' All with your mark, you see. A. F. A., all our darling Sonushka. Without her our stupid creatures would not have been ready for a long time. What next ? Ah, the pillow-cases. One, two, three, four—yes, all the dozen here. Here are your shirts, three dozen—what linen ! Look at it —it's Dutch make—I drove myself to the shop, to Vassili Vassilitch's; he brought out the three best pieces he had. Mind you count them over by the list, dear boy, every time you get them home from the laundress; they are all bran new. You won't see many such shirts in Petersburg, very likely they will change them; there are such dishonest creatures to be sure, who have no fear of God. Socks— twenty-two pairs. D o y ou know wh 9t T haYS t hni1 g hr of ?
TQDUt your porkpr-hook with ynnr trinity inj^sork^ Vnu
w flTnb 't need any_iilLy?u get to Petersburg—so Ond ffra.nt T if anything should hap pen, they ™*y 1- 11™™^^ v^n«- *v>«>y w ill not find It. Anil' the letter tQ.^our uncle I. .have.put the re, too] now'deHghtecTKe'will be toTe sure ! Here's seventeen years gone by and we've never sent a word to one another —that's a long time. Here are your neckties, and
here are the handkerchiefs; one half-dozen is still with Sonushka. Don't tear your handkerchiefs, my darling; they are all good cambric. I bought them at Meheev's at two and a quarter roubles a yard. Now, that's all the linen. Now your clothes. But where is Yevsay ? Why isn't he looking on ? Yevsay !'
Yevsay came lazily into the room.
' What are your orders ? ' he asked still more lazily.
' What are my orders ? ' repeated Anna Pavlovna angrily. ' Why aren't you looking where I pack the things ? But when you want anything on the journey, you will go and turn everything topsy-turvy. He can't tear himself from his sweetheart, such a treasure ! The day is long enough, you will have plenty of time. Is this how you mean to look after your master in Petersburg ? You had better be careful. Look here : these are the dress clothes ; you see where I lay them? And you, Sashenka, be careful of them; don't wear them every day; the cloth cost sixteen roubles a yard. When you go to see the best people wear it and don't sit down all anyhow, like your auntie, who never could sit down on an empty chair or sofa, but was bound to go and plump down where some one had put a hat or some such thing; the other day she sat down on a saucer of jam—such a mess she made ! When you go out rather more quietly wear this coat here. Now your waistcoats—one, two, three, four. Two pairs of trousers. Well, there are clothes to last you the next three years. Ah ! I am tired and no mistake, the whole morning I have been on my legs. You can go, Yevsay. Let us talk a little of something else. Soon our guests will be here, and then there will be no time.' She sat down on the sofa and made her son sit down beside her.
' Well, Sasha,' she said after a short silence, ' you are now going to a strange land.'
' A strange land ! Petersburg ! How you talk, mamma.'
' Wait a little, wait a little, hear what I want to say! God alone knows what awaits you there, what you will meet with, good and bad. I trust He, our Father in Heaven, will guard you; and you, my dear, above all, don't forget Him; remember that without faith there is no salvation anywhere or in anything. You will take a good position there, you will mix with people of consequence—indeed, we
are as good as anybody; vo ur father was a nob leman, a major—all the same, humble yourself before the Lord God; pray both in good fortune and in bad; and not like the proverb—' the peasant does not cross himself till he hears the thunder.' There are men, who, while they have good luck, don't even go to church, and then when they come to grief, they will put up candles at a rouble a piece, and will give alms to the poor—that is a great sin. And while we are talking of the poor—don't waste money on them too often, don't give away too much. Why should you spoil them ? They won't think any the more of you for it. They will spend it in drink and only laugh at you. You have a soft heart, I know; you would be ready, I dare say, to give away even a sixpenny piece. No, that's not necessary; God will provide I Will you visit the house of God ? Will you go every Sunday to Mass ? '
She sighed.
Alexandr was silent. He remembered that while he was studying at the university and living in the capital of the province, he had not been very zealous in going to church, and in the country it was only from desire to please his mother that he had accompanied her to mass. He was ashamed to tell a lie. His mother understood his silence' and sighed again.
