Hl~


IL LINO


S


UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN


PRODUCTION NOTE
   University of Illinois at
 Urbana-Champaign Library
 Brittle Books Project, 2009.























  OF THE
UNIVERSITY
Of ILLINOIS
891"73
  T64
  OdE












f op
















SMOKE.










SMO1  KE;q


  LIFE AT BADEN.


      A NOVTr1.


BY J. TOUIRGUENEF.



    IN TWO VOLUM11ES.

       VOL. II.


            LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET,
        a Yitx ~  ~in @zxi #.o tcjet  ije#r
              1868.



















































































bO cU)Oi : t RT TED BY W. COWrn. l AND 8OcS, STAMFUEI. STREET AND CITARING C1NiS6A
















          SMOKE.




          CHAPTER XIV.

LITYINOF found a large number of people at
Irene's. In one corner three of the gene-
rals of the picnic were sitting at a table
at cards-the stout one, the irascible one,
and the mealy-mouthed one.
  They were playing wvhist with a dummy,
and our vocabulary has no terms to ex-
press the gravity with 'which they dealt
the cards, picked up the tricks, and laid
down a club or a diamond ; they were
true statesmen.
   VOL. II.                        B








SMOKE.


  Leaving to common people the jokes
which usually accompany card-playing, our
generals uttered none but necessary words;
the stout one alone permitted himself, be-
tween the tricks, to call out energetically,
"Oh! he had the spade!"
  Among the ladies, Litvinof recognized
those who had been present at the picnic;
but there were also others whom he had
not seen before.
   One of them was so old, that she looked as
though she would fall to dust; she displayed
shoulders which were so colourless and
bony that it was painful to look at them;
and, with her mouth hidden behind her fan,
she was looking with a languishing ex-
pression at Ratmirof with eyes which resem-
bled those of a corpse. The latter was
profuse in his attentions to her, and she
was held in great consideration by the










whole of the company, because she was
the last maid-of-honour to the Empress
Catherine.
   At a window, dressed like a nymph,
was sitting the Countess Ch-       , "the
queen of wasps," surrounded by a number
of young men, among whom could be
distinguished, by his arrogant air, his flat
skull, and the brutish expression of his
features--worthy of a khan in Bucharia
or ieliogabale-the celebrated capitalist,
Finikof.
  Another lady, also a countess, better
known by the name of Lise, was conversing
with a fair-haired spark, a spiritualist,
with a wax-like face and nervous eyes, by
the side of whom stood a gentleman also
very pale, and wearing his hair extremely
long, who smiled with a look of import-
ance. To spiritualism he added the gift of
                                  B2








SMOKE.


prophecy, and explained with equal facility
the Apocalypse and the Talmud. None of
his predictions, it is true, had ever been
realized, but that did not trouble him in
the least, and he continued to prophesy
with unabated confidence.
   At the piano was installed the "rough
diamond" who had so harrowed up the
temper of Potoughine. With one hand he
was absently striking an occasional note
as he gazed negligently about him.
   Irene was sitting upon a divan, between
Prince Coco and Madame H       , an ex-
beauty and ex-femme d'esprit, now a lady of
pious pretensions and a bad temper; the
oil of sanctity had diluted the venom of
her tongue without washing a particle of it
away.
   On seeing Litvinof, Irene coloured and
rose, and when he reached her, she eagerly








SMOKE.


pressed his hand. She had on a black dress
with almost imperceptible gold figures,
which admirably showed off the dazzling
whiteness of her complexion. Her face wore
an expression of pride and triumph, and she
was not merely beautiful; a half-concealed,
almost mocking joy, shone from her half-
closed eyes, and played round her lips and
nostrils.
   Ratmirof came towards Litvinof, and,
after exchanging a few commonplace words
with him, which were not spoken with his
usual sprightliness, introduced him to seve-
ral ladies-to the old ruin, to the queen of
wasps, and to the Countess Lise, who wel-
comed him with sufficient kindness.
  Litvinof did not belong to their circle, but
he was not bad; his expressive features and
his youthful appearance attracted their at-
tention. He did not know how to profit







SMOKE.


by this favourable reception; he was un-
accustomed to society, and did not feel him-
self at ease, and moreover he was embar-
rassed by the obstinate stare of the fat
general.
   "Ah! pekin jacket! freethinker!" this
 fixed stare seemed to say, "you are pushing
 yourself in here, are you?  Must we give
 you our hands to kiss ?"
   Irene came to Litvinof's assistance, and
arranged so adroitly, that he found himself
comfortably seated in a corner, near the
door, just behind her. Every time she
addressed him, she was obliged to turn
round, and each time he was dazzled by the
graceful curve of her neck, and intoxicated
by the perfume of her hair.
  The expression of a deep but quiet gra-
titude never left her countenance as she
looked at him-he could not mistake it;








SMOKE.


yes, it was gratitude, and he felt his heart
pant with joy. Irene seemed to be con-
tinually saying to him, "Well, what do you
think of them ?" and Litvinof fancied espe-
cially that he could read that question in
her eyes when one of the company said or
did something stupid, which happened more
than once in the course of the evening.
Once she could not contain herself, but
burst out laughing.
  Extremely superstitions and inclined to
the marvellous, the countess, after having
exhausted with her sage beau a conversation
upon Home, ended by asking him if animals
were susceptible of magnetism.
  "There exists one at least who is," ex-
claimed Prince Coco from the other end of the
drawing-room.   "You know Mikvanosky?
He was sent to sleep in my presence, and
in a second he was snoring. Ha! ha!"


7







SMOKE.


   "You are very wicked, prince. I spoke
of real animals; I mean beasts."
   "Why, so do I, madame; I speak of a
beast."
   "There are animals which are suscep-
tible," declared the spiritualist ; "for in-
stance, crabs: they are very nervous ani-
mals, and easily fall into catalepsy."
  The countess expressed great surprise.
  "What, crabs! is it possible?     Ah!
that is extremely curious. I should really
like to see it.    Monsieur Lonjine," she
added, turning towards a young man who
had the face of a wax doll, and wore a
collar as stiff as a board (he was very
proud of having wetted his collars in the
spray of the falls of Niagara and the
cataracts of the Nile, but recollected no-
thing else of his travels, and admired
nothing so much as Russian puns), "Mon-


8







SMOKE.


sieur Lonjine, be so kind as to procure a
crab for me."
  M. Lonjine bowed.
  "Must I bring it living or lively ?"
  The countess did not understand.
  "Yes, a crab," she repeated, "a crab."
  "What is that ? What is a crab ?" in-
quired the Countess Ch-  , seriously.
  The absence of M. Verdier annoyed her;
she could not understand why Irene had
omitted to invite that most delightful of
Frenchmen. The old ruin (she had long
since ceased to understand anything, she
had besides the advantage of being deaf)
also shook her head with a look of disap-
probation.
  " Oui, oui, vous allez voir.   Monsieur
Lonjine, I beg-.--"
  The young traveller bowed, and left the
room ; and it was not long before he re-


9








SMOKE.


turned, followed by a servant, who was
making desperate efforts to prevent himself
from laughing, carrying upon the dish an
enormous crab.
   " Voici, madame!" exclaimed Lonjine; "we
can now proceed to operate upon the crab.
Ha! ha! ha!"
   The Russians are always the first to laugh
at their own jokes.
   "Ho! ho! ho !" laughed Prince Coco,
faithful to his duty as patriot and patron of
native productions.
   We must here beg the reader to excuse
us: who can answer that, sitting in a fau-
teuil at the Alexander Theatre, and carried
away by the atmosphere of the place, he
may not have been induced to laugh at a
worse pun ?
   "Merci, merci," said the countess. "Allons,
allons, Monsieur Fox, montrez-nous ca."


10








SMOKE.


   The servant placed the dish upon a round
table. There was visible curiosity through-
out the room. Necks were extended, and
eyes were fixed upon the dish upon which
lay the crab; the generals at the card-table
alone preserved their solemn impassibility.
  The spiritualist threw back his hair, con-
tracted his brows, and approaching the
table, began to wave his hands in the air,
at which the crab moved backwards and
drew in its claws. The operator quickened
his movements, and the crab followed his
example.
  "Mais que doit-elle done faire ?" asked
the countess.
  " Elle dog rester immobile et se dresser
sur sa quiou," responded Mr. Fox, with a
very decided American accent, as he agi-
tated his fingers over the dish.
   But the magnetism did not produce


11







SMOKE.


any result: the crab only became more
petulant.
  The spiritualist declared that he was not
in the vein, and moved discontentedly from
the table.   The countess endeavoured to
console him by assuring him that Mr. Home
himself did not always succeed. The Prince
Coco confirmed these words.
  The expounder of the Apocalypse and
the Talmud stealthily approached the table,
and, by making some abrupt movements
over the crab, also tried his luck; but
he met with no better success than the
other; not a sign of catalepsy manifested
itself.
  The servant was called to take away the
crab, which he succeeded in doing, but not
without exploding immediately he got out-
side the door-which explosion did not
prevent him from joining afterwards in a


12








SMOKE.


roar of laughter which greeted its return to
the kitchen iiber diese Russen.
   The rough diamond, who had continued
to run his fingers over the keys of the piano
during the operation upon the crab, con-
fining himself to the lower notes (for who
could tell that the music may not act
upon the nerves even of a crustacean ?),
now played his eternal waltz, and was some-
what coldly applauded.
   Excited to emulation, Count H-     , our
incomparable dilettante (see the first chap-
ter), sang a ballad of his own composition,
entirely borrowed from Offenbach. His
lively refrain-" Quel cuf ! quel bceuf ! "
caused almost every lady in the room to
balance their heads from right to left; and at
the conclusion, one of them slightly clapped
her hands, on which there was a general
exclamation of " Charmant ! charmant !"


13








SMOKE.


   Irene exchanged a glance with Litvinof,
and a sarcastic smile again curled her lips.
That expression was still more visible a
moment afterwards, and took a shade of
malicious pleasure, when Prince Coco, the
representative and protector of the aristo-
cratic interests, took it in his head to lay
his opinions before the spiritualist, naturally
not losing the opportunity of bringing in his
celebrated phrase upon the unsettled state
of Russian ownership, and of course not
sparing the democrats.
   The American blood of the spiritualist
bubbled up, and he plunged into the dis-
cussion.
   As usual, Prince Coco, instead of giving
reasons, began to shout and to repeat: "It's
absurd. There is not common sense in
it.
   The rich Finikof began to utter insulting


14








SMOKE.


expressions, without caring upon whom they
fell; the Talmudist whined; and the Coun-
tess Ch-      herself dived into the mle'e.
It was a cacophony almost equal to that
which had taken place at Goubaref's, only
the beer and tobacco-smoke were want-
ing, and the actors wore more elegant
costumes.
   Ratmirof endeavoured to restore order
(the generals openly expressed their an-
noyance, and among their voices could be
heard that of Boris, exclaiming, "Those
cursed politics again !"), but he did not
succeed, and a statesman of the moderate
party having undertaken to present le
resume de la question en peu de mots, suf-
fered a complete defeat.
   It is true that he mumbled and stut-
 tered so much, knew so little how to
 grasp the arguments, and allowed it so


15








SMOKE.


plainly to be seen that he did not know
himself of what the question consisted, that
no other result could have been expected.
   Then Irene secretly excited the two
parties, and set them at each other, glanc-
ing at Litvinof, her lips curling with con-
temptuous smiles.
   As for Litvinof, he seemed to be under
the dominion of a charm. He hardly un-
derstood what was passing; he could only
follow with his eyes that graceful form,
with a secret longing for those magnifi-
cent eyes to be turned towards him, that
he might again see that pale, lovely, dis-
dainful, enchanting face.
   At last the ladies grew tired of the
 subject and demanded a truce; after which
 Ratmirof begged the dilettante to repeat
 his song, and the rough diamond once
 more played his waltz.


16








SMOKE.


   Litvinof remained till twelve o'clock, and
was the last to leave.
   The conversation touched, in the course
of the evening, upon a great variety of
subjects, carefully avoiding everything that
offered a particle of real interest; and,
after having finished their majestic play,
the generals majestically took part in the
discussion.
   The influence of these great men was
felt immediately. They began to talk of
the celebrities of the Parisian demi-monde,
the names and characteristics of whom
were known to each; they also talked
of the last play of Sardou, About's new
novel, and Patti in La Traviata.
   Some one proposed to play Au Secre-
taire, but that did not please. The replies
were without wit, but to make up had
numerous faults in orthography. The stout
   VOL. II.                           C


17







SMOKE.


general related that it had once happened
to him, at the question, "Qu'est-ce que
l'amour ?" to reply, "Une colique remonte'e
au cceur;" and immediately burst into his
coarse laugh. The ruin gave him a stroke
upon the hand with her fan, an ener-
getic movement which detached from her
forehead a small piece of the stucco with
which she had plastered her face.
   The ex-blue-stocking mentioned the slave
principalities, and the necessity of propa-
gating the orthodox creed upon the Danube;
but she received no echo. In short, it was
upon Home that they disputed with most
pleasure. The queen of wasps herself con-
descended to relate that she had seen hands
laid upon her knees, and that she had put
her own ring upon one of them.
   Even if Litvinof had paid attention to
 what was being said around him, he would


18








SMOKE.


not have found, among this babble, with-
out argument or animation, a single heart-
felt word, a single judicious thought, or
a single new fact. Even the loud cries
and exclamations lacked heart, and there
appeared to be no earnestness even in the
slander.
   These people, moaning over the fate of
their country, in reality deplored only the
probable diminution of their own incomes.
At that thought their fears were sufficiently
real, and names which will not be forgotten
by posterity, were pronounced by them
with gnashing of teeth.
   You would have looked in vain for a
single drop of living water beneath all this
rubbish, beneath all these sweepings. What
tinsel, what vain trifles, what frivolous
thoughts, occupied all these heads, all these
souls! and occupied them not only during
                                   02


19








SMOKE.


this soire'e, not only in company, but at
home, every day, every hour, throughout
their whole existence! In one word, what
ignorance! What want of intelligence about
all that constitutes and adorns human life!
  On taking leave of Litvinof, Irene again
pressed his hand, and murmured to him in
a significant tone-
   "Well, are you satisfied?    You have
seen  for yourself.   Is it not enchant-
ing ?"
   He did not speak, but bowed in silence.
   Left alone with her husband, Irene was
about to go to her bedroom; but he stopped
her.
   "Je vous ai beaucoup admiree ce soir,
madame," he said, as he leaned upon the
chimney-piece and smoked his cigarette;
"vous vous etes parfaitement moquee de
nous tous."


20








SMOKE.


  "Pas plus cette fois-ci que les autres,"
she replied, tranquilly.
  " How am I to interpret that ?"
  " As you please."
  " Humph! that is evident."
  Ratmirof shook with precaution, by a cat-
like movement, the ashes from his cigarette,
using the nail of his little finger.
   "I suppose your new acquaintance-what
is his name?  M. Litvinof? - I suppose
he enjoys the reputation of a man of
sense ?"
  At the name of Litvinof, Irene turned
abruptly.
  "What do you say ?"
  The general smiled.
  "He is always silent-one would suppose
he was afraid of committing himself."
   Irene smiled in her turn, but in quite
another manner.


21








-SMOKE.


  "He had better hold his tongue than
talk like some people did."
   " Caught !" said he, with a feint at sub-
mission.   "Jesting aside, he has a very
interesting face, an expression - concen-
trated, and his general figure-"
   Ratmirof broke off, and arranged the
bow of his tie. " Yes, I presume he is a
republican, after the style of your other
friend, M. Potoughine; that is another
silent genius!"
   The eyebrows of Irene were slowly
raised, and her large eyes glittered, as she
slightly contracted her lips.
   "Why do you say that?" she asked,
with a look of feigned compassion. "You
are thrusting your sword into water. We
are not in Russia, and nobody will hear
you.
   Ratmirof's face contracted involuntarily.


22








SMOKE.


  "That is not merely my opinion, Irene
Pavlovna," he added, in a voice which had
suddenly become hollow; "others think
that the gentleman has the look of a car-
bonaro."
   "Indeed! and who are those others ?"
   "Why Boris, for example-"
   "What, he also thought it necessary to
express an opinion ?"
   Irene made a movement, as though she
was cold, and rubbed her shoulder with the
ends of her fingers.
  "He !-yes, he !-Permit me to observe,
Irene  Pavlovna, that you     are getting
angry, and, you know, when a person gets
angry-
  "I getting angry ? What about ?"
  "I don't know. Perhaps you did not
like the remark I made respecting '
   Ratmirof broke off.


23








SMOKE.


  "Respecting whom ?" demanded Irene,
imperatively.   " Now, as soon as you
please, and without sarcasm. I am tired,
and want to go to bed."
  And she took up a candle from the
table.
  "Respecting whom ?"
  "Why, respecting     this  M. Litvinof.
Since there is no longer any doubt that you
think a great deal of him."
  Irene raised the hand which held the
candle till the light fell full upon her hus-
band's face. For a moment she looked him
straight in the eyes with attention and
curiosity, then abruptly burst into a peal of
laughter.
  "What is the matter with you?" de-
manded Ratmirof, contracting his brows.
"What is it ?" he repeated, stamping his
foot.


24







SMOKE.


  He felt himself insulted and humbled, and
at the same time the beauty of that woman,
standing before him with such ease and
assurance, dazzled and tortured him: her
graceful attitude, her half-defiant, half-com-
passionate look, even the dainty taper fin-
gers which held the candle, fascinated and
stung him; and the insult sank deeper into
his heart.
   And Irene continued to smile.
   "What! you are jealous ?" she said at
length; and turning her back to her hus-
band, she left the room. "He is jealous!"
he heard her repeat, as she closed the door
after her, with a fresh peal of laughter.
   Ratmirof watched his wife go out, with a
gloomy look. Here again he could not help
observing, what seduction there was in her
whole form and in every movement. He
dashed out the light from his cigarette and


25







SMOKE.


threw it across the room. His cheeks were
pale, his lips quivered, and his eyes wan-
dered over the floor with a wild, bewildered
stare; one would have thought he was
looking for something.  All trace of its
usual refinement had vanished from his face:
it must have worn some such expression
when he caused the peasants to be flogged
to death in White Russia.
   Meanwhile Litvinof had returned to his
chambers.    Sitting upon a chair before a
table, with his face buried in his hands, he
remained for a long while motionless. At
length he got up, opened a box, and took
out a portfolio, from which he drew a carte-
de-visite of Tatiana. Faded and aged, as
photography often renders faces, that of
Tatiana looked at him sadly.
   Litvinof's intended was a young girl of
 pure Russian blood, fair, rather inclined to


26








SMOKE.


be stout, with somewhat irregular features,
but with a singular expression of goodness
and candour in her clear brown eyes, and a
fine forehead, upon which a sunbeam always
seemed to rest.
  Litvinof remained for a considerable time
with his eyes fixed upon the portrait; then
he put it away and once more clasped his
face with his hands.   "All is over!" he
murmured at length; "Irene! Irene!"  He
understood now that he was smitten with
her madly, irrevocably; that he had been in
love with her ever since the meeting at the
Old Chateau, and that he had never ceased
to think of her since. How surprised he
would have been, how incredulous he would
have been-nay, more, how he would have
ridiculed the idea, if some one had told him
that he would find himself obliged to make
such a confession a few days before!


27







28                SMOKE.

  "Oh! Tatiana, Tatiana!        Oh! God!
Tatiana! Tatiana!" he repeated in       an
agonized tone.
  And the image of Irene still constantly
stood before him in her black dress, but
with the resplendent calm of victory upon a
face as white as marble.




















CHAPTER XV.


