Chapter 24 Gathering Villa

one Guests gathered at the ×× villa.The drawing-room was at the same time full of ladies and gentlemen returning from theaters with first-run Italian operas.Order was gradually restored.The ladies took their own seats on the sofas.A circle of men formed around them.The poker game is over.A few young men were left standing on two legs. Appreciating the prints of Paris has become a topic for everyone. Two men were sitting on the balcony.One of them was a Spaniard who had traveled here.It seems that he is enjoying the beauty of the night in the northern country.He gazed with fascination at the clear, pale sky and the majestic Neva River illuminated by mysterious and indescribable lights, and at the villas all around them, which unfolded like pictures in the transparent night.

"How beautiful the night is in your north!" said the Spaniard at last. "In comparison, I even regret the beauty of the night under the clear skies of my country." Another answered him: "One of our poets compared it to a flaxen-haired Russian beauty. I must admit, an Italian or a Spanish beauty, with dark skin and black eyes, full of life and fire." The enthusiasm of my friends, that can stimulate my imagination even more. Besides, the debate on the merits of black-haired women and yellow-haired women has been going on for a long time. Did you know that she explained to me the seriousness and purity of Petersburg customs? She firmly believed that our winter nights were too cold and our summer nights too bright for sex hunting."

The Spaniard smiled and said: "So, because of the influence of the climate, Petersburg has become a gentleman's country with perfect morals and pure love." "What is beauty? There are different tastes, and there is no consensus." The Russian replied, "As for our so-called love, it is better not to talk about it. It is not fashionable, no one thinks of it. Women are afraid of being seen as frivolous, and men are afraid. Lower your status. Everyone is trying to be mediocre, polite, and tasteless. As for the purity of customs, then, in order not to disappoint the trust of your foreign friend, let me tell you something ..." The conversation went on in a sarcastic direction.

At this moment the door to the living room opened, and Volskaya came in.She is in the prime of her youthful blossoms.She was well-proportioned and well-proportioned, with large dark eyes, nimble and graceful manners, and an original make-up.All of this is naturally eye-catching.The men greeted her with somewhat joking civility, the women treated her with distinct hostility.But Volskaya didn't notice anything, answered people's questions without answering them, and looked around blankly.Her complexion was as unpredictable as a cloud, revealing great distress.She sat down next to the old and prudent Duchess A, deliberately provocative②.

①The original text is French. ②The original text is French. She shuddered suddenly, and turned her face towards the balcony.Feeling restless, she got up, passed among the chairs and tables, stood for a moment behind the chair of the old general P, slipped out onto the balcony without answering a word to the old man's subtle compliments. Both the Spaniard and the Russian rose to their feet.She walked up to the two of them and said a few words in Russian in a panic.Seeing that he was a superfluous role here, the Spaniard immediately left her behind and turned back to the living room.

The solemn princess watched Volskaya leave.Said softly to a man sitting next to him: "What does this sound like?!" "She's terribly flippant," the man replied. "Frivolous? She's too cheap! Her behavior is unforgivable. She doesn't respect herself, do as she pleases. But society has never suffered such contempt from her. Minsky will enlighten her!" "He won't enlighten her, because he would be more than happy to discredit her. At the same time, I can vouch for their conversation being pure." ①The original text is French. "I believe that... how long has it been since you became so magnanimous?"

"I admit that I had a hand in determining the fate of this young woman. There was much more good in her than bad, as everyone thought. But love can destroy her. " "Love? How nice to say! What is love? Don't you think she has a fiery heart and a romantic mind? No! It's just that her education is too bad. . . . What kind of engraving is this? A portrait of Sayin Pashar? Show me." The guests left one after another.There was no longer a lady in the drawing room.Only the hostess stood disapprovingly at a table where two diplomats were playing a final round of cards.Volskaya suddenly noticed the rising sun, and hurriedly left the balcony.She had been there alone with Minsky for almost three hours.The hostess said goodbye to her coldly, and deliberately dismissed Minsky.Several guests were waiting for their cars at the gate.Minsky drove Volskaya into her car.

