The Gambler and Other Stories (Penguin ed.)

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

  ‘Mais, madame, cela sera un plaisir,’10 des Grieux chimed in with a charming smile.

  ‘Plaisir, I’m sure. I think you’re ridiculous, sir. By the way, I won’t give you any money,’ she added suddenly to the general. ‘Well, now, to my room. I must have a look, and then we’ll go round all those places. Well, lift me up.’

  They lifted Grandmother up again and a crowd of us all started off, following the chair down the staircase. The general walked, stunned, as if he had been hit over the head with a cudgel. Des Grieux was pondering something. Mlle Blanche wanted to remain, but for some reason also decided to go with everyone. The prince at once set off right behind her, and up above, in the general’s room, only the German and Madame veuve Cominges remained.

  CHAPTER 10

  At spas – and, it seems, throughout Europe – hotel administrators and managers, when assigning rooms to their guests, are guided not so much by their guests’ demands and wishes, as by their own personal view of them; and, one should note, they are rarely mistaken. But Grandmother, goodness knows why, was assigned such an opulent suite that it even went too far: four magnificently appointed rooms, with bath, servants’ quarters, a special room for the lady’s maid and so on and so forth. Indeed, a week ago some grande duchesse had stayed in these rooms, which of course was announced at once to the new guests, thus raising the price for the suite. Grandmother was carried through, or rather, wheeled through all the rooms, and she examined them attentively and sternly. The manager, an elderly man with a bald head, respectfully accompanied her during this first inspection.

  I don’t know who they all took Grandmother for, but apparently for some extremely important and, more importantly, incredibly wealthy individual. They at once entered into the book: ‘Madame la générale princesse de Tarassevitcheva,’1 though Grandmother had never been a princess. Her own servants, a private compartment on the train and the profusion of unnecessary trunks, cases and even chests that arrived with Grandmother probably gave rise to this prestige; while the chair, Grandmother’s curt tone and voice, and her eccentric questions asked in the most uninhibited manner that brooked no objections, in a word, the sum total of Grandmother’s appearance – erect, curt, imperious – put the finishing touches to the universal reverence she commanded. During the inspection Grandmother would suddenly order that they stop pushing her chair, point to something in the furnishings and address the most unexpected questions to the respectfully smiling, but already cowering, manager. Grandmother put her questions in French, which, however, she spoke rather poorly, so I would usually translate. By and large, she was not pleased by the manager’s answers and found them unsatisfactory. And she kept asking things, which seemed pointless, and were about God knows what. Suddenly, for example, she stopped before a painting – a rather bad copy of some well-known original with a mythological subject.

  ‘Whose portrait is that?’

  The manager stated that it was probably some countess or other.

  ‘How is it that you don’t know? You live here, and don’t know. Why is it here? Why is she cross-eyed?’

  The manager could not answer all these questions satisfactorily and even became flustered.

  ‘Oh, what a blockhead!’ Grandmother remarked in Russian.

  She was carried further on. The same story repeated itself with a certain Saxon statuette, which Grandmother examined for a long time and then ordered that it be taken away, no one knew why. Finally, she badgered the manager about how much the carpets in the bedroom cost and where they had been woven. The manager promised to find out.

  ‘Oh, what asses!’ Grandmother grumbled and turned all her attention to the bed.

  ‘What a magnificent canopy! Strip the bed.’

  They did so.

  ‘More, more, strip off everything. Take off the pillows, the pillowcases, lift up the feather bed.’

  They turned everything over. Grandmother examined it all attentively.

  ‘It’s a good thing that they don’t have bedbugs. Take all the bed linen away. Make up the bed with my linen and my pillows. However, this is all too magnificent; what do I, an old woman, need with such a suite – it’s boring to be all alone. Alexey Ivanovich, you must come and visit me often, after the children have finished their lessons.’

  ‘As of yesterday I am no longer in the general’s employ,’ I answered, ‘and I’m staying in the hotel quite on my own.’

  ‘How is that?’

  ‘A few days ago a certain distinguished German baron and the baroness, his wife, arrived here from Berlin. Yesterday, when I was out for a walk, I spoke to him in German without adhering to the Berlin pronunciation.’