LJTVINOF threw himself upon the bed with-
out undressing, but did not close his eyes
all night; he felt stifled. A really honour-
able man, he understood the value of
obligations and the sacredness of duty, and
considered it a shame to seek to hide his
weakness and his faults from his own
conscience.
  He was at first under the dominion of a
sort of lethargy; he could not for a long
time throw off a defined feeling, a confusion
of his senses which prevented him from








SMOKE.


thinking clearly of anything; then he was
seized with terror at the thought that the
future which he had scarcely succeeded in
clearing from obstacles, was again over-
shadowed with gloom, and that the edifice
which he had built up with so much care
was shattered at a single shock.
   He began to accuse himself without
mercy, but soon interrupted his accusations.
"What pusillanimity!" he exclaimed. "It
is not the time to make reproaches now, it
is the time to act. Tatiana is my bride;
she has placed faith in my love, in my
honour ; we are united for eternity, and we
cannot, we will not be separated."
   He called to mind all Tatiana's good
qualities, and thought them over one by
one, striving to excite himself to contrition
and to call back his love for her. "There
remains only one thing to be done," he


30







SMOKE.


thought, "to fly from this place, to escape
immediately, without waiting for her arrival,
to go and meet her, to-   . Shall I be
unhappy with Tatiana ? that is improbable;
at any rate, I have no right now to discuss
that hypothesis, or even to take it into con-
sideration; I must fulfil my duty, and then
die, if it is necessary." "But you have no
right to deceive her," murmured another
voice; "you have no right to conceal from
her the change which has taken place in
your feelings; knowing you to be in love
with another, perhaps she would no longer
be your wife."   "Falsehood! falsehood!" he
replied; "all that is only sophistry, shameful
artifice, faithlessness; I have no right to
break my word, that is the first thought.
I must fulfil my duty-but then, I must go
without seeing the other."
   Here the heart of Litvinof beat fast;


31







SMOKE.


he was cold, physically cold; a shiver ran
over his body and his teeth chattered; he
stretched out his arms and gaped, as persons
do at the approach of fever. Without in-
sisting upon the last thought, but stifling
it, thrusting it from him, he began to ask
himself how he could have again allowed
himself to be seduced by      this  corrupt
and worldly-minded woman, surrounded by
people who were so repugnant and so hos-
tile to him. "Can it be true ?" he asked
himself; and the only reply was a sigh of
despair.
   And, even while he thus expressed sur-
 prise and tried to shut out from his thoughts
 all the incidents of the last few days, en-
 chanting features rose up like a shadow;
 beautiful lashes were raised from eyes whose
 deep regard seemed to look into his soul,
 and graceful shoulders, the shoulders of a


32








SMOKE.


young queen, hovered before him amidst
the perfumed darkness.
  The next morning Litvinof formed at
length a resolution. He decided that he
would go and join Tatiana the same day;
that, in a last interview with Irene, he
would tell her, if it could not be managed
otherwise, the whole truth, and never see
her again.
   He collected and packed up his things,
waited till the middle of the day, and then
went out.
   But at the sight of the half-closed blinds,
his heart failed him; he had not the courage
to cross the threshold of the hotel, and took
several turns in the Alli de Lichtenthal.
  "I have the honour to present my re-
spects to M. Litvinof," abruptly said a
sneering voice from the top of an elegant
dog-cart.
   VOL. II.                          D


33








SMOKE.


   Litvinof raised his eyes, and saw General
Ratmirof perched up by the side of Prince
M-     , a well-known sportsman.
   The prince was driving; the general was
leaning over the side of the vehicle, and
showing his teeth, as he raised his hat with
the most elegant politeness.
  Litvinof returned the bow, and the next
instant, as though in obedience to some
mysterious command, strode     away   and
entered the apartments.
   She was at home. He was announced
and received immediately. When he en-
tered, she was standing in the middle of the
room. She had on a morning dress with
full sleeves; and her pale face showed signs
of fatigue. She held out her hand to him,
and looked at him pleasantly, but in a
pensive manner.
  "Thank you for coming," she said in a


34








SMOKE.


mournful tone, and allowed herself to sink
into a chair. "I am not very well to-day;
I have passed a sleepless night. Well, what
did you think of the party last evening ?
Was I not right ? "
   Litvinof took a seat.
   "I am come, Irene Pavlovna        " he
began.
   She sat upright and looked fixedly at
Litvinof.
   "What is the matter ?" she exclaimed.
" You are as pale as death. You are ill.
What is the matter with you ?"
  Litvinof was very much agitated.
  "What is the matter with me, Irene
Pavlovna ? "
  "You have received some bad news ?
Some misfortune has happened?  Tell me!
tell me!"
  Litvinof turned his eyes towards Irene.
                                 D2


35








SMOKE.


   "I have received no news," he said, not
without an effort; "but a misfortune has
indeed happened-a great misfortune-and
it is that which brings me to you."
   "A misfortune ?   What can it be ?"
   "It is this :-I -"
   He struggled hard to go on, but it was
impossible.   He clasped    his  hands   so
tightly that the fingers cracked. Irene
leaned forward, and waited eagerly for him
to continue.
   " Oh! I love you!" said Litvinof, with
a deep groan, as though the words had been
violently torn from his chest.
   And he turned away to hide his face.
   "What, Gregory Mikhailovitch, you--"
   Irene, in her turn, failed to finish her
sentence, and, sinking back in her chair,
placed both hands before her face.
   "You-love me ?"


36








SMOKE.


  "Yes-yes-yes !" he repeated with a deep
sigh, as he turned his face further away.
  For several minutes the most profound
silence reigned in the room. A butterfly
was agitating its wings and beating against
the window, but that was the only sound.
Litvinof was the first to speak.
   "That, Irene Pavlovna, that is the mis-
fortune which has - struck me; which I
ought to have foreseen and avoided; which
I might have avoided if-as I was before
at Moscow-I had not been carried away
by the torrent.   It seems as though fate
had willed that I should undergo another
trial, and again through you, and suffer
torments which I thought could never be
renewed. I have resisted, I have tried to
resist, but it is useless to struggle against
that which must happen. I say all this, in
order that we may the sooner come to the


37








SMOKE.


end of this-this tragi-comedy," he added,
with a fresh explosion of violence and
shame.
   Litvinof paused. The butterfly continued
 to beat its wings against the window. Irene
 still sat with her hands before her face.
   "And you are not deceiving yourself ?"
These words came from between hands so
white that they seemed not to have a drop
of blood in them.
   ' I do not deceive myself," replied Lit-
vinof, in a hollow voice. "I love you as
I have never loved another. I do not
attempt to reproach you-that would be too
absurd; I will not tell you that perhaps all
this would not have happened, if you had
acted otherwise towards me. No doubt, I
alone am guilty; my presumption has de-
stroyed me. I am justly punished; you
could not have expected such a result; of


38








SMOKE.


course you could not foresee that it would
have been less dangerous for me, had you
not so earnestly sought to excuse to me
your fault-your so-called fault-and if you
had not been so anxious to repair it. But
what is the use of talking of the past ? I
only wish to explain my position to you:
it is sufficiently painful. At least, as you
said, there will exist no misunderstanding
now; and the frankness of my confession
will, I hope, diminish the mortification which
you must feel."
   Litvinof spoke without raising his eyes;
 besides, if he had looked at Irene, he would
 not have been able to see what was passing
 upon her countenance, for she still kept it
 concealed by her hands. However, what
 was passing over that face would perhaps
 have surprised him: there was both terror
 and joy; a strange calm, and, at the same


39








SMOKE.


time, an anxiety that was even more
strange. Her eyes were partly closed, and
the deep breathing came in spasms and
seemed to parch her half-open lips.
   Litvinof remained silent, expecting a
reply, a sound; but none came.
   " It now only remains for me to wish you
good-bye," he added;G" I came to take leave
of you."
   Irene allowed her hands to fall slowly
upon her knees.
   "But I thought, Gregory Mikhailovitch,
that the-the person of whom you have
told me, was to arrive here? I thought
you were waiting for her ?"
   "Yes, but I shall write to her. She can
stop somewhere upon the road; at Heidel-
berg, for instance."
  "Oh! at Heidelberg      yes-very   well.
But that will disarrange your plans. Are


40








SMOKE.


you sure, Gregory Mikailovitch, that you
do not exaggerate, and that it is not a false
alarm ? "
  Irene spoke calmly, almost coldly, and
with slight pauses, keeping her eyes turned
towards the window. Litvinof did not
reply to her last question.
   "Why did you speak of mortification ?"
she continued.   "I am not hurt-oh no!
And if either of us is guilty, it is not you;
at least, it is not you alone. Recall our last
conversation, and you will be convinced that
it is not you who are guilty."
   "I have never doubted your generosity,"
said Litvinof, between his teeth; "but I
wish to know if you approve of my in-
tention ?"
   "To go away?"
   "Yes."
   Irene continued to look away from him.


41








SMOKE.


   "At the first moment your intention
appeared to me premature. Now I have re-
flected upon what you have said, and if you
really do not mistake yourself, I suppose
then it will be better for you to go away.
It will be better-better for both of us."
  Irene spoke very slowly, and her voice
became more and more feeble.
  "In fact, General Ratmirof may observe
--" began Litvinof.
   Irene cast down her eyes; a strong
quivering  appeared   around  her mouth,
which she made powerful efforts to master.
   "No, you have not understood me," she
interrupted; "I was not thinking of my
husband. Why should I ? he has not re-
marked anything. But, I repeat, a separa-
tion is indispensable for both of us."
  Litvinof took up his hat, which had fallen
to the floor.


42








SMOKE.


   "All is over," he thought. "I must go.
Then it only remains for me to take leave
of you, Irene Pavlovna," he said aloud;
and his heart sank as though he had pro-
nounced his own judgment. "I have nothing
more to say, except that I hope you will
not retain too bad an opinion of me, and
that, if ever---"
   Irene again interrupted him.
   "Wait, Gregory Mikhailovitch, do not
take leave of me; it would be too-
precipitate."
  Litvinof gave a start, but his heart swelled
with bitterness, and he felt a burning sen-
sation upon his forehead.
  "But why should I remain ?" he ex-
claimed.  "Why     should I prolong this
torment ?"
  "Do not leave me yet," repeated Irene.
"I must see you again. Another sudden


43








SMOKE.


separation, like the one at Moscow! No, I
cannot consent to that. You may retire for
the present, but promise me, give me your
word of honour, that you will not go with-
out having seen me once more."
  " You desire it ? "
  "I demand it. If you go away without
seeing me, I will never, never pardon you;
-you understand, never !      It is very
strange!" she added, as though to herself:
"I cannot imagine that I am at Baden-
I fancy that I am at Moscow-You had
better go now."
  Litvinof rose.
  "Irene Pavlovna," said he, "give me
your hand."
   Irene shook her head.
   "I have told you that I will not say
adieu to you."
   "It is not a sign of adieu that I ask."


44








SMOKE.


   Irene was about to hold out her hand,
but she looked at Litvinof, for the first time
after his confession, and drew it back.
  "No, no," she murmured, "I will not
give you my hand. No, no, not now."
  Litvinof bowed and went out. He did
not understand the refusal of Irene to give
him a last friendly shake of the hand, he did
not comprehend why she feared to do so.
He left the room and closed the door behind
him, and Irene fell back in her chair, and
once more covered her face with her hands.


45




















CHAPTER XVI.


LITVINOF did not return to his chambers;
he went upon the hills, and, penetrating a
thicket, threw himself upon the ground with
his face downward, and remained thus
stretched out for more than an hour. He
did not suffer, he did not weep; a strange
numbness, a melancholy torpor had come
over him. He had never before felt any-
thing like it; it was an intolerable sense
of void, of void within him, around him,
everywhere.
  He thought neither of Irene nor Tatiana.








SMOKE.


He only felt one thing: the axe had struck
him; the rope which held him to the post
was broken, and he felt himself seized by
the waves and carried on through the
freezing waters of some unknown sea,
far from a reed to which he might cling,
far from all hope of ever getting back
to land.
   Sometimes it seemed as though the vor-
tex was closing over him, and he felt him-
self whirling deeper and deeper into the
black abyss. Sometim es he clutched at his
first resolution. He would decide at once.
There should no longer be any question
as to his departure     from   Baden.    In
thought, he was already upon the road;
he was sitting in the train as it thundered
and steamed along, hurrying on, on, on;
but towards a land, barren and desolate,
without one green spot in the vast horizon.


47







SMOKE.


  He got up at last; and, supporting his
head   against a   tree, stood motionless,
mechanically   supporting  himself by  a
bramble which he had grasped to keep
himself from falling backwards. The sound
of approaching footsteps aroused him from
his stupor; two colliers, with enormous
bags upon their shoulders, were coming
down a rugged path.
   " It is time," murmured Litvinof.
   He followed the colliers, hastened to
the railway station, and sent a telegram
to Tatiana's aunt, Capitoline Markovna.
He informed her of his immediate depar-
ture; and appointed to meet her and her
niece at the Schrader Hotel, at Heidel-
berg.
   "Since it must come to an end, I will
make an end of it at once, and not put
it off till to-morrow."


48








SMOKE.


  After that he went into the gaming-
room, stared at two or three of the players
with almost vacant curiosity, observed in the
distance the deformed occiput of Bindasof
and the solemn face of Pitchtchalkin; and
after remaining for a few moments under
the colonnade, proceeded, without hurrying,
to Irene's hotel.
  It was not a sudden and impulsive feeling
which led him there: decided to go, he was
equally decided to keep hist word, and to
see her for the last time. He therefore
entered the hotel without being seen by
the porter, and ran up-stairs without meet-
ing anybody.    He    mechanically  pushed
open the door, and entered the drawing-
room without knocking.
  Irene was sitting in the same fauteuil, in
the same dress, in the same posture. It
was evident that she had not changed her
  VOL. II.                           E


49








SMOKE.


place, that she had not moved all that time.
She slowly raised her eyes, and, seeing
Litvinof, made a start, and grasped the arm
of the chair.
  " You frightened me," she murmured.
  Litvinof considered her with mute sur-
prise. The expression of her visage and
the dimness of her eyes struck him. Irene
made an effort to smile, and repaired the
disorder of her hair.
   "It is nothing--I really do not know-
I think I must have gone to sleep here,"
she said.
   "Excuse me, Irene Pavlovna," began
Litvinof. "I entered without being an-
nounced-I wanted to do as you wished
me. As I am leaving this evening-"
   "This evening! But you told me, I
thought, that you would write a letter
first."


50








SMOKE.


  " I have sent a telegram."
  "Oh ! you think it urgent. And when
do you go ? I mean at what hour ?"
  "At seven o'clock."
  " Oh! at seven o'clock ! And you have
come to wish me good-bye?"
  "Yes, Irene Pavlovna, to take leave of
you."
   Irene remained silent.
   "I must thank you, Gregory Mikhailo-
vitch: it has probably cost you an effort
to come here ?"
   " That is true, Irene Pavlovna; it has."
   "In general, life is not a pleasant thing,
 Gregory  Mikhailovitch; what do     you
 think ?"
   "That depends, Irene Pavlovna."
   Irene was once more silent; her thoughts
 seemed to be wandering.
   "You have provd to me your friendship


51








SMOKE.


in returning," she said, at length. "I thank
you. In short, I approve of your intention
to end all as soon as possible; because all
delay-because-because I, whom you ac-
cuse of coquetry, whom you called an
actress,-it was thus, I think, that you
called me-  "
   Irene rose suddenly, and changing her
seat, allowed her face to sink upon her
hands on the edge of the table.
   "Because I love you," she murmured,
between her clasped fingers.
  Litvinof staggered as though some one
had struck him upon the chest. Irene
turned her head, as though she wished to
conceal her face from him, and laid it
upon the table.
   "Yes, I love you-and you know it."
   "I ! I know    it!" exclaimed Litvinof.
"I !"


52







SMOKE.


   "Now, you see," continued Irene, "that
you must really go, that it is impossible
to put it off--both for your sake and mine.
It is dangerous, it is terrible . Adieu!"
she added, rising hurriedly from her chair.
" Farewell!"
   She took some steps in the direction of
the door, and holding out her hand behind
her, waved it in the air, as though she
wished to encounter that of Litvinof; but
he stood in his place as though he was
rooted to the floor. She said once more,
"Adieu! Forget!" and, without turning her
head, disappeared.
  Left alone, Litvinof had some difficulty
in retaining his senses. He recovered at
length, and hastily approaching the door
through which she had disappeared, pro-
nounced the name of Irene once, twice,
three times. He already had hold of the


53








SMOKE.


handle, when the sonorous voice of Ratmirof
was heard upon the steps of the hotel.
  Litvinof drew his hat over his eyes, and
descended the stairs. The elegant general
was standing before the porter's box, ex-
plaining in indifferent German that he
should require a carriage for the whole of
the morrow.
   Perceiving Litvinof, he again raised his
 hat with profuse politeness, and once more
 presented to him his "respects."  He was
 evidently mocking him; but Litvinof was
 thinking of other things. He hardly re-
 turned Ratmirof's bow, but hastened by,
 and regained his lodgings, where he sat
 down beside his box, which was already
 packed and corded.
   His head was whirling, and his heart
 was trembling like a leaf. What was he
 to do now ?  Could he foresee?


54








SMOKE.


  Yes, he saw it all--his course was
marked out; the interview had made no
change in his determination. Incredible as
it may seem, he had had an undefined pre-
sentiment of what had taken place. It had
stunned him like a clap of thunder, but he
had foreseen it, although he had not dared
to acknowledge it to himself. Yet he was
sure of nothing. All within him was min-
gled and confounded; he had lost the
thread of his thoughts. He thought of
Moscow-there also all had disappeared.
He felt suffocated. A sense of triumph, of
sterile triumph, oppressed and confused his
mind.
   Nothing in the world would have in-
 duced him to wish that the words which
 had escaped Irene should be recalled. But
 what then? Those words could not change
 his resolution. That resolution was not


55








SMOKE.


wavering as it had been before, but firm
as the anchor of a vessel. "And then die,
if I must!" he said, as he had done dur-
ing the last sleepless night. That phrase
pleased him mightily. "And then die, if
I must!" he repeated, as he walked round
the room.
   At times he closed his eyes, and ceased
to breathe, as the words of Irene came like
burning coals upon his mind. "Apparently
one cannot love twice," he thought; "an-
other life is blended with your own, and
you cannot get rid of it; you cannot cure
yourself of the sting-you can never escape
from the first influence! Thus it is, but
what does that prove ?   Happiness-     Is
it possible? You love her? and she-she
loves you     ."  Here he was obliged to
make a great effort over himself.
  Like a traveller who, in a dark night,


56








SMOKE.


sees before him a feeble light, and, fearing
to go astray, does not dare for a moment
to lose sight of the friendly beacon, Lit-
vinof concentrated all the powers of his
mind upon one object; to join his betrothed,
or rather, not to join his betrothed (he
tried not to think of that), but to reach
the hotel at Heidelberg, where he had pro-
posed to meet her-that was his lighthouse.
What was to come after that he did not
know, and did not want to know; there
was only one thing certain, that he would
not go back. "Anad then die if I must!"
he repeated for the tenth time, as he con-
sulted his watch. It was a quarter past
six. As there was still some time to wait,
he began to walk to and fro.
  The sun was going down behind the
trees, covering the sky with a crimson
glow, and a red light stole through the


57








SMOKE.


narrow windows into the room, which was
gradually becoming darker and darker.
Suddenly it seemed to Litvinof that the
door was softly opened and closed again;
he turned round, and saw a woman en-
veloped in a black cloak.
  "Irene !" he exclaimed, clasping his
hands.
   She made a sign of the head, and her
forehead sank upon the bosom of Litvinof.
   An hour after this apparition, Litvinof
was sitting alone upon his sofa. His box
stood in a corner, open and empty; among
a heap of objects in disorder upon a table
lay a letter from Tatiana, which he had
just received.
   She informed him that, her aunt having
completely recovered her health, she had
decided to hasten her departure from Dres-
den, and that, if nothing happened to


58








SMOKE.


prevent it, she expected to reach Baden
on the following day; she added, that
she hoped he would come to the station
to meet them.
   Apartments had been engaged by Lit-
vinof at the same hotel at which he was
stopping. The same evening he sent a
note to Irene, and the following morning
received a reply.
   "Sooner or later," she wrote, "it was
inevitable. For myself, I repeat what I
told you yesterday; my life is in your
hands, do what you will with me. I leave
you full liberty; but know that, if it should
be necessary, I will leave all and follow
you to the end of the world. We shall
see each other again to-morrow, shall we
not ?
                               " IRENE."


