Speaker 1: Chapter nine of The Permanent Husband by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This
Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Pavel Pavlovitch had
Speaker 1: made himself very comfortable. He was sitting in the same
Speaker 1: chair as he had occupied yesterday, smoking a cigar, and
Speaker 1: had just poured the fourth and last tumbler of champagne
Speaker 1: out of the bottle. The teapot and a half emptied
Speaker 1: tumbler of tea stood on the table beside him. His
Speaker 1: red face beamed with benevolence. He had taken off his
Speaker 1: coat and sat in his shirt sleeves. Forgive me, dearest
Speaker 1: of friends, he cried, catching sight of Velchoniinov, and hastening
Speaker 1: to put on his coat, I took it off to
Speaker 1: make myself thoroughly comfortable. Belchonianov approached him menacingly. You are
Speaker 1: not quite tipsy yet, are you. Can you understand what
Speaker 1: is said to you? Pavel Pavlovitch became a little confused. No,
Speaker 1: not quite. I've been thinking of the dear deceased a bit,
Speaker 1: but I'm not quite drunk yet. Can you understand what
Speaker 1: I say? My dear sir, I came here on purpose
Speaker 1: to understand you very well. Then I shall begin at
Speaker 1: once by telling you that you are an ass Sir,
Speaker 1: cried Vlchonyanov at the top of his voice. Why if
Speaker 1: you begin that way, where will you end? I wonder,
Speaker 1: said Pavel Pavlovitch, clearly alarmed more than a little Belchonyanov
Speaker 1: did not listen, but roared again. Your daughter is dying.
Speaker 1: She is very ill. Have you thrown her over altogether
Speaker 1: or not? Oh, surely she isn't dying yet. I tell
Speaker 1: you she's ill, very very ill, dangerously ill. What fits
Speaker 1: or don't talk nonsense? I tell you she is very
Speaker 1: dangerously ill. You ought to go down, if only for
Speaker 1: that reason? What to thank your friends? Eh to return
Speaker 1: thanks for their hospitality? Of course quite so, I well understand,
Speaker 1: alexey Ivanovitch, dearest of friends. He suddenly seized Velchaonyanov by
Speaker 1: both hands and added, with intoxicated sentiment, almost melted to tears,
Speaker 1: alexey Ivanovitch, don't shout at me. Don't shout at me. Please.
Speaker 1: If you do, I may throw myself into the neva.
Speaker 1: I don't know. And we have such important things to
Speaker 1: talk over. There's lots of time to go to the
Speaker 1: Pogoryeltseevs another day, Velchonanov did his best to restrain his wrath.
Speaker 1: You are drunk, and therefore I don't understand what you
Speaker 1: are driving at, he said sternly. I'm ready to come
Speaker 1: to an explanation with you at any moment you like delighted.
Speaker 1: The sooner the better. But first let me tell you
Speaker 1: that I am going to take my own measures to
Speaker 1: secure you. You will sleep here tonight, then tomorrow I
Speaker 1: shall take you with me to see Liza. I shall
Speaker 1: not let you go again. I shall bind you if necessary,
Speaker 1: then carry you down myself. How do you like this
Speaker 1: sofa to sleep on, he added, panting and indicating a wide,
Speaker 1: soft divan opposite his own sofa against the other wall. Oh,
Speaker 1: anything will do for me very well. You shall have
Speaker 1: this sofa. Here. Take these things. Here are sheets, blankets, pillow.
Speaker 1: Velchaonanov pulled these things out of a cupboard and tossed
Speaker 1: them impatiently to Pavel Pavlovitch, who humbly stood and received them. Now,
Speaker 1: then make your bed come, bustle up. Pavel Pavlovitch, laden
Speaker 1: with bedclothes, had been standing in the middle of the
Speaker 1: room with a stupid, drunken leer on his face, irresolute,
Speaker 1: but at Velchonyanov's second bidding, he hurriedly began the task
Speaker 1: of making his bed, moving the table away from in
Speaker 1: front of it, and smoothing a sheet over the seat
Speaker 1: of the divan Belchonyanov approached to help him. He was
Speaker 1: more or less gratified with his guest's alarm and submission. Now,
Speaker 1: drink up that wine and lie down was his next command.
Speaker 1: He felt that he must order this man about. He
Speaker 1: could not help himself. I suppose you took upon yourself
Speaker 1: to order this wine, did you? I did? I did, sir.
