At last Akim Petrovitch made his appearance with some document. The sight of him sent a stab to Ivan Ilyitch’s heart, but only for an instant. He went into the business with Akim Petrovitch, talked with dignity, explained things, and showed him what was to be done. The only thing he noticed was that he avoided looking at Akim Petrovitch for any length of time, or rather Akim Petrovitch seemed afraid of catching his eye, but at last Akim Petrovitch had finished and began to collect his papers.
“And there is one other matter,” he began as dryly as he could, “the clerk Pseldonimov’s petition to be transferred to another department. His Excellency Semyon Ivanovitch Shipulenko has promised him a post. He begs your gracious assent, your Excellency.”
“Oh, so he is being transferred,” said Ivan Ilyitch, and he felt as though a heavy weight had rolled off his heart. He glanced at Akim Petrovitch, and at that instant their eyes met. “Certainly, I for my part ... I will use,” answered Ivan Ilyitch; “I am ready.”
Akim Petrovitch evidently wanted to slip away as quickly as he could. But in a rush of generous feeling Ivan Ilyitch determined to speak out. Apparently some inspiration had come to him again.
“Tell him,” he began, bending a candid glance full of profound meaning upon Akim Petrovitch, “tell Pseldonimov that I feel no ill-will, no, I do not!... That on the contrary I am ready to forget all that is past, to forget it all....”
But all at once Ivan Ilyitch broke off, looking with wonder at the strange behaviour of Akim Petrovitch, who suddenly seemed transformed from a sensible person into a fearful fool. Instead of listening and hearing Ivan Ilyitch to the end, he suddenly flushed crimson in the silliest way, began with positively unseemly haste making strange little bows, and at the same time edging towards the door. His whole appearance betrayed a desire to sink through the floor, or more accurately, to get back to his table as quickly as possible. Ivan Ilyitch, left alone, got up from his chair in confusion; he looked in the looking-glass without noticing his face.
“No, severity, severity and nothing but severity,” he whispered almost unconsciously, and suddenly a vivid flush over-spread his face. He felt suddenly more ashamed, more weighed down than he had been in the most insufferable moments of his eight days of tribulation. “I did break down!” he said to himself, and sank helplessly into his chair.
ANOTHER MAN’S WIFE
OR, THE HUSBAND UNDER THE BED
An Extraordinary Adventure
I
“Be so kind, sir ... allow me to ask you....”
The gentleman so addressed started and looked with some alarm at the gentleman in raccoon furs who had accosted him so abruptly at eight o’clock in the evening in the street. We all know that if a Petersburg gentleman suddenly in the street speaks to another gentleman with whom he is unacquainted, the second gentleman is invariably alarmed.
And so the gentleman addressed started and was somewhat alarmed.
“Excuse me for troubling you,” said the gentleman in raccoon, “but I ... I really don’t know ... you will pardon me, no doubt; you see, I am a little upset....”
Only then the young man in the wadded overcoat observed that this gentleman in the raccoon furs certainly was upset. His wrinkled face was rather pale, his voice was trembling. He was evidently in some confusion of mind, his words did not flow easily from his tongue, and it could be seen that it cost him a terrible effort to present a very humble request to a personage possibly his inferior in rank or condition, in spite of the urgent necessity of addressing his request to somebody. And indeed the request was in any case unseemly, undignified, strange, coming from a man who had such a dignified fur coat, such a respectable jacket of a superb dark green colour, and such distinguished decorations adorning that jacket. It was evident that the gentleman in raccoon was himself confused by all this, so that at last he could not stand it, but made up his mind to suppress his emotion and politely to put an end to the unpleasant position he had himself brought about.
“Excuse me, I am not myself: but it is true you don’t know me ... forgive me for disturbing you; I have changed my mind.”
Here, from politeness, he raised his hat and hurried off.
“But allow me....”
The little gentleman had, however, vanished into the darkness, leaving the gentleman in the wadded overcoat in a state of stupefaction.
