Chapter 3 Chapter 01

Last year, on the evening of March 22, a very strange thing happened to me. I was running around the city all day, looking for a house for myself.The house I lived in was very damp and I had already started coughing and felt very uncomfortable.still ahead In the autumn of last year, I wanted to move, but I put it off until last spring.I ran all day and couldn't find a decent place.First, I want to find an independent house instead of subletting the same room to the second landlord. A suite is also available, but the room must be large. Needless to say, at the same time, the rent should be as cheap as possible.I found that the narrower the house, the narrower the thinking.I have a strange temper. Whenever I conceive a new novel, I always like to walk back and forth in the room

come and go.By the way: I always feel that it is more enjoyable to conceive my own works, imagine what they will be like when they are written, than to actually write them. To be honest, it is not because I am lazy to write.what is the reason ? I've been ill since early in the morning, and worse at sunset: I seem to have fevers that come and go.Besides, I've been running all day and I'm tired.In the evening, just before twilight, I walked through Shengtian Avenue.I'm very I like the sun in Petersburg in March, especially at sunset, when the sky is full of sunset. Needless to say, this should be a clear and cold evening.The whole street suddenly lit up, and the whole street was bathed in bright light.All the houses seemed to light up suddenly

Come.Their gray, yellow, dirty green colors, the sun swept away their gloomy tones for a moment; elbowed you hard Down, so that you suddenly woke up.Your point of view and your way of thinking are also new... It's strange to say that a ray of sunshine can have such a big effect on people's hearts! But the sun went out suddenly;The gas lamps were lit in every shop.I walked up to Miller's Foods, stopped abruptly, and rooted across the street. Looking out, as if anticipating that something extraordinary was about to happen to me, and just at that instant, I saw an old man and his dog across the street.I still remember very clearly that a very unpleasant feeling made my heart suddenly convulse.

It's tight, and I can't figure out what it feels like. I am not a mystic; I hardly believe in premonitions and divination; but I have encountered several incredible things in my life, and maybe everyone has encountered similar situations.Take this old man for example: Why did I see him when I saw him? Immediately there is a feeling that something extraordinary has to happen to me that night?Then again, I was sick; feeling sick is almost never trustworthy. The old man bent over, tapped the stone slabs on the sidewalk slightly with his cane, and moved his two stick-like legs, as if the legs could not be bent, and walked slowly and feebly, gradually approaching the sidewalk. food store.I never met in my life

Been to a grotesque man like him.Before this encounter, whenever I met him at Miller's, I had been painfully amazed.He is tall, hunchbacked, with the face of a man over eighty years old, his face is ashen, an old overcoat, four There were stitches everywhere, and a well-worn bowler hat worn for twenty years covered his bald head, which had only a small patch of hair on the back of his head, which was no longer gray and white, but Brown in the white; his every move Seemingly irrational, stretching his arms and legs like clockwork --- all this is enough to shock anyone who meets him for the first time.Indeed, to see such an old man in his dying years and precarious, alone, with no one to take care of him

, I always feel a little strange, besides, he looks quite like a lunatic who escaped from the supervisor.What surprised me was also his unusual thinness: he was so thin that almost only his skeleton was left, and it seemed that only a layer of skin was attached to his skeleton. superior.His eyes are large, but dull gray, set in two blue circles, always looking straight ahead, never to the left or to the right, and blind to anything,--I am sure that even if he looks at you , will also come straight to you, It was as if there was an empty space in front of him.I've caught him doing this a few times.He started showing up at Miller's Foods not long ago, no idea where he came from, and always with his dog.shoppers in food stores from

No one had ever had the taste to talk to him, and he never talked to any of them. "Why is he here at Miller for no reason, what is he doing here?" I thought, standing across the street, staring at him intently.A sense of chagrin rose in me--disease combined with fatigue. " What is he thinking? I continued to ponder in my heart, "What is in his mind?"Besides, could he still think about something?His face was so lifeless and expressionless.Where did he get this mangy dog?it Inseparable from him, it seems to form an inseparable whole with him, and the dog resembles its master. "

