HIPPOLYTE had now been five days at the Ptitsins'. His flitting from the prince's to these new quarters had been brought about quite naturally and without many words. He did not quarrel with the prince--in fact, they seemed to part as friends. Gania, who had been hostile enough on that eventful evening, had himself come to see him a couple of days later, probably in obedience to some sudden impulse. For some reason or other, Rogojin too had begun to visit the sick boy. The prince thought it might be better for him to move away from his (the prince's) house. Hippolyte informed him, as he took his leave, that Ptitsin "had been kind enough to offer him a corner," and did not say a word about Gania, though Gania had procured his invitation, and himself came to fetch him away. Gania noticed this at the time, and put it to Hippolyte's debit on account.
Gania was right when he told his sister that Hippolyte was getting better; that he was better was clear at the first glance. He entered the room now last of all, deliberately, and with a disagreeable smile on his lips.
Nina Alexandrovna came in, looking frightened. She had changed much since we last saw her, half a year ago, and had grown thin and pale. Colia looked worried and perplexed. He could not understand the vagaries of the general, and knew nothing of the last achievement of that worthy, which had caused so much commotion in the house. But he could see that his father had of late changed very much, and that he had begun to behave in so extraordinary a fashion both at home and abroad that he was not like the same man. What perplexed and disturbed him as much as anything was that his father had entirely given up drinking during the last few days. Colia knew that he had quarrelled with both Lebedeff and the prince, and had just bought a small bottle of vodka and brought it home for his father.
"Really, mother," he had assured Nina Alexandrovna upstairs, "really you had better let him drink. He has not had a drop for three days; he must be suffering agonies--The general now entered the room, threw the door wide open, and stood on the threshold trembling with indignation.
"Look here, my dear sir," he began, addressing Ptitsin in a very loud tone of voice; "if you have really made up your mind to sacrifice an old man--your father too or at all events father of your wife--an old man who has served his emperor--to a wretched little atheist like this, all I can say is, sir, my foot shall cease to tread your floors. Make your choice, sir; make your choice quickly, if you please! Me or this--screw! Yes, screw, sir; I said it accidentally, but let the word stand--this screw, for he screws and drills himself into my soul--"
"Hadn't you better say corkscrew?" said Hippolyte.
"No, sir, NOT corkscrew. I am a general, not a bottle, sir. Make your choice, sir--me or him."
Here Colia handed him a chair, and he subsided into it, breathless with rage.
"Hadn't you better--better--take a nap?" murmured the stupefied Ptitsin.
"A nap?" shrieked the general. "I am not drunk, sir; you insult me! I see," he continued, rising, "I see that all are against me here. Enough--I go; but know, sirs--know that--"
He was not allowed to finish his sentence. Somebody pushed him back into his chair, and begged him to be calm. Nina Alexandrovna trembled, and cried quietly. Gania retired to the window in disgust.
"But what have I done? What is his grievance?" asked Hippolyte, grinning.
"What have you done, indeed?" put in Nina Alexandrovna. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, teasing an old man like that-- and in your position, too."
"And pray what IS my position, madame? I have the greatest respect for you, personally; but--"
"He's a little screw," cried the general; "he drills holes my heart and soul. He wishes me to be a pervert to atheism. Know, you young greenhorn, that I was covered with honours before ever you were born; and you are nothing better than a wretched little worm, torn in two with coughing, and dying slowly of your own malice and unbelief. What did Gavrila bring you over here for? They're all against me, even to my own son--all against me."
"Oh, come--nonsense!" cried Gania; "if you did not go shaming us all over the town, things might be better for all parties."
"What--shame you? I?--what do you mean, you young calf? I shame you? I can only do you honour, sir; I cannot shame you."
He jumped up from his chair in a fit of uncontrollable rage. Gania was very angry too.
"Honour, indeed!" said the latter, with contempt.
"What do you say, sir?" growled the general, taking a step towards him.
"I say that I have but to open my mouth, and you--"
Gania began, but did not finish. The two--father and son--stood before one another, both unspeakably agitated, especially Gania.
"Gania, Gania, reflect!" cried his mother, hurriedly.
"It's all nonsense on both sides," snapped out Varia. "Let them alone, mother."
"It's only for mother's sake that I spare him," said Gania, tragically.
"Speak!" said the general, beside himself with rage and excitement; "speak--under the penalty of a father's curse
"Oh, father's curse be hanged--you don't frighten me that way!" said Gania. "Whose fault is it that you have been as mad as a March hare all this week? It is just a week--you see, I count the days. Take care now; don't provoke me too much, or I'll tell all. Why did you go to the Epanchins' yesterday--tell me that? And you call yourself an old man, too, with grey hair, and father of a family! H'm--nice sort of a father."