"It seems that it is Your Excellency's turn." A young officer said to Minsky. "No!" Minsky replied. "She's very busy. I'm just a good friend of hers, or so you may guess. But I love her with all my heart--what a joke she is!" Zinayda Volskaya lost her mother when she was six years old.Her father, a capable and lazy man, put his daughter up in the care of a French woman, hired several teachers of various kinds, and then left him alone.When the girl was fifteen years old, she grew up like a flower, and wrote a love letter to her dance teacher.When her father learned of this, he dismissed the dance teacher, introduced her into society, and considered her education complete.Zina Itda's appearance caused a storm.Volsky, a very rich young man, accustomed to submitting his feelings to the opinions of others, fell madly in love with her, because the saint had once met her on the English embankment, and talked to her enough Within an hour Volsky proposed to her.Her father was happy to let go of this fashionable daughter.Zinayda was impatient to get married, because she wanted to see the whole town surrounding her.Besides, Volsky wasn't an unpleasant person.Thus, her fate was decided.

Her sincere nature, unexpected mischief, and childish frivolity made a pleasant impression at first, and even the whole of high society was grateful to her, because she constantly destroyed the invincible uniformity of the life of the aristocratic circle.Everyone laughed at her for being naughty and imitated her.However, several years have passed, and Zina Yida is still a fourteen-year-old child in heart.Started to criticize.Everyone felt that Volskaya lacked the minimum sense of shame that women should have.As a result, women avoided her and men approached her.Zina Yida thought in her heart that she did not suffer a loss, so she felt at ease.

Gossip and gossip assigned her many lovers.Slander does not require evidence, and it leaves stains that are almost indelible.In secular legal codes, paradox equals truth.People who are slandered by rumors will even look down on themselves.Tears of anger welled up in Volskaya's eyes, and she was determined to rise up against the snare of the unjust upper class.The opportunity came quickly. Among the group of young people who surrounded her, Zinaïda looked at Minsky differently.It seemed that the two had something in common in character and situation, which should have brought them close.In the early years of his youth, Minsky misbehaved, was also ostracized by high society, and slandered by gossip.Minsky left high society and feigned indifference.The gnawing of self-esteem was temporarily covered up by love.However, experience made him peaceful.When he reappeared on the social stage, he no longer revealed the rash enthusiasm of his youth and ignorance, but showed a dignified demeanor of generosity and self-interest.He did not love high society, but he did not despise it either, knowing that it must be won over.He respects it as a whole, but in particular he never spares it, and is ready to make every member of it a victim of his own grievous pride.He liked Volskaya because she had the audacity to openly defy the hateful net.He encouraged her, gave her ideas and abetted her, became her confidant, and soon became an indispensable figure for her.

