by Mór Jókai
CHAPTER XVII
BETHSABA
Princess Ghedimin had accorded her royal god-daughter permission tovisit her friend, Sophie Narishkin, frequently. To one but partiallyacquainted with the Princess's secret heart, such intimacy was easilyexplained. As appearances forbade her personally from visiting thechild, at least through Bethsaba she could obtain news of her health.
But to one in possession of the whole truth there was yet another cogentreason.
The Czar, that reserved, laconic man, who had secrets from hisministers, and did not even confess to the priests, was in the habit oftelling this favorite daughter everything. When an ordinary fatherconfides things to an idolized daughter they are matters of feeling; ifthat father be the Czar, what he confides are matters of state.
Every word the Czar utters to Sophie Narishkin must necessarily concernthe condition of the country. Alexander I.'s words form the basis ofEurope's present and future relations. The softening or hardening of hisheart betokens peace or war. In that heart of his rest the mysteries ofgreat developments or upsettings of nations.
And Sophie has no secrets from her bosom friend, Bethsaba.
"Well, dear child, how did you find your little friend to-day?" askedthe Princess, on Bethsaba's return.
"She is taking her medicine more regularly; and, I think, it is doingher good; for I tasted one of her powders one day, and it was very nastyand bitter."
"Was she not talking a great deal again? Talking is bad forconvalescents."
"She told me that she had had a visit from her godfather."
Bethsaba had so far learned to "fib" that she said "godfather" insteadof "father."
"Did he stay long with her?"
"I do not know."
"Did he tell her anything of interest?"
"Oh yes; about King David and his wife Bathsheba. Do tell me, what wasBathsheba's fault?"
"Bathsheba's fault! What makes you ask me such a question?"
"Because _he_ spoke about it; and I want to know what it was. Why is noone called after her? And if she was so wicked, I don't want to bear hername either. Give me some other."
"Quiet, silly child! She did nothing wrong."
"But Sophie's godfather told her that she had committed sin with KingDavid."
"It was love, and no sin."
"Love! What is that?"
Maria Alexievna Korynthia laughed aloud.
"Now, am I to tell you what is love? You will know soon enough, child,when you fall in love yourself."
"How shall I do that? Is love an evil which attacks people like anillness, or is it a good thing for which people long?"
Maria Alexievna Korynthia laughed still louder.
"Both together!"
"How does it begin?"
"When a young man looks deep into your eyes."
"Into my eyes? I could not endure that; I should die outright."
"But suppose the young man wanted to make you his wife, and becameengaged to you?"
"How can all that come about? I cannot imagine it."
"The young man might begin by sending the girl some special birthdaypresent."
"And that would mean that he was in love with her? And if the girlaccepted his present, would it mean that she was in love with him? Oh,how nice, how delightful! Must the girl make him a present too?"
"Only her love."
"Nothing else? Oh, how pretty, how charming! And suppose some otheryoung man gives us handsomer presents, do we accept them too, and lovehim as well?"
Korynthia clapped her hands with amusement.
"Yes, of course. But only if one can keep the second lover secret fromthe first."
"No, no. No secret dealings. I would rather confess that I loved anothertoo. And why not, if love is good, and no crime? For instance, when Ihave a husband, may I not tell him that I love strawberries?"
"Strawberries! Oh yes. That is only eating."
"May I tell him that I love Sophie Narishkin?"
"Oh yes. That is only friendship."
"And would he behead me if he knew my love for dancing?"
"Of course not."
"Then if I may love strawberries, dancing, and my friend, why not ayouth, if he be good and handsome?"
"Oh, precious innocence! Do people never talk about love in yourcountry?"
"Never."
"Are there, then, no youths and maidens?"
"Of course there are. But in our country, when a young man wants tomarry a girl he settles her price with her father and takes her home. Ifshe is loving and faithful to him, he buys her costly clothing; if not,he turns her away and buys himself another wife."
"That is not the custom here. Here a woman may only love one husband;this is commanded by our religion!"
"That is quite different. Why did you not tell me at once that love iscommanded by religion? Oh, I will faithfully follow the dictates ofreligion! You do, too, don't you? You love your husband? Do you lookdeep into his eyes? I have never noticed it."
"Ah, child, life is long; and the season of love, we call the honeymoon,all too short."
"Then the honeymoon, or month, should be portioned out into minutes, andminutes into seconds, that each day of one's life should have one suchsecond."
"You will soon find the impossibility of that."
"Now I know that Bathsheba's sin was in not loving the man whom herreligion commanded her to love. Yet what had King David to do with allthat?"
Yes; Korynthia, too, would fain have known how King David got mixed upin the Czar's talk. For the chattering girl had so confused her with herendless, inconsequent questions that she never thought of the prophet'swords of reproof to the king.
A Russian is reticent beyond all men. None save the Czar dared to alludeto the affair of the triumphal arch. Araktseieff was silent, because hedid not want the fiasco connected with his military-colony scheme tospread. The detachment of Cossack guards were despatched to Kasan, andthose others who had been present knew how to observe profoundestsilence as to what had taken place.