"Be quiet, Gania," cried Colia. "Shut up, you fool!"
"Yes, but how have I offended him?" repeated Hippolyte, still in the same jeering voice. " Why does he call me a screw? You all heard it. He came to me himself and began telling me about some Captain Eropegoff. I don't wish for your company, general. I always avoided you--you know that. What have I to do with Captain Eropegoff? All I did was to express my opinion that probably Captain Eropegoff never existed at all!"
"Of course he never existed!" Gania interrupted.
But the general only stood stupefied and gazed around in a dazed way. Gania's speech had impressed him, with its terrible candour. For the first moment or two he could find no words to answer him, and it was only when Hippolyte burst out laughing, and said:
"There, you see! Even your own son supports my statement that there never was such a person as Captain Eropegoff!" that the old fellow muttered confusedly:
"Kapiton Eropegoff--not Captain Eropegoff!--Kapiton--major retired--Eropegoff--Kapiton."
"Kapiton didn't exist either!" persisted Gania, maliciously.
"What? Didn't exist?" cried the poor general, and a deep blush suffused his face.
"That'll do, Gania!" cried Varia and Ptitsin.
"Shut up, Gania!" said Colia.
But this intercession seemed to rekindle the general.
"What did you mean, sir, that he didn't exist? Explain yourself," he repeated, angrily.
"Because he DIDN'T exist--never could and never did--there! You'd better drop the subject, I warn you!"
"And this is my son--my own son--whom I--oh, gracious Heaven! Eropegoff--Eroshka Eropegoff didn't exist!"
"Ha, ha! it's Eroshka now," laughed Hippolyte.
"No, sir, Kapitoshka--not Eroshka. I mean, Kapiton Alexeyevitch-- retired major--married Maria Petrovna Lu--Lu--he was my friend and companion--Lutugoff--from our earliest beginnings. I closed his eyes for him--he was killed. Kapiton Eropegoff never existed! tfu!"
The general shouted in his fury; but it was to be concluded that his wrath was not kindled by the expressed doubt as to Kapiton's existence. This was his scapegoat; but his excitement was caused by something quite different. As a rule he would have merely shouted down the doubt as to Kapiton, told a long yarn about his friend, and eventually retired upstairs to his room. But today, in the strange uncertainty of human nature, it seemed to require but so small an offence as this to make his cup to overflow. The old man grew purple in the face, he raised his hands. "Enough of this!" he yelled. "My curse--away, out of the house I go! Colia, bring my bag away!" He left the room hastily and in a paroxysm of rage.
His wife, Colia, and Ptitsin ran out after him.
"What have you done now?" said Varia to Gania. "He'll probably be making off THERE again! What a disgrace it all is!"
"Well, he shouldn't steal," cried Gania, panting with fury. And just at this moment his eye met Hippolyte's.
"As for you, sir," he cried, "you should at least remember that you are in a strange house and--receiving hospitality; you should not take the opportunity of tormenting an old man, sir, who is too evidently out of his mind."
Hippolyte looked furious, but he restrained himself.
"I don't quite agree with you that your father is out of his mind," he observed, quietly. "On the contrary, I cannot help thinking he has been less demented of late. Don't you think so? He has grown so cunning and careful, and weighs his words so deliberately; he spoke to me about that Kapiton fellow with an object, you know! Just fancy--he wanted me to--"
"Oh, devil take what he wanted you to do! Don't try to be too cunning with me, young man!" shouted Gania. "If you are aware of the real reason for my father's present condition (and you have kept such an excellent spying watch during these last few days that you are sure to be aware of it)--you had no right whatever to torment the--unfortunate man, and to worry my mother by your exaggerations of the affair; because the whole business is nonsense--simply a drunken freak, and nothing more, quite unproved by any evidence, and I don't believe that much of it!" (he snapped his fingers). "But you must needs spy and watch over us all, because you are a-a--"
"Screw!" laughed Hippolyte.
"Because you are a humbug, sir; and thought fit to worry people for half an hour, and tried to frighten them into believing that you would shoot yourself with your little empty pistol, pirouetting about and playing at suicide! I gave you hospitality, you have fattened on it, your cough has left you, and you repay all this--"
"Excuse me--two words! I am Varvara Ardalionovna's guest, not yours; YOU have extended no hospitality to me. On the contrary, if I am not mistaken, I believe you are yourself indebted to Mr. Ptitsin's hospitality. Four days ago I begged my mother to come down here and find lodgings, because I certainly do feel better here, though I am not fat, nor have I ceased to cough. I am today informed that my room is ready for me; therefore, having thanked your sister and mother for their kindness to me, I intend to leave the house this evening. I beg your pardon--I interrupted you--I think you were about to add something?"