  ‘Well, and so what?’

  ‘He thought I was being impertinent and complained to the general, and the general dismissed me the same day.’

  ‘And what, did you swear at this baron? (Although even if you had sworn at him, it wouldn’t matter!)’

  ‘Oh, no. On the contrary, the baron raised his stick at me.’

  ‘And you, you snivelling fool, you allowed him to treat your tutor like that,’ she suddenly turned to the general, ‘and even sacked him! You simpletons – you’re all simpletons, I can see that.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Auntie,’ the general replied with a certain note of arrogant familiarity, ‘I know how to conduct my affairs. Moreover, Alexey Ivanovich has not told it all to you very accurately.’

  ‘And so you just put up with it?’ she turned to me.

  ‘I wanted to challenge the baron to a duel,’ I answered as modestly and calmly as possible, ‘but the general was opposed.’

  ‘And why were you opposed?’ Grandmother again turned to the general. ‘And you, sir, off with you, come when you’re called,’ she turned to the manager, ‘there’s no point in you standing there gaping. I can’t abide that Nuremberg mug!’ He bowed and left, of course without understanding Grandmother’s compliment.

  ‘For goodness’ sake, Auntie, are duels really possible?’ the general asked with a grin.

  ‘But why are they impossible? Men are all cocks; you should have fought. You’re all simpletons, I can see that; you don’t know how to stand up for your country. Well, lift me up! Potapych, see to it that two porters are always on hand, hire them and settle on the terms. I don’t need more than two. They only need to carry me on the stairs, because on level ground, outside, I can be wheeled around, tell them that; and pay them in advance, it’s more respectful. You, of course, will always be at my side, and you, Alexey Ivanovich, will point out for me this baron when we go out for our walk – what sort of person is this von baron, I want to at least have a look at him. Well, and where’s the roulette?’

  I explained that the roulette tables were to be found in the gaming rooms inside the casino. Then came the questions: Were there a lot of them? Did many people play? Do they play all day long? How is it set up? I answered finally that it would be better to see them with her own eyes, because it’s rather difficult to describe.

  ‘Well, then take me there straight away! You lead the way, Alexey Ivanovich!’

  ‘What, Auntie, aren’t you even going to have a rest after your journey?’ the general asked solicitously He was a bit flustered; indeed they all seemed somehow embarrassed and began to exchange glances. They probably found it a bit ticklish, even shameful, to accompany Grandmother straight to the casino, where, it goes without saying, she might do something eccentric, and in public; and yet, they all volunteered to accompany her.

  ‘But why should I rest? I’m not tired; and I’ve been sitting for almost five days straight. Then we’ll have a look around and see what kind of springs and healing waters they have and where they are. And then … what is it you called it, Praskovya – pointe, is that it?’

  ‘Pointe, Grandmother.’

  ‘Well, pointe it is. But what else is there here?’

  ‘There’s lots of things, Grandmother,’ Polina said after a moment’s hesitation.

  ‘Why, you don’t even know yourse
lf! Marfa, you’ll come with me as well,’ she said to her maid.

  ‘But why ever do you need her, Auntie,’ the general suddenly bestirred himself, ‘and what’s more it’s impossible, and it’s unlikely that Potapych will be allowed into the casino itself.’

  ‘What nonsense! I should abandon her just because she’s a servant! She’s also a living person; it’s already a week that we’ve been on the road, and she wants to see something, too. Who can she go with besides me? She wouldn’t dare show her nose on the street all by herself.’

  ‘But, Grandmother …’

  ‘Are you ashamed to be with me, is that it? Then stay home, nobody’s asking you. My, what a general! I’m a general’s widow myself. And really why should you all trail after me? I’ll have a look at everything with Alexey Ivanovich …’

  But des Grieux firmly insisted that we all escort her and launched into the most polite phrases regarding the pleasure of accompanying her and so forth. Everyone set off.

  ‘Elle est tombée en enfance,’ des Grieux repeated to the general, ‘seule elle fera des bêtises …’2 I didn’t catch anything else, but he evidently had some sort of plan, and perhaps his hopes had even returned.

