this woman so

easily. But Maryanka, as though she had not heard him, bent her

head, and throwing the spade across her shoulder went with her

firm masculine tread towards the outhouse.

 

‘She’s shy, the wench is shy,’ Beletski called after her. ‘Shy of

you,’ he added as, smiling gaily, he ran up the steps of the

porch.

 

‘How is it you are having a ball and have been driven out?’

 

‘It’s at Ustenka’s, at my landlady’s, that the ball is, and you

two are invited. A ball consists of a pie and a gathering of

girls.’

 

‘What should we do there?’

 

Beletski smiled knowingly and winked, jerking his head in the

direction of the outhouse into which Maryanka had disappeared.

 

Olenin shrugged his shoulders and blushed.

 

‘Well, really you are a strange fellow!’ said he.

 

‘Come now, don’t pretend’

 

Olenin frowned, and Beletski noticing this smiled insinuatingly.

‘Oh, come, what do you mean?’ he said, ‘living in the same house—

and such a fine girl, a splendid girl, a perfect beauty’

 

‘Wonderfully beautiful! I never saw such a woman before,’ replied

Olenin.

 

‘Well then?’ said Beletski, quite unable to understand the

situation.

 

‘It may be strange,’ replied Olenin, ‘but why should I not say

what is true? Since I have lived here women don’t seem to exist

for me. And it is so good, really! Now what can there be in common

between us and women like these? Eroshka—that’s a different

matter! He and I have a passion in common—sport.’

 

‘There now! In common! And what have I in common with Amalia

Ivanovna? It’s the same thing! You may say they’re not very clean-

-that’s another matter… A la guerre, comme a la guerre! …’

 

‘But I have never known any Amalia Ivanovas, and have never known

how to behave with women of that sort,’ replied Olenin. ‘One

cannot respect them, but these I do respect.’

 

‘Well go on respecting them! Who wants to prevent you?’

 

Olenin did not reply. He evidently wanted to complete. what he had

begun to say. It was very near his heart.

 

‘I know I am an exception…’ He was visibly confused. ‘But my

life has so shaped itself that I not only see no necessity to

renounce my rules, but I could not live here, let alone live as

happily as I am doing, were I to live as you do. Therefore I look

for something quite different from what you look for.’

 

Beletski raised his eyebrows incredulously. ‘Anyhow, come to me

this evening; Maryanka will be there and I will make you

acquainted. Do come, please! If you feel dull you can go away.

Will you come?’

 

‘I would come, but to speak frankly I am afraid of being’

seriously carried away.’

 

‘Oh, oh, oh!’ shouted Beletski. ‘Only come, and I’ll see that you

aren’t. Will you? On your word?’

 

‘I would come, but really I don’t understand what we shall do;

what part we shall play!’

 

‘Please, I beg of you. You will come?’

 

‘Yes, perhaps I’ll come,’ said Olenin.

 

‘Really now! Charming women such as one sees nowhere else, and to

live like a monk! What an idea! Why spoil your life and not make

use of what is at hand? Have you heard that our company is ordered

to Vozdvizhensk?’

 

‘Hardly. I was told the 8th Company would be sent there,’ said

Olenin.

 

‘No. I have had a letter from the adjutant there. He writes that

the Prince himself will take part in the campaign. I am very glad

I shall see something of him. I’m beginning to get tired of this

place.’

 

‘I hear we shall start on a raid soon.’

 

‘I have not heard of it; but I have heard that Krinovitsin has

received the Order of St. Anna for a raid. He expected a

lieutenancy,’ said Beletski laughing. ‘He was let in! He has set

off for headquarters.’

 

It was growing dusk and Olenin began thinking about the party. The

invitation he had received worried him. He felt inclined to go,

but what might take place there seemed strange, absurd, and even

rather alarming. He knew that neither Cossack men nor older women,

nor anyone besides the girls, were to be there. What was going to

happen? How was he to behave? What would they talk about? What

connexion was there between him and those wild Cossack girls?

Beletski had told him of such curious, cynical, and yet rigid

relations. It seemed strange to think that he would be there in

the same hut with Maryanka and perhaps might have to talk to her.

It seemed to him impossible when he remembered her majestic

bearing. But Beletski spoke of it as if it were all perfectly

simple. ‘Is it possible that Beletski will treat Maryanka in the

same way? That is interesting,’

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