Part 53 (1/2)

Immediately after Sina's departure, Lialia and Riasantzeff went out.

Ivanoff sat pensively smoking his cigarette for a while, as he stared sulkily at a corner of the room. Then he also departed.

In the street as he walked along, swinging his arms in the usual way, he thought to himself, in his wrath:

”These fools imagine that I am not capable of understanding what _they_ understand! I like that! I know exactly what they think and feel, better than they do themselves. I also know that there is no love more sublime than the love which bids a man lay down his life for others.

But for a man to go and hang himself simply because he is of no good to anybody--that's absolute nonsense!”

CHAPTER x.x.xIV.

When to the sound of martial music Sarudine's remains were borne to the churchyard, Yourii from his window watched the sad, imposing procession. He saw the horses draped in black, and the deceased officer's cap that lay on the coffin-lid. There were flowers in profusion, and many female mourners, Yourii was deeply grieved at the sight.

That evening he walked for a long while with Sina Karsavina; yet her beautiful eyes and gentle caressing manner did not enable him to shake off his depression.

”How awful it is to think,” he said, his eyes fixed on the ground, ”to think that Sarudine no longer exists. A handsome, merry, careless young officer like that! One would have thought that he would live for ever, and that the horrible things of life, such as pain and doubt and suffering, were unknown to him, would never touch him. Yet one fine day this very man is swept away like dust, after pa.s.sing through a terrible ordeal known to none but himself. Now he's gone, and will never, never return. All that's left of him is the cap on the coffin-lid.”

Yourii was silent, and he still gazed at the ground. Swaying slightly as she walked beside him, Sina listened attentively, while with her pretty, dimpled hands she kept twisting the lace of her parasol. She was not thinking about Sarudine. It was a keen pleasure for her to be near Yourii, yet unconsciously she shared his melancholy mood, and her face a.s.sumed a mournful expression. ”Yes! wasn't it sad? That music, too!”

”I don't blame Sanine,” said Yourii with emphasis.

”He could not have acted otherwise. The horrible part of it all is that the paths of these two men crossed, so that one or the other was obliged to give way. It is also horrible that the victor does not realize that his triumph is an appalling one. He calmly sweeps a man off the face of the earth, and yet is in the right.”

”Yes, he's in the right, and--” exclaimed Sina, who had not heard all that Yourii had said. Her bosom heaved with excitement.

”But I call it horrible!” cried Yourii, hastily interrupting her, as he glanced at her shapely form and eager face.

”Why is it so?” asked Sina in a timid voice. She blushed suddenly, and her eyes lost their brightness.

”Anyone else would have felt remorse, or have suffered some kind of spiritual anguish,” said Yourii. ”But he showed not the slightest sign of it. 'I'm very sorry,' says he, 'but it's not my fault.' Fault, indeed! As if the question were one of fault or of blame!”

”Then of what is it?” asked Sina. Her voice faltered, and she looked downwards, fearing to offend her companion.

”That I don't know; but a man has no right to behave like a brute,” was the indignant rejoinder.

For some time they walked along without speaking. Sina was grieved at what seemed their momentary estrangement, at this breaking of their spiritual bond which to her was so sweet, while Yourii felt that he had not expressed himself clearly, and this wounded his self-respect.

Soon afterwards they parted, she being sad and somewhat hurt. Yourii noticed her dejection, and was morbidly pleased thereat, as if he had revenged himself on some one he loved for a gross personal insult.

At home his ill-humour was increased. During dinner Lialia repeated what Riasantzeff had told her about Soloveitchik. As the men were removing the corpse, several urchins had called out:

”Ikey's hanged himself! Ikey's hanged himself!”

Nicolai Yegorovitch laughed loudly, and made her say:

”Ikey's hanged himself,” over and over again.

Yourii shut himself up in his room, and, while correcting his pupil's exercises, he thought:

”How much of the brute there is in every man! For such dull-witted beasts is it worth while to suffer and to die?”