  The casino was half a verst away. Our route ran through the chestnut avenue to the square, which we skirted and ended up right at the entrance to the casino. The general had calmed down somewhat, because even though our procession was rather eccentric, it was nevertheless orderly and respectable. And there wasn’t anything surprising in the fact that a person who was ill and weak and who did not have the use of her legs should make an appearance at a spa. But the general was clearly afraid of the casino: why should an invalid, without the use of her legs, and what’s more an old lady, go to the roulette tables? Polina and Mlle Blanche walked on either side of the chair as it was wheeled along. Mlle Blanche laughed, was modestly cheerful and would sometimes even quite kindly dance attendance on Grandmother, so that in the end she was praised. Polina, on the other hand, was obliged to answer Grandmother’s constant and innumerable questions, such as: Who is that who walked by? Who was that woman who rode by? Is the town large? Are the gardens large? What kind of trees are those? What mountains are those? Do eagles fly here? What’s that funny roof? Mr Astley walked beside me and whispered to me that he expected a lot from this morning. Potapych and Marfa followed, walking right behind the chair – Potapych in his tailcoat and white tie, but wearing a peaked cap, and Marfa, the ruddy-faced, forty-year-old maid, who was beginning to turn grey, wearing a bonnet, a cotton dress and squeaky goatskin shoes. Grandmother quite frequently would turn around and talk to them. Des Grieux and the general had fallen behind a bit and were talking about something with great fervour. The general was very downcast; des Grieux spoke with a look of determination. Perhaps he was bucking the general up; evidently he was giving him some advice. But Grandmother had already uttered the fateful phrase: ‘I won’t give you any money.’ Perhaps des Grieux found this statement to be incredible, but the general knew his Auntie. I noticed that des Grieux and Mlle Blanche continued to wink at each other. I could just make out the prince and the German traveller at the far end of the avenue: they had fallen behind and were going somewhere else.

  We arrived in the casino in triumph. The porters and lackeys exhibited the same deference as the hotel staff. They looked on, however, with curiosity. Grandmother at first ordered that she be carried through all the rooms; some she praised, to others she remained absolutely indifferent; she asked questions about everything. Finally, we came to the gaming rooms. The lackey standing guard at the closed doors, seemingly taken aback, suddenly flung them wide open.

  The appearance of Grandmother at the roulette table created a profound impression on the public. There were perhaps a hundred and fifty or two hundred gamblers, several rows deep, crowding round the roulette tables and at the other end of the room where the table for trente et quarante was situated. Those who had managed to push their way through to the table, as was their custom, stood firm and did not cede their place until they had lost all their money; it was not allowed to stand there as a mere observer and occupy a place at the gambling table for nothing. Although chairs are placed all around the table, only a few of the gamblers sit down, particularly when there is a great crush of people, because standing they can crowd in closer together and, consequently, take up less space, and it’s more convenient for placing a bet. The second and third rows crowded behind the first, waiting and watching for their turn; but sometimes a hand would thrust its way through in impatience, in order to place a large stake. They even managed to thrust through in this way from the third row to place bets; as a result not ten minutes would pass, and sometimes only five, before some ‘scene’ would ensue over disputed stakes at one end or the other of the table. The casino police, however, are quite good. Of course, it’s impossible to avoid crowding; on the contrary, they’re glad of the flood of people, because it’s profitable; but the eight croupiers sitting around the table watch the stakes with an eagle eye; it’s they who tally up the winnings and settle any disputes that might arise. In extreme cases the police are called in, and the matter is over in a minute. Police are stationed right there in the gaming rooms, among the players in plain clothes so that it’s impossible to recognize them. They keep a particular look out for petty thieves and professional crooks, who are particularly plentiful at the roulette tables, given its unusual suitability to their trade. Indeed, everywhere else you have to steal from pockets or a place under lock and key, and in the event of failure this can end in a lot of trouble. But here it’s all very simple: you only need to walk up to the roulette table, start playing and then suddenly, plainly for all to see, take somebody else’s winnings and put them in your pocket; if a dispute should ensue, the swindler insists loud and clear that the stake was his. If the thing is done deftly and the witnesses hesitate, then the thief very often succeeds in keeping the money for himself, if the sum, of course, is not a very considerable one. In the latter instance it most likely would have been noticed earlier by the croupiers or one of the other gamblers. But if the sum is not so very considerable, then the real owner, embarrassed by the thought of a scene, sometimes even simply declines to engage in a dispute and walks away. But if they succeed in exposing the thief, they make a big scene of turning him out at once.