The unfortunate dog also seemed to be about eighty; yes, it certainly was.In the first place, he looked very old, as no dog ever looked; It may be like any other dog; this is no ordinary dog; there must be something monstrous and diabolical about him; it may be a Mephistopheles transformed into a dog, and his fate must be by all sorts of mysteries the way of its master Fate is linked together.Once you see it like that.You'll immediately agree that it hasn't eaten in twenty years.It's as thin as its skeleton, or (which is better?) like its owner.Almost all the hair on its body has fallen out, and its tail

The same goes for the hair on the tail, which hangs down like a stick and is always held tightly.The head with its long ears was always drooping down in despondency.I have never seen such a nasty dog ​​in my life.The two of them were walking down the street - the owner first, the dog closer Then -- its nose touched the hem of his clothes, as if stuck to his clothes.Their gait, their whole appearance, seemed to murmur at every step: We're old, old, Lord, how old we are. I remember, once, I suddenly had a whim that the old man and the dog probably crawled out of Hoffman’s book illustrated by Gavarni②, and they were used as an advertisement for this version of the event to go through the streets and parade in the larger world.I crossed the street and followed the old man

After entering the food store. The old man behaved strangely in the grocery store, and Miller stood behind the counter, and lately had always looked warm and displeased whenever the unexpected visitor came in.First, the weirdo never asks for anything, neither food nor for drink.And every time he walked into the room, went straight to the corner by the fire, and sat down on the chair.If his usual place by the stove is taken, he stands with a dazed and bewildered expression on his face. After standing in front of the gentleman in front of me blankly for a while, he seemed to be in a dilemma and walked to another corner by the window.He found a chair there, sat down slowly on the chair, took off his top hat, put it on the floor beside him, and went on