“What a queer fellow!” thought the gentleman in the wadded overcoat. After wondering, as was only natural, and recovering at last from his stupefaction, he bethought him of his own affairs, and began walking to and fro, staring intently at the gates of a house with an endless number of storeys. A fog was beginning to come on, and the young man was somewhat relieved at it, for his walking up and down was less noticeable in the fog, though indeed no one could have noticed him but some cabman who had been waiting all day without a fare.
“Excuse me!”
The young man started again; again the gentleman in raccoon was standing before him.
“Excuse me again ..,” he began, “but you ... you are no doubt an honourable man! Take no notice of my social position ... but I am getting muddled ... look at it as man to man ... you see before you, sir, a man craving a humble favour....”
“If I can.... What do you want?”
“You imagine, perhaps, that I am asking for money,” said the mysterious gentleman, with a wry smile, laughing hysterically and turning pale.
“Oh, dear, no.”
“No, I see that I am tiresome to you! Excuse me, I cannot bear myself; consider that you are seeing a man in an agitated condition, almost of insanity, and do not draw any conclusion....”
“But to the point, to the point,” responded the young man, nodding his head encouragingly and impatiently.
“Now think of that! A young man like you reminding me to keep to the point, as though I were some heedless boy! I must certainly be doting!... How do I seem to you in my degrading position? Tell me frankly.”
The young man was overcome with confusion, and said nothing.
“Allow me to ask you openly: have you not seen a lady? That is all that I have to ask you,” the gentleman in the raccoon coat said resolutely at last.
“Lady?”
“Yes, a lady.”
“Yes, I have seen ... but I must say lots of them have passed....”
“Just so,” answered the mysterious gentleman, with a bitter smile. “I am muddled, I did not mean to ask that; excuse me, I meant to say, haven’t you seen a lady in a fox fur cape, in a dark velvet hood and a black veil?”
“No, I haven’t noticed one like that ... no. I think I haven’t seen one.”
“Well, in that case, excuse me!”
The young man wanted to ask a question, but the gentleman in raccoon vanished again; again he left his patient listener in a state of stupefaction.
“Well, the devil take him!” thought the young man in the wadded overcoat, evidently troubled.
With annoyance he turned up his beaver collar, and began cautiously walking to and fro again before the gates of the house of many storeys. He was raging inwardly.
“Why doesn’t she come out?” he thought. “It will soon be eight o’clock.”
The town clock struck eight.
“Oh, devil take you!”
“Excuse me!...”
“Excuse me for speaking like that ... but you came upon me so suddenly that you quite frightened me,” said the young man, frowning and apologising.
“Here I am again. I must strike you as tiresome and queer.”
“Be so good as to explain at once, without more ado; I don’t know what it is you want....”
“You are in a hurry. Do you see, I will tell you everything openly, without wasting words. It cannot be helped. Circumstances sometimes bring together people of very different characters.... But I see you are impatient, young man.... So here ... though I really don’t know how to tell you: I am looking for a lady (I have made up my mind to tell you all about it). You see, I must know wher
e that lady has gone. Who she is — I imagine there is no need for you to know her name, young man.”
“Well, well, what next?”
“What next? But what a tone you take with me! Excuse me, but perhaps I have offended you by calling you young man, but I had nothing ... in short, if you are willing to do me a very great service, here it is: a lady — that is, I mean a gentlewoman of a very good family, of my acquaintance ... I have been commissioned ... I have no family, you see....”
“Oh!”
“Put yourself in my position, young man (ah, I’ve done it again; excuse me, I keep calling you young man). Every minute is precious.... Only fancy, that lady ... but cannot you tell me who lives in this house?”
“But ... lots of people live here.”
