The Last Summer

by Ricarda Huch

  Lyu

  JESSIKA TO TATYANA

  Kremskoye, 12th June

  Dearest Auntie,

  I really wanted to visit you, but I may not! I would have loved to have driven past in the crumpled motorcar, precisely because it’s so damaged. Just imagine: I would have made myself as pretty as possible and then climbed out of the wrecked shell like a dryad from a hollow trunk. And most importantly of all, I would have seen you, I would have steeled myself for the difficult task of marvelling in envy at your glowing cheeks, at your skin powdered with the lustre of eternal youth. I fear my cheeks are pale and tear-stained at the moment; that’s how disappointed I am that I can’t go with Lyu.

  We shall now be without our protector, Auntie. I suggested the three of us play tag day and night around the house; nobody would be able to creep in unnoticed then. Good old Velya was prepared to play, but not Katya. She said she isn’t a child any more. Lyu will bring you this letter. Let him protect you, too, in the meantime, even if you don’t need it.

  Yours, Jessika

  VELYA TO PETER

  Kremskoye, 14th June

  If I’m not especially active at the moment, the basic reason is that my family always invites contemplation. Adjusting to the colourful circumstances has given rise to my introspection. If I were to get involved it would be bedlam. All hell has broken loose again today. Still exhausted from yesterday – since Lyu has left I have to keep watch until midnight every day, for Mama senses danger – I was sitting in the library, leafing through a book, when Katya flew in like a shuttlecock and rushed to the telephone. To avoid your brain suffering the same shock that mine did at witnessing this scene, I shall offer by way of an explanation that Katya had just told Jessika she was writing a letter to Lyu, and that Jessika, confronted by Katya, blurted out that she loved Lyu and was as good as engaged to him. All this I had to infer, something I should not like to overtax your whale brain with.

  So, Katya establishes a connection to Petersburg. I ask her who she wants to speak to. Lyu, even though it’s none of my business. I say, ‘You could just as easily wait until he returns. It cannot be that important.’ Katya: ‘How can you be the judge of that? I shall never speak another word to him again here, and I regret ever having done so.’ Me: ‘Goodness gracious!’ At that moment the telephone rings. Katya picks up. ‘Is that you? Quack, quack, quack… I just want to let you know how much I loathe you! Quack, quack… You are spineless, a hypocrite, a Judas! Quack, quack, quack, quack. Please don’t deny it! You have the nerve to defend yourself? You’ve deceived me enough already! I am going to tell Jessika everything. Although she’s weak, she’s too good for a wretch like you. Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack… You think I’m more stupid than I am. You think you’re the only clever one and everybody else is a fool, but perhaps it’s the other way around!’

  Katya blurted all of this out in such a shrill voice that Papa and Mama heard her. Thinking that something had happened, they hurried in. The two of them listened in astonishment and said, ‘What is the meaning of this? Who on earth is she talking to?’ Me: ‘Oh, it’s Lyu. She’s a tad angry with him.’ Katya on the telephone: ‘You want me to use the familiar form when addressing you? Such a sly, duplicitous character as you? Never!’ Papa and Mama: ‘But for goodness’ sake, what has he done?’ Me: ‘Oh, she got a card from him addressed to Katinka von Rasimkara, and she’s taken it as an insult to have her name Katya understood as a derivative of Katinka.’ Papa and Mama: ‘Typical Katya!’ The two of them are about to split their sides laughing. Katya turns around. Me: ‘Calm down, my little dove!’ Katya, casting me a withering look: ‘Idiot!’ Then she puts the phone down.

  I race to the phone and just catch Lyu. I promise to calm things down. With a sigh that stirs my heart even down the telephone he replies, ‘You are the oil on the stormy waves of your family. Without you everyone would be seasick.’ The conversation appears to have affected him greatly.

  I have no idea whether he was speaking from your house, but it would be highly amusing if you’d heard the other half of the conversation. One thing’s for sure: Katya is finished with Lyu, however much her anger may diminish over time. But at this point it’s impossible to tell whether she’ll dote on your stupidity again after her abortive flirtation with intelligence; at all events don’t go counting on it. Besides, she’s thriving in her disappointment. My only regret is for poor Jessika. She seems to me like a little bird whose nest has been destroyed, who endures the storm and rain, cautiously chirping in terror and occasionally sticking out her ruffled head to see whether things are getting any better. I think she wept for hours at first; her face trembled for a long while afterwards. There is something about her that is as sweet as an overripe fig, and as soft as a snowflake that melts in your hand. For Jessika it would be a good thing if you married her, but it happened to be Katya who caught your eye first and, according to the law of torpidity that governs you, you stick with her through thick and thin and call this moral fibre. Come on, who you end up caring for should be of no importance to you, but it would be a good thing for Jessika if she were shielded from the world by your thick, saurian skin, whereas Katya has no need of such antediluvian protection; indeed, she might not even be able to put up with it in the long run. But I do not wish to be so foolhardy as to preach sense to someone who has none.