Speaker 1: I sent for the wine, Alexey Ivanovitch, because I knew
Speaker 1: you would not send out again. Well, it's a good
Speaker 1: thing you knew that, But I desire that you should
Speaker 1: know still more. I give you notice than I have
Speaker 1: taken my own measures for the future. I'm not going
Speaker 1: to put up with any more of your antics. Oh,
Speaker 1: I quite understand, Alexey Ivanovitch, that that sort of thing
Speaker 1: could only happen once, said Pavel Pavlovitch, giggling feebly at
Speaker 1: this reply, Velchoonyanov, who had been marching up and down,
Speaker 1: the room stopped solemnly before Pavel Pavlovitch. Pavel Pavlovitch, he said,
Speaker 1: speak plainly. You are a clever fellow. I admit the
Speaker 1: fact freely, but I assure you you are going on
Speaker 1: a false track. Now speak plainly and act like an
Speaker 1: honest man, and I give you my word of honor
Speaker 1: that I will answer all you wish to know. Pavel
Speaker 1: Pavlovitch grinned his disagreeable grin, which always drove Velchaonyanov wild.
Speaker 1: Once more, wait, cried the latter, No humbug. Now, please,
Speaker 1: I see through you. I repeat that I give you
Speaker 1: my word of honor to reply candidly to anything you
Speaker 1: may like to ask, and to give you every sort
Speaker 1: of satisfaction, reasonable or even unreasonable, that you please. Oh
Speaker 1: how I wish I could make you understand me, since
Speaker 1: you are so very kind, began Pavel Pavlovitch, cautiously bending
Speaker 1: towards him. I may tell you that I am very
Speaker 1: much interested as to what you said yesterday about bird
Speaker 1: of prey. Velchaonanov spat on the ground in utter despair
Speaker 1: and disgust, and recommenced his walk up and down the
Speaker 1: room quicker than ever, No, no, Alexey Ivanovitch, don't spurn
Speaker 1: my question. You don't know how interested I am in it.
Speaker 1: I assure you I came here on purpose to ask
Speaker 1: you about it. I know I'm speaking indistinctly, but you'll
Speaker 1: forgive me that I've read the expression before. Tell me now,
Speaker 1: was Bagantov a bird of prey or the other thing?
Speaker 1: How is one to distinguish one from the other. Velchaninov
Speaker 1: went on walking up and down and answered nothing for
Speaker 1: some minutes. The bird of prey, sir, he began, suddenly,
Speaker 1: stopping in front of Pavel Pavlovitch and speaking vehemently. Is
Speaker 1: the man who would poison Bogantov while drinking champagne with
Speaker 1: him under the cloak of good fellowship as you did
Speaker 1: with me yesterday, instead of escorting his wretched body to
Speaker 1: the burial ground as you did? The deuce only knows
Speaker 1: why and with what dirty mean underhanded, petty motives which
Speaker 1: only recoil upon yourself, then make you viler than you
Speaker 1: already are. Yes, sir, recoil upon yourself quite so, Quite so.
Speaker 1: I oughtn't to have gone, assented Pabo Pavlovitch. But aren't
Speaker 1: you a little the bird of prey is not a
Speaker 1: man who goes and learns his grievance off by heart
Speaker 1: like a lesson, and winds it about the place, grimacing
Speaker 1: and posing and hanging it round other people's necks, and
Speaker 1: who spends all his time in such pettifogging. Is it
Speaker 1: true you wanted to hang yourself? Come? Is it true
Speaker 1: or not? I I don't know. I may have when
Speaker 1: I was drunk. I don't remember, you, see, Alexey Ivanovitch.
Speaker 1: It wouldn't be quite nice for me to go poisoning people.
Speaker 1: I'm too high up in the service, and I have
Speaker 1: money too, you know, And I may wish to marry again.
Speaker 1: Who knows. Yes, you'd be sent to Siberia, which would
Speaker 1: be awkward, quite so, though they say the penal servitude
Speaker 1: is not so bad as it was. But you remind
Speaker 1: me of an anecdote, Alexey Ivanovitch. I thought of it
Speaker 1: in the carriage, and I meant to tell you afterwards. Well,
Speaker 1: you may remember Litsov at Tea. He came while you
Speaker 1: were there. His younger brother, who was rather a swell too,
Speaker 1: was serving at l under the governor, and one fine
Speaker 1: day he happened to quarrel with Colonel Golyubyanka in the
Speaker 1: presence of ladies, and of one lady especially, Litzov considered
Speaker 1: himself insulted, but concealed his grievance. And meanwhile, Glyubyanka proposed
Speaker 1: to a certain lady and was accepted. Would you believe it?