“Yes, that is, you are perfectly right,” answered the gentleman in raccoon, giving a slight laugh for the sake of good manners. “I feel I am rather muddled.... But why do you take that tone? You see, I admit frankly that I am muddled, and however haughty you are, you have seen enough of my humiliation to satisfy you.... I say a lady of honourable conduct, that is, of light tendencies — excuse me, I am so confused; it is as though I were speaking of literature — Paul de Kock is supposed to be of light tendencies, and all the trouble comes from him, you see....”
The young man looked compassionately at the gentleman in raccoon, who seemed in a hopeless muddle and pausing, stared at him with a meaningless smile and with a trembling hand for no apparent reason gripped the lappet of his wadded overcoat.
“You ask who lives here?” said the young man, stepping back a little.
“Yes; you told me lots of people live here.”
“Here ... I know that Sofya Ostafyevna lives here, too,” the young man brought out in a low and even commiserating tone.
“There, you see, you see! You know something, young man?”
“I assure you I don’t, I know nothing ... I judged from your troubled air....”
“I have just learned from the cook that she does come here; but you are on the wrong tack, that is, with Sofya Ostafyevna ... she does not know her....”
“No? Oh ... I beg your pardon, then....”
“I see this is of no interest to you, young man,” said the queer man, with bitter irony.
“Listen,” said the young man, hesitating. “I really don’t understand why you are in such a state, but tell me frankly, I suppose you are being deceived?” The young man smiled approvingly. “We shall understand one another, anyway,” he added, and his whole person loftily betrayed an inclination to make a half-bow.
“You crush me! But I frankly confess that is just it ... but it happens to every one!... I am deeply touched by your sympathy. To be sure, among young men ... though I am not young; but you know, habit, a bachelor life, among bachelors, we all know....”
“Oh, yes, we all know, we all know! But in what way can I be of assistance to you?”
“Why, look here: admitting a visit to Sofya Ostafyevna ... though I don’t know for a fact where the lady has gone, I only know that she is in that house; but seeing you walking up and down, and I am walking up and down on the same side myself, I thought ... you see, I am waiting for that lady ... I know that she is there. I should like to meet her and explain to her how shocking and improper it is!... In fact, you understand me....”
“H’m! Well?”
“I am not acting for myself; don’t imagine it; it is another man’s wife! Her husband is standing over there on the Voznesensky Bridge; he wants to catch her, but he doesn’t dare; he is still loath to believe it, as every husband is.” (Here the gentleman in raccoon made an effort to smile.) “I am a friend of his; you can see for yourself I am a person held in some esteem; I could not be what you take me for.”
“Oh, of course. Well, well!”
“So, you see, I am on the look out for her. The task has been entrusted to me (the unhappy husband!). But I know that the young lady is sly (Paul de Kock for ever under her pillow); I am certain she scurries off somewhere on the sly.... I must confess the cook told me she comes here; I rushed off like a madman as soon as I heard the news; I want to catch her. I have long had suspicions, and so I wanted to ask you; you are walking here ... you — you — I don’t know....”
“Come, what is it you want?”
“Yes ... I have not the honour of your acquaintance; I do not venture to inquire who and what you may be.... Allow me to introduce myself, anyway; glad to meet you!...”
The gentleman, quivering with agitation, warmly shook the young man’s hand.
“I ought to have done this to begin with,” he added, “but I have lost all sense of good manners.”
The gentleman in raccoon could not stand still as he talked; he kept looking about him uneasily, fidgeted with his feet, and like a drowning man clutched at the young man’s hand.
“You see,” he went on, “I meant to address you in a friendly way.... Excuse the freedom.... I meant to ask you to walk along the other side and down the side street, where there is a back entrance. I, too, on my side, will walk from the front entrance, so that we cannot miss her; I’m afraid of missing her by myself; I don’t want to miss her. When you see her, stop her and shout to me.... But I’m mad! Only now I see the foolishness and impropriety of my suggestion!...”
“No, why, no! It’s all right!...”