59




















CHAPTER XVII.


AMONG the persons assembled, at twelve
o'clock on the 18th August, upon the
platform of the railway station, may have
been seen Litvinof. Some minutes pre-
viously, he had encounted Irene; she was
in an open carriage with her husband and
a gentleman of mature age. She saw Lit-
vinof. There was a dark expression round
her eyes; but she at once concealed herself
from him with her parasol.
  A remarkable change had taken place
in him since the previous day; in all his








SMOKE.


movements, in his walk, in the expres-
sion of his face, he appeared another
man.
  Confidence, quietude, self- respect, all
were gone; there remained only the ruin
of his moral structure; his recent and
indelible impressions had masked his whole
past existence. He experienced a sensa-
tion entirely new-intense, poignant, but
detestable. A mysterious guest had entered
the sanctuary, and there established him-
self in silence, making himself absolute
master, like a person taking possession of
a new dwelling.
  Litvinof no longer felt shame; he was
afraid; at the same time he was burning
with desperate temerity. The vanquished,
the prisioner, knows something of these
mingled feelings, and perhaps the thief
after his first crime. Now, Litvinof was


61








SMOKE.


vanquished, vanquished unawares; rand what
had now become of his honour ?
  The train was some minutes late. The
anxiety of Litvinof changed into mortal
agony; he could not rest in one place;
pale as a spectre, he mingled with the
crowd, trying to lose himself.     "Good
heavens!" he thought; "if she should
have put it off for a day."
  His first look at Tatiana, and the first
look she cast upon him-that was what
would try him-that was what he wanted
to get over as soon as possible. And after
that ? After that, come what may.
  He made no resolution, he could no longer
answer for himself. The phrase which he
had so often repeated on the previous day
came back to his mind. And this was the
painful state of mind in which he had come
to meet Tatiana.


62








SMOKE.


   A harsh whistle was heard at last, and
the locomotive was seen slowly advancing.
The crowd hurried to meet it, and Lit-
vinof followed, staggering like a condemned
wretch on his way to the scaffold.
   The next moment faces could be distin-
guished in the carriages; and a white hand-
kerchief waving from one of the windows
drew his eyes upon Capitoline Markovna.
This was the terrible moment; she had seen
Litvinof, and-and he had recognized her.
   The train stopped, and Litvinof sprang
forward, and opened the door. Tatiana was
standing close to her aunt, and with a
limpid smile, held out her hand to him.
He helped them to descend, muttering some
commonplace words which he hardly under-
stood himself, and immediately began to
busy himself in taking their tickets, re-
lieving them of their bags and shawls,


63








SMOKE.


calling a porter, and retaining a cab. The
crowd were shouting and bustling around
him, and he felt secretly obliged to them
for the noise they made.
   Tatiana stood a little apart, and, without
ceasing to smile, quietly awaited the ter-
mination of this feverish agitation. Capi-
toline Markovna, on the contrary, could not
yet believe that she was at Baden. Sud-
denly she called out-
   "Oh! the umbrellas !     Tatiana, where
are the umbrellas ?" forgetting that she
had them under her arm; then she turned
round, and took a noisy farewell of a lady
whose acquaintance she had made between
Heidelberg and Baden.
  That lady was no other than our friend
Madame Soukhautchikof. She had been to
pay a visit to Goubaref at Heidelberg, and
was now returning.


64








SMOKE.


   Capitoline Markovna wore a rather re-
markable cloak of many colours and a round
travelling hat, in the shape of a mushroom,
which did not conceal her grey hair, which
was cut short like that of a child. Of
middle   height, slender, excited  by her
journey, and speaking Russian in a sharp
and singing voice, she looked a sufficiently
singular person, and attracted a number
of eyes towards her.
   Litvinof at last got them into the vehicle,
and seated himself opposite them. The
driver whipped the horse, and they were
on their way to the hotel. Then came
shaking of hands, smiles, and compliments,
followed by a long string of questions.
   Litvinof began to breathe; the first few
 moments had not been so badly passed.
 Nothing in him seemed to have surprised
 or troubled Tatiania. She still looked at
   VOL. II.                          F


65








SMOKE.


him full of serenity and confidence, blushing
gracefully, and laughing with all her heart.
He determined to look at her, not stealthily,
but with a fixed look; his eyes had hitherto
rebelled against him.
   An involuntary compassion had seized
his mind; and the expression of that calm
and loyal face made him feel bitter remorse.
"You have come here, poor girl! you whom
I have expected so long," he thought,
"whom I have asked to share my lot in
life; you have come full of love and con-
fidence in me, and I-  and I-   ."  He
bowed down his head, but Capitoline Mark-
ovna did not give him leisure to plunge
into reverie, but overwhelmed him with
questions.
  "What building is that with the columns ?
Where is the place they gamble ? Tatiana,
Tatiana, look; what crinolines! Who is


66








SMOKE.


that ? There must be a great many people
from Paris here ? Good heavens, what a
hat! Why they are all here just as in
Paris! But I imagine everything is very
dear ? Oh ! what an excellent and in-
telligent woman we met with! You know
her, Gregory Mikhailovitch; she told me
that she had met you at the house of a
Russian gentleman, a man of great talents
and good sense. She promised to call and
see us. How all these aristocrats dress!
it is wonderful! Who is that gentleman
with grey moustaches? The king of Prussia?
Tatiana, Tatiana, look; that is the king of
Prussia. No. It is not the king of Prussia.
The ambassador of the Netherlands. I did
not hear, for the wheels make so much noise.
Oh! what beautiful trees !"
  "Yes, aunt, they are splendid," ob-
served Tatiana; "and how green and gay
                                 F2


67








SMOKE.


everything looks. Does it not, Gregory
Mikhailovitch ? "
   "Very gay," replied Litvinof, between
his teeth.
   The vehicle stopped before the hotel.
Litvinof conducted the travellers to the
apartments which he had engaged for them,
and, promising to return in an hour, entered
his own room. The moment he set his
foot inside he was again seized by the
magic charm which had been dissipated
for a moment.
  Irene had reigned in that room since the
previous day, and every object there spoke
of her. Litvinof felt himself more than ever
her slave.   He drew   forth Irene's hand-
kerchief, which he had concealed in his
bosom, and put it to his lips, and a shiver
ran through his veins like a subtle poison.
He saw that there was no return, no choice:


68








SMOKE.


the mournful compassion which had been
aroused by the sight of Tatiana vanished
like snow before the sun, and the voice of
repentance was silenced, silenced so com-
pletely that he ceased to have any anxiety,
and the necessity of practising deceit pre-
sented itself to his mind without causing
any disgust.
   To love Irene had become right in his
eyes-his law, his conscience. He, formerly
so prudent and reasonable, no longer even
thought how he should escape from a posi-
tion the horror and absurdity of which
weighed very lightly upon him, and as
though it concerned somebody else.
  An hour had not passed, when a waiter
brought a message from the new arrivals,
begging him to come and join them in the
common hall. He followed the messenger,
and found them already dressed, and with


69








SMOKE.


their bonnets on. Both expressed a desire
to profit by the fine weather to cast a
glance over Baden.
   Capitoline Markovna  particularly   was
burning with impatience, and she was even
disposed to be angry when she was informed
that it was not the hour at which fashion-
able people assembled before the Conversa-
tionhaus. Litvinof offered her his arm, and
the official promenade commenced.
   Tatiana walked by the side of her aunt,
and gazed with quiet curiosity upon all
around her, while Capitoline Markovna con-
tinued her questions.
   They stopped and watched them play at
roulette. At the sight of the croupiers, so
distingue that, if she had seen them else-
where, she would certainly have taken them
for noblemen-at the sight of their little
rakes, constantly in motion, the heaps of


70








SMOKE.


gold upon the green cloth, and women,
young and old, playing, Capitoline Mar-
kovna fell into mute ecstasies; she forgot
entirely that she ought to have been indig-
nant, and had not enough eyes to look,
trembling.with excitement every time that
the numbers were called. The humming of
the ivory ball in the roulette penetrated to
the marrow of her bones; it was not till she
got out into the open air that she found
enough strength to heave a deep sigh, and
call games of chance an immoral invention
of the aristocracy.
   An unpleasant smile played round Lit
vinof's lips; he uttered his words carelessly
and with jerks, seeming to be fatigued or
annoyed. But as he turned towards Ta-
tiana, he had considerable difficulty in keep-
ing his countenance. She looked at him
with attention, and seemed to be asking her-


71








SMOKE.


self what kind of impression he made upon
her. He occasionally made a sign of his
head to her, to which she responded without
ceasing to regard him with an interroga-
tive look and with a certain anxiety, as
though he had been farther from her than
he really was.
  Litvinof led the ladies from the Conversa-
tionhaus, and avoiding the "Arbre Russe,"
under which were seated two of his country-
men, walked towards the All de Lichten-
thal.  He had scarcely entered the walk
when he saw Irene in the distance. She
was advancing towards him with her hus-
band and Potoughine.
   Litvinof turned white as a sheet; how-
ever, he did not quicken his pace, and when
they met, he made her a silent bow. She
coldly inclined her head, and, after casting a
scrutinizing glance upon Tatiana, passed on.


72








SMOKE.


Ratmirof raised his hat very high, and
Potoughine muttered something which was
unintelligible to everybody but himself.
  "Who is that lady ?" inquired Tatiana,
who hitherto had scarcely opened her lips.
  " That lady ?" repeated Litvinof; "that
lady? her name is Ratmirof."
  " A Russian ?"
  "Yes."
  ' You   have   made   her acquaintance
here ?"
   "No, I have known her for a long
while."
   "How beautiful she is!"
   "Did you notice her clothes ?" said
Capitoline Markovna. "That lace alone
cost enough money to keep ten families for
a whole year! Was that her husband with
her ?" she added, turning towards Lit-
vinof.


73








SMOKE.


   "Yes, her husband."
   " He must be enormously rich?"
   "I do not know, but I suppose he is."
   "And what is his position ?"
   "He is a general."
   "What eyes !" added Tatiana ; "but they
had a strange expression; they were dreamy
and piercing at the same time; I never saw
such eyes before."
   Litvinof made no reply; he still seemed
to feel the inquisitive look of Tatiana
upon his face, but he was deceived: she
was looking down at the gravel of the
path.
   "Good gracious! who is this monster ?"
suddenly exclaimed Capitoline Markovna,
pointing to a pannier, in which was list-
lessly reclining a woman with a turn-
up nose, and dressed in a most gaudy
costume.


74








SMOKE.


   "That monster? why that is no other
than the famous Mademoiselle Cora."
  " Who ?"
  "Mademoiselle Cora, a celebrated Pa-
risian lady."
  "What! that pug-nosed creature? Why,
she is positively ugly."
   "That appears to have nothing to do
with it."
   Capitoline Markovna allowed her arms
to fall. "Well, your Baden is a pretty
place! May we sit down upon this seat ?
I feel rather tired."
  "Certainly, Capitoline Markovna; the
seats are placed here for that purpose."
  " How do I know your customs?      I am
told that in Paris there are seats placed
upon the boulevards, but that it is not
right to sit down upon them."
  Litvinof did not give himself the trouble


75







SMOKE.


to enlighten Capitoline Markovna upon this
point. He saw that they were in the same
spot where the decisive explanation be-
tween himself and Irene had taken place,
and was thinking that he had seen upon
her cheeks a little rosy tint.
   Capitoline Markovna took possession of
the seat, Tatiana took a place by her side,
and Litvinof remained standing in the path.
Was it the effect of his imagination, or
reality ? It seemed to him that an inde-
finable something was gradually being in-
terposed between himself and Tatiana.
   "Oh! what a peacock!" went on Capi-
toline Markovna, shaking her head with
compassion. "If her toilet was to be sold
it would keep not only ten families, but
a hundred.    Did you see the diamonds
upon her bonnet, and upon her red hair?
Diamonds, in the morning !"


76








SMOKE.


  "She has not red hair," observed Lit-
vinof; "she has it thus because it is the
fashion."
  Capitoline Markovna again made a ges-
ture of astonishment, and began to reflect.
"With    us, at Dresden," she continued,
" they have not come to anything quite so
scandalous as that. That is because we
are farther from Paris. You share my
opinion, do you not, Gregory Mikhailo-
vitch ?"
   "I!" returned Litvinof, adding to him-
self, "What the deuce is she talking about ?
I? oh! of course, most decidedly."
   At that moment he heard a measured
tread, and saw Potoughine approaching.
   "Good day !" said he to Gregory Mik-
hailovitch, smiling and nodding his head.
   Litvinof grasped his hand.
   " Good day! good day! Sozouthe Ivano-


77








SMOKE.


vitch; I think I just met you with    a
moment ago, in the walk."
   "Yes, it was I."
   Potoughine bowed respectfully to the
ladies, who kept their seats.
  "Allow me to introduce you to my
friends, relations who have just arrived
from Dresden-Potoughine Sozouthe Ivano-
vitch, a countryman of mine, also a visitor
at Baden."
  The two ladies bowed, and Potoughine
again raised his hat.
  "It is a perfect raout," began Capitoline
Markovna, in a falsetto voice; the excellent
old lady was somewhat bashful, but wished
above all things not to show it. "Every-
body seems to think it a duty to come
here."
  "Baden is, indeed, a very pleasant place
to spend a short time at," replied Potou-


78








SMOKE.


ghine, looking stealthily at Tatiana; "yes,
a pleasant spot is Baden."
   "Yes, only it is' too aristocratic, so far
as I can judge. We have been living at
Dresden; it is a very interesting town,
but here it is a perfect raout."
   "That word seems to please her," thought
Potoughine. "Your remark is very just,"
he said aloud; "but, on the other hand,
nature is very splendid here, and the situa-
tion is the most picturesque that is to be
found anywhere.     Your companion espe-
cially must appreciate that. Is it not so,
mademoiselle ?" he added, addressing him-
self directly to Tatiana.
  Tatiana fixed her large limpid eyes upon
Potoughine. She seemed to be trying to
understand what could have been the object
of Litvinof in making her acquainted, on
the very first day of her arrival, with this


79








SMOKE.


stranger, who, however, seemed to have an
honest and intelligent face, and who exa-
mined her with politeness and interest.
   "Yes," she replied, "it is very nice
here."
   "You must pay a visit to the Old
Chateau," continued Potoughine; "and I
advise you especially to go to Ibourg."
   "Swiss Saxony       ," began Capitoline
Markovna.
   At that moment there was a sound of
music; it was the Prussian military band
from Rastadt (in 1862 Rastadt was still a
federal fortress), which was commencing its
weekly concert in the pavilion.
   Capitoline Markovna rose immediately.
   "Music," she said; "music a la conver-
 sation!  We must go.      It is now   four
 o'clock; that is the fashionable hour, is it
 not?"


80








SMOKE.


   "Yes," replied Potoughine; "this is the
fashionable part of the day, and the music
is excellent."
   "Then we must not delay; Tatiana,
come along."
   "Will you permit me to accompany
you ?" asked Potoughine, to the great sur-
prise of Litvinof, it never coming into his
head that Potoughine could have been sent
by Irene.
   Capitoline - Markovna smiled graciously.
"With great pleasure, Monsieur-"
   "Potoughine !" he said, offering his arm
to her. Litvinof gave his to Tatiana, and
the two couples hastened towards the Con-
versationhaus.
  Potoughine continued to converse with
Capitoline Markovna, and Litvinof to walk
along without opening his mouth; twice
only he smiled without any cause, and
   VOL. II.                         G


81







SMOKE.


slightly pressed the hand of Tatiana. There
was falsehood in these squeezings of the
hand, to which she did not respond, and
Litvinof hated himself for that falsehood.
He knew that they did not express the
confidence of two souls who had given
themselves to each other; they merely took
the place of words which would not come
to his lips. That nameless something which
had placed itself between them seemed to
grow more palpable. Tatiana gazed at him
again, with an attentive, almost scrutinizing
look.
   Seated at a small table in front of the
 Conversationhaus, no change took place in
 their situation, except that, amidst the noise
 of the crowd and the sound of the instru-
 ments, the silence of Litvinof appeared less
 extraordinary.
   Capitoline Markovna was quite beside


82








SMOKE.


herself with excitement; Potoughine had
the  utmost difficulty  in answering  her
questions  and   satisfying her   curiosity.
Fortunately for him, among the crowd of
promenaders appeared the dry face of Ma-
dame Soukautchikof, with her eyes con-
stantly ready to dart out of her head.
Capitoline Markovna recognized her at once,
and begged her to come and sit down at
their table, and then there burst forth a
veritable tempest of words.
   Potoughine turned towards Tatiana, and
began to converse with her in a slow and
gentle voice, with an affable expression
upon his face; and she, to her own sur-
prise, answered him with perfect ease.
She felt great pleasure in talking to this
stranger, this man whom she had not
known two hours before; while Litvinof
sat, as before, motionless in his chair, with
                                   G2


83








SMOKE.


the same faint and unpleasant smile upon
his lips.
   At length the dinner hour arrived, the
music ceased, and the company began to
disperse.  Capitoline Markovna took  an
affectionate adieu of Madame Soukhaut-
chikof. She held that lady in high esteem,
although she afterwards said to her niece
that that person was too enthusiastic, but
that, on the other hand, she was acquainted
with everything. And as for the sewing-
machine, it would be necessary to procure
one immediately after the marriage.
  Potoughine retired, and Litvinof con-
ducted the ladies back to the hotel. At
the door a note was put into his hand;
he moved on one side, and tore open the
envelope. Upon a small sheet of paper
these words were traced in pencil, "Come
to me at seven o'clock this evening for one


84








SMOKE.


minute; I wish to speak to you."   Litvinol
crammed the paper into his pocket, and
turning round, began to smile again-at
whom? and why?
   They dined at the table d'hote.     Lit-
vinof was placed between Capitoline Mark-
ovna and Tatiana. He now began to talk,
and to tell anecdotes, pouring himself out
some wine, and seeing that the ladies
wanted nothing.     He   had   been seized
all at once with strange animation, and
spoke in so light a tone that an officer of
some regiment of the line at Strasbourg,
with moustaches a la Napoleon, who was
sitting opposite him, took the liberty of
taking part in the conversation, and ended
by proposing a toast to la sante' des belles
Moscovites !
  After dinner, Litvinof led     the   two
ladies back to their room; he sat for a


85








SMOKE.


moment, with a gloomy look, near the
window; and then abruptly declared that
he should be obliged to absent himself
for a short time upon business, but that
he should return in the evening. Tatiana
said nothing, but cast down her eyes and
turned pale.
   Capitoline Markovna was in the habit of
taking a nap after dinner; Tatiana knew
that Livinof was not ignorant of that fact,
and she had hoped that he would take
advantage of it, and that he would remain
with her; for he had not been a single
moment alone with her since her arrival,
and therefore had had no opportunity of
speaking freely. And now he was going
out. How was she to interpret that, and
his conduct during the whole day ?
  Litvinof hurriedly left the room, without
waiting for a reply. Capitoline Markovna


86








                  SMOKE.                87

lay down upon the divan, and, after having
heaved two sighs, sunk peacefully to sleep;
Tatiana went into a corner, and sat down
in a chair, with her arms crossed upon her
bosom.





















            CHAPTER XVIII.