He put his stick beside his hat, leaned back in his chair, and remained motionless for three or four hours.He never fetched a paper, never said a word, never made a sound; he just sat, His eyes were wide open, looking straight ahead, but dull and lifeless, and I'll bet he saw nothing and heard nothing of his surroundings.As for the dog, after turning around two or three times in the same place, he frowns He lay down at his master's feet, thrust his head between his master's boots, let out a long sigh, straightened his body on the floor, and remained motionless for the whole night, as if he had died during that time. generally.It seems that these two Things that lie somewhere all day, dead, only to come back to life as soon as the sun goes down, just to walk into Miller's and perform some mysterious mission that no one knows about.After sitting for three or four hours, the old man finally Yu stood up, picked up his top hat, and started to go home, but he didn't know where he was going.The dog also stood up, clamped its tail again, drooped its head, and followed him mechanically at the same slow pace as before.Food store customers finally He began to hide from the old man in different ways, and he didn't even want to sit near him, as if seeing him would make people sick.But he was unaware of it. ①The devil in Goethe's poetic drama "Faust".When Faust met the devil for the first time during an outing, the devil pretended to be a dog and appeared in front of Faust. ② Gavarni (1814-1866), a French painter and illustrator. ③ Hoffman (1776-1822), German writer.A French translation of his collection of fantastic stories (illustrated by Gavarni) was published in Paris in 1846. Most of the customers in this grocery store are Germans.They came from the whole of the Ascension Street - all the owners of various workshops and shops: tinkers, bakers, dyers, hat makers, saddle makers - all old-fashioned (as far as the German word is concerned). In terms of meaning) characters.In general, Miller's store has a kind of legacy.The owner of the store often comes out, walks up to familiar customers, sits at the same table with them, and enjoys himself with the host and guest, drinking a few glasses of punch together.The owner's dog and children, sometimes Come out and play with the customers, and the customers reciprocate, being affectionate with the kids and dogs.Everyone knows each other very well and respects each other.While the guests were intently reading the German newspapers, in the shopkeeper's room behind the door, there was a clanging sound. There came the music of Augustine, and the piano was played by the eldest daughter of the innkeeper, a German lady with blond curly hair, all white like a little white mouse.This waltz sounds very pleasant.head of the month For a few days, I always went to Miller's shop to read several Russian magazines he ordered. When I went into the grocery store, I saw the old man was already sitting by the window, and his dog was stretched out at his feet as before.I sat in a corner silently, and asked myself a question in my heart: "Why did you find this place?" Woolen cloth?One, I'm all right here, and two, I'm sick and I should have gone home and had some tea and got into bed and stayed in bed.Did I really come here just to see the old man? "I'm very frustrated." What are you doing to meddle in his business? I thought, recalling the strange ache I felt when I saw him on the street. "Would I mind all these boring foreigners?"What is the reason for this strange mood that arises spontaneously?This Why bother to worry unnecessarily because of some insignificant things?Lately, I've often found myself needlessly anxious.This needless Necessary anxiety prevents me both from living and seeing life clearly. ’ But, despite all my deliberation and self-complaint, I stayed where I was, while my illness made me feel more and more ill, until at last I gave up I have to leave this warm room.I picked up a Frankfurt paper and read two lines before typing.The Germans in the store didn't bother me either.They read newspapers, smoke cigarettes, and only occasionally (once in half an hour) talk , whispering to each other in low voices about the news from Frankfurt, or about some joke or aphorism by the famous German wisecracker Schaffer; and then returning to the papers with redoubled national pride. ① At that time, most of the foreign residents in Petersburg were Germans. ②A popular German song "My Dear Augustine" written in waltz at that time. The author believed that this song was a typical example of the mood of German petty bourgeoisie. I dozed off for about half an hour, then woke up with a sudden shiver.Time to go home.But at this moment a pantomime acted in the room, which made me stay again.As I have already said, the old man sat down in his chair and immediately He keeps his eyes fixed on one spot, and never takes his eyes off of anything else throughout the evening.I have also been stared at by this kind of gaze, but this gaze is blank, expressionless, turning a blind eye, seeing nothing: This feeling is extremely unpleasant, even unbearable, and when it happens, I always change places quickly.Now the old man's victim was a German, a small man with a round face, very neatly dressed, with a starched collar. She was well washed, and her face was extremely red.This was a merchant from Riga, named Adam Ivanich Schulz, who, as I learned later, was an acquaintance of Miller's, but he had never seen the old man, nor did he know anyone in the store. Xu Many customers.He was sipping punch and reading the "Country Barber" with relish, when he suddenly looked up and saw the old man's motionless gaze on him.This made him feel very awkward.Adam Ivanovich is a petite And people who care about face-saving, just like all "status" Germans have the common problem.He was both surprised and displeased that someone was staring at him so impolitely.He suppressed the anger in his heart and turned his eyes from the rude The guest moved away, muttered something, then silently raised the newspaper to cover his face.However, he couldn't help it, and after three or two minutes, he peeked suspiciously out from behind the newspaper: it was still the same guy staring at him. His gaze was still that expressionless scrutiny.This time, too, Adam Ivanitch endured it without saying a word.But when the