by R. N. Morris
‘Forgive me. I was not sure that you had heard me.’
‘I am not deaf.’
‘But you did not acknowledge. .’
‘I am not here to acknowledge.’
The young man bowed deeply, and held his bow.
‘What are you doing now, you ridiculous individual?’
‘I am waiting. For you to finish your task.’
Zamyotov leant forward to hiss: ‘Get up! Before someone sees you! Think of your uniform, your rank. When you abase yourself, you abase us all.’
The young man obeyed.
‘Name?’ demanded Zamyotov.
‘Pavel Pavlovich Virginsky.’
Zamyotov started. He looked at the young man with new interest. ‘You’ve put on weight.’
Virginsky nodded.
‘And smartened yourself up. Well, well.’
The young man seemed embarrassed by the observation.
‘So,’ said Zamyotov, with a malicious grin, ‘what trouble have you got yourself into this time?’
‘I’m not in trouble. I joined the service. I’ve just graduated from the university.’
‘You graduated? They are giving degrees to madmen now?’
‘Yes, I have a degree in law. I have decided to become an investigating magistrate. My father thought. .’
‘Your father?’ Zamyotov smirked sarcastically.
‘I thought,’ Virginsky corrected himself, ‘and my father agreed, that it would be good for me to train under Porfiry Petrovich. There is no doubt that he is one of the best investigating magistrates in St Petersburg.’
‘And who is your father? Tsar Alexander the Second?’
‘No. He is former Actual State Councillor Pavel Pavlovich Virginsky, a landowner of the Riga province.’
‘How was a provincial landowner able to pull strings in order to get you the position you had set your heart upon?’
‘It was not a question of pulling strings. Our family has no connections. Or very few.’
‘And yet, you decide something and it comes to pass. If only my career had run along such a track.’
‘My father wrote a letter.’
‘Ah! So that’s it!’
‘To the office of the prokuror.’
‘I see.’
‘Who passed it on to Porfiry Petrovich himself.’
‘I think I remember it now,’ said Zamyotov thoughtfully. ‘You have me to thank for putting it before him, you know.’
‘But it is your duty, surely, to pass on all his mail to him?’
‘No, it would be quite wrong of you to think that. If you are to work here you must get such nonsense out of your head. My duty is to exercise my discretion on his behalf. On behalf of them all.’
‘I see.’
‘Another clerk, remembering the disreputable, one might almost say contemptible, figure that you once cut — your matted hair, the parlous state of your clothes, indeed your apparent madness — as I say, another clerk would not have troubled the investigating magistrate with a petition on behalf of such an individual.’
‘Then I am grateful to you.’
‘Are you?’ There was a testing petulance to Zamyotov’s tone.
‘I just said as much.’
‘But you have not said “thank you”.’
‘There’s a terrible smell in here,’ said Virginsky, sniffing the air.
‘Get used to it,’ said Zamyotov. ‘It is the Ditch. It always stinks in the summer. It’s full of excrement.’
‘Will you tell Porfiry Petrovich that I am here to see him? He is expecting me, I believe.’
Zamyotov sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. ‘If he is expecting you, then what are you waiting for? It is not advisable to keep the investigating magistrate waiting on your first day.’
Virginsky frowned in confusion. Zamyotov, now bent once again over his paperwork, waved him away impatiently, towards the door to Porfiry Petrovich’s chambers.
Porfiry Petrovich stood at the window, his back to the room. The window was high, narrow and arched, set in the furthest corner, at the very tip of the iron-shaped block. It overlooked the Yekaterininsky Canal, at the spot where the Kokushkin Bridge spanned it. A cloud of cigarette smoke hung around him; despite it, the underlying smell of raw sewage was just as strong in here as it was out in the main hall. The din of building work outside, the clash and rumble of hammers and falling masonry, was barely muted by the dust-coated panes.
