Viérotchka opened the door, glanced at Serge, and turned crimson with shame and anger. Even unobservant eyes could not have failed to take notice of this, and Julie’s eyes were sharper, if that were possible, than even Marya Alekséyevna’s. The French woman began without beating around the bush:—
“My dear child, you are surprised and indignant to see a man in whose presence you were so much offended last night, and who probably himself gave you some reason for offence. My husband is thoughtless; but for all that, he is far better than the rest of the lazy young fellows. Please forgive him for my sake; I came to you with good intentions. The lessons for my niece was only a pretence; but it is necessary to keep it up for a while. Please play us something—something quite short; then you and I will go to your room, and we’ll talk the matter over. Listen to me, my child.”
Can this be the same Julie who is so well known among the aristocratic young bloods of Petersburg? Can this be the same Julie who plays such tricks as make even devil-may-care young fellows blush? No, it is a princess to whose ears a rough word never came!
Viérotchka sat down to show her skill on the piano. Julie stood behind her; Serge engaged himself in conversation with Marya Alekséyevna, with the view of finding out what the relationship was between her and Storeshnikof. In the course of a few minutes Julie stopped Viérotchka, put her arm around her waist, walked with her up and down the parlor, then went with her to her room. Serge explained that his wife was satisfied with Viérotchka’s playing, but wanted to speak with her because it was necessary also to know the teacher’s character, etc., and he continued to talk with Marya Alekséyevna about Storeshnikof. All this was excellent, but Marya Alekséyevna found reason for greater suspicion and vigilance.
“My dear child,” said Julie, as she entered Viérotchka’s room, “your mother is a very bad woman. But in order that I may know what to say to you, I beg of you to tell me how and why you went to the theatre last night. I know all about it already from my husband, but from your story I shall learn your character. Don’t be afraid of me.” And when she had heard Viérotchka’s account, she continued:—
“Yes, one can speak plainly with you; you have character.” And in very careful, delicate terms she told the story of the wager that had been made the evening before; whereupon Viérotchka told her about the invitation to go to ride.
“Now do you suppose he wanted to deceive your mother, or were they both in a conspiracy against you?”
Viérotchka began to aver with much warmth that her mother was not such a bad woman as to be in a conspiracy.
“It won’t take me long to find out,” said Julie. “You stay here; you are not needed there.” Julie returned to the parlor.
“Serge, he has invited this woman and her daughter to take a ride this evening. Tell her about last night’s supper.”
“Your daughter is agreeable to my wife; now it is necessary to see about her terms; in all probability we shall not have any trouble on that score. But allow me to finish our talk about our mutual friend. You give him very high praise, but are you aware of the way that he talks about his relationship to your family? For example, do you know why he invited us last evening to your box?”
In Marya Alekséyevna’s eyes there gleamed, instead of a look of anxious inquiry, the thought, “Then it is so!”
“I am not a gossip,” she replied with dissatisfaction. “I myself do not carry tattle around, and I don’t listen much to the tattle of others.” This was said not without sarcasm, in spite of all her admiration of her visitor. “There are always a good many little things that young people talk about among themselves; there is no need of bothering with them.”
“Very good; well then, do you call this also gossip?” He began to tell the story of the supper. Marya Alekséyevna did not let him finish; as soon as he said the first word about the wager, she leaped to her feet and cried out in wrath, entirely forgetting the importance of her guests:—
“Now what sort of tricks are these! Akh! the villain! Akh! the murderer! Now I see why he invited us to go a-driving! He wanted to get me out of the way so as to ruin a defenceless young girl! Akh! the beastly man!” and so she went on. Then she began to thank her guests for salvation of her life and her daughter’s honor. “And so that was what you were driving at, bátiushka; I suspicioned it at the very first, that you did not come without some good reason; lessons is lessons, but I saw that you had some other game; but I did not think that was the reason; I thought that you had some other bride for him, that you wanted to take him away from us; I have been unjust to you, poor sinner that I am; be generous and forgive me! You have done me such a great favor that I shall never forget it as long as I live.” And thus she went on pouring out curses, blessings, excuses, in a disorderly torrent.
Julie did not listen long to this endless speech, the meaning of which was plain to her from the tone of her voice, and from her gestures. While Marya Alekséyevna was speaking the very first words, the French woman got up and returned to Viérotchka’s room.
“No, your mother was not his accomplice, and now she is very indignant with him. But I know such people as your mother very well. They
