Chapter 21 nineteen

No matter how much self-control Odintsova had, no matter how detached from all prejudices, she still felt embarrassed when she came to the restaurant for lunch.On the contrary, he seemed quite calm.Here comes Porfiry Platonitch.He had just come back from the city, and he told many jokes, one of which was that the governor, Burdaru, had ordered all his subordinates to wear spurs on their boots, so that in case of emergency they could gallop off to carry them out.Arkady was whispering to Katerina, and at the same time listening to the old princess with an air of seriousness.Bazarov frowned from beginning to end without making a sound.Odintsova twice--not secretly, but looking directly at his downcast, stern, swollen face, as if to say that he had made up his mind to ignore everything, she couldn't help it. She thought: "No...no...no..." After dinner, she went for a walk in the garden with everyone, and when she saw that Bazarov seemed to have something to say to her, she deliberately walked a few steps aside and stopped.He came over, but still lowered his eyes, and only whispered:

"I owe you my apologies, Anna Sergeyevna. Of course you are angry with me." "No, I'm not angry with you, Yevgeny Vasilyitch," replied Odintsova, "but I feel bad." "That would be worse. Anyway, I've had enough of it, I've done a terribly stupid thing, and you probably agree with me. You write on the note: Why go? I don't want and can't stay Come down, you won’t see me here tomorrow.” "Evgeny Vasilyitch, why do you..." "Why am I leaving?" "No, I'm not saying that." "It doesn't happen again, Anna Sergeyevna . The conditions cannot be met at any time, because you, please forgive my recklessness, probably don't love me, and you will never love me?"

Bazarov's eyes flickered under his black eyebrows. Anna Sergeyevna did not answer him. "I'm afraid of this man," the thought flashed through her mind. "Farewell, ma'am." Bazarov seemed to have guessed her train of thought, and went into the room after saying that. Anna Sergeyevna went away with her, then called Katerina, took her by the arm, and did not leave her until dark.She also did not participate in the card game, and deliberately put on a slight smile on her face, but this smile did not match her pale, unnatural face.Arkady looked at her, puzzled, wondering like all young people: what is the meaning of it?Bazarov shut himself up in his room, but he came anyway at tea.Anna Sergeyevna longed to say a few words of forgiveness to him, but she did not know where to begin...

An unexpected event solved her dilemma: the steward announced the arrival of Sitnikov. It's hard to express in a few words the enthusiasm with which this young progressive burst into the living room.In his unscrupulous impertinence, indecent or not, he drove into the country to visit a lady whom he had only nodded in acquaintance with, but never invited him, on the grounds that, from what he had gathered, his two clever A friend is visiting at the lady's house.Still, he was so ashamed that he couldn't bear it, and he completely forgot all the polite things he had prepared, such as asking for forgiveness for his presumptuousness, that he came here because of his name, and said some nondescript words, saying that Evdosia Ku Krshenna sent him to find out if Anna Sergeyevna was in good health, and said that Arkady Nikolayitch used to speak of him in admiring tones. . . . , bewildered, sat down on his own hat.But no one turned him away, and Anna Sergeyevna even introduced him to her aunt and her sister.After being favored, he immediately regained his vitality and talked freely.Vulgarity often has its benefits in life. It can help relax too tense nerves and wake up the feeling of overconfidence or self-indulgence, because the front and back are intertwined.After Sitnikov's arrival everything became lighter, emptier, and thus simpler, and everyone even ate a big dinner and went back to their rooms half an hour earlier than usual.

"Now I can ask you back with your own words," Arkady said to Bazarov, who was lying on the bed, "you once asked me: 'Why are you so sad? Inescapable responsibility?'" At some point in time, the two young men began to exchange sarcastic one-liners, no doubt a sign of private dissatisfaction or suspicion. "I'm going home tomorrow," said Bazarov. Arkady turned over and half-raised himself.He was both surprised and inexplicably happy. "Ah!" he said, "so you are sad because of this?" Bazarov yawned. "The more you know, the faster you grow old."