Speaker 1: Litzov made great friends with Glyubyenka and even volunteered to
Speaker 1: be best man at his wedding. But when the ceremony
Speaker 1: was over and Litsov approached the bridegroom to wish him
Speaker 1: joy and kiss him as usual, he took the opportunity
Speaker 1: of sticking a knife into Glyubyenka, fancy his own best
Speaker 1: man stuck him. Well, what does the assassin do but
Speaker 1: run about the room crying, Oh what have I done? Oh?
Speaker 1: What have I done? Says he, and throws himself on
Speaker 1: every one's neck by turns ladies and all ha ha.
Speaker 1: He starved to death in Siberia. Sir one is a
Speaker 1: little sorry for Glubanka, but he recovered. After all. I
Speaker 1: don't understand why you told me that story, said Vulchanyanov,
Speaker 1: frowning heavily. Why because he stuck the other fellow with
Speaker 1: a knife, giggled Pavel Pavlovitch, which proves that he was
Speaker 1: no type but an ass of a fellow who could
Speaker 1: so forget the ordinary manners of society as to hang
Speaker 1: around ladies necks, and in the presence of the governor too.
Speaker 1: And yet he stuck the other fellow. Ha ha ha.
Speaker 1: He did what he intended to do. That's all, sir,
Speaker 1: Go to the devil, will you? You and your miserable humbug,
Speaker 1: You miserable humbug yourself, yelled Volchanyanov, wild with rage and fury,
Speaker 1: and panting so that he could hardly get his words out.
Speaker 1: You think you are going to alarm me? Do you?
Speaker 1: You frighten her of children? You mean beast, You low scoundrel,
Speaker 1: you scoundrel, scoundrel, scoundrel. He had quite forgotten himself in
Speaker 1: his rage. Pavel Pavlovitch shuddered all over. His drunkenness seemed
Speaker 1: to vanish in an instant. His lips trembled and shook.
Speaker 1: Are you calling me a scoundrel? Alexey Ivanovitch? You me?
Speaker 1: But Velchaonyanov was himself again. Now I apologize if you like,
Speaker 1: he said, and relapsed into gloomy silence. After a moment,
Speaker 1: he added, but only on condition that you yourself agree
Speaker 1: to speak out fully and at once in your place.
Speaker 1: I should apologize unconditionally, Alexey Ivanovitch, very well, so be it. Then,
Speaker 1: Velchaonyanov was silent again for a while. I apologize, he resumed.
Speaker 1: But admit yourself, Pavel Pavlovitch, that I need not feel
Speaker 1: myself in any way bound to you after this, I mean,
Speaker 1: with regard to anything, not only this particular matter. All right,
Speaker 1: why what is there to settle between us? Laughed Pavel Pavlovitch,
Speaker 1: without looking up. In that case, so much the better,
Speaker 1: so much the better. Come, drink up your wine and
Speaker 1: get into bed, for I shall not let you go
Speaker 1: now anyhow. Oh my wine, Never mind my wine, muttered
Speaker 1: Pabo Pavlovitch. But he went to the table all the
Speaker 1: same and took up his tumbler of champagne, which had
Speaker 1: long been poured out. Either he had been drinking copiously before,
Speaker 1: or there was some other unknown cause at work. But
Speaker 1: his hand shook so as he drank the wine that
Speaker 1: a quantity of it was spilled over his waistcoat and
Speaker 1: the floor. However, he drank it all to the last drop,
Speaker 1: as though he could not leave the tumbler without emptying it.
Speaker 1: He then placed the empty glass on the table, approached
Speaker 1: his bed, sat down on it, and began to undress.
Speaker 1: I think perhaps I had better not sleep here, he
Speaker 1: said suddenly, with one boot off and half undressed. Well,
Speaker 1: I don't think so, said Velchaonanov, who was walking up
Speaker 1: and down without looking at him. Pavel Pavlovitch finished undressing
Speaker 1: and lay down. A quarter of an hour later, Velchaonanov
Speaker 1: also got into bed and put the candle out. He
Speaker 1: soon began to doze uncomfortably. Some new trouble seemed to
Speaker 1: have suddenly come over him and worried him, and at
Speaker 1: the same time he felt a sensation of shame that
Speaker 1: he could allow himself to be worried by the new trouble.
Speaker 1: Belchanov was just falling, definitely asleep. However, when a rustling
Speaker 1: sound awoke him, he immediately glanced at Pavel Pavlovitch's bed.
Speaker 1: The room was quite dark, the blinds being down and
Speaker 1: curtains drawn, but it seemed to him that Pavel Pavlovitch
Speaker 1: was not lying in his bed. He seemed to be
Speaker 1: sitting on the side of it. What's the matter, cried Velchanov.