The back of the investigating magistrate’s coat was stretched taut under the pressure of his squat form, which seemed shorter and fatter, even more like a peasant woman’s, than Virginsky remembered it. His head was close-cropped and protruded at the back like a bulbous tuber. His expression, as he turned, was severe, pained even, although there was something comical about the effect of this severity on his round, snub-nosed face. He looked like an angry pug. He was clean-shaven, his skin dark, so that his white eyelashes stood out strikingly, drawing attention to his eyes. If there was a danger of not taking Porfiry Petrovich seriously, it quickly passed when one looked into the penetrating force of those eyes.
For a moment, he seemed not to recognise Virginsky, even to be affronted by his presence, although he had just that moment invited him to enter with a lethargic ‘In.’ A fat black fly buzzed close to Virginsky’s face as he entered. Porfiry Petrovich drew sternly on his cigarette, before his face wrinkled with delight and warmth around the eyes.
‘My dear. . Pavel Pavlovich!’ Porfiry crossed the room, his short legs moving quickly. He paused to stub out the cigarette in the crystal ashtray on his desk, then took Virginsky’s hand in both of his own. ‘You must forgive me. This heat, and the smell. . it puts me in the foulest of moods. I had forgotten you were coming. But my, let me look at you! You look well. Indeed, you do!’
‘Thank you.’ Virginsky bowed his head, then lifted it quickly as if remembering himself. He looked Porfiry in the eye almost defiantly.
‘Come in! Sit down! Let us chat!’ Porfiry winced as he perched on the edge of his desk. It was a difficult manoeuvre for him to pull off without appearing comical again. He seemed precarious there, one leg dangling short of the floor. ‘I was delighted to receive the letter from your father, for a number of reasons.’
This was what Virginsky had been waiting for. ‘It’s not what you think.’ He sat stiffly on the sofa — government-issue, upholstered in brown artificial leather — and looked beyond Porfiry at the cracked plaster of the wall. The fly, or perhaps it was another one, was climbing at an angle. It took off. Virginsky tried to track it, but it disappeared against the glare from the window.
‘And what do I think?’ Porfiry crinkled his eyes as if he was going to wink.
‘That I have been reconciled with my father.’
‘Is that not the case?’
‘It may shock you to know, Porfiry Petrovich, that I have become a materialist.’
Porfiry lazily threw up his hands. It was an ironic gesture. ‘Please, you will have to do better than that if you want to shock me.’
‘An egoist, then.’
‘Ah, well. . what is to be done?’
‘Exactly! I see that you understand me perfectly. You are referring to the novel by Chernyshevsky. Anyone who has read that book will know that any rational man will always act in accordance with that which is in his own best interests. I have consented to behave as though I am reconciled with my father because it is in my own best interests to do so. My father is in a position to help me achieve my ambition. It would be irrational of me to refuse to allow him to do so.’
‘And I’m sure your father is pleased to help you.’
‘That may be. But it is nothing to me. I am not interested in my father’s pleasure.’
‘Ah, but as a materialist, and a rationalist — and indeed as an exemplary egoist — if it pleases your father to be of service to you, then surely it is in your interest to increase your father’s pleasure.’
‘So far as it pertains to his being of s
ervice to me, and no further. You will accuse me of hypocrisy, no doubt?’
Porfiry pursed his lips and fluttered his eyelashes in a distinctly womanish gesture.
‘You may be assured that I have accused myself of the same crime,’ continued Virginsky. ‘After considering the matter fully, I realised that I cannot be a hypocrite because I am aware of the hypocrisy involved. A genuine hypocrite is blind to his hypocrisy. He believes that he acts in an upright and indeed honourable way at all times, while in reality pursuing his own interests.’