"And what about Anna Sergeyevna?" "What about Anna Sergeyevna?" "I mean. Can she let you go?" "It's not like she hired me." Arkady could not help thinking secretly.Bazarov turned over and fell asleep facing the wall. The two remained silent for five minutes. "Evgeny," Arkady called suddenly. "What's up?" "Let's go with you tomorrow." Bazarov did not answer. "I'm going back to my house," said Arkady, "and we'll part ways at the new village of Hohor, where you can hire a carriage from Fedot. I would have liked to get to know your parents, but I was afraid it would hurt them." It's inconvenient. Don't you still want to come to my house?"

"My things are still at your house," answered Bazarov, without turning around. "Why didn't he ask why I was leaving too? And also so suddenly?" Arkady thought secretly. "Really, why should I leave when he leaves?" He couldn't find a satisfactory answer to the question he asked.Thinking of saying goodbye to this place he likes, his heart is extremely heavy, and it is extremely difficult to let go. However, if he stays alone, it will seem neither fish nor fowl. "Something must have happened between them," he guessed. "Why should I stand in the way of others and annoy her when he is gone? Ah, my last hope has come to naught." He couldn't help recalling Anna Sergeyevna's face, through the face of this beautiful widow After that, the faces of other people also slowly appeared.

"It's a pity we won't see Katerina either!" Arkady murmured, clutching the pillowcase, tears streaming down his face... Suddenly throwing back his hair, he said aloud: "Why does that fellow Sitnikov come here like a maniac?" Bazarov moved at first on the bed, then said the following: "Boy, I think you're still too stupid. People like Sitnikov are useful to us, you know, I need a fool like him. After all, the gods don't care about burning crocks. Someone needs to wait on you!..." "Oh!..." Arkady finally realized Bazarov's secretive arrogance. "So, you and I are gods? Or are you a god and I'm a fool?"

"By the way," Bazarov said sullenly, "you're still stupid." When Arkady told Odintsova the next day that he was going to go with Bazarov, she did not look particularly surprised, she seemed tired and absent-minded.Katerina didn't speak, just looked at him carefully and earnestly.The old princess secretly crossed herself under her shawl.Of course, this did not escape Arkady's eyes.Sitnikov was the only one who couldn't laugh or cry. He changed his sloppy Slavic clothes and came downstairs in a new suit (he brought with him countless clothes, which had surprised the servants sent to wait on him yesterday). However, the partners are leaving him behind!He was circling anxiously like a hunted rabbit in a glade, when suddenly he announced loudly in panic that he too was going.Odintsova did not keep him.

"My carriage drives very smoothly," said the unfortunate young man to Arkady; "let me take you home, and Yevgeny Vasiliitch can ride in your wagon, so Do it, it’s convenient for everyone.” "I'm sorry, we have different paths, you are far away from my home." "Never mind, never mind, I have plenty of time, and I have things to do over there." "A monopoly?" asked Arkady, with evident contempt in his voice. But Sitnikov was in such a predicament that, uncharacteristically, he couldn't force a smile. "You may rest assured that my carriage will be very smooth and comfortable," said he, "and that it will be so arranged that each will find his place."

