Chapter 18 Part One - Fifteen

This morning prayer made a very vivid and deep impression on Nekhludoff throughout his life. Through the dark road sparsely scattered with piles of white snow, he waded through the water and came to the yard in front of the church.His horse pricked up its ears when it saw the lights around the church.At this time, the service has begun. Some of the peasants recognized him as Mademoiselle Maria's nephew, and they dismounted him in a dry place, took the horse, hung it up, and took him to church.The church was already full of festive people. On the right are peasants: the old man is wearing a homespun robe, with white foot wraps, and bark shoes; the young man is wearing a brand-new woolen robe, with a brightly colored wide belt around his waist, and high leather boots.On the left are women's things. "The book also pointed out that the proletariat is the natural ally and leader of the peasants. They wear red silk scarves on their heads, wear cotton wool tight jackets, with red sleeves, and tie blue, green, red or Floral skirts, nailed half boots on their feet. Old women are plainly dressed, standing behind, they are wrapped in white headscarves, wearing gray short jackets, old-fashioned woolen skirts, flat shoes or brand new bark shoes. There were also children in the crowd, all dressed up and their hair slicked. Peasants made the sign of the sign of the sign of the sign of the sign of the sign of the sign of the sign of the sign of the sign of the sign of the cross, shaking staring at candles and holy images, pressing tightly together fingers to the forehead, shoulders and belly, muttering words, standing or kneeling. Children see someone looking at them, like adults. the gilded iconostasis, surrounded by gilt candles and tealights, and the candelabrums, full of candles, were resplendent. From the choir came the amateur The singer's joyful singing, mixed with hoarse bass and shrill children's voice.

Nekhludoff went forward.In the center of the church stood the elite: a landowner with his wife and son in sailor's uniform, the prefect of the police station, the telegraph operator, the merchant in high boots, the mayor with his medals.To the right of the lectern, behind the landlady's wife, stood Matrona.Matrona wore a glittering purple dress and a large white scarf with fringes.Katyusha stood beside her in a snow-white dress with ruffles at the bodice, a light blue ribbon at the waist, and a bright red bow in her dark hair. The whole church is filled with joy, solemnity, joy and beauty.The priests wore cassocks of gleaming silver and hung gold crosses.Deacons and chanters wear sacrificial garments decorated with gold and silver ribbons.Amateur singers, too, were dressed in festive attire and their hair was polished and shiny.Holiday hymns sound like joyous dance music.The priests held up the candlesticks with three candles and decorated with flowers, and kept blessing the people, shouting repeatedly: "Christ is risen! Christ is risen!" Everything is beautiful, but the most beautiful is the man in white Katyusha in a dress, a light blue belt, a bright red bow in her raven hair, and happy eyes.

Nekhludoff noticed that she saw him without turning her head.He had noticed it as he passed her on his way to the altar.He didn't have anything to say to her, but when he passed her, he thought of something: "My aunt said she would break her fast after evening mass." As she always did when she saw him, her lovely face was flushed with youth, her dark eyes gleamed with laughter and joy, and she looked innocently at Nekhludoff from foot to head. "I know," she said with a smile. At this moment, a chanter with a copper coffee pot in his hand, passing through the crowd, passed Katyusha without paying attention, and touched Katyusha with the hem of his sacrificial robe.The chanter, evidently out of respect for Nekhludoff, purposely walked past him, only to touch Katyusha.Nekhludoff wondered how the chanter could not understand that everything here, and everything in the world, existed for Katyusha alone. He could ignore everything in the world, but he could not neglect Katyusha. , because she is the center of the world.For her, the walls of the icon are shining with gold, and the candles on the candlesticks are burning happily; for her, people sing and sing, "Jesus is risen, people, rejoice!" All the good things in the world are for her, Existed for her alone.He thought that Katyusha also understood that everything was for her.Nekhludoff had this feeling in his heart as he gazed at her slender figure in a ruched snow-white dress, at her absorbed, beaming face.He could also tell from the expression on her face that she was singing the same song that was singing in his.