"Oh--if that is the state of affairs--" began Gania.
"Excuse me--I will take a seat," interrupted Hippolyte once more, sitting down deliberately; "for I am not strong yet. Now then, I am ready to hear you. Especially as this is the last chance we shall have of a talk, and very likely the last meeting we shall ever have at all."
Gania felt a little guilty.
"I assure you I did not mean to reckon up debits and credits," he began, "and if you--"
"I don't understand your condescension," said Hippolyte. "As for me, I promised myself, on the first day of my arrival in this house, that I would have the satisfaction of settling accounts with you in a very thorough manner before I said good-bye to you. I intend to perform this operation now, if you like; after you, though, of course."
"May I ask you to be so good as to leave this room?"
"You'd better speak out. You'll be sorry afterwards if you don't."
"Hippolyte, stop, please! It's so dreadfully undignified," said Varia.
"Well, only for the sake of a lady," said Hippolyte, laughing. "I am ready to put off the reckoning, but only put it off, Varvara Ardalionovna, because an explanation between your brother and myself has become an absolute necessity, and I could not think of leaving the house without clearing up all misunderstandings first."
"In a word, you are a wretched little scandal-monger," cried Gania, "and you cannot go away without a scandal!"
"You see," said Hippolyte, coolly, " you can't restrain yourself. You'll be dreadfully sorry afterwards if you don't speak out now. Come, you shall have the first say. I'll wait."
Gania was silent and merely looked contemptuously at him.
"You won't? Very well. I shall be as short as possible, for my part. Two or three times to-day I have had the word 'hospitality' pushed down my throat; this is not fair. In inviting me here you yourself entrapped me for your own use; you thought I wished to revenge myself upon the prince. You heard that Aglaya Ivanovna had been kind to me and read my confession. Making sure that I should give myself up to your interests, you hoped that you might get some assistance out of me. I will not go into details. I don't ask either admission or confirmation of this from yourself; I am quite content to leave you to your conscience, and to feel that we understand one another capitally."
"What a history you are weaving out of the most ordinary circumstances!" cried Varia.
"I told you the fellow was nothing but a scandalmonger," said Gania.
"Excuse me, Varia Ardalionovna, I will proceed. I can, of course, neither love nor respect the prince, though he is a good-hearted fellow, if a little queer. But there is no need whatever for me to hate him. I quite understood your brother when he first offered me aid against the prince, though I did not show it; I knew well that your brother was making a ridiculous mistake in me. I am ready to spare him, however, even now; but solely out of respect for yourself, Varvara Ardalionovna.
"Having now shown you that I am not quite such a fool as I look, and that I have to be fished for with a rod and line for a good long while before I am caught, I will proceed to explain why I specially wished to make your brother look a fool. That my motive power is hate, I do not attempt to conceal. I have felt that before dying (and I am dying, however much fatter I may appear to you), I must absolutely make a fool of, at least, one of that class of men which has dogged me all my life, which I hate so cordially, and which is so prominently represented by your much esteemed brother. I should not enjoy paradise nearly so much without having done this first. I hate you, Gavrila Ardalionovitch, solely (this may seem curious to you, but I repeat)--solely because you are the type, and incarnation, and head, and crown of the most impudent, the most self-satisfied, the most vulgar and detestable form of commonplaceness. You are ordinary of the ordinary; you have no chance of ever fathering the pettiest idea of your own. And yet you are as jealous and conceited as you can possibly be; you consider yourself a great genius; of this you are persuaded, although there are dark moments of doubt and rage, when even this fact seems uncertain. There are spots of darkness on your horizon, though they will disappear when you become completely stupid. But a long and chequered path lies before you, and of this I am glad. In the first place you will never gain a certain person."
"Come, come! This is intolerable! You had better stop, you little mischief-making wretch!" cried Varia. Gania had grown very pale; he trembled, but said nothing.
Hippolyte paused, and looked at him intently and with great gratification. He then turned his gaze upon Varia, bowed, and went out, without adding another word.
Gania might justly complain of the hardness with which fate treated him. Varia dared not speak to him for a long while, as he strode past her, backwards and forwards. At last he went and stood at the window, looking out, with his back turned towards her. There was a fearful row going on upstairs again.