"Don't disappoint Meshesitnikov," advised Anna Sergeyevna from the sidelines. Arkady glanced at her and deliberately lowered his head. After breakfast the guests are ready to go.Odintsova, taking leave of Bazarov, held out her hand to him and asked: "We'll meet again, won't we?" "At your command," replied Bazarov. "So, we must meet again." Arkady was the first to go out and got into Sitnikov's carriage.The butler respectfully helped him sit up, but he really wanted to slap him and cry.Bazarov also settled down in the wagon.Soon arrived at Hohol New Village.Arkady went up to the wagon while waiting for Fedot, the shopkeeper, to harness the horse, and said to Bazarov with his usual smile: "Evgeny, take me with you, I want to visit your house." "Come up and sit down," Bazarov squeezed out four words through his teeth. Sitnikov, who was pacing happily whistling beside the carriage, couldn't keep his mouth shut when he heard this.But Arkady calmly took the luggage from his carriage, sat down beside Bazarov, nodded respectfully to his former companion, and shouted: "Let's go!" Far away... Sitnikov blushed with embarrassment. He glanced at his coachman, but saw the coachman standing behind the harnessed horse and playing with the whip in his hand.So he, Sitnikov, jumped into the carriage, yelled at two peasants passing by: "Put on your hats, fools!" and drove away to the provincial town.It was late in town.The next day he was at Kuksina's with a slap in the face against two "presumptuous and presumptuous villains." After Arkady sat down beside Bazarov, he shook his friend's hand tightly and did not speak for a long time. The other party seemed to understand the reason for his handshake and respected the silence.Bazarov hadn't slept all night, hadn't smoked, had hardly eaten for several days, and his face under the hat looked so gloomy and thin when viewed from the side. "Hey, brother," he finally said, "give me a cigarette...help me see, my tongue is probably yellow?" "Yellow," answered Arkady. "Yeah... Even smoking doesn't taste good, it's like the machine is falling apart." "You've lost a lot of weight lately," said Arkady. "It's all right. It'll be all right. One thing bothers me: my mother is such a good-natured mother that if you don't eat ten meals a day until you get a round belly, she'll be troubled. But my father's not bad, Seen the world through the wind and rain. No, you shouldn't smoke," he threw the cigarette into the dust on the side of the road. "Twenty-five versts to your estate?" asked Arkady. "Twenty-five. You can ask that great doctor who knows everything." He pointed to the farmer sitting on the carriage platform, Fedot's hired hand. The great doctor of know-it-all replied, "Who knows...the road has not been measured", and then cursed a yoked horse for "kicking its head" and "playing crazy", which means that the horse shook its head. "Yes, yes," said Bazarov, "my young friend, this is a good lesson, who knows what to do with all that nonsense! He looks into the bottomless abyss, but he chooses to use some boring things to hurt his mind." "What do you mean?" asked Arkady. "No point. To put it bluntly, the behavior of you and me is really stupid, what can we say! However, I found out in the hospital that whoever hates his illness deeply can overcome the illness." "I don't quite understand you," said Arkady, "you have nothing to complain about." "If you really don't understand, allow me to report it. According to my opinion, it is better to knock stones on the road than to let a woman touch your fingertips. Dealing with women is all..." Bazarov almost The son was about to say his favorite "romanticism", but in time he changed it to "nonsense." "You may not believe it now, but I still want to tell you that you and I fell into the world of women, and I don't think it's too bad." Lai, but if you put it aside, it will be as pleasant as taking a cold bath on a hot day. Men should not be entangled in the affairs of mother-in-law and mother, as the Spanish saying goes, men are ruthless! Just say you," he turned his head and said The farmer on the cab said, "Hey, smart man, your wife probably always has one?" The peasant turned his flat wooden face: "Wife? Yes. How can there be no wife." "Did you beat her?" "Beat your wife? It depends on the situation. You don't beat your wife for no reason." "All right. So, did she beat you?" The peasant pulled the rein of the horse. "Look at this, sir, you really like to joke..." It seemed that he was angry. "You hear me, Arkady Nikolaitch! But you and I were beaten. . . . That's the benefit of an educated man." Arkady smiled reluctantly.Bazarov turned his head away and didn't open his mouth all the way. In Arkady's opinion, twenty-five versts were longer than fifty versts.However, on a flat slope finally appeared the small village where Bazarov's parents lived. Next to the village, among the young birch forests, there was a thatched-roofed house.Entering the village, I saw two hatted farmers near the first farmhouse scolding each other.One said: "You are a pig, not as good as a piglet." The other retorted: "Your wife is a wicked witch." "From the free chatter and banter, it can be judged that my father's peasantry is not very oppressed," Bazarov said to Arkady, "see, he himself ran from the house to the steps. .Oh, the hair is gray, the poor man!"