same situation reappeared for the third time, he suddenly became angry, thinking that he was duty-bound and should come forward, Protect your own dignity, and not let the beautiful city of Riga lose face because of him in front of the respectable public.He presumably considered himself the representative of the city.With a gesture of impatience, he slammed the newspaper stick against the table, knocking the newspaper With a sudden slam on the table, flushed from several punches and offended by his pride, he opened his bloodshot eyes wide with awe-inspiring but righteous indignation, He glared fiercely at the old man who was too bullying. It seemed that both of them (the German and his opponent) wanted to test their eyesight and see who would be the first to lower their eyes in embarrassment.Adam Ivanitch's slamming of the newspaper, together with his unusual posture, attracted the attention of all the customers.everyone immediately Putting down what he was doing, he observed the two opponents with a strange but silent curiosity.The scene became very comical.But the small defiant eyes of the flushed Adam Ivanitch, although wide-eyed with anger, , Through the opponent's concession, finally completely wasted effort.The old man acted as if nothing had happened, and continued to look straight at the furious Mr. Schultz. He did not realize that he had become the object of all eyes, as if his head was growing on the moon instead of It grows on the earth.At last Adam Ivanitch could bear it no longer and broke out. ① Shafier (1695-1858), a German humorist. ②The original text is German. "Why are you looking at me so deadly?" he broke off in German in a shrill, piercing voice that was terribly frightening. But his opponent remained silent, as if he did not understand, or even hear the question.Adam Ivanitch decided to attack in Russian. "I'm bored (asking) you, why are you staring at me so vainly?" "I am famous early and late (rule and public), but you are an unknown pig (pawn)!" He jumped up from the chair , added another sentence. But the old man didn't even move.The group of Germans was in an uproar and expressed their grievances one after another.Miller heard some noise outside and also entered the room.After he figured out the reason, he thought the old man was deaf, so he bent down and approached his ear. "Mr. Schultz three (Mr.) please don't be angry and white () look at him," he said as loudly as possible, while looking at this incredible customer attentively. The old man mechanically glanced at Miller, and suddenly there was something like panic and agitation on his face that had remained motionless until now.He became flustered, humming and stooping to get his top hat, and hastily Hastily clutching his hat and cane together, he got up from his chair, and with a pathetic smile--the lowly smile of a poor man who is turned away for sitting in the wrong seat--was about to go out. , leave this room.this old man The poor old man's flustered attitude of resignation and obedience is so pitiful, and it makes people feel so uncomfortable when they see it, as if a five-flavor bottle has been knocked over in their chest. Therefore, all the customers present, starting from Adam E. Vannech got up and immediately changed his mind on the matter.The thing is clear: not only does the old man dare not offend anyone, but he also knows that he may be kicked out like a beggar anytime and anywhere. ①This and the following are Russian words spoken by foreigners. The pronunciation is not accurate and there are many mistakes. Miller was a kind, compassionate man. "No, no," he said, patting the old man on the shoulder encouragingly, "you sit down! But Mr. Schultz III, please don't look at him too much. Even the court Everybody knows his name." But the poor old man didn't understand even this; he was even more fussy than before, stooped to pick up his handkerchief, which had fallen out of his top-hat, it was an old, torn blue handkerchief, and and started yelling his own dog.The dog lay motionless on the floor, covering its face with its front paws, clearly fast asleep. "Azorka, Azorka!" he cried, in the trembling voice of an old man, "Azorka!" Azorka didn't move. "Azorka, Azorka!" cried the old man one after another in annoyance, and poked the dog with his stick, but it remained still. The cane fell from his hand.He dropped to his knees and took Azorka's head in his hands.Poor Azorka!it died.Died silently, at the feet of the master, perhaps of old age, perhaps of old age plus Starve to death.The old man looked at it for a moment, seemed startled, seemed not to understand that Azorka was dead; then he bent down softly to his former servant and friend, and pressed his pale face against the dead dog face.silently A minute passed.We were all very touched... Finally, the poor old man stood up slightly.His face was very pale, and he was shaking as if he had a fever. "It could be a Schuscher," said the sympathetic Miller, always looking for something to comfort the old man. (Shuscher means taxidermy.) "You can be a (very) good Shuscher; Fyodor Karlovich K. Riggle is a good history (hand) for doing Schuscher," Miller tossed, lifted his cane from the ground, and handed it to the old man. "Yes, for Schuscher, I'll take Sou (hand)," Mr. Krieger continued modestly, stepping forward.He was a tall, thin, kind-hearted German with locks of reddish-brown hair and spectacles on his hooked nose. . "Fyodor Karlovich Krieger is versatile (art) and can be a very good Schuscher for a while," added Miller, who thought to himself I am very proud of such a good idea. ①It was originally in German. "Yes, I have many talents (arts), and I can make a very good Schuscher," Krieger confirmed again, "and I can do (for nothing) for you, using your A dog be a Schuscher," he sacrificed himself, sacrificed himself, for a moment Rising, added another sentence. "No, you are Fisher, I will (pay)!" Adam Ivanich Schulz exclaimed passionately, his face was twice as red as before, and he also ignited a passion of self-sacrifice , and for no reason thinks that he is all unlucky the culprit. Hearing all this, the old man didn't seem to understand, and was still trembling all over. "Wait full (slow)! Have a glass of fine brandy first!" cried Miller, seeing the enigmatic visitor hurrying away. Brandy was served.The old man picked up the glass