"Are you off?" said Gania, suddenly, remarking that she had risen and was about to leave the room. "Wait a moment--look at this."
He approached the table and laid a small sheet of paper before her. It looked like a little note.
"Good heavens!" cried Varia, raising her hands.
This was the note:
"GAVRILA ARDOLIONOVITCH,--persuaded of your kindness of heart, I have determined to ask your advice on a matter of great importance to myself. I should like to meet you tomorrow morning at seven o'clock by the green bench in the park. It is not far from our house. Varvara Ardalionovna, who must accompany you, knows the place well.
"A. E."
"What on earth is one to make of a girl like that?" said Varia.
Gania, little as he felt inclined for swagger at this moment, could not avoid showing his triumph, especially just after such humiliating remarks as those of Hippolyte. A smile of self- satisfaction beamed on his face, and Varia too was brimming over with delight.
"And this is the very day that they were to announce the engagement! What will she do next?"
"What do you suppose she wants to talk about tomorrow?" asked Gania.
"Oh, THAT'S all the same! The chief thing is that she wants to see you after six months' absence. Look here, Gania, this is a SERIOUS business. Don't swagger again and lose the game--play carefully, but don't funk, do you understand? As if she could possibly avoid seeing what I have been working for all this last six months! And just imagine, I was there this morning and not a word of this! I was there, you know, on the sly. The old lady did not know, or she would have kicked me out. I ran some risk for you, you see. I did so want to find out, at all hazards."
Here there was a frantic noise upstairs once more; several people seemed to be rushing downstairs at once.
"Now, Gania," cried Varia, frightened, "we can't let him go out! We can't afford to have a breath of scandal about the town at this moment. Run after him and beg his pardon--quick."