As Litvinof was mounting the stairs of the
Hotel de l'Europe, a little girl of thirteen,
with a saucy Kalmuck face, who was evi-
dently looking out for him, stopped him,
and said in Russian-
   "Will you please to come in here ? Irene
Pavlovna will come to you directly."
  He looked at her with some hesitation.
She smiled, and repeated her invitation;
and then, introducing him into a small
room, encumbered *with boxes, situated








SMOKE.


opposite the apartments of Irene, disap-
peared.
  Litvinof had not had time to look about
him when the same door opened abruptly,
and gave admission to Irene, in a pink
ball-dress, with pearls among her hair and
round her neck. She took both his hands
in hers, and remained some seconds without
speaking; her eyes glistened and her chest
heaved, as though she had come up-stairs
in a hurry.
   "I could not receive you in the drawing-
room," she began almost in a whisper; we
are just starting for a dinner-party. I
wanted to see you for a moment. That
was your intended with whom I met you
this morning ?"
   "Yes, that was my intended," replied Lit-
vinof, emphasizing the word "was."
   "Well, I wanted to see you for a se-


89








SMOKE.


cond, to tell you that you may consider
yourself entirely free, and that what passed
yesterday need not change your inten-
tions."
   "Irene!" exclaimed Litvinof, "why do
you say that ?"
   He uttered these words in a loud voice
and in a tone of intense passion.
   Irene closed her eyes for a second.
   "Ah!" she continued, still in a low
voice, but with an irresistibly captivating
manner, "you cannot tell how much I
love you; but yesterday I only paid my
debt, and repaired my fault. I cannot,
as I could wish, give you my youth, but
I imposed no obligation upon you, I bound
you by no promise. Oh! my friend, do as
you will; you are free as the air; nothing
binds you to me; I have no wish to destroy
your happiness !"


90








SMOKE.


  "But I cannot live without you, Irene,"
murmured Litvinof; " I am yours for ever.
I can only live at your feet."
  He stooped and kissed her hands, and
Irene looked upon his bowed-down head.
  " Understand, then," she said, "that I also
am ready for anything; I regret nothing;
I care for no one but you. Whatever you
decide upon shall be done. I also am
yours-for ever."
  Somebody rapped at the door. Irene
stooped and murmured once more, "Thine!
adieu!"
  Litvinof felt her breath pass over his
forehead, but when he raised his head, she
was no longer in the room. He could hear
the rustling of her dress in the passage,
and   the voice of Ratmirof calling    im-
patiently, " Well, are you not coming?"
  Litvinof sat down upon a large box, and


91








SMOKE.


as he put his hands to his face, he smelt
a sweet and fresh perfume-Irene had taken
his hand in hers. "This is too much," he
thought.
   The little girl entered the room, and
smiling again at his wild look, said to
him, "Will you please to go now, be-
fore ------"
   He rose and quitted the hotel. How
could he think of returning at once to his
lodgings? it was necessary to regain his
senses. His heart beat in a slow and un-
equal manner, and the ground seemed to
move up and down beneath his tread, as
he walked slowly up the Alli de Licht-
enthal.
  He saw that the decisive moment had
arrived; that it was impossible to put it
off, to practise deception, to have recourse
to expedients; that an explanation with


92







SMOKE.


Tatiana was inevitable; but how was he to
enter upon that explanation ?
   He said adieu to all his future-happy
and usefully laid out as it had seemed so
recently; he knew that he was casting him-
self head foremost over a precipice, and yet
it was not that which troubled him. All
that was decided; but how was he to present
himself before the judge? And if he had
had really to deal with a judge -with an
angel wielding a blade of fire-his criminal
heart would perhaps have bowed to the
stroke, but here he had to plunge the knife
into himself.
  It was terrible!  He might still have
gone back, profiting by the liberty which
had been left him; but no! death was a
thousand times preferable.  Liberty! of
what use was that hateful liberty? He
could willingly have cast himself headlong


93








SMOKE.


into the abyss, have dashed himself to
atoms, provided those eyes were fixed upon
him with love.
   "Gregory Mikhailovitch!" said a mourn-
ful voice; and a hand was laid heavily upon
his shoulder.   He turned, not without
terror, and saw Potoughine.
   "Excuse me, Gregory Mikhailovitch,"
began the latter, in his habitual manner;
"I am disturbing you, perhaps; but, seeing
you in the distance, I thought- . Besides,
if you have anything else to do-"
   "On the contrary, I am very pleased
to meet you," said Litvinof, between his
teeth.
   Potoughine walked by his side.
   "What a beautiful evening!" he pursued;
"how warm it is!  Have you been walking

long ?"
   "No, not very long."


94








SMOKE.


   "But, what do I say? I saw you leave
 the Hotel de l'Europe."
   " And you followed me ?"
   " Yes."
   "Have you something to tell me ?"
   "Yes," repeated Potoughine, but so low
that he could scarcely be heard.
   Litvinof stopped, and looked the inter-
locutor, who thus forced his company upon
him, from head to foot. His visage was
pale, and his look vague; and an old
and incurable sorrow was visible upon his
withered features.
   "What have you to say to me par-
ticularly?" said Litvinof, slowly, as he
went on with his walk again.
  " Here-allow me-I will tell you at
once. If you don't mind, we will sit
down here; we shall be more to our-
selves."


95








SMOKE.


  "' Then it is something mysterious?"
said Litvinof, taking a place beside his
companion.    "You are not in your ordi-
nary humour, Sozouthe Ivanovitch."
   "No, there is nothing the matter with
me, and I have nothing secret to say to
you; I merely wanted to confide to you
-the impression which your future wife
made upon me-for that is the lady with
whom you made me acquainted to-day, is
it not ? I must acknowledege that I have
never in the whole course of my life met
with a being who inspired me with more
respect and confidence. She has a heart
of gold, the soul of an angel."
   Potoughine uttered all these words in
a sad and bitter tone, so that Litvinof
himself noticed the contradiction there
was between his expression and his lan-
guage.


96








SMOKE.


   "You estimate Tatiana Petrovna per-
 fectly," he said; "but I have reason to
 be surprised, in the first place, at your
 being  so  well informed  respecting   my
 relations with her; and secondly, how you
 have so soon read her disposition. She
 has indeed an angelic soul, but permit
 me to ask you if it is of that you wish
 to speak to me."
   "It is impossible not to understand her
at once," Potoughine     hastened   to  say,
apparently   avoiding  the   last question;
"it is only necessary to look in her eyes.
She deserves all possible happiness. En-
viable will be the lot of the man who
is destined to procure her that happiness!
It is to be hoped that he will show him-
self worthy of such a lot."
  Litvinof slightly contracted his brows.
-"Excuse     me, Sozouthe    Ivanovitch, I
  VOL. II.                           H


97








SMOKE.


think our conversation somewhat strange
-I should like to know if the allusion
contained in your last words applies to
me ? "
   Potoughine did not reply for some mo-
ments: it was evident that a struggle was
going on within him.
  "Gregory Mikhailovitch," said he at
length. " Oh! if I am not entirely mis-
taken in you, you are capable of listening
to the truth, however painful may be the
aspect under which it presents itself; I
must tell you that I saw where you came
from."
  "Well, yes, from the Hotel de l'Europe.
What then ?"
  "I know whom you have seen there."
  "Well, I have been with Madame Rat-
mirof. What then?"
  "What then!      You   are engaged to


98








SMOKE.


Tatiana Petrovna, and you have been to
see Madame Ratmirof, who is in love with
you-and whom you love in return."
  Litvinof sprang from his seat, the blood
rushing into his face.
   "What is that ?" he said, in a hollow
and passionate voice; "is that a very poor
jest? or have you been acting the spy ?
Have the goodness to explain yourself."
   Potoughine cast a melancholy look to-
wards him.
   "Oh! do not let my words offend you,
Gregory Mikhailovitch. For myself, you
cannot wound me; I am not in the mood
for jesting."
   "That may be, that may be; I am very
willing to believe in the purity of your
intentions; at the same time, you must
allow me to ask by what right you inter-
fere with my private affairs-with the love
                                  H2


99








SMOKE.


affairs of a stranger ? And upon what foun-
dation you present, with so much assurance,
your-your invention as a fact ?"
   "My invention ! If I had invented this
you would not have been angry. As to
what you call the right, I have never before
heard a man put such a question: have I
or have I not the right to stretch out my
hand to a man who is drowning himself?"
  "I am deeply touched by the interest
which you take in me," interrupted Lit-
vinof, "but I do not require it; and all
those phrases about the ruin into which
women lead young inexperienced men, about
the immorality of fashionable life, et caetera,
I take only for phrases, and despise them to
a certain degree. Therefore I must request
you not to tire yourself with attempts to
save me, but to allow me to drown myself
in peace."


100








SMOKE.


   Potoughine once more raised his eyes,
to Litvinof; he breathed painfully, and his
lips trembled.
   "Now look at me, young man," he said,
after a moment, placing his hand upon his
chest; "do I look like a pedantic moralist,
a preacher?   Can you not understand that
it is not my sympathy for you, however
deep that may be, that urges me to speak
to you thus, and to give you cause to
suspect me of that which I abhor more
than anything else in the world-indis-
cretion and impertinence?   Cannot you see
that here the affair is quite of another
kind, that you have before you a man
broken, destroyed, irremediably prostrated,
by the same sentiment from which he is
seeking to preserve you and-by the same
woman!"
   Litvinof took a step backwards.


101








SMOKE.


  "Is it possible?   What do you say?
You - you - Sozouthe Ivanovitch ? But
Madame Belsky ? and that child     "
   " Oh! do not question me. It is a dark,
a terrible story, which I will not attempt
to relate to you. I scarcely knew Madame
Belsky, and that child is not mine; I
took it all upon myself because she wished
it -because it was necessary for her. But
for her, should I be in your insupportable
Baden?    Do you believe, can you suppose
for one moment, that through sympathy
for you alone I have decided to warn you ?
I pity that good, that beautiful young girl,
whom you have deceived. After all, what
has your future to do with me?     But I
fear for her-I am alarmed for her."
   "You do me much honour, M. Potou-
ghine," said Litvinof; "but as, according
to your own words, we find ourselves in


102








SMOKE.


an identical position, why do you not
apply your fine precepts to yourself, and
may I not attribute your alarm to another
feeling ?"
   "Jealousy, you mean? Ah! young man,
young man, you ought to be ashamed to
say that; you ought to be ashamed not
to see the bitter grief which is now speaking
to you by my mouth. No, we are not
in an identical position. I, an eccentric
old fellow, ridiculous, but inoffensive-and
you! But what is the use of disputing?
You would not consent for one moment
to take the role which I am playing, and
which I play with gratitude. Jealousy?
Hle who has not one shade of hope, is not
jealous; I am not going to commence that
now. I am only afraid-afraid for her-
do you understand that? But could I have
expected, when she requested me to take


103








SMOKE.


you to her, that the sense of what she
called her fault would carry her so far ?"
   "But excuse me, Sozouthe Ivanovitch,
you seem to know      "
   "I know nothing, and yet I know all. I
know," he added, turning round, "I know
where she went yesterday. It is useless to
try to stop her now; she is a stone which
will keep rolling to the end. I should have
been as mad as she is, if I had supposed
that my words would restrain you-you to
whom such a woman-      . But I have said
enough. I could not help speaking to you;
that is my only excuse. Besides, how could
I tell? Why should I not do my best to
save you?   Perhaps you will reflect; per-
haps one of my words may sink into your
heart; perhaps you will hesitate to destroy
her, as well as that young creature, so inno-
cent, so amiable. Oh! do not be angry, do


104








SMOKE.


not stamp your foot. What cause have I
to fear? why should I not speak plainly ?
It is neither jealousy nor any ill-feeling
which is speaking within me at this mo-
ment. I am ready to fall at your knees
and entreat you, if that would avail. But
adieu! Have no uneasiness; all that has
passed will remain between ourselves. I
have spoken for your good."
  Potoughine hurried away down the walk,
and soon disappeared in the increasing
darkness; Litvinof did not attempt to re-
tain him.
  "My history is a terrible and obscure
one," Potoughine had said to Litvinof; and
he had refused to relate it. We will tell it
in a few words.
  Eight years previously, his duties had
attached him temporarily to the person of
Count Reisenbach. It was during the sum-


105








SMOKE.


mer. Potoughine brought papers to him to
his country seat, and passed whole days
there. Irene was then living with the
count. She was never haughty towards
inferiors; more than once, indeed, the coun-
tess had scolded her for what she considered
an unbecoming Moscovite familiarity.
  Irene soon discovered a man of sense and
more than usual abilities in this modest
employe', muffed up in a shabby coat which
buttoned up to the chin. She frequently
took great pleasure is conversing with
him, and before long he was smitten with
her passionately, profoundly, mysteriously.
Mysteriously! he thought so.
  The summer rolled past, and the count no
longer had need of an assistant. Potoughine
lost sight of Irene, but did not forget her.
Three years afterwards, a lady with whom
he was very slightly acquainted invited him


106








SMOKE.


to come and see her. This lady, after a
thousand circumlocutions, and after having
made him swear that he would keep what
she was going to confide to him a most pro-
found secret, proposed to him to espouse a
person in an elevated position, to whom
marriage had become a necessity. She
scarcely dared to make allusion to the
principal person of the story, but promised
Potoughine money--a large sum of money.
Potoughine did not take offence at the pro-
posal, for surprise completely overcame his
anger; but, very naturally, he at once gave
a flat refusal. The negotiatress then placed
in his hand a note from Irene.
   "You are a good and honourable man,"
she wrote; "I am aware that you would do
much for me; I ask of you this sacrifice.
You will save a being who is very dear to
me; and in saving her you will save me


107








SMOKE.


also. Do not seek to know more. There is
no other person in the world of whom I
should have decided to make such a re-
quest; but to you I hold out my hand and
say, Do this for my sake."
   Potoughine reflected, and declared that
he was indeed capable of doing much for
Irene Pavlovna, but that he should prefer
to see her and receive the request from
herself.
   The interview took place the same even-
ing; it was not prolonged, and was known
to no one but themselves and the lady at
whose house they met. Irene was no
longer living with Count Reisenbach.
   "What made you think of me?" asked
Potoughine.
   She began to enlarge upon his solid quali-
ties, then suddenly interrupted herself.
   "No," she said, "no, I will not conceal


10s








SMOKE.


the truth from you. I know that you love
me, that was what decided me."
   Then she told him all.
   Elise Belsky was an orphan; her rela-
tions hated her, having reckoned upon her
fortune; she had been imprudent, and mar-
riage or utter ruin lay before her.
   Potoughine looked at Irene for some time
in silence, and at last consented. Then she
burst into tears and threw herself upon his
neck; and he wept also-but his tears
were different.
   The preparations for a secret union were
just completed, a powerful hand having
removed all obstacles, when the lady was
taken ill: a child came into the world,
and the mother poisoned herself. What
was to be done with this child? Potoughine
took it under his charge from the hands of
Irene.


109








SMOKE.


  A melancholy, a frightful history! But
let us pass on, reader, let us pass on.


  An hour expired before Litvinof could
decide to go back to his hotel. He had
nearly arrived, when he suddenly heard
footsteps behind him; somebody appeared
to be following him, and to quicken their
pace when he walked faster. As he passed
a lamp, Litvinof turned and recognized
General Ratmirof.
   The general was returning alone from the
dinner party, in a white tie, an elegant
palelot thrown over his shoulders, and a
bunch of crosses attached by a gold chain
to the buttonhole of his coat. His stare,
directly and impertinently fixed upon Lit-
vinof, expressed such contempt and hatred,
and his whole physiognomy wore such evi-
dent defiance, that Litvinof determined to


110








SMOKE.


face him. But, at the sight of Litvinof
standing in the road waiting for him to
approach, the face of the general changed
suddenly; his sarcastic courtesy returned,
and a hand covered with a pearl-grey glove
raised an irreproachable felt hat.
   Litvinof raised his without speaking, and
each passed on his way.
  "He suspects something," thought Lit-
vinof.
  "Yes, he is-    another!" said the gene-
ral to himself.
   Tatiana was playing at piquet with her
aunt when Litvinof entered their room.
  "You are a nice young gentleman!" ex-
claimed Capitoline Markovna, throwing the
cards down upon the table; "here, we have
lost you the very first day, and for the
whole evening!     We have waited and
waited, then scolded and scolded."


111








SMOKE.


   "I did not say anything, aunt," observed
Tatiana.
  "Oh! you are well known for your pa-
tience! Are you not ashamed of yourself,
sir? Is it possible?   For a young man
about to be married too!"
  Litvinof excused himself as well as he
could, and approached the table.
   "Why did you interrupt your game ?"
he inquired, after a short silence.
   "What a question! We only began to
play because we were tired of waiting, and
did not know what to do. Now you are
come-    "
  "If you would like to go to the evening
concert," interrupted Litvinof, "I shall be
very happy to take you."
  Capitoline Markovna consulted the eye
of her niece.
  "If you like, aunt, I am ready," said the


112








SMOKE.


latter; "but would it not be better to
remain at home ?"
   "Very well; we will have tea in our own
style, in the Muscovite style, with a samo-
var, and we will have a pleasant chat; we
have not yet had time to have a nice chat
together."
   Litvinof ordered tea to be brought in,
but the conversation was not such a suc-
cess as the samovar. He felt a perpetual
remorse gnawing at his conscience.      It
seemed to him as though there was a lie
in every word he spoke, and fancied that
Tatiana must see it. Yet there was no
visible change in her; only her eyes never
rested for a single moment upon Litvinof,
but glided round him with a sort of timid
compassion, and she was paler than usual.
   Capitoline Markovna asked her if she had
not a headache.
  VOL. II.                          I


113








114 SMOKE~.


  Tatiana was. about to reply-negatively
but, after reflecting a moment,, she said,
"Yes, a little."
   "It is, caused by the fatigue of the jour-
ney," remarked Litvinof, turning very red
as he spoke.
  " Yes, I am a little tired," replied Tatiana;
and her regard once more wandered about
him.
   "You iust taker a good rest, Tanioucha."
   "I shall go to bed early, aunt"
   The ' Guide des Voyageurs' was upon
 the table.. Litvinof opened it, and began
 to read in a low voice the description of the
 environs of Baden..
    "All that is. delightful,'~ interrupted Capi.
 toline Markovna; "but there is one thing
 we mustS not forget. They say linen goods
 are very cheap here ; we must buy, some
 for the trousseau.."


114







SMOKE.


   Tatiana cast down her eyes.
   "We shall have plenty of time for that,
aunt. You never think of yourself, and
you want a new dress very badly. You
see how gaily they dress here."
   "Ah ! my gracious ! what is the use?
Am I a fine lady? It would be another
thing if I were a beauty like your friend,
Gregory Mikhailovitch  what do you call
her ? "
   "What friend ?"
   "Why, the lady we met this morning."
   "Oh! she?" said Litvinof, with assumed
indifference; and again he felt his cheeks
burn, and moved uneasily in his seat. "No,
it cannot go, on like this,'" he added to
himself.
  He was sitting by the side of his intended
bride, and in his side-pocket, close to his
heart, was the handkerchief of Irene. Capi
                                  12


115








SMOKE.


toline Markovna went for a minute into
the adjoining chamber.
  "Tania," said Litvinof, with an effort:
It was the first time during the day that he
had called her thus.
  She turned towards him,
  "I have-I have something very serious
to say to you."
  "QOh! really ?  When ? At once?"
  "No, to-morrow."
  " Oh! to-morrow. Very well."
  A feeling of profound pity filled Lit-
vinof's mind. He took the hand of Tatiana,
and held it to his lips with compunction,
like a criminal. That kiss did not glad-
den her at all, it only made her heart
sink.
  During the night Capitoline Markovna,
who was sleeping in the same chamber with
her niece, suddenly sprang up in bed.