  Katya has sufficient discretion to conceal the true state of affairs from Papa and Mama. But whenever Papa teases her by calling her Katinka, she flashes angry looks at me, which makes everyone else laugh.

  Farewell, Velya

  LYU TO KONSTANTIN

  Kremskoye, 17th June

  Dear Konstantin,

  It was highly advantageous that I convinced Madame Tatyana to accompany me back to Kremskoye. The influence I wield over her has made an impression on the governor and his family, because they admire greatly this relative of theirs, who plays a significant role in society. She is a beautiful woman and has sufficient presence of mind to know just how much a lady ought to let this show. She has a good, if not educated brain. She likes those intellectual pleasures one can enjoy without too much effort, which is why she prefers the company of knowledgeable, thinking people who are able to clothe her own contemplations in an inspiring form. Her open-mindedness would be more estimable if she were risking anything with such a stance, but this wholly apolitical woman has the freedom to colour her social drabness with naive candour.

  Her son, Peter, who has been in love with Katya since childhood and persists with his feelings, unperturbed by the fact that she fails to reciprocate his affection, has, on the surface, something about him of the good-natured giant from fairy tales. With a sort of childish humanity and simplistic sense of justice, he counts himself as a member of the revolutionary party. Although he is envious, because his cousin prefers me to him, he welcomed me, if not with total warmth, then at least with a fair degree of tolerance. Together with some other students, who like him have substantial means at their disposal, he has arranged private courses to allow them to continue their medical studies. Naturally, this is also a protest against the government restrictions. Katya wishes to participate in these courses, which will begin in the near future. The governor knew nothing about this till now; he is deeply shocked that such an initiative should have come from his nephew, and even more so that Katya should wish to take part. As he finds it difficult to be strict with Katya, he began by reproaching his sister, Tatyana, for not preventing her son from undertaking such bothersome, quixotic activities. Smiling like a child, she said her son was now grown up; she could not keep him tied to her apron strings for ever. In any case, Yegor should not bother her with political matters, from which, after all, women were excluded. Why should she form a judgement, the implications of which she could not put into practice? Particularly in society, discussions of political affairs ought to be forbidden, for they immediately turned even the cleverest man into a narrow-minded, bristly ass. Besides, she added, she regarded it absolutely permissible
for a young man to take all necessary steps for obtaining the education for his profession if the state deprived him of the means of doing so. After all, a man must have an occupation at some point.

  Katya chimed in, insisting how outrageous it was to close the colleges. What was the government thinking of? The universities were independent bodies; ought parents ask the Tsar for permission to allow their children to read and write too?

  The governor said that if the university had restricted itself to imparting knowledge the government would have respected it, but by interfering in public affairs and taking sides, it had forfeited its right to inviolability. The hardship brought about by the closure would not be relieved by the fact that those whose fortunes allowed it were obtaining tuition privately; for those without means, the termination of teaching was far more damaging. Then Katya hit back: ‘You don’t know Peter at all! He’s not securing himself advantages over poorer people! It was chiefly to help those without means that he arranged the courses! Everyone can take part, even those who cannot pay!’ The governor turned a deep shade of red and said that the situation was worse than he had imagined. It had been his belief that Peter’s initiative was no more than private tuition, but this was a rival university, a challenge, a revolutionary act. He’d never have thought it possible that his own child would join the ranks of his opponents.

  I have never seen him so incensed. His brow knitted tightly, his nose appeared to blaze, like a freshly sharpened dagger. Around him the atmosphere was eerie, as when a hailstorm is brewing. Katya was a little frightened, but held her ground bravely. With her air of impartiality and her childish smile, Tatyana continued to wonder at how seriously he was regarding the whole affair. Mrs von Rasimkara looked sad. I do not know what she was thinking, but I believe she was the only one other than myself who had a feeling of inevitable doom. Not for any particular reason, only because she loves him and those who love feel fear and suspicion.