But the father of the family was out in the road already. Colia was carrying his bag for him; Nina Alexandrovna stood and cried on the doorstep; she wanted to run after the general, but Ptitsin kept her back.
"You will only excite him more," he said. "He has nowhere else to go to--he'll be back here in half an hour. I've talked it all over with Colia; let him play the fool a bit, it will do him good."
"What are you up to? Where are you off to? You've nowhere to go to, you know," cried Gania, out of the window.
"Come back, father; the neighbours will hear!" cried Varia.
The general stopped, turned round, raised his hands and remarked: "My curse be upon this house!"
"Which observation should always be made in as theatrical a tone as possible," muttered Gania, shutting the window with a bang.
The neighbours undoubtedly did hear. Varia rushed out of the room.
No sooner had his sister left him alone, than Gania took the note out of his pocket, kissed it, and pirouetted around.
伊波利特搬到普季岑家已经五天了。在他和公爵之间这发生得很自然，没有多费口舌，也没有任何口角；他们不仅没有吵架，表面上看甚至似乎是像朋友一样分手的。加夫里拉·阿尔达利翁诺维奇在那天晚上非常敌视伊波利特，却自己过来看他，不过是在发生那件事后第三天，大概是为某个突如其来的念头所驱。不知为什么罗戈任也开始常来看病人。最初公爵觉得，如果伊波利特从他那儿搬走，甚至对这“可怜的男该”更好。但是在搬走的时候伊波利特已经表示，他是搬到普季岑那儿住，“普季岑是那么好心，给他提供了一个角落”，仿佛故意似地，一次也没有说是搬到加尼亚那儿去，虽然正是加尼亚坚持要接纳他到家里来的。加尼亚当时就已发现了这点，颇为见怪地将此记在心里。
他对妹妹说病人已经有所恢复，这话不假，确实，伊波利特比过去是好了些，朝他望上一眼就明显可以觉察到这点。他走进房间来时不慌不忙，跟在大家后面，带着不怀好意的嘲笑。尼娜·亚历山德罗夫娜进来时很惊慌。（这半年里她大大变样了，变消瘦了；嫁了女儿并搬到她这儿来住以后，她表面上几乎不再干预自己孩子的事。）科利亚显得忧心忡忡，并且有点莫名其妙；用他的话来说，对“将军的发狂”有许多难以理解的地方，当然，这是因为他不知道家里这场新的闹剧的根本起因。但他很明白，父亲这次吵得很厉害，每时每刻到处都吵，而且一下子变得仿佛根本不是过去的人。还使他不安的是，近三天来老头甚至完全不再喝酒了。他知道，父亲已经跟列别杰夫和公爵分手了，甚至还跟他们吵翻了。科利亚带着用自己的钱买的半俄升伏特加酒刚回到家里。
＊果戈理〈死魂灵》中的一个地主。
“说真的，妈妈，”还在楼上时他就劝尼娜·亚历山德罗夫娜，“真的，最好还是让他喝。现在已经三天滴酒未沾了；因而就会苦恼。说真的，最好还是让他喝；他去债务监狱时我还经常送酒给他……”
将军把门开直，站在门口，似乎是愤怒得浑身打颤。
“阁下！”他用雷鸣般的声音对普季岑喊道，“如果您真的决心为一个乳臭小儿和无神论者牺牲可敬的老头，您的父亲，也就是说，至少是您妻子的父亲，一个效忠自己国君的人，那么从此刻起我的脚再也不会踏进您的家门。您选择吧，先生，立即选择吧：要么是我……要么是这个……螺丝钉！对，是螺丝钉！我无意间说出了口，但这是螺丝钉！因为他像只螺丝钉一样钻进我的心扉，没有丝毫的尊敬……像螺丝钉一样！”