116








                  SMOKE.                117

  "Tania," she said, "you are crying ?"
  Tatiana did not reply immediately.
  "No, aunt," she replied, in her candid
voice, "I have taken a little cold."




















CHAPTER XIX.


"WHY did I say that to her?" thought
Litvinof the next morning, as he sat at
the window in his room; and he shrugged
his shoulders with vexation. He had said
that to Tatiana, so as to cut off all retreat.
Before him lay a note from Irene; she
desired him to come to her at twelve
o'clock.
  The words of Potoughine came unceas-
ingly to his memory; they had a dis-
cordant echo, although feeble and subter-
ranean, as it were; they irritated him, and








SMOKE.


yet he could not get rid of them, Some-
body rapped at the door.
  " Wer da ?" demanded Litvinof
  "Oh! you are at home; open the door!"
the sepulchral voice of Bindasof was heard
to say.
  The handle of the door creaked. Litvinof
turned pale with rage. "I am not at home,"
he shouted.
   "What do you mean by saying that you
are not at home ?  What sort of a joke do
you call that?"
  "You were told that I could not be seen ;
take yourself off!"
  "Well, that's polite !--and I had come
to borrow a little money of him," growled
Bindasof.
  However, he went down stairs, stamping
according to his habit. Litvinof was very
near running after him, for he felt an a-


119








SMOKE.


most uncontrollable desire to twist the in-
solent fellow's neck.
  The events of the last few days had de-
ranged his nerves: it would not have taken
much more to have made him sit down and
weep. He drank a glass of cold water,
locked all his drawers without motive, and
went to Tatiana's apartments.
   He found her alone; Capitoline Mark-
ovna was gone to make some purchases.
Tatiana was sitting upon a couch, holding
with both hands a book which she was not
reading, and of which she probably did not
know the title. She did not move, but her
heart throbbed violently, and he could see
that the white collar which surrounded her
neck moved up and down under her painful
emotion.
   He himself was very much agitated.
Nevertheless he took a seat by her side, and


120







SMOKE.


wished her good morning, with a smile which
she returned in silence. She had already
bowed to him on his entrance with more
politeness than affection, and without look-
ing at him.   He held out his hand; she
yielded her icy fingers to his grasp, but
immediately withdrew them, and again took
up her book.
   Litvinof felt that he should only give pain
to Tatiana by commencing a conversation
upon any ordinary subject; as usual, she ex-
acted nothing, but her whole manner seemed
to say, "I am waiting, I am waiting."
   It was necessary to fulfil his promise.
Now, although he had thought of nothing
.else all night, he had not prepared a single
sentence, and really did not know how to
break the cruel silence.
   "Tania," he began at last, "I told you
yesterday that I had something very


121








SMOKE.


serious to tell you.   I am ready, only I
beg you. not to trouble about it, and to
believe that my feelings for you
( His courage failed him, and he paused.
Tatiana did not move-did not even look
at him; but she grasped the book more
tightly.
   "Between us," he continued, without
finishing his sentence, "there has always
existed perfect candour; I respect you
too much to think of deceiving you; I
wish to prove to you that I know how to
appreciate the elevation and the indepen-
dence of your character, and although, no
doubt--"
   "Gregory Mikhailovitch," began Tatiana
in a calm voice, while a deadly paleness
overspread her countenance, "I will come to
your assistance: you have ceased to love me,
and you do not know how to tell me so."


122







SMOKE.


   Litvinof started.
   "Why," he asked, in a voice which
was scarcely audible, " why have you
thought that?    I really do not under-
stand----"
  "What! is it not true?     Tell me, tell
me."
  Tatiana turned towards Litvinof; her hair
was thrown back, her face almost touched
his, and her eyes, which had not rested upon
him for so long, were plunged into his.
  "Is it not true ?" she repeated.
  He said nothing-not a sound would
come from his lips. lie could not have
lied at that moment, even if he had been
certain that he would be believed, and that
the lie would have served him; he could not
even sustain the gaze of his companion.
Besides, Tatiana did not need a reply, she
found it in his silence, in his guilty down-


123







SMOKE.


cast eyes; and she threw herself back, and
allowed  the book to fall.     Until that
moment she had doubted, and Litvinof
well knew   that; he now saw how really
hideous was all that he had done, and he
threw himself upon his knees.
   "Tatiana !" he cried, "if you knew how
painful it is to me to see you in this state;
how I suffer to think that I-I-my heart
is broken. I do not recognize myself; in
losing you I lose myself, and all-all is
destroyed, Tatiana,-all ! Oh! could I have
foreseen that I should deal you such a
blow; you, my best friend, my guardian
angel!-Could I have foreseen that we
should find ourselves thus-that we should
ever spend such a day as we spent yes-
terday!"
  Tatiana was about to retire, but he caught
hold of her dress.


124








SMOKE.


   "No, listen to me for one moment. You
 see I am at your feet, but I am not going
 to implore your pardon. You cannot-you
 ought not to grant me that; I am here to
 tell you that your friend is lost, that he
 is rolling headlong into the abyss, and does
 not wish to drag you along with him. Save
 me-no ! You cannot save me. I must
 repulse you; I am lost, Tatiana, irrevocably
 lost!"
   Tatiana looked at Litvinof.
   "You are lost ?" she said, as though she
did not understand. "You are lost ?"
   "Yes, Tatiana, I am lost. All that has
gone before, all that was dear to me, all
that has hitherto constituted my life is
destroyed and uprooted; and I know not
what awaits me in the future. No, Tatiana,
I have not ceased to love you, but another
feeling, a terrible and irresistible passion has


125







SMOKE.


taken possession of me. I resisted as long
as I could----"
   Tatiana rose, her brows contracted, and her
pale face grew dark. Litvinof also got up.
   " You love another woman," she said;
"and I guess who that woman is. We
met her yesterday, did we not? Well,
I know now what remains to be done. As
you confess yourself that the feeling is
irresistible "-- (Tatiana made a pause; per-
haps she still hoped that Litvinof would
not allow that word to pass without pro-
testing against it, but he said nothing)--
"it only remains for me to give you back
-your promise."
   Litvinof bowed his head with resignation,
as though he had received a merited blow.
   "You have a right to be indignant," he
stammered; "you have perfect right to
accuse me of baseness and falsehood."


126







SMOKE.


   Tatiana looked at him once more.
   "I do not accuse you, Litvinof; I do
not condemn you. I agree with you that
the most bitter truth is preferable to such
a day as we passed yesterday. What a
life would ours have been!
   "What a life will mine be now!" said
Litvinof, within himself.
  Tatiana went towards the door of her
bedroom.
   "I beg you to leave me alone for a
short time, Gregory Mikhailovitch. We
shall see each other again; we shall talk
to each other again. All this has come
so unexpectedly !    I must collect my
strength. Leave me. Let me master my
pride. We shall see each other again."
  And, with these words, Tatiana hastily
retired, locking the door behind her.
  Quite stunned, Litvinof staggered out


127








SMOKE.


into the street; something black and heavy
was dragging at the roots of his heart;
the man who has strangled another must
experience some such sensation; and at
the same time he felt lighter, as though
he was glad that the horrible deed was
accomplished.
   The generosity of Tatiana had over-
whelmed him; he actually felt all that
he had lost, and a bitter vexation was
mingled with his remorse. He was attracted
towards Irene as the only refuge that re-
mained to him, and yet he felt his anger
aroused against her.
   Every day Litvinof's feelings were be-
coming more complex and more tangled;
and these feelings tortured and embittered
his mind more and more the farther he
strayed into the chaos. He no longer had
any taste for anything, and felt but one


128








SMOKE.


anxiety; to follow some course, whatever
it might be, which would lead him out of
this semi-obscurity.
   Matter-of-fact men like Litvinof should
never abandon themselves to passion; it
overturns their judgment and sweeps away
every object and desire in life. But nature
does not yield to logic, our human logic;
it has a way of its own, which we do
not understand, which we do not recognize,
until we feel ourselves crushed beneath its
influence as beneath a wheel.
  After leaving Tatiana, Litvinof had but
one idea-to see Irene.
  He went to her hotel, but the general
was at home; at least so the porter told
him. He dared not go in, for he felt
that he no longer had the power to com-
mand himself, so he left and sauntered
about the   Conversationhaus.   Vorochilof
  VOL. II.                          K


129








SMOKE.


and Pichtchalkin felt the effect of Lit-
vinof's ill-humour that day; he did not
conceal from the one that he was as empty
as a bell, and from the other that he was
as dull as a rainy day; fortunately Bindasof
did not fall into his clutches, for if he
had, there would have been some grosser
scandal.
  Those two gentlemen did not resent the
insult; Vorochilof went so far as to ask
himself whether military honour did not
demand satisfaction, but, like the officer of
Gogol, he calmed himself by stuffing him-
self at the Butter-Brod Cafe.
  Litvinof saw Capitoline Marcovna in the
distance, running about from shop to shop,
in her many-coloured cloak; and he felt
ashamed of the pain he was about to oc-
casion  the ridiculous, but excellent old
lady.


130







SMOKE.


   All at once something impalpable, but
intense, seemed to touch him; if a breath
could have come from a passing shadow,
it could not have been more imperceptible.
Litvinof felt, however, at once that it was
Irene approaching; and, in fact, she ap-
peared some steps from him, giving her
arm to another lady. Their eyes met
directly. Irene probably remarked some-
thing strange in the face of Litvinof; she
stopped before a bazaar of clocks from
the Black Forest, beckoned to him by a
sign of the head, and pointing out one of
the clocks, as though she wanted him to
admire the case, said in her ordinary voice,
as though she was finishing a sentence
already begun-
   "Come in an hour, I shall be alone."
   At that moment, the famous Monsieur
Verdier came running after her, and at
                                  K2


131








132               SMOKE.

once fell into ecstasies over the colour of
her dress, and a little Spanish hat, which
came down to her eyebrows. Litvinof dis-
appeared among the crowd.




















CHAPTER XX.


" GREGORY," said Irene to him, two hours
later, "what is the matter with you ? Tell
me at once, while we are alone."
  "There is nothing the matter with me,"
returned Litvinof; "I am   happy, that is
all."
  Irene cast down her eyes, smiled, and
sighed.
  "That is no answer," she said.
  Litvinof became pensive.
  "Well, since you will have a reply, I
must tell you" (the eyes of Irene opened








SMOKE.


wide, and she drew herself slightly back-
ward), "that I have to-day broken off
with the young lady to whom I was en-
gaged."
  "What, entirely? Did you mention my
name ?"
  Litvinof gave a start.
  " Irene, how could such a thought have
come into your mind ? That I-  "
   "Pardon me, pardon me. What did you
tell her then ?"
  "I told her that I no longer loved her."
  "And she asked you the reason ?"
  "I did not conceal from her that I loved
another woman, and that we must part."
   "Well, did she consent?"
   "Ah ! Irene, what ,a young lady that is!
What self-denial, and what nobleness!"
  "I believe it, I believe it; besides, there
was no other course left to her."


134







SMOKE.


   " And not a single reproach, not a single
bitter word to the man who had broken up
her life, who had deceived her, who had
cast her aside without pity!"
  Irene attentively examined her nails.
  "Tell me, Gregory, did she love you ?"
  "Yes, Irene, she did love me."
  Irene remained silent, and arranged her
dress.
   "I confess," she continued, "that I do not
perfectly understand why you should have
been so anxious to explain yourself to her."
  "What ! Why not, Irene ? Would you
have wished me to act a falsehood, to feign
an affection which I did not feel, before that
pure soul?  Or do you suppose---"
  " I suppose nothing," interrupted Irene.
"I acknowledge that I have thought very
little about her; I do not know how to
think of two beings at once."


135








SMOKE.


   " You mean to say--  "
   "Is she going away, this pure soul ?"
again interrupted Irene.
   "I do not know," responded Litvinof.
" I am to see her again, but she will not
remain."
   " A pleasant journey to her !"
   "No, she will not remain. Besides, I
think no more of her now; I only think of
what you have said to me, and what you
have promised me."
  Irene cast a sidelong glance at him.
  "Ungrateful! are you not yet content ?"
  " No, Irene, I am not content, and you
understand me."
  "That is to say, I..-"
  "Yes, you understand me. Remember
what you said to me, and what you wrote
to me. I cannot share you with another,
I cannot consent to play a pitiful part


136







SMOKE.


after all; I have renounced all, I have
trampled all in the dust, without regret
or hope of recovery; but in return, I be-
lieve, I firmly believe, that you will keep
your promise, that you will unite your fate
with mine."
   " You wish me to fly with you?    I am
ready "-(Litvinof grasped her hand and
covered it with kisses)-" I am ready, I
shall not withdraw   my word. But have
you thought of the obstacles? Have you
arranged the means ?"
   "I?   I have thought of nothing yet; I

have prepared nothing; but only speak one
word, promise me to act, and before a month
has expired---"
   "A month! We are leaving in fifteen
days for Italy."
   "Fifteen days will suffice. Oh! Irene!
you appear to receive my proposal coldly,


137








SMOKE.


it seems to you a dream. However, I am
not a child, and am not in the habit of
filling my head up with chimeras. I know
how   terrible a step it is, and understand
the responsibility  I take upon myself;
but I see no other course. Consider, be-
sides, that I am obliged to break off all my
connections with the past, in order not to
appear a contemptible liar in the eyes of
that young girl whom I have offered up to
you as a holocaust."
  Irene suddenly drew herself up, and
her eyes flamed.
  "Excuse me, Gregory Mikhailovitch; if
I decide, if I fly, I will fly with a man who
will do that for my sake, and not because
he fears to sink in the opinion of a phleg-
matic girl, who has milk and water in her
veins, instead of blood! I confess that it
is the first time I have ever heard that he


138







SMOKE.


who is the object of my attention is de-
serving of pity, and that he plays a pitiful
part ! I know a part still more pitiful, it
is that of a man who does not know what is
passing in his own mind."
  Litvinof rose in his turn.
  "Irene," he began-
  But she put her hand to her forehead,
and, abruptly throwing herself upon his
neck, clasped her arms round him with a
force which was not that of a woman.
  "Forgive me," she said, in a faltering
voice, "forgive me, Gregory.      You see
what a spoiled, naughty, jealous, wicked
child I am; you see how much I need your
help and your indulgence. Yes, save me;
draw me out of the gulf before I am com-
pletely swallowed up. Yes, let us escape;
let us fly from these people and from this
place; let us go to some beautiful country,


139








SMOKE.


where we shall be far away and free. Do
not be angry with me; forgive me, and
believe that I will do whatever you com-
mand, and go wherever you will lead
me.
   Irene did not let go her embrace of Lit-
vinof. He felt the pressure of that young
and flexible form   upon his bosom.     He
bowed his head over her beautiful locks, and
pressed his lips upon her forehead, as their
hearts beat against each other with wild
delight.
  "Irene, Irene," he exclaimed.
  Presently she raised her head and lis-
tened.
  "It is my husband's step; he has gone
into his room," she said softly, and, retiring
in haste, sat down in a chair.
  Litvinof attempted to rise--
  "Where are you going ?" she continued,


140








SMOKE.


in a low voice. " Remain, he suspects you
already. At least do not let him think you
are afraid of him."
  She did not take her eyes from the
door.
  "Yes, it is he; he is coming now. Tell
me something; speak to me."
  Litvinof could not recover himself so
suddenly, and remained silent.
  "Are you not going to the theatre to-
morrow ?" she added, aloud. "They will
play Le Verre d'Eau, an old piece, in
which Plessis makes horrible grimaces. This
is fever-.-" she added, lowering her voice.
"It cannot go on thus long; but we must
take our measures well. I must warn you
that he has all my money; but I have my
jewels.  We will go to Spain, shall we ?"
She again raised her voice. "How is it
all those actresses grow so stout? Even


141








SMOKE.


Madeline Brohan----.    Speak; do notre-
main silent. My head is swimming, but do
not doubt me. I will let you know where
you can meet me to-morrow. Only it was
not necessary to have told that girl-.
Akh! mais c'est charmant!" she exclaimed
suddenly, and, beginning to laugh nervously,
she tore the lace of her handkerchief.
   "May I come in?" inquired Ratmirof,
from the other room.
   " You may; yes, open the door."
   The door was opened, and the general ap-
peared. At the sight of Litvinof, his brows
contracted; however, he bowed, or rather
he balanced the upper part of his body.
   "I did not know you had a visitor," he
said; "I beg pardon for my indiscretion.
Are you still enjoying yourself at Baden,
Monsieur Litvinof ?"
   Ratmirof always pronounced this family


142,








SMOKE.


name with hesitation; he seemed to be
afraid that he had forgotten it, and anxious
not to make a mistake. He fancied in all
probability that he annoyed Litvinof by this
pretended want of memory, as well as by
the extravagant salute he addressed to him
every time they met.
   "I find plenty to amuse me, M'sieu- le
ge'neral."
   "Really ? For my part, I am sick of
Baden; we shall soon be leaving, shall we
not, Irene Pavlovna? We have had enough
of Baden. But I must tell you, I have
won five hundred francs to-day upon your
chance."
   Irene coquettishly held out her hand.
   "Where is it? You must give it me for
pin-money."
   "Presently, presently.  Are you going
already, M'sieu Litvinof?"


143








SMOKE.


  "Yes, I am going, as you see."
  Ratmirof once more balanced his bust.
  "I hope soon to have the pleasure of
seeing you again."
  "Good-by, Gregory Mikhailovitch," said
Irene; "I shall keep my promise."
  "What promise, may I ask ?" inquired
her husband.
  Irene smiled.
  " No; it is a trifle-between ourselves.
C'est a propos du voyage-oh il vous plaira.
You know--Stahl's book?"
  "Oh! yes, oh! yes! I know!        There
are some splendid vignettes in it."
  And Ratmirof smiled lovingly at his
wife.


144



















CHAPTER XXI.


"I WILL try not to think of it," repeated
Litvinof to himself, as he walked along the
street and felt the tumult rising within him
again. "The thing is decided. She will
keep her promise, and I have now nothing
to do but to make the necessary prepara-
tions. Yet, she seemed to hesitate."   He
shook his head. His resolutions appeared
to his own mind in a fantastic light; they
seemed to him forced and improbable. One
cannot long turn over the same thoughts,
for insensibly they become modified as they
  VOL. II.                          L








SMOKE.


pass through the mind; it is like a kalei-
doscope in which the figures are constantly
changing, and little by little. Litvinof was
overcome with extreme fatigue. He would
have been glad to rest for at least an hour
-but Tania ?
   He shuddered, and without thinking more
than he was compelled to do, reached the
hotel; he seemed to be bounding from one
to the other like a ball that day. But it
would soon be over.
   He ran up to Tatiana without hesitation,
almost without emotion. Capitoline Mark-
ovna came to meet him. At the first
glance he saw that she knew all: the eyes
of the poor old woman were swollen, and
her burning cheeks expressed indignation,
agony, and stupefaction. She was about to
spring towards Litvinof, but checked her-
self, and, biting her trembling lips, looked


146








SMOKE.


at him as though she wanted to implore
him, and scold him, and convince herself
that all this was a dream, a madness, a
thing impossible, all in a breath.
   "You have come, then! you have come!"
she exclaimed.
   The door of the adjoining room opened,
and Tatiana, pale but very calm, entered
noiselessly. She gently took the hand of
her aunt, and sat down by her side.
   " Take a seat, Gregory Mikhailovitch,"
she said to Litvinof, who remained like a
statue at the door. "I am very happy to
see you once more. I have communicated
to aunt my decision, our decision, and she
approves of it entirely. Without mutual
love there could be no happiness: respect
is not sufficient" (at the word respect Lit-
vinof winced involuntarily), "and it is
far better for us to part now than to
                                   L2


147








SMOKE.


have to repent afterwards. Is it not so,
aunt ?"
  "Of course," commenced Capitoline Mar-
kovna. "Of course, Tanioucha ; he who
does not know how to appreciate you, he
who has decided   -"
  "Aunt," said Tatiana, suddenly inter-
rupting, "recollect what you promised me.
You have always said to me yourself,
'Truth, Tatiana; truth before all; and
liberty.' Well, the truth is not always
agreeable, neither is liberty; if they were,
where would be our merit ?"
   She affectionately kissed the white locks
of Capitoline Markovna, and, turning to-
wards Litvinof, continued-
   "We have determined, aunt and myself,
to leave Baden-it will be better for all."
   "When do you think of going ?" inquired
Litvinof, in a hollow voice.


