Part 19 (1/2)

Well and good. They went afterwards to the billiard-room, all very gay; and Nekhliudof went up to the billiard-table, leaned on his elbow, and said,--

”It's amusing to you, gentlemen,” says he, ”but it's sad for me. Why,” says he, ”did I do it? Prince,” says he, ”I shall never forgive you or myself as long as I live.”

And he actually burst into tears. Evidently he did not know himself what he was saying. The prince went up to him with a smile.

”Don't talk nonsense,” says he. ”Let's go home, Anatoli.”

”I won't go anywhere,” says the other. ”Why did I do that?”

And the tears poured down his cheeks. He would not leave the billiard-table, and that was the end of it. That's what it means for a young and inexperienced man to....

In this way he used often to come to us. Once he came with the prince, and the whiskered man who was the prince's crony; the gentlemen always called him ”Fedotka.” He had prominent cheek-bones, and was homely enough, to be sure; but he used to dress neatly and ride in a carriage. What was the reason that the gentlemen were so fond of him? I really could not tell.

”Fedotka! Fedotka!” they'd call, and ask him to eat and to drink, and they'd spend their money paying up for him; but he was a thorough-going beat. If ever he lost, he would be sure not to pay; but if he won, you bet he wouldn't fail to collect his money. Often too he came to grief: yet there he was, walking arm in arm with the prince.

”You are lost without me,” he would say to the prince. ”I am, Fedot,”[51]

says he; ”but not a Fedot of that sort.”

[Footnote 51: _Fedot, da nye tot_, an untranslatable play on the word.]

And what jokes he used to crack, to be sure! Well, as I said, they had already arrived that time, and one of them says, ”Let's have the b.a.l.l.s for three-handed pool.”

”All right,” says the other.

They began to play at three rubles a stake. Nekhliudof and the prince play, and chat about all sorts of things meantime.

”Ah!” says one of them, ”you mind only what a neat little foot she has.”

”Oh,” says the other, ”her foot is nothing; her beauty is her wealth of hair.”

Of course they paid no attention to the game, only kept on talking to one another.

As to Fedotka, that fellow was alive to his work; he played his very best, but they didn't do themselves justice at all.

And so he won six rubles from each of them. G.o.d knows how many games he had won from the prince, yet I never knew them to pay each other any money; but Nekhliudof took out two greenbacks, and handed them over to him.

”No,” says he, ”I don't want to take your money. Let's square it: play 'quits or double,'[52]--either double or nothing.”

[Footnote 52: _Kitudubl_ = Fr. _quitte ou double_.]

I set the b.a.l.l.s. Fedotka began to play the first hand. Nekhliudof seemed to play only for fun: sometimes he would come very near winning a game, yet just fail of it. Says he, ”It would be too easy a move, I won't have it so.” But Fedotka did not forget what he was up to. Carelessly he proceeded with the game, and thus, as if it were unexpectedly, won.

”Let us play double stakes once more,” says he.

”All right,” says Nekhliudof.

Once more Fedotka won the game.

”Well,” says he, ”it began with a mere trifle. I don't wish to win much from you. Shall we make it once more or nothing?”