“不是螺旋拔塞？”伊波利特插嘴说。
“下，不是螺旋拔塞，因为在你面前我是将军，不是瓶子。我有奖章，军功章……而你一无所有。或者选择我，或者是他！决定吧，先生，现在就决定，马上！”他又发狂地冲着普季岑喊道，这时科利亚给他搬来椅子，他几乎是疲惫不堪地倒到椅子上。
“真的，您最好……去睡觉，”大为惊愕的普季岑喃喃着说。
“他还要威胁人！”加尼亚低声对妹妹说。
“去睡觉。”将军嚷道，“我没醉，阁下，您是在侮辱我。我看得出，”他又站起来，继续说，“我看出来，这里的一切都反对我，一切和所有的人都和我过不去，够了！我走……但要知道，阁下，要知道……”
大家没让他讲下去并又让他坐好，劝他平静下来。加尼亚怒不可遏，走到角落里。尼娜·亚历山德罗夫娜颤栗、哭泣着。
“我对他做了什么了？他抱怨什么？”伊波利特呲牙咧嘴地喊着。
“难道您没做什么。”突然尼娜·亚历山德罗夫娜指出，“折磨一个老人，您应特别感到羞耻和……没有人性……何况还处在您这种地位。”
“首先，我是什么地位，夫人！我很尊敬您，正是尊敬您个人，但是－－”
“这是只螺丝钉！”将军喊道，“他在钻我的灵魂，钻我的心！他想要我信无神论！知道吗，黄口小儿，你还没有出世，我已经满载着荣誉了，而你只不过是条好嫉妒的蛆虫，被撕成了两半，还咳嗽……怀恨和不信神，搞得你都快要死了……加夫里拉为什么要把你搬到这儿来？大家都对付我，从外人到亲生儿子！”
“够了，还演起悲剧来了！”加尼亚喊着，“别满城丢我们的脸了，这样还好一点！”
“什么，我丢你脸了，你这个乳臭未干的小子！丢你脸了？我只会给你增添荣誉，而下是使你名誉扫地！”
他蹦了起来，大家已经无法遏止他；而且加夫里拉·阿尔达利翁诺维奇看来也爆发了。
“还讲荣誉这一套！”他愤愤地喊着。
“你说什么？”将军吼了起来，他脸色苍白，朝加尼亚跨近一步。
“我只要一叫出口，就……”加尼亚忽然号叫起来又不说下去了。两个人面对面站着，都冲动得失去了分寸，特别是加尼亚。
“加尼亚，你要干什么。”尼娜·亚历山德罗夫娜喊道，一边奔过来制止儿子。
“哪方面都是荒唐透顶！”瓦里娅忿忿地断然说，“够了，妈妈，”她抓往母亲。
“只是为了妈妈，我就饶了你。”加尼亚悲伤地说。
“你说！”将军完全发狂似地吼着，“你说呀，别怕父亲的诅咒……你说呀！”
“瞧着吧，我才不怕您的诅咒呢！您八天来像个疯子似的，是谁的错？今天是第八天，您看见了，我是计天数的……您注意，别把我惹急了，否则我全讲出来……昨天您干嘛到叶潘钦家里去、自称是老人呢，头发也自了，又是一家之父！可真是好样的！”
“住嘴，加尼卡！”科利亚喊了起来，“往嘴，笨蛋！”
“可我又什么地方，我又什么地方伤害他了。”伊波利特坚持说，但仿佛依然用那种嘲笑的口气，“他为什么称我是螺丝钉”，你们听到了吧？他自己来着我；刚才还跟我讲起那个叶罗彼戈夫大尉。我根本不愿意与您为伴，将军，过去我就回避您，您自己也知道。叶罗彼戈夫大尉关我什么事，您自己也同意这点吧？我不是为叶罗波戈夫大尉搬到这儿来的。我仅仅是向他表示了我的意见，我说，也许这位叶罗波戈夫大尉根本就从未存在过。他就搞得个鸡犬不宁。”
“毫无疑问，是不存在的！”加尼亚断然说。
但是将军惊愕得呆呆地站着，只是茫然地环顾着周围，儿子的话以其非同寻常的坦率使他震惊。在最初一霎那他甚至找不到话说。最后，尹波利持对加尼亚的话报以放声大笑并嚷道：“瞧，您听见了吧，您自己的儿子也说，没有任何叶罗彼戈夫大尉，”老头完全不知所措，直到这时才喃喃说：
“是卡皮东·叶罗彼戈夫，而不是卡皮丹……是卡皮东……他是退役中校，叫叶罗彼戈夫……卡皮东。”
“即使是卡皮东也是不存在的！”加尼亚完全怒不可遏了。
“为……为什么不存在？”将军嗫懦着说，红晕一一下子布满了脸面。
“好了，够了！”普季岑和瓦里娅制止道。
“住嘴，加尼卡！”科利亚又喊了一声。
但是这种庇护似乎使将军醒悟过来。
“怎么不存在？为什么不存在？”他威势逼人地责问儿子。
“就因为不存在，不存在就是不存在，而且根本就不可能存在：这就是对您的回答。对您说，别来纠缠我。”
“这就是我的儿子……这就是我的亲儿子，我把他……哦，天哪！他竟硬说叶罗波戈夫不存在，没有叶罗什卡·叶罗波戈夫！”
“瞧，一会儿卡皮托什卡，一会儿卡皮托什卡！”伊波利持插嘴说。
“是卡皮托什卡，先生，是卡皮托什卡，不是叶罗什卡！卡皮丹·阿列克谢那维奇，不对，是卡皮东……退役……中校……娶玛里娅为妻……玛里娅·波得罗夫娜·苏……苏……苏图戈娃……他是我朋友和同伴，还是从当士官生起就是了。我为他流过……找用身体挡……他被打死了。卡庆托什卡·叶罗波戈夫不存在了！不存在了！”