148








SMOKE.


  Te recollected that Irene had put the
same question to him. Capitoline was about
to reply, but Tatiana prevented her, and
gently patted her cheek.
  " Probably soon; as early as possible."
  "Will you allow me to inquire where
you intend to go ?" continued Litvinof, in
the same tone of voice.
   "In the first place to Dresden, then to
Russia."''
   "But why do you want to know that
now, Gregory Mikhailovitch ?" demanded
Capitoline Markovna, sharply.
  "Aunt! " again said Tatiana.
  There was a short silence, which was
broken by Litvinof.
   "Tatiana Petrovna, you can understand
what painful and sorrowful feelings I expe-
rience at this moment-"
  Tatiana rose from her seat,


149








SMOKE.


  " Gregory Mikhailovitch," she said, " let
us speak no more of that, I beg; if not for
your own sake, at least for mine. It was
not yesterday that I became acquainted
with you, and I can easily imagine what
you must feel at such a time as this ? Why
irritate the wound?"    She paused, and
struggled with the emotions which were
rising within her, forcing back the tears
which came to her eyes. After a moment
she succeeded, and continued-" Why irri-
tate an incurable wound ? Leave it to
the hand of time. I have only one request
to make to you, Gregory Mikhailovitch. Be
so kind as to take a letter to the post for
me yourself: it is important, and we have
no time to lose. I shall be very much
obliged to you. Wait a minute; I will go
for it at once."
  Upon the threshold of the door, Tatiana


150








SMOKE.


turned, and cast an uneasy glance towards
Capitoline Markovna; but she was sitting
so gravely, and looked so severe, with her
brows contracted and her lips compressed,
that Tatiana confined herself to making
her a sign of intelligence, and went out.
But the door had scarcely closed after her
when that solemn look vanished from the
face of Capitoline Markovna.     She rose,
ran on tiptoe to Litvinof, bending almost
double in order to look in his downcast
face, and, trembling all over and her eyes
streaming with tears, began to speak to him
very fast and low, stammering at almost
every word.
  "The Lord help us!        Gregory Mik-
hailovitch, what is all this? A  dream, is
it not?   You renounce Tatiana, you cease
to love her, you fail to keep your word!
Is it you who are acting thus, you whom


151







SMOKE.


we reckoned upon as upon a wall of brass?
You? you? then ? Gricha ?"
  Then she went on after a pause-
  "Why you will kill her, Gregory Mik-
hailovitch ;r" here her tears choked her.
"She is putting a brave face on now, you
know her character; she will not give
way, she does not know how to take care
of herself; all the more reason why others
should take pity upon her. She is ex-
hausting herself, she keeps repeating to
me-' Aunt, we must preserve our dignity.'
Dignity has a great deal to do with it;
it is death! death!"
   Tatiana moved a chair in the adjoining
room.
   "Yes, it is death that I foresee," con-
tinued the kind old lady.     "And what
can have happened to you?        Are you
bewitched?   For a long time you have


152







SMOKE.


been writing the most tender letters to
her. How could a man of honour have
conducted himself in this manner ? I am,
as you know, a woman without prejudices,
a strong-minded woman; I have given to
Tatiana   a  similar  education, and   she
also -   "
   "Aunt !" came from the next room.
   "'But a word of honour is a duty,
Gregory   Mikhailovitch, especially  to  a
man with your principles. If we do not
recognize our duties, what else is there
left for us? We cannot violate them at
our pleasure, without weighing the result
for others.  It is iniquitous; yes, it is
criminal. What kind of liberty is that?"
  "Aunt, please to come here," called the
voice from the next room.
   "Directly, my love, directly."  Capi-
toline Markovna seized Litvinof's hand.


153








SMOKE.


"I see that you are getting angry, Gregory
Mikhailovitch."
   "I getting angry!" he tried to say,
but his tongue failed him.
   "I will not irritate you, I do not wish
to do that; I wish, on the contrary, to
implore you. Reflect while there is yet
time; do not lose her, do not destroy your
own happiness; she will still believe you.
Gricha, she will believe you, nothing is
lost yet; she will love you as a man was
never loved before. Leave this hateful
Baden, let us go together, cast off the
charm that has bewitched you, and above
all, have pity, have pity-"
   "Aunt!" repeated Tatiana, with a shade
of impatience.
  But Capitoline Markovna no longer heard
her.
   "Only say 'Yes,'" she murmured to


154








SMOKE.


Litvinof, "and I will arrange it all; make
me a little sign with your head, a little
sign once, like this!"
   Litvinof would have died willingly, but
the word " Yes," would not come out of
his mouth; and his head would not make
the slightest movement.
   Tatiana came in with a letter in her
hand; Capitoline Markovna moved away
from Litvinof and leaned over the table,
pretending to be examining some papers.
   Tatiana approached Litvinof.
   "This," she said, "is the letter of which
I spoke. You will take it to the post-office
at once, will you not?"
  Litvinof raised his eyes. It was really
his judge who was standing before him.
Tatiana appeared to him to have grown;
her face, resplendent with a beauty which
he had never seen upon it, was rigid as


155








SMOKE.


that of a statue; her chest did not appear
to move; her dress, all of one shade, like
antique drapery, fell in plain folds to her
feet.
   Tatiana was looking straight before her,
and her gaze, which did not even embarrass
Litvinof, was cold and passionless; it also
was the gaze of a statue. Litvinof there
read his condemnation; he bowed, took the
letter from the hand which was extended
towards him, and retired in silence.
   Capitoline Markovna threw herself into
the arms of Tatiana, but she gently pushed
her away, and cast down her eyes. "Now,
let us make haste," she said, and went back
into her bedroom. Capitoline Markovna
followed, with her head bowed down.
   The letter which Tatiana had entrusted
to Litvinof, was addressed to a friend of
his at Dresden, a German, who let furnished


156







SMOKE.


apartments. Litvinof allowed the letter to
glide into the box, and it seemed as though
with that sheet of paper he had allowed
all his past, all his hopes in life, to glide
into the tomb.
   He sauntered out of the town, and wan-
dered for some time through the narrow
paths between the vineyards; a feeling of
contempt for himself buzzed constantly
around him, like one of those flies which
one cannot get rid of at a certain season of
the year: the part which he had played
in this last interview seemed to him so
shamefully mean and pitiful.
   When he returned to his hotel, he made
inquiries respecting the ladies, and was in-
formed that immediately after he went out,
they had ordered a vehicle to take them
to the railway station, and gone away with-
out saying where they were going. Their


157








SMOKE.


luggage had been packed, and their accounts
settled since the morning.
   Tatiana had only given Litvinof the
letter to post in order to send him away.
He inquired of the porter if the ladies
had left a note for him; the porter gave
a reply in the negative, and expressed
some   surprise.  This sudden departure,
after having engaged the apartments for a
week, evidently appeared to him dubious
and singular.
   Litvinof turned from him, and shut him-
 self up in his room. He did not go out
 again till the next day, but passed a great
 part of the night at his desk, writing, and
 then tearing up what he had written.
 Dawn was already beginning to appear
 when he completed his long task, a letter
 to Irene.


158




















CHAPTER XXII.


THIs is what the letter contained
   "She who was to have been my wife
left yesterday; we shall never see each
other again. I do not even know where
she is going to live. She has taken away
with her all that has hitherto appeared to
me desirable and precious; all my plans
and resolutions have disappeared with her;
all my labours are lost, the long course of
toil through which I have sought to fit
myself for a worthy and honourable career
has become void; all my studies have been








SMOKE.


without an object, without value; it is all
gone, all dead; yesterday I buried the
whole of my past life.
   "I feel this acutely; I see it, I know it,
but I do not care about it. It is not to
complain that I think of it. I have no
cause to moan, so long as you love me. I
only wish to tell you that of all this buried
past, of all those hopes reduced to smoke
and ashes, there remains to me but one
thing living, unshaken-my love for you.
   "I have now nothing left but that love,
to call it my only treasure would not be
enough; I am entirely enshrouded in that
love, and it is my whole being, it is my
future, my vocation, my sanctuary, and my
home.
   "You know me, Irene; you know how
I hate hollow phrases, and, however strong
may be the terms with which I try to


160








SMOKE.


express my feelings, you will not doubt
their sincerity, or tax them with exaggera-
tion. It is not a young man lisping to
you, in the ardour of his first transports,
thoughtless vows, but a man already ripened
by years, painting to you simply, candidly,
almost with terror, that which he has dis-
covered to be absolutely true. Yes, your
love for me takes the place of all else.
You shall be the judge: can I leave that
all in the hands of another ? Can I allow
him to dispose of you ? You belong to
him! My whole being, every drop of
blood in my heart would belong to him;
and I must be simply the spectator of
my own life?    No, it is impossible! Im-
possible ! Never to taste but in secret that
which is the very breath of life, is only false-
hood and death.
   "I   understand  the  greatness of the
   VOL. II.                         M


161








SMOKE.


sacrifice I claim  of you, without right,
for what could give me right to such a
sacrifice ? It is not egotism which leads
me to act thus: an egotist would not have
raised the question. Yes, my expectations
are difficult of realization, and I am not
surprised that they terrify you.
   "You hold the people by whom you are
surrounded in aversion, their society fatigues
and irritates you; but will you have the
strength to abandon that society, to trample
under foot all the laurels which it has
weaved for you, and to despise public
opinion --the   opinion  of those  hateful
people ?
   "Interrogate yourself, Irene; do not take
upon you a burden which is beyond your
strength. I do not wish to recriminate,
but, remember, once already you have been
unable to resist the fascination of the posi-


16Z








SMOKE.


tion I am asking you to leave. I have
little to give you in exchange for all that
you will have to give up. Therefore listen
to my last wordss: if you do not feel to-
morrow, or even to-day, that you can leave
all and follow me,-you see I speak boldly,
without choosing my terms,-if you are
afraid of the unknown, of estrangement, of
isolation, and of the contempt of men; in
a word, if you are not sure of yourself, tell
me so frankly and without delay, and I will
go alone; I shall go with a broken heart,
but blessing you for that frankness.
  "If really, my beautiful and resplendent
queen, you love a man so weak and obscure
as myself, if you are indeed ready to share
his lot, then give me your hand, and we
will enter together upon our painful road.
But, above all, do not forget this: my
decision can undergo no change-all or
                                  M2


163








SMOKE.


nothing. It is madness, but I cannot do
otherwise; I love you too much.
                         "Yours, G. M."
   Litvinof was not much pleased with this
letter; it did not exactly express what he
wished to say, for he found some forced
expressions in it. After all, it was no better
than those he had torn up, but it con-
tained what was most important, and Lit-
vinof, exhausted and confused, did not feel
himself capable of producing      anything
better.
   He did not know how to give to his
thoughts a literary form, and like all who
are not in the habit of writing, style gave
him a great deal of trouble. His first letter
was certainly the best; it flowed naturally
from his heart. However it may have been,
Litvinof dispatched his letter to Irene, who
replied by a short note:


164







SMOKE.


  " Come to me to-day; he will be absent
till the evening. Your letter troubles me
extremely. I do nothing but think-think-
and my brain swims. I have a great weight
upon my heart; but you love me, and
I am happy. Come.
                          "Thine, I."
  She was in her boudoir when Litvinof
entered. The same little girl who had
looked out for him upon the stairs the
day before introduced him. Upon the table
lay an open packet of laces, which she
was negligently turning over with one
hand, while with the other she held Lit-
vinof's letter.
  She had recently been weeping; for her
eyelashes were still wet, and traces of tears
could be seen upon her cheeks.
  Litvinof paused upon the threshold of the
door. She did not perceive him.


165








SMOKE.


   "You are weeping," he said with sur-
prise.
  She gave a start, and passed her hand
over her hair with a smile.
   "What are you crying for ?" repeated
Litvinof.
  She silently held out his letter.
  S"What ! is it that ?" he said, after a
pause.
   "Come, sit down, and give me your
hand. Well, yes, I have been crying; what
is there surprising in that?   One would
think it was easy----"
  And she again showed him the letter.
  Litvinof sat down.
  "I know it is not easy, Irene; I have
not concealed that from you. I understand
your situation; but if you have calculated
the consequences of your love, if Amy argu-
ments have convinced you, you must also


166







SMOKE.


understand whatI feel at the sight of your
tears. I come here like a criminal awaiting
my sentence-life or death ? Your reply
will decide all. Only, do not look at
me with those eyes. They remind me of
your old eyes, your eyes at Moscow."
  Irene changed colour, and turned away,
as though she had herself recognized some-
thing unpleasant in her look.
   "What do you say, Gregory?    Are you
not ashamed ? You ask me for a reply,
as though you could doubt what that reply
would be. My tears pain you; but you
do not understand them. Your letter, my
love, has caused me to reflect. You write
that my love supplies the place of all, and
that all your previous occupations have
been in vain; -and I cannot help asking
myself whether a man can live entirely
upon love. Would he not grow tired of


167








SMOKE.


the one feeling; would he not want to go
back to a more active life; and would he
not sooner or later blame her who had
drawn his mind from all other pursuits?
That is the thought which alarms me; that
is what makes me weep, and not what you
suppose.
   Litvinof gazed attentively at Irene, and
she also looked attentively at him. Each
was trying to read the soul of the other,
each was trying to penetrate beyond what
the spoken word could betray or conceal.
   "You are wrong," said Litvinof. "No
doubt I badly expressed myself. Ennui!
inaction! with the new powers which your
love would give me ?   Oh! Irene, believe
me, the whole universe is in your love for
me, and I cannot tell myself all that it
may produce."
  Irene became thoughtful.


168








SMOKE.


   "'Where do we go then ?" she mur-
mured.
   "Where? we will talk of that     . So
you consent ?"
  She looked at him.
  "Would it make you happy ?"
  "Oh, Irene!"
  "You will regret nothing? Never ?"
  She leaned over the packet of laces, and
began to arrange them.
   "Do not be angry that I think of such
trifles as these at a moment like this. I am
obliged to go to a ball; these things have
been sent for me to look at, and I must
make a choice to-day.   Ah! my heart is
very big," she exclaimed suddenly, and
buried her face upon the parcel.    Tears
again came into her eyes, and she drew
back, fearing that the tears might spoil the
lace.


169








SMOKE.


  "Irene, you are crying again," said Lit-
vinof, anxiously.
   "Well, yes," replied Irene. "Oh! Gre-
gory, do not torment me, and do not torment
yourself. Let us be free creatures! What
harm is there in my crying?  Do you think
that I myself know why my tears flow ? You
know, you understand my decision-you
are sure that it will not change-that I
consent to-what was it you said ?-to all
or nothing; what more do you ask ?    Let
us be free! why these mutual chains?  We
are together now; you love me, and I love
you; have we nothing better to do than to
turn over and examine our feelings ? Look
at me: I do not harbour an illusion; I
know I am criminal, and that he has a
right to kill me. What does it matter?
Let us be free.  One day all to ourselves
is eternity!"


170







SMOKE.


  She rose, and looked down at Litvinof
with a smile, as she threw back a lock of
hair, upon which stood two or three tears
like pearls. A rich lace fichu slipped down
from the table at her feet, and she trampled
upon it with contempt.
  "Do I not please you to-day ? Have I
grown ugly since yesterday? Tell me, have
you ever seen an arm so beautiful ? And
this hair ? Say, do you love me ?"
   She took both his hands, and rested her
head against his bosom; the comb which
secured her hair fell out, and her locks
streamed loosely around her in a soft and
perfumed veil.


171





















           CHAPTER XXIII.

LITVyINOF walked up and down his chamber,
with his head bowed upon his chest. It
now remained for him to pass from theory
to practice-to find the means of flight, of
emigrating into an unknown country. A
strange thing that those means had not
yet chiefly occupied his thoughts; he felt
more anxiety in asking himself whether he
could really depend upon the decision which
he had so obstinately claimed. Might not
the pledged word be recalled? It is true,








SMOKE.


Irene had said to him as she took leave of
him, "Act, and inform me only when you
are ready."
   The thing was settled; no more doubting;
now was the time to act; and Litvinof
acted, at least in imagination. The money
was the first thing to be thought of.
   Litvinof found himself in the possession of
1328 florins; that was not a very considera-
ble sum, it was sufficient however for present
necessities; then he could write immediately
to his father to send him as much money as
possible, to sell a wood or a piece of land
-but under what pretext?       The pretext
was not easily found. Irene had spoken, it
is true, of her jewels, but it would not do to
take them into consideration; those would
be a resource to fall back upon in difficult
times, if such should arrive. Besides, he
had an excellent Geneva watch, upon which


173







SMOKE.


he could obtain money-if it was only 400
francs.
   Litvinof ran to a banker's and sounded
him upon the possibility of a loan, but the
bankers at Baden are distrustful and pru-
dent people; to such overtures they gene-
rally draw a face a yard long: some will
even laugh in your face as though they
quite appreciate your innocent joke.
   Litvinof, to his shame, also tried his luck
at roulette; he went so far-oh! ignominy !
-as to risk a thaler upon number 30, cor-
responding to the number of his years. He
did this with a view of increasing his
capital, but he went away leaving 28 florins
upon the green cloth.
   A second question, equally serious, was
 the passport. But for a woman a passport
 is not so obligatory; in some countries
 they do not require a passport at all; Bel-


174







SMOKE. ,


gium, for instance, and England; and then,
if it were necessary, he could procure a
foreign passport.
  Litvinof weighed all this very seriously;
his energy was great and unshaken, but at
the same time, notwithstanding his will,
something ridiculous, almost comic, glided
into all his plans, as though his project in
itself was only a joke, as though nobody
had ever eloped, except in plays and novels,
or somewhere in the country, perhaps in
the district of Tchoukloma or Sizranck,
where, after a journey, people have the
greatest difficulty in keeping themselves
from dying with ennui.
   Litvinof recollected an adventure of a
friend of his, one Batzof, a retired cornet,
who had carried off the daughter of a
tradesman, in a carriage drawn by three
horses with bells, after having got the


175








SMOKE.


parents intoxicated as well as the young
lady herself. It turned out that he was
caught in the act, and was very near get-
ting a sound thrashing into the bargain.
   Litvinof was exceedingly angry with him-
self for a reminiscence so out of place; and
then Tatiana returned to his mind, her
abrupt departure, and all the shame and
suffering which he had caused her, and he
saw but too clearly that the affair in which
he was engaged was anything but a jest; that
he had been quite right in telling Irene
that for his own honour there remained to
him no other issue. And then again,
merely at the name of Irene, something
burning and yet sweet wrapped itself with
an irresistible embrace round his heart.
   A sound of horses' feet was heard, and he
moved out of the way. Irene passed close
to him, in company with the stout general.


176








SMOKE.17


  She recognized Litvinof, and made him
a sign of the head, and then lashing her
horse, bounded forward at a rapid gallop,
as the wind waved her veil behind her.
  "Pas si vite ! Norn de Dieu ! pas si
vite ! " shouted the general, as he endea-
voured to overtake her.


VOL. ILIN


177


N




















CHAPTER XXIV.