Mr. E blinded her for a brief moment. "To you, this man is insignificant," Minsky told her. "He has borrowed all his wisdom from Dangerous Liaisons, and his genius from Jomini." Come. When you get to know him a little, you will despise him for his extreme obscenity, just as a soldier despises his bombastic talk." "I'm going to fall in love with Mr. P. How about it?" said Zinaïda. "What a fiddle!" he answered. "This gentleman, who often dyes his hair, repeats cheerfully every five minutes: When I was in Florence 3 . That nasty wife of his is in love with him! Leave 'em alone! These darlings were made to complement each other." "What do you think of Baron W?" "Here, a little girl in a military uniform! What's the matter with him? . . . Guess what? You should be in love with Mr. C. He'll tickle your fancy. Because he's as smart as he is bad." Besides, Toh, this man has strong emotions, he will be jealous, he will have great passions, he will torment you, and he will amuse you. What more do you want?" ①The original text is French. ②Jomini (1770-1869), French general, military theorist. ③The original text is French. ④The original text is French. However, Volskaya did not listen to him.Minsky guessed what was on her mind, and his pride was satisfied.He did not expect frivolous flirtations to merge with intense love, foresaw that the relationship would not produce any good results, foresaw that an extra woman might be added to his list of frivolous mistresses, and Contemplating this victory in cold blood.Had he really been able to see that a storm awaited him, he would probably have given up the victory, for a man in society is apt to sacrifice all pleasures, even vanity, for the sake of convenience and ease. . two Minsky was still in bed when a letter arrived.He yawned while opening the letter, shrugged his shoulders, and unfolded two pages of letter paper, which were densely filled with women's slender characters.The letter began as follows: "I can't tell you everything that comes to my mind. When I'm face to face with you, I can't organize my thoughts, but now they are clearly tormenting me. Your sophistry did not overcome my doubts, but forced I am silent. This proves that you are always over me, but, for happiness, for my peace of mind, this is not enough..." Volskaya reproached him for being too cold, too suspicious, and so on, complained to him, begged him, she couldn't make out what she had written; she begged him to trust her, full of tenderness, full of complaints, and agreed tonight Just meet in her box.Minsky wrote back to her in a few words, saying that he was involved in mundane affairs, asking for her understanding, and promising to go to the theater tonight. three The Spaniard said: "You are so frank and tolerant. Please allow me to ask you a question for your answer. I have traveled all over the world. I have been honored to visit all courts in Europe, and I have been honored to set foot in the high society of various countries, but Nowhere do I feel so uncomfortable and awkward as in the circle of your accursed aristocrats. Whenever I enter the Duchess B's hall, I always see batches of molesting, molesting The mummies of Wu Yan can’t help but send chills down my spine. Among these mummies, there is not a single moral authority, and no one’s name can make me admire the glory. But there is one thing that always makes me feel a little scared. What is it? " "That thing is called being evil," replied the Russian, "that is our vice. Among the people it expresses itself in mockery, in the upper classes it expresses indifference and cruelty. Besides, our ladies suffer Their education is very shallow, and nothing European has anything to do with their ideas. There is nothing to be said about men. For them, politics and literature do not exist at all. Wit has long been out of fashion and has become a sign of frivolity. What do they have to talk about? About themselves? No! They are educated after all. So, they have to gossip about trivial matters, which only their chosen circle can understand. .People who don’t belong to this circle are treated as aliens by them, no matter foreigners or natives.” "Forgive me for taking the liberty to ask a few more questions," said the Spaniard. "I may not be able to find anyone else to answer to my satisfaction, so I hastened to use this opportunity to ask you to answer. Just now you mentioned your nobles. Russian nobles What is it? I have studied your laws, and I have found that in your Russia there is no hereditary nobility based on primogeniture. It seems that there is equality of citizenship among the members of your nobility, and there is nothing about this equality Restrictions. On what, then, is your so-called nobility based? Is it merely ancient blood?" The Russian smiled and replied: "You are wrong. The old Russian nobles, for the reasons you just mentioned, have disappeared into obscurity and formed a lineage of the third class. The noble blood of our country one), and identified their ancestors as Rurik and Monomacher. Let me give you an example from my own experience." At this point, the Russian showed a smug and contemptuous look, "The aristocratic roots of my family are from ancient times. Time is gone, and the names of my ancestors can be found on all the pages of our country's history. However, if I'm going to call myself a nobleman, well, I guess I'll make people laugh. Even calling my own grandparents true nobles already Difficult. Their ancient surnames existed before Peter the Great and Queen Elizabeth. Orderly, singer, Ukrainian, that's where they came from. I don't take sides. A title is always a title, and the national interest demands to be exalted It. Seeing that among the unworthy descendants of orderlies, pie makers, singers, and deacons, there are some who pride themselves on being the first Christian baron, the Grand Duke Monmoreneg and the descendants of Clermont-Donnell Noble, this is very ridiculous. The only ridiculous thing is this. We are so amazing! We lie on the ground when the real time is turning or the success is in sight... We have no fascination with ancient times here, no obsession with the past Gratitude, no reverence for virtue. Karamsin told the history of our country not long ago. But we may not listen to it. Instead of being proud of the glory of our ancestors, we are proud of an uncle's official title, or, because Cousin has a ball and thinks her face is very radiant, and you will find that disrespect to ancestors is the first sign of barbarism and wickedness..." ① Rurik (? -879), the founder of the Rurik Dynasty in Russia.Vladimir Monnomach (1058-1125), Grand Duke of Kyiv.