将军狂热地喊着，但是可以使人认为，事情是一回事，喊的又是另一回事。确实，换了别的时候他会忍受比说卡皮车·叶罗彼戈夫根本不存在更令人生气的事，会叫嚷一通、闹上一阵子，发一顿脾气，但最后还是会回到楼上自己房间去睡觉。可现在，由于人心的诡橘莫测，结果却是，正是怀疑叶罗彼戈夫存在这样的委屈会便他无法忍受。老头的脸涨得发紫，举起手，喊着：
＊俄语大尉一词的发音与卡皮东相近。
“够了！我要诅咒……要离开这所房子！尼古拉，把我的旅行包拿来，我……走”
他异常愤怒地急急走了出去。尼娜·亚历山德罗夫娜，科利亚和普季岑奔上去追他。
“咳，瞧你现在惹出什么事来了！”瓦里娅对兄长说，“他大概又会到那里去了。真丢脸，真丢脸！”
“可他不该偷东西！”加尼亚气得几乎憋不过气来，喊道，他的目光突然与伊彼利特相遇了，加尼亚差点颤抖起来。“而您，阁下，”他高声嚷道，“应该记住，您毕竟是在人家家里……受用人家的殷勤款待，那就别去惹那个显然发了疯的老头生气……”
伊波利特似乎也痉挛了一下，但刹那间就克制了自己。
“我不完全同意您说的您爸爸发疯了，”他平静地回答，“我觉得，相反，最近一段时间他的神智还很清楚、真的，您不相信吗？他变得小心谨慎，疑神疑鬼，老是探听什么，每句话都斟酌一番……他跟我谈起这个卡皮托什卡可是有目的的，请想想，他想把我引到……”
“哎，他想把您引到什么上面去关我鬼事！我请您别耍滑头，别跟我转变抹角了，先生！”加尼亚大声嚷着，“如果您也知道为什么老头处于这种状态的真正原因（而您这五天中一直在我这儿当密探，我才是知道这一点的），那您就完全下应该招惹……这个不幸的人，不该夸大事态来祈磨我母亲，因为这一切是胡说八道，纯粹是酒后胡闹，如此而已，甚至没有什么证据，我就不把它一回事……但您却要伤害人家，当密探，因为您……您……”
“是螺丝钉，”伊波利特苦笑了一下。
“因为您是个孬种，您把人们折磨了半小时，您用未装子弹的手枪来自杀，想以此吓唬人们，与此同时您还这么恬不知耻地胡说一气，真是个被人瞧不起的自杀者，肝火旺盛的……两脚动物。我给了您殷切的接待，您长胖了，不再咳嗽了，而您偿付的却是……”
“请允许只讲两句话；我是住瓦尔瓦拉·阿尔达利翁诺夫娜这里，不是住您这里；您没有给我任何款待，我甚至在想，您自己也在受用普季岑先生的款待。待四天前我请求我母亲在帕夫洛夫斯克为我找一处住所并要她也搬去，因为我真的感到在这里身体要好些，虽然我根本没有长胖，也仍然在咳嗽。昨天晚上母亲通知我说，住处已找好，所以我急了要让您知道，在向您妈妈和妹妹表示感谢之后，今天我就搬到自己那儿去，这是昨晚就已决走了的。对不起，我老是打断您；您好像还有许多话要说。”
“哦，如果是这样……”加尼亚打起颤来。
“如果是这样，那就允许我坐下，”伊波利特一边非常平静地坐到将军坐过的椅子上，一边补充说，“我毕竟是个病人；好了，现在我洗耳恭听，何况这是我们最后一次谈话，甚至可能是最后一次见面。”
加尼亚忽然觉得内心有疚了。
“请相信，我还不至于卑贱到跟您计较，”他说，“如果您……”
“您如此傲慢是枉然的，”伊波利特打断说，“从我来说，还在搬到这儿来第一天的时候，我就许下诺言不放弃机会，等我告别的时候，我要对你们痛痛快快，开诚布公地把一切说个清楚。正是现在我打算来做这件事，当然，在您讲话之后。”
“我请您离开这个房间。”
“最好还是说出来，不然您会后悔没有说的。”
“别再说了，伊波利特，这一切太丢人了；求求您，别再说了！”瓦里娅说。
“只是看在女人份上，”伊波利待笑着站起来说，“好吧，瓦尔瓦拉·阿尔达利翁诺夫娜，看在您的面上我准备压缩我的话，但仅仅是压缩，因为在我和您兄长之间某些事情是非说不可的，再说，不明不白的，我是怎么也不会离开的。”
“您不过是个好搬弄是非的人，”加尼亚嚷道，“因此您不造谣生事是不会离开的。”
“您瞧，”伊波利持冷漠地指出，“您已经耐不注了，说真的，您不说出来是会后悔的。我再次让您先说话，我等等再说。”
加夫里拉·阿尔达利翁诺维奇沉默着，蔑视地望着他。
“您不想讲，打算坚持到底，随您的便。我这方面尽可能说得简短。今天我有两三次听到指责我受到了接待；这是不公正的。您邀请我上自己家来，是您自己要网住我。您估计，我想对公爵报复，而且您听说了阿格拉娅·伊万诺夫娜对我表示同情并且读了我的《自白》，不知为什么您以为我会完全服从您的利益，您指望着，也许能在我身上找到帮助。我现在不做更详尽的解释！我也不要求您承认或症实；我把您留给您的良心，我们现在彼此了解得非常彻底，这就够了。”
“但是，天晓得，您这是把最平常的事拿来大做文章！”瓦里娅嚷了起来。