Speaker 1: A ghost, Sir, said Pavel Pavlovitch in a low tone,
Speaker 1: after a few moments of silence. What what sort of
Speaker 1: a ghost there in that room? Just at the door,
Speaker 1: I seemed to see a ghost? Whose ghost? Asked Velchanov,
Speaker 1: pausing a minute before putting the question. Nettalia Vassilyevna's. Vlchonov
Speaker 1: jumped out of bed and walked to the door, whence
Speaker 1: he could see into the room opposite across the passage.
Speaker 1: There were no curtains in that room, so that it
Speaker 1: was much lighter than his own. There's nothing there at all.
Speaker 1: You are drunk. Lie down again, he said, and himself
Speaker 1: set the example, rolling his blanket around him. Pablo Pavlovitch
Speaker 1: said nothing but lay down as he was told. Did
Speaker 1: you ever see any ghosts before? Asked Velchaonanov. Suddenly, ten
Speaker 1: minutes later, I think I saw one once, said Pavel
Speaker 1: Pavlovitch in the same low voice, after which there was
Speaker 1: silence once more. Velchaonyanov was not sure whether he had
Speaker 1: been asleep or not, but an hour or so had
Speaker 1: passed when suddenly he was wide awake again. Was it
Speaker 1: a rustle that awoke him. He could not tell, but
Speaker 1: one thing was evident. In the midst of the profound
Speaker 1: darkness of the room, something white stood before him, not
Speaker 1: quite close to him, but about the middle of the room.
Speaker 1: He sat up in bed and stared for a full minute.
Speaker 1: Is that you, Pavel Pavlovitch, he asked? His voice sounded
Speaker 1: very weak. There was no reply, but there was not
Speaker 1: the slightest doubt of the fact that some one was
Speaker 1: standing there. Is that you, Pavel Pavlovitch, cried Velchanyanov again, louder,
Speaker 1: this time, in fact, so loud that if the former
Speaker 1: had been asleep in bed, he must have started up
Speaker 1: and answered. But there was no reply. Again, it seemed
Speaker 1: to Valchaonyanov that the white figure had approached nearer to him.
Speaker 1: Then something strange happened, something seemed to let go with
Speaker 1: Velchoonyanov's system, and he commenced to shout at the top
Speaker 1: of his voice, just as he had done once before
Speaker 1: this evening, in the wildest and maddest way possible, panting
Speaker 1: so that he could hardly articulate his words. If you
Speaker 1: drunken ass that you are dare to think that you
Speaker 1: could frighten me. I'll turn my face to the wall,
Speaker 1: then not look round once the whole night, to show
Speaker 1: you how little I am afraid of you, A fool
Speaker 1: like you. If you stand there from now till morning,
Speaker 1: I despise you, so saying Velchanov twisted round with his
Speaker 1: face to the wall, rolled his blanket round him, and
Speaker 1: lay motionless as though turned to stone. A deathlike stillness supervened.
Speaker 1: Did the ghost stand where it was or had it moved?
Speaker 1: He could not tell, but his heart beat and beat
Speaker 1: and beat. At least five minutes went by, and then
Speaker 1: not a couple of paces from his bed, there came
Speaker 1: the feeble voice of Pavel Pavlovitch. I got up, Alexey Ivanovitch,
Speaker 1: to look for a little water. I couldn't find any,
Speaker 1: and was just going to look about nearer your bed.
Speaker 1: Then why didn't you answer when I called, cried Volchanyanov angrily,
Speaker 1: after a minute's pause. I was frightened, you shouted, so
Speaker 1: you alarmed me. You'll find a karaff in glass over
Speaker 1: there on the little table, light a candle, Oh, I'll
Speaker 1: find it without You'll forgive me, alexey Ivanovitch for frightening
Speaker 1: you so I felt thirsty so suddenly, but Volchanyanov said nothing.
Speaker 1: He continued to lie with his face to the wall,
Speaker 1: and so he lay all night without turning round once.
Speaker 1: Was he anxious to keep his word and show his
Speaker 1: contempt for Pavel Pavlovitch. He did not know himself why
Speaker 1: he did it. His nervous agitation and perturbation were such
Speaker 1: that he could not sleep. For a long while. He
Speaker 1: felt quite delirious. At last he fell asleep, and he
Speaker 1: awoke it past nine o'clock next morning. He started up,
Speaker 1: just as though someone had struck him, and sat down
Speaker 1: on the side of his bed, But Pavlo Pavlovitch was
Speaker 1: not to be seen. His empty, rumpled bed was there,
Speaker 1: but its occupant had flown before daybreak. I thought, so,
Speaker 1: cried Valchananov, bringing the palm of his right hand smartly
Speaker 1: to his forehead. End of chapter nine.