mechanically, but his hands were trembling. Before he could bring the glass to his mouth, it was half-spilled. He didn't drink a drop, so he put the glass back on the tray.Then he smiled (this smile seems Both the main monster and the wrong person), leaving Azorka in place, staggered out of the food store quickly, everyone was stunned; there were long sighs and short sighs. "What a misfortune! What's going on?" the Germans said, their eyes widened, and they looked at each other. I followed the old man and ran out, a few steps away from the food store, turned right, and there was a dark and narrow alley lined with buildings.I don't know what touched me, I think the old man must have turned into this alley.right here The second building is under construction, surrounded by scaffolding.The fence wall around the building barely reaches the middle of the alley, and a boardwalk for pedestrians is laid against the fence wall.In a dark corner formed by fence walls and buildings I found the old man.He sat on the curb of the boardwalk with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.I sat down next to him. "I said," I almost didn't know how to speak, "don't be sorry that Azorka is dead. Let's go together, and I'll take you home. If you want to drive more, I'll call for a carriage. You live where?" The old man said nothing.I don't even know what to do.There are no passers-by.He suddenly grabbed my hand. "I'm so suffocated!" he said in a hoarse, barely audible voice, "I'm so suffocated!" "Let's go to your house!" I yelled, straightening up slightly, trying to help him up, "you drink some tea first, then lie down on the bed and rest... I'll call for a carriage right now. I'll call for the doctor ... There is a doctor I know ..." ① The original text is German written in Russian letters. I can't remember what else I said to him.He tried to get up, but got up a little, fell back to the ground, and began muttering again in his hoarse, breathless voice.I bent down and got closer to him Come on, listen to what he has to say. "Vassili Island," the old man said hoarsely, "six...in six..." He shut up. "You live on Vasilievsky Island? But you're going in the wrong direction; you should go to the left instead of to the right. I'll take you back..." The old man did not move.I seized his arm; it fell again like a dead man's arm.I looked at his face, then touched it - he was dead.I feel like it's all happening in a dream. This adventure kept me busy for a while, and while I was running around, my cold and fever were cured without treatment.The old man's residence was finally found.However, he did not live on Vasilievsky Island, but in Klu, not far from where he died. Gen apartment, living on the fifth floor, on the top floor, this is a separate suite, which has a small passage room and a large room, the room is very low, with three narrow slits like windows.He lives very poorly.There is only one piece of furniture in the room The table, two chairs, and an old dilapidated sofa, hard as a rock, and full of holes showing the burlap stuffed inside; and even these had been borrowed from the landlady.It can be seen that the stove has not been lit for a long time and there was no candle to be found.Now, seriously, I think this: the only reason the old man wants to go to Miller's is to sit and warm himself by candlelight.An empty earthenware mug and a piece of dry leftovers were on the table And a crusty crust.No penny was found in the house.There wasn't even a replacement for him to wear to the burial; at last someone gave him a shirt.It is very clear that he will never be a dry man and live like this, and someone will definitely come to see him occasionally Look at him, even if it's a rare one.Found his ID card in the drawer.The deceased was a foreigner, but a Russian subject. His name was Jeremy Smith, a mechanic, and he was seventy-eight years old.There are two books on the table: one is Concise Geography , a Russian version of the New Testament, the margins of the Bible are filled with words written in pencil, and there are many marks from fingernails.I asked for these two books.I asked both the tenant and the landlord - and neither could tell what was going on with him.tenant of this apartment Many, almost all of them are workers and small craftsmen, and some are German women who are second landlords. They sublet houses, take care of meals and provide housework.The superintendent of the apartment is of noble birth, and he can't say much about the past tenant. , I only know that the monthly rent for this apartment is six rubles, and the deceased has lived here for four months, but he has not paid any rent for the last two months, so he has to be asked to move.When I asked if anyone came to see him often, no one could answer satisfactorily. willing answer.The apartment is huge, and there are people coming and going. Is there not enough people coming to this Liuya Ark①? Who remembers living so many.There's a janitor who's been in the apartment for five or six years, and he probably can tell, but two weeks ago he Back home, maybe for a while, he found a substitute, his nephew, a young guy, but he didn't even recognize half the tenants.I can't say for sure, what result will I get in the end after asking around like this; but in the end I still put the old man buried.These days, besides running around here and there, I also went to Liutiao, Vasily Island, but when I got there, I couldn't help laughing: in Liutiao, apart from a row of ordinary houses, I can still see what? "but Yes," I thought, "why did the old man mention Liujo and Vasilievsky Island when he was dying?Shouldn't you be talking nonsense? " I took a look at the vacant Smith's house, and I was quite satisfied with it.I rented it out.The main reason is that the room is large, although the ceiling is low, so at first, I always felt that my head would touch the ceiling.But get used to it soon up.Where can I rent a better house for six rubles a month.This self-contained apartment attracted me; the remaining problem was to find a servant, because living without a servant was impossible.At first, the gatekeeper promised to come at least once a day, if If I needed help urgently, he would come and do something for me.I thought: "Who knows, maybe someone will come to inquire about the old man's situation!" But five days after his death, no one came.