“我对你说过，这是个‘搬弄是非的黄口小儿’，”加尼亚低声说。
“瓦尔瓦拉·阿尔达利翁诺夫娜，请允许我说下去。当然，对公爵我是既不会爱也不会尊敬的；但这是个极为善良的人，虽然也……很可笑。然而我绝没有什么缘由要恨他；当您兄长亲自怂恿我反对公爵时，我对他未露声色；我就是指望着在结局时大笑一场。我知道，您哥哥一定会对我透露个中奥秘，也一定会大大失算。果然就是这样……我现在准备原谅他，仅仅是出于对您瓦尔瓦拉·阿尔达利翁诺夫娜的尊敬。但是，对您解释清楚我不是这么容易上钩之后，我要对您说明的是，为什么我这么想把您的兄长置于受愚弄的境地。您要知道，我这样做是出于憎恨，我但白地承认这一点，当我死的时候（因为我终究是要死的，尽管长胖了点，这是你们说的），当我临死时，如果我能作弄无数种人的哪怕一个代表，我也就会感到，我将能无限安详地去天堂，因为这种人折磨了我一辈子，我也痛恨了一辈子，而您这位可敬的兄长正是这种人的突出形象。我憎恨您加夫里拉·阿尔达利翁诺维奇，唯一的原因（也许，这会使您感到惊奇），唯一的原因是您是最无耻，最自负、最鄙俗、最卑劣的庸人的典型和体现、化身和顶峰，您是个傲慢的庸人，自信的庸人，沉着的庸人，镇定的庸人；您是守旧者中的守旧者！无论是在您的头脑中还是在您的心灵中都注定永远不会形成一点点自己的思想。但是您又有无穷的嫉妒心；您坚信，您是最伟大的天才，但是有时候在优郁的时刻您终究还会产生怀疑，于是您就妒嫉，就忡恨。哦，在您的前程中还有些黑点；等您彻底变蠢时，它们就会消失，这一天并不遥远；但是您毕竟面临着一条漫长而复杂的道路，我不说是快活的道路，我为此而高兴。首先，我现在预告您，您是得不到那位小姐的……”
“嘿，这简直不能容忍！”瓦里娅大声嚷了起来。“您有完没完，令人讨厌的恶鬼？”
加尼亚脸色变得刷肉，颇抖着，不吭一声。伊波利特停住了话，怀着一种极大的满足专注地看了他一会，又把目光移到瓦里娅身上，然后冷笑了一声，躬了躬身，走了出去，再没句添一句话。
加夫里拉·阿尔达利翁诺维奇有理由抱怨自己的命运和不走运，当他迈着大步从瓦里娅身边走过时，有一会她都下不了决心跟他说话，甚至不看他一眼。最后，他已走到窗口，背朝着她，瓦里娅想到了一条俄罗斯谚语：祸福难测。上面又响起了吵闹声。
“你要去？”加尼亚听见瓦里娅从座位上站起来，突然转过身问，“等一下；先看看这个。”
他走近来，把折成小便条样子的一张小纸丢到她面前的椅子上。
“天哪！”瓦里娅双手一拍，惊呼起来。
字条上的字只有几行。
“加夫里拉·阿尔达利翁诺维奇！我深信您对我怀有良好的感情，我有一件重要的事，我决定征询您对此事的忠告。我希望明天能见到您，早晨７点钟，在绿色长倚那里，它离我们别墅不远。瓦尔瓦拉·阿尔达利翁诺夫娜一定会陪您来，她对这个地方很熟悉。阿·叶”
“真怪，这以后真得对她刮目相看！”瓦尔瓦拉·阿尔达利翁诺夫娜双手一摊说。
此刻无论加尼亚多想故作姿态，但他还是不能不流露出得意之情，何况还是在伊波利特说了这么贬低人的预言之后。他脸上顿然漾起了自我满足的微笑而显得神弈弈，而瓦里娅自己也高兴得容光焕发。
“而且这正是他们宣布订婚的这一天！真怪，这以后真得对她刮目相看！”
“你怎么想，她明天打算谈什么？”加尼亚问。
“这无关紧要，主要的是，六个月以来第一次表示愿意见你。加尼亚，你听我说：无论那里发生了什么，无论事态有多大转变，要知道，这约会是重要的！这太重要了！别又故作姿态，别再大意疏忽，但也别胆怯畏缩，留点神！为什么这半年我老往她们那儿跑，她会不清楚？你倒想想：今天一句活也不对我说，不动声色。我可是偷偷到她们那儿去的，老太婆不知道我在，否则，也许会赶我走的。我是为你冒险，无论如何要打听到……”
从上面又传来了喊声和吵闹声。有几个人在下楼。
“现在无论如何不能让这事捅出去！”瓦里娅吓得慌慌张张地嚷着，“不能有一点丑事的阴影！去吧，去求个原谅吧！”
但一家之父已经在街上了。科利亚拿着旅行包跟在后面。尼娜·亚历山德罗夫娜站在台阶上，哭泣着；她想跑去追他，但普季岑制止了她。
“这样您只会更加使他火上加油，”他对她说，“他没地方可去，过半个小时又会把他送回来的，我已经跟科利亚说过；让他去使一阵性子。”
“您胡闹什么呀，到哪里去呀！”加里亚从窗口喊了起来，“您没地方可去！”
“回来，爸爸！”瓦里娅喊道，“邻居们都听见了。”
将军停了下来，转过了身，伸出一只手，大声喊道：
“我诅咒这个家！”
“他就一定要装腔作势！”加尼亚砰的一声关上窗户，嘟哝着说。
邻居们真的听到了。瓦里娅跑出了房间。
等瓦里娅出去以后，加尼亚从桌上拿起便条，吻了一下，用舌头弹了个响声，还做了个跳起来两脚相拍的动作。