Nekhludoff came out of the church at that hour between morning and evening masses.People made way for him and bowed to him.Some people knew him, but others asked, "Whose family does he belong to?" He stopped on the steps in front of the church.The beggars surrounded him.He gave them all the change in his wallet before going down the steps. It was already daylight, and everything was clearly visible in all directions, but the sun had not yet risen.People scattered on the cemetery around the church.Katyusha remained in the church.Nekhludoff was waiting for her at the door. People came out of the church, the nails of their boots jingling on the flagstones.They descended the steps and dispersed in the courtyard in front of the church and over the cemetery.

Aunt Marya's baker, an old man with a shaking head, stopped Nekhludoff and kissed him three times.The head of the pastry chef's wife was wrapped in a silk triangular scarf, under which there was a small lump of wrinkled skin.She took a yellow Easter egg from her handkerchief and presented it to Nekhludoff.At that moment, a strong young peasant, wearing a new tight coat and a wide green belt around his waist, came smiling. "Christ is risen!" he said with a smile in his eyes.He approached Nekhludoff so that he could smell the pleasant smell of a peasant, his curly beard tickled Nekhludoff's face, and then he Three times his thick moist lips pressed Nekhludoff's.

Just as Nekhludoff was kissing the peasant and accepting his dark brown Easter eggs, Matrona's glittering dress and lovely black head with a scarlet bow appeared. She saw him through the heads of passers-by in front of her, and he saw her radiant face. She went with Matrona to the church steps and stopped to give some money to beggars.A beggar with a rotten nose and a red scar came up to Katyusha.She took something out of the handkerchief and gave it to him, and then moved closer to him, without any sign of disgust, her eyes still shining with joy, and kissed him three times.While she was kissing the beggar, her eyes met Nekhludoff's.She seemed to be asking: Is she doing this well?Are you doing it right? "Yes, yes, baby, everything is fine, everything is beautiful, and I like it,"

His eyes answered. They went down the steps and he came up to her.He didn't want to kiss her the Easter way, he just wanted to be close to her. "Christ is risen!" said Matrona.She lowered her head and smiled, as if saying in that tone: Everyone is equal today.Then she rolled up her handkerchief, wiped her mouth, and brought her lips to his. -------- ①According to the rules of Christianity, when people meet at Easter, they must say: "Christ is resurrected!" The other party must answer: "Really resurrected!" "Really alive!" answered Nekhludoff, kissing her.

He glanced back at Katyusha.She blushed and leaned towards him at the same time. "Christ is risen, Dmitry Ivanitch!" "Really resurrected!" he said.They kissed each other twice, as if hesitating for a moment whether to kiss again.Finally decided to kiss again, they kissed the third time.Then they both smiled. "Aren't you going to the priest?" asked Nekhludoff. "No, Dmitry Ivanitch, we'll sit here for a while," said Katyusha, breathing deeply with her whole chest as if after a pleasant labor, and at the same time with her tender, pure, Warm, slightly squinting eyes were fixed on his.

Love between a man and a woman always has a climax moment, when there is neither conscious, rational nor carnal element in that moment.This Easter evening was such a time for Nekhludoff.Whenever he thought of Katyusha now, the scene of that night always overshadowed all the other scenes he had seen her.That little head with smooth black hair, that wrinkled snow-white dress that restrained her slender, virginal figure and low bosom, that flushed face, those shiny black eyes that squinted from sleeplessness. Eyes, and the features that radiate from her whole body: her pure, girlish love is not only for him--he knows that--but for everyone and everything in the world, and not only for all the good things in the world. things, and towards the beggar she had just kissed.

He knew that she had such a love in her, because he was aware that he had felt it all night long, and knew that it was this love that bound him to her. Oh, if only their relationship could have remained the same as it had been that night! "Yes, the dreadful thing happened after Easter night!" Now Nekhludoff was sitting at the window of the jury room, thinking to himself.