  In this most unpleasant of moments I put it to the governor that he might send Velya and Katya abroad – he had intended anyway that they should spend some time at foreign universities – then they would no longer create any bother for him here. This suggestion brightened the stormy mood. Velya was enthralled. ‘Yes, Papa,’ he said, ‘all young people from noble families are sent abroad. You must do this too, if you want anything to become of us. I’m all for Paris.’ Madame Tatyana said, ‘I’ll give you Peter, so there’s a sensible head amongst you. And Peter needs a sojourn in Paris; he lacks grace.’ The governor limited his opposition to saying that he felt Berlin was more appropriate than Paris, but he was visibly enthused by the idea, and I am convinced that it will come to fruition. I made the suggestion so that Katya and Velya will be away when the misfortune occurs; I will also find a pretext for ensuring that Jessika is not here. Now I think the matter will proceed quickly.

  Lyu

  KATYA TO VELYA

  Petersburg, 20th June

  You really are a nincompoop, Velya! In your letter to Peter you told him about the whole story with Lyu! I thought you might, but why are you bragging that you haven’t let slip a word of the matter to a single soul? First, I didn’t ask you to do it, and second, I didn’t believe you for a minute. Now Peter thinks he has to comfort me and I have to marry him; he is not a logical individual. And sadly, he’s charming about my not being in love with him. Now I have to put up with this silliness from Peter while listening to Aunt Tatyana wax lyrical about Lyu: how elegant he is, how inspiring, how energetic, and what a great influence he’s had on us! Look after Jessika at least! It’s too bad that she’s got such parents. Papa takes notice of nothing, Mama likes everything and you don’t care about anything. Just remember you’re a man. Lyu can do what he likes with you and make you believe anything, as if you were in love with him. That’s ignoble of you. When Aunt Tatyana isn’t talking about Lyu, she’s delightful and very sensible. The courses have not yet begun. What’s happening about Paris? Has Papa said yes? If needs be we’ll go to Berlin too, of course. Once we’re abroad the rest will fall into place.

  Adieu, Katya

  JESSIKA TO KATYA

  Kremskoye, 20th June

  My sweet little ladybird,

  I’d rather weep than write to you, but then you’d know nothing of what’s going on. I cannot rid myself of the feeling that it’s my fault you’ve gone away. In any case, I’m certain that I’m to blame for something, and it all started when I wrote to Lyu. You cannot deny that you were livid. To begin with I thought that you were in love with Lyu too, but he laughed and said you most certainly weren’t, and when I saw you together afterwards, I no longer thought you were. And if you did love him, you certainly didn’t love him in the way I did; you wouldn’t die if he didn’t love you back. But that’s how I felt. You’re not the type to fall in love so seriously, are you, my little mouse? After all, Velya keeps saying you’re not as sentimental as I am. Write something of comfort to me! Everyone here is unhappy now. Papa has been terribly nervous since you left, visitors strain his nerves, but I believe it’s mainly on account of your courses. It’s disastrous for him if his daughter and nephew are involved in something that’s directed against the government. Yesterday a few library books were discovered, which Velya had borrowed a year or two ago and forgotten to return. As the cost on these is quite considerable, Papa was furious and made a hell of a row. He said Velya was careless and profligate, behaving as if he were a millionaire. He’d reduce the whole lot of us to poverty. When Mama, who arrived on the scene, tried to defend Velya, Papa really flew into a rage. When we sat down for lunch everyone was serious and quiet, Papa staring sombrely into the distance. Mama picked up her lorgnette, looked from one person to the next in puzzlement, then finally stared at Papa for a while and asked tenderly, ‘Why are you so pale, Yegor?’ We all started laughing, including Papa, which lightened the mood.

  Velya was mainly disconsolate because one of the things Papa said was that he was too reckless to be sent away on a long trip. But he only said this in anger; I think he’ll allow the two of you to go.

  Is Peter torturing you terribly? Don’t worry about me. Lyu told me from the outset that he couldn’t and wouldn’t propose to me until he’d found a suitable position. He said he just wanted to be my friend; you can see how honourable he is. Velya would never be like that. My dearest ladybird, I miss you hourly. Don’t you miss me too?

