Chapter 90 Part Two - Twenty Eight

Nekhludoff was due to leave Petersburg that evening, but he promised Mariette to see her at the theater.Although he knew clearly that he shouldn't go, he went against reason and went to the theater on the grounds of fulfilling his promise. "Can I resist that temptation?" he struggled internally. "Let me try again." He changed into a suit and went to the theater.At this moment, just as the second act was being played, the new actress from abroad was showing with a new skill how the consumptive woman was dying. The theater is full.Nekhludoff asked where Mariette's box was, and it was immediately pointed out to him respectfully.

A footman in livery in the corridor bowed to Nekhludoff as if he were an acquaintance, and opened the door of the box for him. There are rows of people sitting and standing in the boxes on the opposite side, the spectators sitting against the wall next to the box, and the audience in the main hall, some with gray hair, some with gray hair, and some with completely bald hair , some were partly bald, some were pomaded, some were curly, in short, the entire audience was absorbed in watching the skinny actress, wrapped in satins and lace, wriggling and posturing a monologue. .When the door of the box opened there was a hiss, and at the same time two gusts of air, one cold and the other hot, hit Nekhludoff's face.

In the box sat Mariette and a woman he didn't know. The woman was wearing a red shawl with a high bun on her head.There were two other men, one was Mariette's husband, and the other was a tall, handsome general with a grave, inscrutable expression, a hooked nose, and a high chest padded with cotton and homemade cloth.The other man had blond hair, partly bald on the top of his head, with a commanding beard and a clean-shaven chin.Mariette is charming, elegant, and slender. The evening gown with bare breasts and shoulders reveals her plump beautiful shoulders and a mole between her neck and shoulders.As soon as Nekhludoff entered the box, she turned her head, pointed to a chair behind her with her fan, and smiled at him in welcome and gratitude, but he felt that there was something more in her smile.Her husband looked at Nekhludoff nonchalantly and nodded.From his posture, from the look he exchanged with his wife, it was evident that he was the master and owner of this beauty.

As soon as the actress finished her monologue, there was thunderous applause in the theater.Marietta got up, picked up her rustling silk skirt, went to the back of the box, and introduced Nekhludoff to her husband.With a smile in his eyes, the general said "Nice to meet you, good to meet you!" and then calmly and inscrutablely kept silent. "I was going to go today, but I promised you," said Nekhludoff, turning to Mariette. "If you don't want to come and see me, you'll see that fine actress," Marietta said in response to what he said. "She was so beautiful in the last scene, wasn't she?" she said, turning to her husband.

The husband nodded. "The play doesn't move me," said Nekhludoff. "Because I have seen too many unfortunate things today..." "Sit down and talk." Her husband listened attentively, the sneer in his eyes becoming more and more evident. "I went to see the woman who had just been released from prison for a long time. She was totally broken." "That woman I told you about," said Mariette to her husband. "Yes, I'm glad she's free," he said calmly, shaking his head and giving Nekhludoff a mocking smile from under his mustache.

"I'm going out to smoke." Nekhludoff sat down and waited for Mariette to tell him something she wanted to tell him, but she didn't say anything to him, didn't even want to say anything, she kept joking and talking about the scene , saying that it must have particularly touched Nekhludoff's heart. -------- ①Here refers to the love story between the male protagonist and a prostitute, in order to allude to the relationship between Nekhludoff and Maslova. Nekhludoff saw that she had nothing to say to him except to show him how charming she was in her evening dress, with her bare shoulders and her moles.

He felt both pleasure and disgust. Her delicate appearance had previously covered everything, but now Nekhludoff could not say that she had uncovered it, but after all it allowed him to see what was hidden inside.He looked at Mariette, admiring her beauty, but he knew in his heart that she was a hypocritical woman, and she was completely indifferent to the husband who lived with the husband who hunted for high officials and rich salary with thousands of people's tears and lives.He also knew that what she said yesterday were all lies, and she just wanted to charm him.As for why, he didn't know, and neither did she.He was both infatuated and loathed by her.Several times he took up his hat to leave, but stayed again.At last her husband returned to the box, his bushy mustache reeking of cigarettes, and he gave Nekhludoff a condescending and contemptuous look, as if he did not recognize him.Without waiting for the box door to close, Nekhludoff went into the corridor, found his overcoat, and went out of the theatre.

Walking home along Nevsky Prospekt, he noticed a woman walking quietly on the broad sidewalk ahead.The woman was tall, with a graceful figure and a flirtatious dress.It was evident in her face and whole figure that she knew she possessed a sensual charm.All the people who were coming towards her and those who were catching up from behind would all look at her.Nekhludoff, walking faster than she, could not help looking her face up.Her face was painted with makeup and powder, and it was beautiful.Her eyes sparkled, and she smiled at Nekhludoff.Oddly enough, Nekhludoff suddenly thought of Mariette again, for he felt the same fascination and loathing as in the theatre.Nekhludoff hurried up to her, and could not help being angry with himself.He turned and turned onto Navy Street and then onto River Street, where he paced up and down, drawing the attention of the police.

"When I walked into the theater box just now, that woman smiled at me just now," he thought to himself, "whether it is that woman's smile or this woman's smile, the meaning is the same. The only difference is: this woman She said bluntly: "If you need me, then you can manipulate me. If you don't need me, then go your own way." That woman pretended that she had never thought of such a thing and lived in a noble sentiment, but in fact she was It's the same thing. This woman is at least honest, and that woman is pretending. Besides, this woman is poor and has ended up in this state, and that woman is indulging in this lovely, hateful, and terrible passion, seeking pleasure. The street girl is a glass of filthy stinky water for those who are too thirsty to care about their nausea; the woman in the theater is a poison that kills anyone who touches her ’” Nekhludoff thought of his relationship with the wife of the chief nobleman, and the shameful past came to his mind. "The bestiality in man is abominable," he thought, "when it is naked, you observe it from the height of spiritual life, you can see it clearly, despise it, so whether you take the bait or not, you are not essentially It will be affected. However, when this animal nature is covered with a layer of poetic beauty and fascinated you, you will respect it like a god, fall into its trap, and can't tell the good from the bad. Terrible."

Nekhludoff could now see this layer as clearly as he could see ahead of him the palace, the sentries, the fortress, the river, the wooden boats, the stock exchange. Tonight, there is no darkness on the ground that makes people rest and sleep, but only a strange light from nowhere.Nekhludoff also no longer had the darkness of ignorance in his soul, which made him fall asleep.Everything is crystal clear.It is clear that what is considered important and beautiful is often vile and unworthy of mention.And all those cloaks of splendor and magnificence often conceal commonplace crimes.Not only did these crimes go unpunished, but they were all the rage and were painstakingly glorified.

-------- ①Refers to the light of the white night in Petersburg. Nekhludoff wanted very much to forget and avoid these things, but he could not ignore them.Although he had not yet seen where the light that illuminated it all came from, any more than he knew where the light that illuminated Petersburg came from, although the light seemed dim, dim, and strange, he But he couldn't help but see what this light illuminated for him.He felt joy and fear at the same time.