THE next morning, Litvinof was returning,
after having had another conversation with
his banker respecting the best means of
receiving money, when the porter put a
letter into his hand. He recognized the
writing of Irene, and actuated by an evil
presentiment, reached his room before break-
ing the seal. The letter was written in
French, and was couched in these terms:-
   "I have been thinking of your propo-
sition all night. I am going to speak to
you without evasion. You were candid








SMOKE.


with me, and I will be candid with you:
I cannot fly with you, I have not the
strength. I feel how guilty I am towards
you,-my second fault is greater than the
first. I despise myself, I heap all kinds
of reproaches upon myself, but I cannot
change myself.
   "It is in vain that I say to myself that
I have destroyed your happiness, that you
now really have a right to regard me as
a coquette; that I have been the cause of
all, and that I have given you a solemn
promise.
  "I am seized with fright, I seem horrible
to myself, but I cannot act otherwise; I
cannot, I cannot. I offer no excuse, I will
not tell you that I have allowed myself
to be led on-all that signifies nothing;
but I must repeat to you once more, that
I am yours, yours for ever! Dispose of me
                                  N2


179








SMOKE.


as you will. But to fly, to abandon all-
no! no! no! I begged you to save me;
I hoped to repair all, to cast all around
me into the fire, but it seems that there
is no salvation for me-that the poison has
penetrated too deeply. It appears that one
cannot breathe this atmosphere for years
with impunity!
  " I have hesitated for a long time before
writing this letter, for I was afraid of the
effect it may have upon you. I have no
hope but in your love, but I thought that
it would be very dishonourable to conceal
from you the truth, the more so as you
have probably begun to take measures for
the accomplishment of our design.
   "Ah! it was delightful, but chimerical.
Oh! my love, think of me as a feeble woman
without value, but do not abandon me, do
not abandon your Irene! I have no more


180








SMOKE.


strength to leave this position than I have
to live in it without you.
   "We shall soon meet each other at
Petersburg; go thither. We will find you
some occupation; your talents will not be
lost, you will have no difficulty in finding
for them some honourable application; only,
live near me, love me as I am, with all
my weaknesses, with all my faults, and be
convinced that no heart will be so ten-
derly devoted to you as the heart of your
Irene.
   "Come to me soon; I shall not have one
moment of repose so long as I do not see
you.
                        "Your own, I."

   The blood rushed to Litvinof's head and
curdled, then fell back slowly, heavily upon
his heart, which beat like a hammer against
his chest. He again read Irene's letter,


181








SMOKE.


and, as formerly at Moscow, he sank sense=
less upon his divan.
   A dark gulf had suddenly opened around
him, and he contemplated it with stupefied
horror. He was once more the toy of de-
ceit-worse than that, of falsehood and
baseness.  His career was destroyed; all
had been torn up to the last root, and
now the only branch to which he had clung
was shivered to atoms.
   "Follow us to Petersburg !" he repeated,
with a sardonic laugh. "We will there find
you some occupation. Would she make of
me a gentleman of the chamber, I wonder ?
Who is this we ?  Then there is something
mysterious and deformed here that I do not
understand, which she would efface and cast
into the fire! Here is a circle of intrigues,
of secret connections, a circle of Belskys
and Dolskys!    What a future!    What a


182








SMOKE.


magnificent role awaits me! To live near
her, to frequent her company, to share the
corrupt melancholy of a lady a la mode,
tired of fashion and society, and yet not
able to live out of it; to be the friend of
the house, and therefore of His Excellency
-until the caprice has passed, until the
plebeian has lost flavour, and is replaced
by the fat general or by M. Finikof; all
that is possible, agreeable, even honour-
able! Does she not speak of usefully em-
ploying my    'talents?'   But as for the
'design,' that is all chimera, chimera."
   There was rising within the mind of Lit-
vinof wild passions similar to the squalls
which precede a hurricane. Each expres-
sion in Irene's letter increased his rage;
he was, above all, wounded by the assur-
ances which she renewed upon the inviola-
bility of her sentiments.


183







SMOKE


   "It cannot be left thus," he exclaimed
 at length; "I will not permit her thus
 cruelly to dispose of my life."
   He rose hastily, and caught up his hat.
But what was he to do?       Rush to her?
Answer her letter? He allowed his arms
to fall by his side. Yes, what was he to
do ?
   Had he not himself offered her that fatal
 choice ? It was not such as he desired;
 but every choice has its risk. She had
 broken her word, it is true; she had her-
 self first declared that she was ready to
 abandon all and follow him, that was true
 again; but she did not deny her fault; she
 called herself a feeble woman, and she had
 not tried to deceive him-she had deceived
herself.
  What could he answer to that?  At least
she had not sought subterfuges; she was


184








SMOKE.


candid even to cruelty. Nothing obliged
her to explain herself so promptly; she
might have taxed his patience with pro-
mises-have carried the matter on, and
left him in suspense till her departure with
her husband for Italy.
   But she had poisoned his life; she had
poisoned two lives! However, it was not
she who was guilty towards Tatiana, it was
he, Litvinof-he alone; he had no right to
put away from himself the responsibility of
his fault, which weighed upon his neck like
a collar of iron. All this was as it was;
but what remained to be done now ?
  He threw himself upon his seat again, and
once more, gloomily and bitterly, began to
run the matter over in his mind.
   "And if I were to believe her ?" he said,
abruptly. "She loves me; is there not some-
thing inevitable, indomitable, like a law of


185








SMOKE.


nature, in this inclination, in this passion,
which has been preserved through so many
years, to burst forth one day with so much
violence ?  Live at Petersburg-I should
not be the first in that situation. Where
could I have taken refuge with her?"
  He began to think again; Irene appeared
to his imagination as she had been repre-
sented in his last souvenirs, but it was not
for long; he recovered himself, and thrust
from him with increasing anger both those
souvenirs and that fascinating image.
   "You offer me a cup of gold," he ex-
claimed; "but there is poison    in  the
draught, and your white wings are soiled
with mire. Leave me! Remain here with
you, while I have-sent away my be-
trothed ? It would be too infamous ? "
  He wrung his hands, and another face,
with the stamp of suffering upon its im-


186








SMOKE.


movable features, and with      a mute re-
proach in its farewell look, rose from the
abyss.
  Litvinof thus tormented himself for a long
time; for a long time his burning thoughts
were cast from side to side, like an invalid
upon his bed. He grew calm at last; he
was decided. From the first moment, he
had foreseen this decision; it had presented
itself at first to him like a distant object,
scarcely perceptible through the tumult and
the darkness of his inward struggle; then,
it advanced insensibly, irresistibly, and
ended by planting itself coldly, like a steel
blade, in his heart.
   Litvinof once more drew his box from the
corner of his room, and again collected all
his baggage, without hurrying himself, and
even with a kind of stupid regularity; then
he rang for a waiter, paid his bill, and


187








SMOKE.


dispatched to Irene a note in Russian, con-
taining the following words :
   "I do not know whether you are now
more guilty towards me than formerly, but
I know that the actual blow has been much
more violent. It is the last. You say to
me, 'I cannot;' I also repeat to you, 'I
cannot-act as you please; I neither can
nor will.'  Do not answer me.     You are
incapable of giving me the only reply that
I will accept. I leave to-morrow morning
by the first train. Farewell; be happy.
It is probable that we shall never meet
again."
   Litvinof did not go out all day. Did he
expect something?    God knows! About
seven o'clock, a lady, wrapped in a black
cloak, with a thick veil over her face, twice
approached the steps of the hotel. After
retiring and looking about, she suddenly


'188








SMOKE.


made a decisive gesture with her hand, and
resolutely hastened towards the steps for
the third time.
  "Where are you going, Irene Pavlovna ?"
said a voice behind her.
  She turned round with a convulsive
movement, and isaw Potoughine running
after her. She paused and reflected for a
moment, and then, springing towards him,
caught his hand and began to drag him
along.
  "Take me away, take me away!" she
stammered, almost out of breath.
  "What is the matter with you, Irene
Pavlovna ?"
  "Take me away!" she repeated, with in-
creased energy, "if you would not have me
remain here for ever."
  Potoughine humbly bowed his head, and
the two went away together.


189








SMOKE.


  Early the following morning, Litvinof
was on the point of leaving the hotel, when
Potoughine entered the room. He came up
to him and grasped his hand without speak-
ing a word. Litvinof also remained silent.
fBoth looked embarrassed, and made vain
efforts to smile.
   " I have come to wish you a pleasant
journey," stammered Potoughine at length.
   "And how did you know that I was
leaving to-day ?" inquired Litvinof.
   Potoughine  attentively  examined   the
floor. "I know it-as you see. Our last
conversation  took   a  somewhat strange
direction. I did not like to let you go
away without expressing to you my sincere
sympathy."
   "You have sympathy for me now ?
When I go-"
   Potoughine looked sadly at Litvinof.


190








SMOKE.


   "Ah! Gregory Mikhailovitch, Gregory
Mikhailovitch," he began, with a deep sigh,
"artifices and concealments are no longer
of use between us. Come, you do not seem
to me to be familiar with our national
literature, and you probably have not an
idea of Vaska Bouslaef?"
   "Of whom ?"
   "Of Vaska Bouslaef, the brave Novogo-
rodian-in the history of Kircha Danilof."
   "Who was Bouslaef?" grumbled Lit-
vinof, a little disconcerted by the unex-
pected turn the conversation had taken.
"I know nothing of him."
  "Never mind. This is what I want to
draw your attention to. Vaska Bouslaef, after
having led his Novogorodians on a pilgrim-
age to Jerusalem; and after having bathed,
to their great scandal, in the sacred River
Jordan, climbed to the top of Mount Tabor.


191








SMOKE.


Now, on the top of this mount is a stone
which people from all nations have tried
in vain to leap over. Vaska must try his
chance. In his path lay a death's-head,
which he kicked with his foot. 'Why do
you kick me ?' said the death's-head. 'I
once was alive, but now I am rolling in
the dust; the same thing will happen to
you.' And, in fact, Vaska took his leap,
and had almost cleared the stone, when
his toe caught, and he fractured his skull.
I must here observe to my friends the
slavophiles, who are so much inclined to
kick the death's-heads and the 'rotten'
nations, that it would be well for them to
reflect upon this legend."
   "But to what does all this tend ?" inter-
rupted Litvinof, impatiently. "It is time
for me to go, excuse me.---"
   "That story tends to tell you," responded


192








SMOKE.


Potoughine, and his eyes sparkled with a
friendly feeling, of which Litvinof little
thought him capable; "that tends to tell
you, that you have not kicked the death's-
head, and perhaps it will be given to you
as a recompense to leap the fatal stone. I
will not detain you longer, only allow me
to shake hands with you."
   "I shall not attempt to leap," replied
Litvinof, giving Potoughine a hearty grasp;
and to the bitter sensations which filled
his mind at that moment was joined sincere
compassion for this poor solitary being.
"But I must go, I must go," he added;
and he caught up his luggage.
   "Can I carry anything for you ?" said
Potoughine.
   "No, thank you, do not trouble; I can
carry it all myself."
   He put on his hat, and took his carpet-bag.
   VOL. II.                          O


193








SMOKE.


   "And so you say "-he asked, already
upon the threshold of the door-" that you
have seen her ? "
   "Yes, I have seen her."
   "Well-what was she doing ?"
   "She expected you all day yesterday-
she will expect you to-day."
  " Oh!-tell her----; no, it would be
useless. Good bye-good bye."
  Litvinof hastily ran down stairs, threw
himself into the vehicle, and reached the
railway station without turning a single look
upon the town in which he was leaving a por-
tion of his life. He seemed to have abandoned
himself to a powerful wave which had seized
him, and which bore him on, and he was
firmly resolved to make no effort to escape.
  He was already seated in the train.
  "Gregory Mikhailovitch," murmured a
supplicating voice behind him.


194








SMOKE.


  He gave a start.
  "Is it possible ? Irene !"
  It was she, indeed. Enveloped in the
shawl of her maid, and wearing a travel-
ling-hat, which scarcely kept her loosely-
tied locks from falling over her shoulders,
she stood upon the platform looking at him
with mournful but eager eyes.
   "Come back, come back. I have come
for you," said those eyes. And what did
they not promise ! She did not move; she
had not the power to speak; but everything
about her seemed to implore grace.
  Litvinof had great difficulty in keeping
himself from wavering, from bounding to-
wards her; but the saving wave to which
he had yielded himself got the upper hand.
He settled himself in his seat, and, turning
round, pointed out to Irene a vacant place
beside him.   She understood. There was
                                  02


195








SMOKE.


still time. A step, a movement, and two
beings, bound to each      other for ever,
would have been borne forward into the
unknown. While she was hesitating, the
whistle sounded, and the train began to
move.
   Litvinof threw himself back in his seat.
Irene staggered to a seat, and there allowed
herself to sink down, to the extreme sur-
prise of an unemployed diplomatist, who
happened to be strolling about.
   He knew little of Irene; but took a great
interest in her. Seeing that she had partly
fainted, he presumed that she had an attack
of the nerves, and thought it his duty, as
a gallant cavalier, to come to her assistance.
But his surprise took still larger propor-
tions when at the first word he addressed
to her she rose abruptly, repulsed the
arm which he offered to her, gained the


196








                  SMOKE.              197

street, and in a few minutes disappeared
amidst one of those white mists so fre-
quent at Baden during the first days of
autumn.



















CHAPTER XXV.


I ONCE happened to go into the cottage
of a peasant woman who had just lost an
only and dearly beloved child.     To my
great surprise, I found her quite calm, almost
gay.
   "Do not be surprised," said the husband,
who no doubt observed this impression;
"she is ossified now."
   Litvinof also was "ossified;" a calm
similar to that of this peasant-woman had
come over him during the first hours of
his journey.
  Completely prostrated, and despairing,








SMOKE.


he yet breathed. He breathed after all
the alarms and all the torments of the
last week, after all the blows which had
fallen, one after the other, upon his head.
These blows had shaken him the more, as
he was little used to such storms.
  He now calculated upon absolutely no-
thing, and endeavoured to recollect nothing.
He was going to Russia only because it
was necessary to go somewhere! He was
unable to form the smallest design. He
did not recognize himself; he did not
attempt to account for his actions. He had
lost his individuality, and it had become a
matter of indifference to him.
   It seemed at times as though he was
taking away his own corpse; nothing within
him but a sense of incurable sorrow re-
minded him that he was still in existence.
From time to time it appeared to him in-


199








SMOKE.


comprensible how a woman, how love,
could have obtained such an influence over
him.
   "Horrible weakness!" he muttered, and
he drew his cloak round him and settled
himself more comfortably in the carriage.
"I must commence a new life."
  The next moment he smiled with bitter
astonishment at himself. He began to look
out of window. The weather was dull;
there  was no rain, but the fog        had
not dispersed, and low clouds veiled the
sky.
  The wind blew against the train, and at
times masses of smoke, sometimes white,
sometimes black, came against the window.
Litvinof sat and followed them with his
eyes. Constantly, without interval, rising
and falling, catching to the grass and
bushes, streaming far behind, and melting


200








SMOKE.


away into the damp air, rolled one after the
other those clouds, always new but always
the same, in a sort of monotonous and tire-
some play.
  At times the wind turned, or there came
a bend in the road; then all these white
masses disappeared, to come over to the
other window, and an interminable tail con-
cealed from the eyes of Litvinof the valley
of the Rhine.
   Litvinof looked and looked in silence;
a fantastic thought had seized his mind.
He was alone in the carriage, without any-
one to interfere with him.
   "Smoke ! smoke!" he repeated several
times, and suddenly everything appeared
to him like smoke: his own life, Russian
life, everything human, and especially every-
thing Russian.
   "It is all nothing but smoke and vapour,"


201








SMOKE.


he thought; "all appears to be perpetually
changing, one image succeeds another, phe-
nomenon replaces phenomenon, but in reality
it is all the same; it is all hurrying onward,
none know where, and it all vanishes, without
leaving a trace behind it, without having at-
tained to anything. The wind blows from
another quarter, all rushes over to the other
side, and there recommences, without relax-
ation, the same feverish and fruitless play.
   He called to mind all that had passed
before his eyes during the last few years,
not without bustle and uproar. "Smoke,"
he murmured, "Smoke!"
   He thought of the confused discussions,
and the clamorous exclamations of Gou-
baref's drawing-room, and of the disputes
of others, men of high and low position,
progressionists and retrogades, young and
old;-" Smoke !" he repeated, " Smoke !"


202








SMOKE.


   He thought also of that pic-nic at the
 Old Chateau, of the discussions of other
 statesmen, and even of all that Potoughine
 had extolled. " Smoke! Smoke ! all smoke,
 and nothing more."
   And his own efforts, his sentiments, his
 attempts, and his dreams ? The thought of
 them only provoked a sign of discourage-
 ment.
   Meanwhile the train was hurrying along
 Rastadt, and Carlsruhe, and Bruchsal, were
 left far behind; upon the right stretched
 out the mountains, afterwards to draw
 near, but less high, and less covered with
 forests.
 The train came to a short turn; they
 were at Heidelderg. The carriages glided
 into the station; the news-boys began to
 offer all sorts of papers, even Russian
journals, and the passengers got out and


203








SMOKE.


walked about the platform; but Litvinof
did not leave his corner, where he sat with
his head bowed upon his chest. Suddenly
he heard his name pronounced, and raised
his head; the face of Bindasof appeared at
the door; was it an hallucination?  But
no, it was a reality, for the next moment
appeared all the well-known faces from
Baden.
   There was Madame Soukhautchikof, and
 here was Yorochilof; all came hurrying to-
 wards him, while Bindasof brawled-
   "Where is Pichtchalkin? We are wait-
ing for him; but never mind him, let us
go on; we shall all meet at Goubaref's."
   "Yes, friend, yes, Goubaref expects us;
come along," said Bambaef, throwing his
arms about.
  Litvinof would have been seized with a
fit of anger, if he had not had such a load


204








SMOKE.


upon his heart. He stared in Bindasof's
face, and turned away in silence.
  " They tell you Goubaref is here!" ex-
claimed Madame Soukhautchikof, as her
eyes made a desperate struggle to escape.
  Litvinof did not move.
  " Come, listen to me, Litvinof," said
Bambaef, returning to the charge; "there
is here not only Goubaref, but a whole
phalanx of distinguished Russians, capital
fellows; they are all studying natural sci-
ence, and all have the most liberal opinions!
Pray remain at least long enough to see
them. There is, especially, a certain--
oh!   I forgot his name!     He is a real
genius!"
   "There, leave him alone, Rostislof Ar-
daliovitch," said Madame Soukhautchikof;
you see what the man is; the whole race
are alike. There is an aunt; she appeared


205








SMOKE.


to me at first a good sort of a woman, and
I travelled here with her two days ago;
she had only just touched at Baden, and
was already returning. Well, on the way,
I tried to question her; but would you be-
lieve that I could not get a word out of the
proud, hateful old aristocrat !"
   Poor Capitoline Markovna an 'aristo-
 crat ! Had she ever expected such humi-
 liation ?
   But Litvinof still remained silent, and,
 turning away, drew his cap down over his
 eyes. At last the train started again.
   "Give us a farewell word, man of stone
 that you are !" shouted Bindasof.  "Did
 ever anybody see a man act like that be-
 fore?  Ass! blockhead!" he added.
   The train was hurrying away, and he
 could bluster with impunity.
    "Miser! snail! N. B. !"


206








SMOKE.


   Had Bindasof invented this last name
impromptu, or had he borrowed it ? I do
not know; but it is certain that it so struck
two of the distinguished gentlemen-" the
capital fellows," the " students of natural
science "-that a few days later it made its
appearance in the pages of a Russian pe-
riodical which was then published at Hei-
delberg, under the title, "A tout venant je
crache."*
   And Litvinof took up his song:
   "Smoke ! smoke! smoke !"
   "There are now at Heidelberg," he
said, " more than     a  hundred   Russian
students, who study chemistry, natural philo-
sophy, and physiology, and will hear of
nothing else. Four or five years will pass,
and there will not be fifteen of my country-
men to listen to the lectures of the same


* An historical fact.


