Uncle's dream; And The Permanent Husband Part 39

Pavel Pavlovitch sat on the pavement and stared, he was too far gone to take in the news. At last he seemed to realize.

"Dead!" he whispered, in a strange inexplicable tone. Velchaninoff was not sure whether his face was simply twitching, or whether he was trying to grin in his usual disagreeable way; but the next moment the drunkard raised his shaking hand to cross himself. He then struggled to his feet and staggered off, appearing totally oblivious of the fact that such a person as Velchaninoff existed.

However, the latter very soon pursued and caught him, seizing him once more by the shoulder.

"Do you understand, you drunken sot, that without you the funeral arrangements cannot be made?" he shouted, panting with rage.

Pavel Pavlovitch turned his head.

"The artillery-lieutenant-don't you remember him?" he muttered, thickly.

"_What?_" cried Velchaninoff, with a shudder.

"He's her father-find him! he'll bury her!"

"You liar! You said that out of pure malice. I thought you'd invent something of the sort!"

Quite beside himself with pa.s.sion Velchaninoff brought down his powerful fist with all his strength on Pavel Pavlovitch's head; another moment and he might have followed up the blow and slain the man as he stood. His victim never winced, but he turned upon Velchaninoff a face of such insane terrible pa.s.sion, that his whole visage looked distorted.

"Do you understand Russian?" he asked more firmly, as though his fury had chased away the effects of drunkenness. "Very well, then, you are a--!"

(here followed a specimen of the very vilest language which the Russian tongue could furnish); "and now you can go back to her!" So saying he tore himself from Velchaninoff's grasp, nearly knocking himself over with the effort, and staggered away. Velchaninoff did not follow him.

Next day, however, a most respectable-looking middle-aged man arrived at the Pogoryeltseft's house, in civil uniform, and handed to Claudia Petrovna a packet addressed to her "from Pavel Pavlovitch Trusotsky."

In this packet was a sum of three hundred roubles, together with all certificates necessary for Liza's funeral. Pavel Pavlovitch had written a short note couched in very polite and correct phraseology, and thanking Claudia Petrovna sincerely "for her great kindness to the orphan-kindness for which heaven alone could recompense her." He added rather confusedly that severe illness prevented his personal presence at the funeral of his "tenderly loved and unfortunate daughter," but that he "felt he could repose all confidence (as to the ceremony being fittingly performed) in the angelic goodness of Claudia Petrovna." The three hundred roubles, he explained, were to go towards the funeral and other expenses. If there should be any of the money left after defraying all charges, Claudia Petrovna was requested to spend the same in prayers for the repose of the soul of the deceased.

Nothing further was to be discovered by questioning the messenger; and it was soon evident that the latter knew nothing, excepting that he had only consented to act as bearer of the packet, in response to the urgent appeal of Pavel Pavlovitch.

Pogoryeltseff was a little offended by the offer of money for expenses, and would have sent it back, but Claudia Petrovna suggested that a receipt should be taken from the cemetery authorities for the cost of the funeral (since one could not well refuse to allow a man to bury his own child), together with a doc.u.ment undertaking that the rest of the three hundred roubles should be spent in prayer for the soul of Liza.

Velchaninoff afterwards posted an envelope containing these two papers to Trusotsky's lodging.

After the funeral Velchaninoff disappeared from the country altogether. He wandered about town for a whole fortnight, knocking up against people as he went blindly through the streets. Now and then he spent a whole day lying in his bed, oblivious of the most ordinary needs and occupations; the Pogoryeltseffs often invited him to their house, and he invariably promised to come, and as invariably forgot all about it. Claudia Petrovna went as far as to call for him herself, but she did not find him at home.

The same thing happened with his lawyer, who had some good news to tell him. The difference with his opponent had been settled advantageously for Velchaninoff, the former having accepted a small bonification and renounced his claim to the property in dispute. All that was wanting was the formal acquiescence of Velchaninoff himself.

Finding him at home at last, after many endeavours, the lawyer was excessively surprised to discover that Velchaninoff was as callous and cool as to the result of his (the lawyer's) labours, as he had before been ardent and excitable.

The hottest days of July had now arrived, but Velchaninoff was oblivious of everything. His grief swelled and ached at his heart like some internal boil; his greatest sorrow was that Liza had not had time to know him, and died without ever guessing how fondly he loved her. The sweet new beacon of his life, which had glimmered for a short while within his heart, was extinguished once more, and lost in eternal gloom.