' Well, I won't compel you,' she continued, ' you are a young man—how could you be as zealous in the house of God as an old woman like me? Perhaps your official duties now will hinder you, or you will be staying late at some grand houses and will oversleep yourself. God will have pity on your, youth. Don't be troubled; you have a mother; she will not oversleep. So long as there is a drop of blood left in my body, so long as my tears are not dried up in my eyes, and God has compassion on my sins, I will crawl, if I have not the strength to walk, along the road to church. I will give my last breath, I will shed my last tear for you, my dear. My prayers shall win you health and position and decorations and heavenly and earthly blessings. Can it be that He, our Father in Heaven, will despise the prayers of a poor old woman ? For myself I want nothing. Let Him take everything from me, health, life, sight—only may He grant you every pleasure, every happiness and good '
She could not finish. Tears began to fall from her eyes.
Alexandr jumped up from his place. 'Mamma,' he said.
' There, sit down, sit down !' she replied, hastily wiping away her tears. ' I have still a great deal more to talk to you about. What was I going to say? It's gone out of my head. You see what a memory I have. Ah! keep the fasts, my dear. That is a great thing ! On Wednesdays and Fridays, God will pardon it, but Lent—God forbid ! Look at Mikhailo Mikhailitch, he thought himself an enlightened man, but what happened to him ? Festival and fast alike— he eat as greedily as ever. It positively makes my hair stand on end. He gave to the poor to be sure, but was his charity acceptable to the Lord ? They say he once gave a sovereign to an old man; he took it to be sure, but turned his back and spat. All bowed to him, and God knows what they said to his face, but behind his back they crossed themselves when they thought of him, as though he were a devil.'
Alexandr listened with some impatience and gazed from time to time out of window at the distant road.
She was silent for a minute.
' Take care of your health before all things,' she continued. ' If you are seriously ill—which God forbid !— write. I will make a great effort and come to you. Who would look after you in Petersburg ? Why they would even seize the opportunity to rob you in your sickness. Don't go into the streets after dark; keep away from ferocious- looking people. Take care of your money—save it for a rainy day. S pend it reasonably. From money—the acqursed thing—comes_every thi ng go o(f a'nft''gvrt'.~' DonX be^Ttraragaht: 'don 't w aste Tt on_ needless. whims t '*You will receive from me, without fail, two thousand five hundred roubles a year. Two thousand five hundred roubles is no small matter. Don't spend it on any kind of luxury, nothing of that sort, only don't deny yourself anything you can have; if you want any dainty, don't grudge the money. Don't give way to wine; ah, it is the greatest enemy of mankind! And,' here she dropped her voice, ' beware of women L J kno w them. There are creatures so s &ame-less, that thejL^iU throw themselves o n yo ur ne ck wh en they see such a——' She Tooked lovingly at her son.
' That's enough, mamma; isn't it time I had my breakfast?' he asked almost with vexation.
'Directly—directly—now one word more. Don't set y our heart on the wife of anot h er/' she went on hurrie dly. * 't hat is a great sin ! ' Jjo not covet your neighbour's wife* is written, in irjgjicriptujes. If any woman there tries to giThold of you—to marry you—God forbid!—don't dare to think of it! They will be ready to entrap you, when they see you have money and are good-looking. I daresay at your chiefs or at some other distinguished and wealthy grandee's, they will set their caps at you and try to make a match for their daughters. Well, then, it might be, only write to me. I will come somehow and will see that they are not palming off just any girl on you, simply to get rid of her, some old maid or poor creature. Every one will try to make up to a match like you. But if you yourself fall in love, and she proves to be a good girl—well then,' here she lowered her voice, 'Sonushka need not be considered.' (The old woman in her love for her son was ready even to act against her conscience.) ' After all, what was Maria Karpovna thinking about ? Her ) daughter is no match for you. A country girl! There » are others besides her who would be glad to get hold of you.'
' Sophia—no, mamma—I shall never forget her,' said ( Alexandr.
'Well, well, my dear, never mind, I only mentioned it. Work a little in your situation, come home here and then, as God sees fit—there are always plenty of girls. If you don't forget her—well, then. But if '
She wanted to say more, but had not the heart; and bending to his ear she asked softly, ' And will you remember—your mother ? '
' See what you've worked yourself up to,' he interrupted, ' please let them serve what you have, omelet or whatever it is. Forget you; how could you imagine such a thing ? May God punish me!'