207








SMOKE.


eminent professors. The wind will have
changed, the smoke will have passed over
on   to the other side.     Smoke! smoke!
smoke ! "
   During the night, he passed through
Cassel. With the darkness, an intolerable
agony had seized his heart, as though a
vulture had fixed its talons in it, and he
began to weep, with his head thrust down
into one corner of the carriage. His tears
flowed for a long time without relieving
his heart, which seemed to be torn more
and more.
   At the same time, at an inn in Cassel,
Tatiana lay upon a bed burning with fever,
while Capitoline Markovna watched over
her.
   "Tania," said the latter, "for goodness

   * This presentiment of Litvinof was realized; in 1866
there were only thirteen Russian students at Heidelberg in
the summer, and twelve in the winter.


208








SMOKE.


sake, let me send a telegram to Gregory
Mikhailovitch; let me, Tania."
   "No, aunt," she replied, "you must not;
do not alarm yourself. Give me some
water; I shall be better soon."
  And, in fact, in a week she had recovered
her health; and the two friends continued
their journey.


VOL. II.


209


P




















CHAPTER XXVI.


WITHOUT stopping either at St. Petersburg
or Moscow, Litvinof returned to his modest
patrimony. He was quite shocked at the
sight of his father, he was so old and broken.
The old man rejoiced to see his son, as
much as a man could rejoice who had
already done with life; he hastened to give
him all the information in his power respect-
ing the management of his affairs, which
were in great disorder; and after lingering
for a few weeks, breathed his last.
  Litvinof was left alone in the old home.








SMOKE.


He began to cultivate the land with an
ulcerated heart, without hope, without any
taste for his labour, and without money.
The management of property in Russia is
no light matter, as only too many know.
Therefore we shall not dwell upon the diffi-
culties which Litvinof had to encounter.
He could not think of introducing reforms
and ameliorations; the application of the
principles which he had collected in foreign
countries had to be indefinitely put off;
necessity obliged him to live from day to
day, and to resign himself to all sorts of
concessions, both material and moral.
   The new institutions worked badly, and
the old ones had lost all power; inexperi-
ence had to struggle against dishonesty;
stagnant and already drying up, like our
vast marshes, the old state of things no
longer supported  anything; there only
                                   P2


211








SMOKE.


floated upon the surface the grand word
"Liberty," just pronounced by the mouth
of the Czar, as the Spirit of God in old times
moved upon the waters.
   It was necessary above all things to have
patience, and patience less passive than
active, a persistent patience which would
not give way even before deceit. This was
doubly painful to Litvinof in the state of
mind in which he found himself. He had
little taste for life, how could he have for
toil ?
   One year rolled past, a second followed,
and the third was entered      upon.   The
grand idea of emancipation began to pro-
duce its fruits, and exercise its influence
over customs; it could be seen that the
germ was springing up, and that germ could
no longer be stifled by any enemy either
open or secret.


212








SMOKE.


   Although Litvinof gave to his people the
greater portion of the produce of his land
at harvest-time, which was returning to the
primitive mode of culture, he was not with-
out prosperity. He repaired his house and
established a small farm with five free
labourers, after having changed them at least
forty ! imes, and   paid  off his heaviest
debts.
   His powers of mind had returned, and he
felt more like what he had been formerly.
A sense of profound sadness never left him,
indeed; he led a mode of life which was
not suited to his age. He had shut himself
up within a narrow circle and renounced all
connections with the outer world; but he
had no longer that hateful listlessness which
had at first clogged all his energies: he
walked and acted as a living being in the
midst of living beings.


213








SMOKE.


   The last traces of the charm to which
he had yielded had also disappeared: all
that had passed at Baden was looked
back upon only as a dream. And Irene-
her image had also grown pale, and at last
vanished altogether; it was only at inter-
vals that it reappeared like a vaguely dan-
gerous figure surrounded by a mist.
   He had rarely received any news of
Tatiana; he only knew that she had set-
tled with her aunt in her small patrimony,
situated two hundred verstes from his own
estate, that she lived very quietly, going
out little, and   scarcely  ever receiving
visitors, and moreover that she was calm
and well.
   One fine May morning he was sitting in
his office, absently looking over a Petersburg
newspaper, when the servant announced the
arrival of an old uncle. This uncle, a cousin


214








SMOKE.


of Capitoline Markovna, had called to pay
him a visit, having come into the neigh-
bourhood to take possession of some pro-
perty which he had recently purchased.
He remained several days with his nephew,
and talked to him a great deal respecting
Tatiana.
   The day after his departure, Litvinof
sent to the latter a letter, the first since
their separation. He requested permission
to renew their acquaintance, at least by
correspondence, and desired also to know
whether he must give up all hope of seeing
her again. It was not without anxiety
that he awaited the reply. It came at
length. Tatiana replied very kindly to his
overture.
   "If you have any idea of coming to see
us," she said, in conclusion, "you will give
us very great pleasure. Come if you can:


215








SMOKE.


they say that even invalids are better
when they are together than when they are
separated."
   Capitoline Markovna also sent her re-
spects to him.
   Litvinof was seized with a childish joy;
it was years since his heart had beaten so
gaily as it did that day. Everything sud-
denly appeared to him bright and serene.
  When the sun rises and chases away the
obscurity of the night, a soft breeze passes
with the morning rays over the earth and
refreshes it ; Litvinof felt some such sweet
and enlivening influence. He laughed at
everything that day, even as he overlooked
his workpeople and gave them their orders.
He at once began to make his preparations
for the journey, and fifteen days later he
was on his way to Tatiana.


216




















CHAPTER XXVII.


HE travelled slowly, over cross-roads, with-
out any unusual incident: once only the
band of a wheel broke; the farrier heated
and hammered, and railed against the wheel
and against himself, then ended by de-
claring that nothing could be done to it.
Fortunately it was found that it was possible
to travel even with a broken wheel, pro-
vided the roads were "soft," that is to
say, muddy. This accident was to Litvinof
the occasion of three meetings.
  At a place where he stopped, he fell







SMOKE.


upon a meeting of proprietors, presided over
by Pichtchalkin, who reminded him of a
Solon or a Solomon-such was the prudence
with which his words were impregnated,
and such was the unlimited confidence which
his associates seemed to place in him.
  Even the outward appearance of Picht-
chalkin brought to mind the seven sages
of antiquity: he had but one tuft of hair
upon his head, and an expression of vir-
tuous beatitude was stamped upon his fat,
but solemn face.
   He congratulated Litvinof "upon having
come-if I may use that ambitious expres-
sion-into my own neighbourhood," then
majestically paused, seized with an excess
of lofty feelings.
   Litvinof however got from him some
 news of Vorochilof, among others.
   The man of the "list of honour" had


218








SMOKE.


entered the service, and had already read to
the officers of his regiment a paper upon
Buddhism or dynamics, or something of that
sort - Pichtchalkin did not recollect for
certain.
  At another place they were a long time
putting the horses to; it was just getting
light. Litvinof, who had been asleep in his
vehicle, was aroused by a voice which he
seemed to know. He opened his eyes.
Good heavens! was that not M. Goubaref,
in a grey morning-jacket and loose trousers,
standing upon the steps of the post-house,
and uttering abuse upon everybody who
came in his way? No, it could not be
M. Goubaref; but what a wonderful resem-
blance! Only this individual had a larger
mouth, a better set of teeth, a harsher look,
a larger nose, a more bushy beard, and, in
general, a body thicker and heavier.


219








SMOKE.


  " R-r-ras-cals! r-r-ras-cals !" he shouted
with increasing rage, exhibiting the jaws of
a wolf; "heathen that you are!      This is
the liberty you boast of-one can't even get
a horse put to-r-r-ras-cals!"
   " R-r-ras-cals! r-r-ras-cals !"  yelped
another voice behind him; and a second
individual appeared upon the steps, in a
grey jacket and loose trousers. This time
it was really, beyond the possibility of
doubt, the real M. Goubaref - Stephen
Nikolaevitch Goubaref.
   "Heathen wretches!" he continued, in
imitation of his brother (the first jacket was
his elder brother, the "dentist" of the old
school, who managed his property). "They
must be thrashed; there is nothing else to
be done with them; they must have their
heads broken and their teeth knocked out.
All they can do is to prate about liberty!


220








SMOKE.


Wait a little, and I'll let them see. But
where is M. Roston ? What is he thinking
about?   It is his place, the sluggard, to
spare us this trouble."
   "I have told you, brother," observed
Goubaref senior, "that he is good for
nothing; he is such a lazy scoundrel! Mon-
sieur Roston! Monsieur Roston!      Where
have you got to?"
   "Roston ! Roston!" bellowed the younger
and stouter Goubaref.   "Call him louder,
Dorimedouthe Nikolaevitch."
   "I have made myself hoarse already,
Stephen Nikolaevitch. Monsieur Roston!"
   "Here I am! here I am!" said a breath-
less voice; and round a corner of the house
appeared-Bambaef.
   Litvinof allowed a cry of surprise to
escape him. The unfortunate enthusiast
was muffled up in a greatcoat, the sleeves


221








SMOKE.


of which were all in tatters. His features
were not so much changed as deformed and
shrunken; his haggard eyes expressed ser-
vile terror and submission, like those of a
starving dog; but a pair of dyed moustaches
still ornamented his thin lips.
   From the top of the steps, the brothers
Goubaref immediately began with one accord
to heap abuse upon him. He stepped in
the mud, and, humbly bending his back,
tried to appease them with a feeble smile,
as he twisted his cap in his hands and
assured them that the horses would be
ready in a moment. But the brothers did
not stop till the younger saw Litvinof.
   Whether it was that he recognized him,
or whether it was that he was ashamed of
making such an uproar before a stranger,
he turned abruptly upon his feet like a
bear, and, showing his beard, went into the


222








SMOKE.


house; the elder also broke off, and with a
look no less than of a bear, followed into the
den. The great Goubaref had not lost his
influence in his country, it appeared.
  Bambaef was about to follow the two
brothers, when Litvinof called him by his
name. He looked back, and shaded his
eyes with his hand, and, recognizing Lit-
vinof, sprang towards him with open arms;
but on reaching the vehicle, he grasped
the door, and leaning his chest upon it,
wept like a fountain.
   "Come, that's enough of that," said Lit-
vinof, leaning towards him, and touching
his shoulder.
  But he continued to sob.
  "This--this is where    " stammered
Bambaef, between his sobs.
  "Bambaef!" roared the brothers from
the depths of the izba.


223








SMOKE.


  Bambaef raised his head, and hastily
dried his tears.
  " Good day, my friend," he murmured;
"good-bye! good-bye ! You hear they are
calling me."
   "But what brings you here ?" inquired
Litvinof; "and what is the meaning of
all this ? I thought they were calling a
Frenchman."
   "I am their manager, their steward,"
replied Bambaef, pointing towards the izba.
"They have given me a French name for
a joke. What can I do, my friend? I was
dying of hunger. I have not a penny, and
I was obliged to put my neck into the
collar. It was not good to be proud."
   "But has he been long in Russia? How
 did he come to leave his associates ?"
   "Oh! my friend, all that is put on one
 side; the weather has changed. Madame


224








SMOKE.


Soukhautchikof, Matrena Kouzminichna, was
simply turned out of doors. She has gone
to Portugal."
  "Gone to Portugal, is she? How absurd!"
  "Yes, brother, to Portugal, with two
Matrenians."
  " With whom ?"
  "With two Matrenians. The men of her
party are called thus."
   "Matrena Kouzminichna has a party? Is
it large ?"
  " It is composed of two individuals. He
has been here six months. The others are
looked sharply after; but nothing has hap-
pened to him. He lives here in the coun-
try with his brother; and if you heard
now-"
  "Bambaef !"
  "Directly, Stephen Nikolaevitch; I am
coming at once. And are you prospering,
   VOL. II.                        Q


225








SMOKE.


my dear friend ? are you making your for-
tune ?  Thank God for that! And where
are you going now ? Ah! to be sure. You
recollect Baden ? That was life ! That re-
minds me-you remember Bindasof?      Only
fancy, he is dead! He took some situation
in a brandy distillery, and in a quarrel at
a tavern had his skull fractured with a
billiard-cue. Yes, times have become very
hard ! But I still say, Russia; there is no
country like Russia! Look at that pair of
geese; there is not such another pair of
geese in all Europe. They are real Ar-
zamas geese."
   And having paid this last tribute to his
indomitable need of enthusiasm, Bambaef
ran into the post-house, where his name
was again pronounced with all sorts of
imprecations.
   As the day declined, Litvinof drew near


226








SMOKE.


to the residence of Tatiana. The cottage
in which she lived who was to have been
his wife, was situated upon the side of a
hill, above a small stream, in the middle of
a newly-planted garden. This cottage was
quite new, indeed hardly finished, and it
could be seen from a considerable distance
overlooking the river and the fields. Lit-
vinof discovered it two verstes off.
   Ever since the last relay he had been
seized with an inward agitation, which was
constantly increasing.   "How  shall I be
welcomed?" he thought.    "How shall I
introduce myself?"
   In order to pass the time, he entered
into a conversation with the driver, an old
man with a grey beard, who, however, had
assured him it was thirty verstes, while
it was not twenty-five.   He asked him if
he knew the proprietors of Chestof.
                                    q2


227








SMOKE.


  "Of Chestof?    Not know them! They
are very good ladies; there is nothing to
be said against them. They look after all
the poor people. They are regular doctors.
People come to them from miles around.
There is a crowd of them sometimes
When, for instance, anybody falls ill, or
hurts themselves, off they run to them;
they give them some medicine, a little
paper of powder, or a piece of plaster, and
that cures them. And they never want
any thanks. 'We do not do it for money,'
they say. And they have opened a school
-but, as to that, that's a very stupid
thing."
   While the man was chattering, Litvinof
did not take his eyes from the house. A
woman dressed in white appeared upon the
balcony, seeming to be looking for some-
thing, then disappeared.


228








SMOKE.


   Was it not she ?
   His heart gave a violent leap.
   "Faster! faster!" he called out to the
driver.
   The man whipped his horses. A few
minutes more, and the carriage passed the
open gate. Capitoline Markovna was al-
ready running down the steps, red in the
face, clapping her hands, and crying, "I re-
cognized him! I recognized him! It is he,
it is he! I recognized him!"
   Litvinof sprang lightly to the ground,
before the little Cossack had time to open
the door, and hastily embracing Capitoline
Markovna, ran into the house, crossed the
hall and the dining-room-and found himself
face to face with Tatiana.
   She looked at him with her sweet loving
 eyes (she had grown a little stouter, which
 rather improved her appearance), and held


229








SMOKE.


out her hand to him. He did not take
it, but fell upon his knees at her feet. She
had not expected that, and did not know
what to say or do.       Tears came into
her eyes; she was afraid, and yet at
the same time her face was covered with
joy.
   " Gregory Mikhailovitch, what is the
meaning of this ?" she said.
   But he continued to kiss the hem of her
dress, calling to mind, with a truly contrite
heart, that formerly, at Baden, he had also
knelt at her feet. But how different then
from now.
   "Tania," he murmured, "Tania, have you
forgiven me?"
   "Aunt, aunt, what is this ?" inquired
Tatiana of Capitoline Markovna, who came
in just then.
   "Leave him alone, Tatiana," replied the


230








SMOKE.


good old creature; "you can see that he
has repented."



  However, it is time to conclude; and
there is hardly anything more to be added:
the reader will divine the rest.
   But Irene ?
   She is as enchanting as ever, notwith-
standing her thirty years. She has a large
circle of admirers, and would have still
more, if--
   Will the reader allow us to transport him
for a moment to St. Petersburg, into one of
its most splendid edifices ?
   Here, then, is a vast apartment decorated
and furnished (I will not say richly, the ex-
pression would be too feeble), but gorgeously,
with an ostentation and an art which had
been carried out regardless of expense.


231








SMOKE.


  Do you not feel a shudder of awe pass
over you ? You have penetrated a temple
consecrated to the most immaculate virtue,
to the most sublime morality, in short, to
that which is not terrestrial, in which there
reigns a silence truly mysterious. Velvet
hangings before the doors and velvet cur-
tains at the windows, a soft and thick carpet
upon the floor, all is arranged to subdue the
least vulgar sound and keep out every rude
sensation. The carefully shaded lamps call
up salutary feelings; a chaste perfume floats
upon the secluded atmosphere; the very
kettle upon the table bubbles with reserve
and moderation.
   The mistress of the house, a very im-
portant personage in the world of Peters-
burg, speaks so low that she can scarcely
be heard. She always speaks in this man-
ner, as though there were a suffering invalid


232








SMOKE.


in the room, and her sister, who pours out
the tea, moves her lips without emitting any
decided sound whatever, so that a young
man sitting in front of her, who has chanced
to drop into this temple, cannot for the life of
him make out what she says to him, as she
murmurs simply, for the sixteenth time,
" Voulez-vous une tasse de the ?"
   In the corners of the room may be seen
men, still young, but already venerable in
appearance: their countenances betray a
tranquil servility; their faces, notwithstand-
ing an insinuating expression, wear an unva-
rying calm, and bunches of stars and crosses
glitter modestly upon their manly chests.
   The conversation is also very peaceful,
turning only upon religious and patriotic
subjects, such as Glinka's Goutte mysterieuse,
the missions to the West, and the monas-
teries and confraternities of White Russia.


233








SMOKE.


  Footmen appear at rare intervals, their
enormous calves, encased in silk stockings,
trembling at every step; and the respectful
alacrity of these robust mercenaries shows
up still more the general atmosphere of
distinction, virtue, and piety. It is a tem-
ple! it is indeed a temple!
   "Have you seen Madame Ratmirof?"
inquired a lady, in a languishing tone.
   "I saw her to-day with Lise," replied the
mistress of the house, in an ethereal voice.
You would have thought it was an ]Eolian
harp. "I pity her-she has a capricious
mind-elle n'a pas la foi."
   "Yes, yes," continued the same person;
"you recollect Peter Ivanovitch very judi-
ciously observed, qu'elle a-qu'elle a a capri-
cious mind."
   "Elle n'a pas la foi," sighed the mistress
of the house, the words seeming to come


234








SMOKE.


from her lips like the smoke of incense.
"C'est une Ame egare'e.  She has a capri-
cious mind."
   "She has a capricious mind," the lips
of her sister seemed to repeat.


   And that is why all the young men are
not in love with Irene. They fear her-they
are afraid of her "capricious mind."   This
is a phrase commonly applied to her, and,
like all such phrases, it contains a great
deal of truth.   And it is not alone the
young men who are afraid of her, but also
mature men-men of high position, even
personages.
   No person has such skill and acuteness
in detecting the ridiculous or feeble side of
every character,-no one knows so well
how   to stigmatize it with a word-and
that word is always the more cutting as


235








SMOKE.


it comes from a dainty and smiling mouth.
It is difficult to say what passes in her
mind; but, among the crowd of her wor-
shippers, rumour accords to none the title
of favourite.
   Irene's husband is rapidly advancing
along the path which is called that of
honour.    The stout general has gone by
him, while the general of the honeyed
words lags behind.
   In the same town where Irene resides,
exists also our friend Sozouthe Potoughine.
He sees her but rarely: the child which had
been confided to his care is dead. There no
longer exists any occasion for his keeping up
an acquaintance with Madame Ratmirof.

                  THE END.


London: Printed by W. CLOWES and Sons, Stamford Street and Charing Cross.


236

















This book is a preservation facsimile produced for
  the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
  It is made in compliance with copyright law
       and produced on acid-free archival
            60# book weight paper
        which meets the requirements of
ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (permanence of paper).

   Preservation facsimile printing and binding
                      by
            Northern Micrographics
            Brookhaven Bindery
            La Crosse, Wisconsin
                     2009