The whole object of his existence, as he now told himself at every moment, should have been that Liza might feel his love about her and around her, each day, each hour, each moment of her life.

"There can be no higher aim or object than this in life," he thought, in gloomy ecstasy. "If there be other aims in life, none can be holier or better than this of mine. All my old unworthy life should have been purified and atoned for by my love for Liza; in place of myself-my sinful, worn-out, useless life-I should have bequeathed to the world a sweet, pure, beautiful being, in whose innocence all my guilt should have been absorbed, and lost, and forgiven, and in her I should have forgiven myself."

Such thoughts would flit through Velchaninoff's head as he mused sorrowfully over the memory of the dead child. He thought over all he had seen of her; he recalled her little face all burning with fever, then lying at rest in her coffin, covered with lovely flowers. He remembered that once he had noticed that one of her fingers was quite black from some bruise or pinch-goodness knows what had made it so, but it was the sight of that little finger which had filled him with longing to go straight away and _murder_ Pavel Pavlovitch.

"Do you know what Liza is to me?" Pavel had said, he recollected, one day; and now he understood the exclamation. It was no pretence of love, no posturing and nonsense-it was real love! How, then, could the wretch have been so cruel to a child whom he so dearly loved? He could not bear to think of it, the question was painful, and quite unanswerable.

One day he wandered down-he knew not exactly how-to the cemetery where Liza was buried, and hunted up her grave. This was the first time he had been there since the funeral; he had never dared to go there before, fearing that the visit would be too painful. But strangely enough, when he found the little mound and had bent down and kissed it, he felt happier and lighter at heart than before.

It was a lovely evening, the sun was setting, the tall gra.s.s waved about the tombs, and a bee hummed somewhere near him. The flowers and crosses placed on the tomb by Claudia Petrovna were still there. A ray of hope blazed up in his heart for the first time for many a long day. "How light-hearted I feel," he thought, as he felt the spell of the quiet of G.o.d's Acre, and the hush of the beautiful still evening. A flow of some indefinable faith in something poured into his heart.

"This is Liza's gift," he thought; "this is Liza herself talking to me!"

It was quite dark when he left the cemetery and turned his steps homewards.

Not far from the gate of the burial ground there stood a small inn or public-house, and through the open windows he could see the people inside sitting at tables. It instantly struck Velchaninoff that one of the guests, sitting nearest to the window, was Pavel Pavlovitch, and that the latter had seen him and was observing him curiously.

He went on further, but before very long he heard footsteps pursuing him.

It was, of course, Pavel Pavlovitch. Probably the unusually serene and peaceful expression of Velchaninoff's face as he went by had attracted and encouraged him.

He soon caught Velchaninoff up, and smiled timidly at him, but not with the old drunken grin. He did not appear to be in the smallest degree drunk.

"Good evening," said Pavel Pavlovitch.

"How d'ye do?" replied Velchaninoff.

CHAPTER XI.

By replying thus to Pavel Pavlovitch's greeting Velchaninoff surprised himself. It seemed strange indeed to him that he should now meet this man without any feeling of anger, and that there should be something quite novel in his feelings towards Pavel Pavlovitch-a sort of call to new relations with him.

"What a lovely evening!" said Pavel Pavlovitch, looking observantly into the other's eyes.

"So you haven't gone away yet!" murmured Velchaninoff, not in a tone of inquiry, but as though musing upon the fact as he continued to walk on.

"I've been a good deal delayed; but I've obtained my pet.i.tion, my new post, with rise of salary. I'm off the day after to-morrow for certain."

"What? You've obtained the new situation?"

"And why not?" said Pavel Pavlovitch, with a crooked smile.

"Oh, I meant nothing particular by my remark!" said Velchaninoff frowning, and glancing sidelong at his companion. To his surprise Pavel Pavlovitch, both in dress and appearance, even down to the hat with the c.r.a.pe band, was incomparably neater and tidier-looking than he was wont to be a fortnight since.

"Why was he sitting in the public-house then?" thought Velchaninoff. This fact puzzled him much.

"I wished to let you know of my other great joy, Alexey Ivanovitch!"

resumed Pavel.

"Joy?"

"I'm going to marry."

"What?"

"Yes, sir! after sorrow, joy! It is ever thus in life. Oh! Alexey Ivanovitch, I should so much like if-but you look as though you were in a great hurry."