  Affectionately, Jessika

  LUSINYA TO KATYA

  Kremskoye, 21st June

  My dear little Katya,

  Well, now you’ve got your way. Are you glad to be in the city? Does it make you smarter, better, happier? I do not intend to hide from you, my darling, that your leaving here, even though you could see what you were doing to Papa, was painful for me. Is that so difficult to comprehend? For if you had understood this correctly, you could not have done it. What hurts him most is not that you think differently, nor that you’re acting against his wishes. But his love for you is too great to forbid you what he would forbid others. He loves you in spite of the fact that you’re doing something that, were anybody else to do it, they would forfeit his sympathy at a stroke. He’s driving himself mad, his system is driving him mad, everything is driving him mad. Why are you inflicting this on your father, an ageing man who adores you? Are you achieving something of significance for yourself or others? Listen, I sometimes think that our children exist to exact revenge on us, and yet I couldn’t say for whom or for what. Children are the only beings towards whom we are utterly selfless, which is why they’re the only ones who can truly destroy us. In a few years’ time, perhaps, you will be a mother yourself. Then you will understand me and also know that I can make such observations without my love for you being diminished in the slightest.

  I think in the end that Papa will send you and Velya abroad; he’s already keen on the idea, and it would be the best thing for all of us. Lyu is a support for us at the moment. I owe him my gratitude and yet I would prefer it if we, your father and I,
were completely alone after your departure. The holiday has not yet benefited him in the way that I’d hoped for, perhaps on account of the excessive commotion and unrest there has been around us. For the time being I am not afraid for him, as I am too full of things which are worse than physical dangers.

  Please be considerate towards Aunt Tatyana, my darling, and also towards Peter. I will not force you to marry a man you do not love, but seek to preserve the friendship of a good man.

  Lovingly, Mama

  VELYA TO KATYA

  Kremskoye, 23rd June

  God knows how, but your bird brain came up with a good idea when you decided to leave. Birds and mice can sense when food is scarce, that’s instinct, and I will not deny you that. It is, in fact, very uncomfortable here. Yesterday morning Mama found another threatening letter beneath her pillow, saying that if Demodov and the other students are not pardoned, Papa will follow or precede them to the grave. This would be the final warning he would receive. That same day a letter arrived by post from Demodov’s mother, in which she pleaded with him to spare her son’s life. Is there any connection with the written threat? Mama found the content of the letter less shocking than the fact that she didn’t discover it until the morning and thus had lain on it all night long; she finds that sinister. What is really strange is how it got there. None of our people could have been involved; it’s out of the question. Who else can gain access to Mama and Papa’s bedroom? Obviously there must be a natural explanation, but we cannot get to the bottom of the matter. They’re saying that somebody must have climbed through the window late at night. This seems rather unlikely to me, but of course I cannot disprove it either. Lyu is deeply embarrassed because his protection has shown itself so clearly to be inadequate. It’s my belief that he hasn’t really been thinking about it recently. Today we had a long conversation about the affair. He takes it for granted that the writer of this threatening letter knew of the letter Mrs Demodov wrote, and hence must be from Demodov’s circle of friends. Of course, there is no reason to think that Mrs Demodov knows any of this. Lyu says that, in all probability, the sole purpose of the letter is to elicit a favourable reply to Mrs Demodov’s plea, to enhance its impact, so to speak. But it will fail in its goal, of course, given Papa’s character. Lyu said he respects and loves Papa, who always acts according to his character and reason, but it had to be admitted that the revolution was right and he was wrong. The government, he continued, had decided to arrest a universally respected professor, one of the few with the courage to express his opinions, and send him to Siberia; Demodov wanted to defend him and the rights of the university. In the future this handful of students would be highlighted as proof of the fact that there had been young men of courage and honour in Petersburg at the time. In this case, Lyu argued, essentially the government was the agitator and lawless barbarian, whereas the so-called revolutionaries were the guardians of justice. In informing Papa of their views and intentions, and giving him the time to choose another course that would be acceptable to them, they were acting with decency. Naturally, I agreed with him, but I said I could empathize with Papa for refusing to give in now. Maybe, Lyu said, if Papa knew for certain that the threats were meant seriously and would be acted upon, he would do it out of love for his wife and children. But I don’t believe this, and one would not be able to persuade him to change his mind at any rate. Papa is the only one who is quite unruffled; I love this about him. There is not even a shadow of fear about him. It might still have been possible earlier, but there is no way he will back down now. Naturally, defiance, obstinacy and cantankerousness play their part too, but it is a noble stance all the same. Mama is sad. She, of course, thinks it’s terrible that the students will be executed, or at least Demodov will, and that Papa could change this but won’t. But I believe the reason why she hasn’t tried to appeal to him again is that she knows it would be fruitless. Both Papa and Mama are people of extraordinary taste; I wouldn’t have chosen any other parents for me, even though their personalities and views are often quite strange.