‘You have acquitted yourself then? Perhaps you should consider a career as a defence lawyer instead? Was that not once your intention? ’
Virginsky half-closed his eyes, acknowledging the jibe. ‘What further acquits me of this charge is the fact that I have not entered upon this course, to become an investigating magistrate, for my own pleasure. But rather for the benefit of society as a whole. The occupation will undoubtedly be a burden for me, involving onerous and unpleasant tasks for little recompense. However, I will persevere with it — have no fear on that front, Porfiry Petrovich. And I will do so, as I say, because of the benefits accruing to society as a whole. In acting in this way I am nevertheless behaving as an egoist. I have realised that the thing that will give me personally the greatest pleasure is for society to be organised along more just lines. Such must be the goal of any sane and rational man. I admit, I do not need a legal background, or a job in the Department of Justice, to assist in bringing this about. I need. .’ Virginsky broke off and considered his words. He saw Porfiry looking at him with amusement. ‘I need other materials for that. However, the skills of an investigator will help me, at some future date, when society has begun to be organised in the manner I have indicated, to root out and bring to justice those guilty of the greatest crimes against their fellow men. In the meantime it will satisfy me to prosecute ordinary criminals and to acquire the skills I will need, when. .’ Again Virginsky broke off. ‘When the time comes,’ he concluded, avoiding Porfiry’s eyes now.
‘Well,’ said Porfiry with a broad smile. ‘I hope that it will. . satisfy you.’ He stressed the word ironically.
Virginsky bristled. ‘You do not take me seriously.’
‘Oh but I do.’
‘Then you are embarrassed by what I have said? You think I am sincere, but foolish?’
‘It is not that either.’ Porfiry Petrovich held Virginsky’s gaze sternly. ‘May I give you a word of advice, my young friend? Do not ever speak in the way you have just spoken to anyone else here. Indeed, I would advise you to give up such a mode of discourse entirely. You are a servant of His Imperial Majesty now, no longer merely his subject — his servant, understand. You are employed in the Department of Justice. Justice here is not an abstract concept. It is the Tsar’s justice. It is the Tsar’s laws we are upholding. And it is those who break the Tsar’s laws — the Tsar’s enemies in effect — whom we are to hunt down and prosecute. Besides, you are surrounded by policemen. It is most unwise to talk of society being organised along different lines. There are those who would construe it as seditious.’
‘Are you one of them, Porfiry Petrovich?’
‘What a question! Please, Pavel Pavlovich. You cannot ask me such questions.’ Porfiry began to cough. ‘Really! The stench in here is insufferable! I cannot open the window, because the smell outside is worse. And there is the noise of the workmen in the street. How am I expected to think?’
‘It is the effluence in the canal. Raw sewage flowing in an open drain. A society organised along just lines would not tolerate such a circumstance.’
Porfiry did not take the trouble to remonstrate with him. ‘I sent a letter. Nothing has come of it.’
‘At any rate,’ began Virginsky with a shy, sarcastic smile, ‘as loyal subjects and dedicated servants, we should be thankful that the Tsar at least is safely removed from such noxious hazards. Indeed it is gratifying to know that anyone who has sufficient wealth and leisure may take themselves away from the city when such dangers are most prevalent.’ Making this final remark, Virginsky couldn’t prevent himself from blushing self-consciously.
‘At least you had the decency to look abashed,’ commented Porfiry. ‘However, I must warn you against sarcasm too, Pavel Pavlovich. It is not an endearing habit. Policemen in particular do not like to feel themselves ridiculed. You will find that you will need the cooperation and, indeed, the goodwill of policemen. You would do well to make yourself amenable to them.’
‘That will be difficult for me. You forget that I have been manhandled by policemen. I do not have pleasant memories of my period of incarceration.’
‘The experience will serve you well. You will understand more than most the need for certainty when constructing a case. You know what it means to be wrongly accused and deprived of your liberty. I am confident that you will not take your responsibilities lightly.’
‘May I remind you, Porfiry Petrovich, that it was you who arrested me?’
Porfiry held a hooked forefinger along his mouth. ‘It was not too bad. You had time to reflect. You might even have written a novel, had you been so inclined. Wasn’t that how Chernyshevsky produced the novel we were talking about, the one that has so influenced you?’