“Don’t make excuses for me; I am so upset. I have never been in such a state before. As though I were being tried for my life! I must own indeed — I will be straightforward and honourable with you, young man; I actually thought you might be the lover.”
“That is, to put it simply, you want to know what I am doing here?”
“You are an honourable man, my dear sir. I am far from supposing that you are he, I will not insult you with such a suspicion; but ... give me your word of honour that you are not the lover....”
“Oh, very well, I’ll give you my word of honour that I am a lover, but not of your wife; otherwise I shouldn’t be here in the street, but should be with her now!”
“Wife! Who told you she was my wife, young man? I am a bachelor, I — that is, I am a lover myself....”
“You told me there is a husband on Voznesensky Bridge....”
“Of course, of course, I am talking too freely; but there are other ties! And you know, young man, a certain lightness of character, that is....”
“Yes, yes, to be sure, to be sure....”
“That is, I am not her husband at all....”
“Oh, no doubt. But I tell you frankly that in reassuring you now, I want to set my own mind at rest, and that is why I am candid with you; you are upsetting me and in my way. I promise that I will call you. But I most humbly beg you to move further away and let me alone. I am waiting for some one too.”
“Certainly, certainly, I will move further off. I respect the passionate impatience of your heart. Oh, how well I understand you at this moment!”
“Oh, all right, all right....”
“Till we meet again!... But excuse me, young man, here I am again ... I don’t know how to say it ... give me your word of honour once more, as a gentleman, that you are not her lover.”
“Oh, mercy on us!”
“One more question, the last: do you know the surname of the husband of your ... that is, I mean the lady who is the object of your devotion?”
“Of course I do; it is not your name, and that is all about it.”
“Why, how do you know my name?”
“But, I say, you had better go; you are losing time; she might go away a thousand times. Why, what do you want? Your lady’s in a fox cape and a hood, while mine is wearing a plaid cloak and a pale blue velvet hat.... What more do you want? What else?”
“A pale blue velvet hat! She has a plaid cloak and a pale blue velvet hat!” cried the pertinacious man, instantly turning back again.
“Oh, hang it all! Why, that may well be.... And, indeed, my lady does not come here!”
“Where is she, then �
� your lady?”
“You want to know that? What is it to you?”
“I must own, I am still....”
“Tfoo! Mercy on us! Why, you have no sense of decency, none at all. Well, my lady has friends here, on the third storey looking into the street. Why, do you want me to tell you their names?”
“My goodness, I have friends too, who live on the third storey, and their windows look on to the street.... General....”
“General!”
“A general. If you like I will tell you what general: well, then ... General Polovitsyn.”
“You don’t say so! No, that is not the same! (Oh, damnation, damnation!).”
“Not the same?”
“No, not the same.”
Both were silent, looking at each other in perplexity.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” exclaimed the young man, shaking off his stupefaction and air of uncertainty with vexation.
The gentleman was in a fluster.
“I ... I must own....”
“Come, allow me, allow me; let us talk more sensibly now. It concerns us both. Explain to me ... whom do you know there?”
“You mean, who are my friends?”
“Yes, your friends....”
“Well, you see ... you see!... I see from your eyes that I have guessed right!”
“Hang it all! No, no, hang it all! Are you blind? Why, I am standing here before you, I am not with her. Oh, well! I don’t care, whether you say so or not!”
Twice in his fury the young man turned on his heel with a contemptuous wave of his hand.
“Oh, I meant nothing, I assure you. As an honourable man I will tell you all about it. At first my wife used to come here alone. They are relatives of hers; I had no suspicions; yesterday I met his Excellency: he told me that he had moved three weeks ago from here to another flat, and my wi ... that is, not mine, but somebody else’s (the husband’s on the Voznesensky Bridge) ... that lady had told me that she was with them the day before yesterday, in this flat I mean ... and the cook told me that his Excellency’s flat had been taken by a young man called Bobynitsyn....”
Complete Works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky Page 661