  Grandmother looked at all this from a distance, with wild curiosity. She very much liked that the petty thieves were turned out. Trente et quarante did not excite much interest in her; she liked roulette more and how the little ball rolled about. She voiced a desire, finally, to have a closer look at the game. I don’t understand how it happened, but the lackeys and some other bustling agents (primarily little Poles who had lost all their money and who were foisting their services on the fortunate gamblers and all the foreigners) at once found and cleared a place for Grandmother, despite the crush, at the very centre of the table, next to the head croupier, and they wheeled her chair there. A number of people who were not playing, but observing the play from the sidelines (primarily Englishmen and their families), at once crowded closer to the table to watch Grandmother from behind the gamblers. A great many lorgnettes were turned in her direction. The croupiers nourished new hopes: such an eccentric player truly seemed to promise something unusual. A seventy-year-old woman without the use of her legs and who wished to play, of course, was not an everyday occurrence. I also pushed my way through to the table and made a place for myself next to Grandmother. Potapych and Marfa remained somewhere far off to the side, among the crowd. The general, Polina, des Grieux and Mlle Blanche also took their places to the side, among the spectators.

  Grandmother began by first scrutinizing the players. She asked me abrupt, curt questions in a half-whisper: Who’s that man? Who’s that woman? She particularly liked a certain very young fellow at the end of the table who was playing for very big stakes, betting thousands at a time, and who, as they were whispering all around, had already won as much as 40,000 francs, which la
y before him in a heap of gold and banknotes. He was pale; his eyes sparkled and his hands were shaking; he was placing his bets now without even counting, by the handful, and meanwhile he kept winning and winning, and raking in more and more. The attendants were making a fuss over him, they found a chair for him, they cleared a space around him so that he would have more room, so that he wouldn’t be crowded – all of this in expectation of a generous reward. Some players will tip from their winnings without counting, but just like that, out of sheer delight, taking the money out of their pockets by the handful. Next to the young man a little Pole had settled in, who was fussing over him with all his might, and whispering something to him politely and continually, more than likely telling him how to place his stake, advising and directing the game – it goes without saying, also in expectation of a tip afterwards. But the player hardly looked at him, placed his bets as luck would have it and kept raking it in. He had become visibly flustered.

  Grandmother observed him for several minutes.

  ‘Tell him,’ Grandmother suddenly began fussing, poking me, ‘tell him that he should quit, that he should take his money quickly and walk away. He’ll lose everything, he’s going to lose everything now!’ she began pleading, almost breathless with emotion. ‘Where’s Potapych? Send Potapych over to him! Well, tell him, tell him,’ she nudged me, ‘but really, where can Potapych be! Sortez, sortez!’3 she began shouting to the young man. I bent down to her and whispered firmly that shouting like that was not allowed here and that even raising one’s voice was not permitted, because it interfered with keeping count and they would throw us out immediately.

  ‘What a shame! The man is done for, it’s his own fault … I can’t look at him, it makes me sick. What a blockhead!’ and Grandmother quickly turned to look in the other direction.

  There, on the left, on the other side of the table, among the players could be seen a young lady with some sort of dwarf beside her. I don’t know who the dwarf was – whether he was a relative or whether she had brought him along for the effect. I had noticed this young lady before; she would make her appearance at the gaming table every day at one o’clock in the afternoon and would leave exactly at two; every day she played for an hour. She was already known here and was offered a chair at once. She took from her pocket some gold and some thousand-franc notes and began to place her bets quietly, coolly, with deliberation, writing down the numbers on a slip of paper with a pencil and trying to work out a system by which chance fell into different groups at a given moment. She staked significant sums of money. Every day she would win one, two, at most three thousand francs – no more, and she would leave as soon as she had won. Grandmother scrutinized her for a long time.