‘I am sure he would have preferred to have enjoyed his liberty while writing it. In fact, I imagine he would rather have been spared the necessity of writing it altogether. In a rationally organised society, such a book would be redundant.’
‘I see we have returned to the topic of conversation that we must make a strenuous effort to avoid.’ Porfiry at last pushed himself off his perch and paced to the centre of the room. He stared up at the ceiling, moving his head in erratic jerks. Virginsky tried to follow his shifting eye movements. ‘There is a fly in this room,’ said Porfiry abruptly. ‘It is at the moment a more pressing problem to me than the future organisation of society. You would be more usefully employed catching the troublesome fly than discussing utopias.’
Virginsky made no move to take up Porfiry’s suggestion. ‘But again, I say to you, with respect, Porfiry Petrovich — the fly and the organisation of society are not unconnected. It is the filth in the Ditch that encourages the breeding of flies.’
Porfiry’s gaze snapped towards Virginsky. His look was forbidding. ‘I will say one more thing on this subject. Then we will never talk of it again. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps too there is an analogythat can be drawn between flies and criminals. You will argue that in a rational and just society, there will be no criminals and no crime, for every citizen will realise that it is not in his best interests to commit crimes. You will probably also argue that it is the irrational and unjust organisation of society — analogous to the putrid Ditch — that produces the criminals, who are represented by the flies in our analogy. Eradicate the open sewer and you will diminish the population of flies. Transform society, and there will be no more criminals. That is all very well, but in the meantime, there are flies and there are criminals. We must do what we can, as sane and rational men, to ensure that they do not overrun us.’
‘But if. .’
‘Enough!’ Then Porfiry added more gently: ‘Really, that is enough on the subject. I have said all I want to say and heard all I need to hear. Besides, there is a case. .’
‘A case?’
Porfiry sat down behind his desk. ‘I see that there is more to your wishing to join the department than simply a desire to further the common cause.’
‘I admit that the intellectual challenge appeals to me. I like to solve problems.’
‘You need not apologise for that.’
‘I was not. . apologising.’
‘It can be stimulating. And when it is a question of uncovering the truth, it may even be noble. However, unfortunately, very few of the cases you will be called upon to deal with will challenge your intellect. Even here in the Department of the Investigation of Criminal Causes, as our particular branch of the Justice Department is known. The solutions in most
of these cases are all too depressingly obvious. If there is a wife who has been murdered, it is the husband who has done it. A tyrannical father, his son. An oppressive rent collector — look among the tenants. There is more often than not a connection between the murderer and the victim. Nine times out of ten, it is immediately apparent. It is that tenth instance that is the challenge, and for that the investigator has to be alert. But whether it is the intellect that is the most usefulfaculty here, or instinct, coupled with an understanding of human nature — well, my own view inclines towards the latter. These are not abstract puzzles to be unpicked, nor exercises in logic. We are dealing with people’s lives. Crimes are the eruptions of human passions, of greed, desire, jealousy. Despair. These are the criminal causes we investigate. An investigator needs to be watchful. But most of all he needs to be capable of looking into his own heart. Do not rely on your intellect, Pavel Pavlovich. Rely on your humanity. Of course, there are very rare instances in which the victim is selected completely at random, when the connection is merely accidental. I am talking about the crimes of the insane. But perhaps even here, if one knew how to look, one would find a connection.’
‘But what of the case you mentioned?’
‘Ah, yes, good. Good. The case.’ Porfiry picked up a telegram that lay on his desk. ‘This came in shortly before you arrived. From the Shestaya Street Police Bureau in the Peterburgsky District. I will explain the details on the way. I assume you are ready to start work immediately?’
‘Where are we going?’ Virginsky had to hurry to keep up with Porfiry Petrovich, who was capable of moving at a surprising speed, considering his portly figure. They were racing along a low-ceilinged but narrow corridor on the fourth floor of the building in Stolyarny Lane that housed the Haymarket District Police Bureau.