Chapter 28 Twenty-six

Odintsov did not like novelties, but allowed things of "high taste", so in his garden, between the conservatory and the pond, he built a Greek colonnade of Russian materials, And on the rear side of the colonnade, or on the back wall, sixty niches were opened to accommodate statues ordered from overseas.The six statues should be the Goddess of Solitude, Silence, Meditation, Melancholy, Shame and Sensitivity.One of them, the goddess of silence with her finger on her lips, unfortunately had her nose knocked off by a child in the yard on the day of delivery, although the craftsmen in the neighborhood reshaped the goddess for a new one, "twice as good as the original one," Odintov ordered it to be put aside anyway, and for many years she stood in the corner of the threshing shed, arousing all kinds of superstitions and fears among the village women.The front side of the colonnade has long been covered with wild trees and weeds, a shade of green, only the peaks of the pillars are exposed.In the colonnade it is cool even at noon.Anna Sergeyevna didn't like to visit here anymore after seeing a snake here, but Katerina came often, and she sat on the large stone chair under the pillar, breathing the fresh air and enjoying the shade under the tree. , or reading, or working, or feeling the silent artistic conception.This feeling is familiar to everyone, and the beauty of it is that you can hear the ebb and flow of the waves of life outside you and inside you, yet it is indescribable.

It was the second day after Bazarov's arrival. Katerina was sitting on her favorite stone chair, and Arkady was sitting beside her.It was he who begged her to come to the Colonnade with him. It was still an hour before breakfast, and the hot day had melted the morning dew.Arkady still had the same expression on his face as yesterday, but Katerina seemed to be preoccupied.It was not without reason that her sister called her to her study after morning tea, first to comfort her—Katerina was often a little frightened by such caresses—and then to advise her to be cautious in her intercourse with Arkady. Be careful and avoid talking alone, it is said that the aunt and the whole family are aware of it.Anna Sergeyevna had been unhappy since last night, and Katerina felt unhappy too, as if she had made a real mistake, and she only came because of Arkady's repeated entreaties. Say to yourself, this is the last time.

"Katerina Sergeyevna!" he said shyly, but deliberately calmly, "I have had the honor of living in the same house with you, and having talked extensively with you, but as far as I am concerned, Said, there is another question that has not been mentioned so far. You said yesterday that I have been transformed here," he quickly averted his eyes when he saw Katerina's questioning look. There has really been a change in my life, and you know better than anyone that it is you who should be thanked for my transformation." "Thank you?..." Katerina asked. "I am no longer the ignorant boy who was pretentious when I first arrived," continued Arkady. "Twenty-three years have not been wasted. I still hope to be useful and to devote all my energies to The truth, but I no longer seek the truth in the places where I have searched before. It turns out that the ideal... is close to me. Before, I didn't know myself, and the goals I set for myself were actually impossible to achieve... Not long ago, I finally opened The eyes, the feelings of... I can't express it clearly, but I hope you can understand me."

Katerina did not answer a word, but she no longer looked at Arkady. "I think," he went on, his voice growing agitated.And above him, a chaffinch was singing its own folk song carefree on a birch branch. "I think that any sincere man should give his heart back to those...those...to cut a long story short, those close to him, so I...I resolve..." At this juncture Arkady's beautiful speech suddenly faltered, fell into disarray, lost its place, and he had to pause for a while.Katerina still did not raise her eyes.It seemed that she didn't quite understand what he meant, she was waiting.

"I expect you to be astonished by my words," Arkady resumed his courage, "especially if this feeling is largely ... largely due to you. I remember you reproached me yesterday." Not serious enough," Arkady was like a person wading through a swamp, he felt that he was sinking deeper and deeper, but he was still busy walking forward, hoping to reach the other shore quickly, "this kind of blame often points to...falling in... ...the young man, even if the young man has changed his course. If I have full confidence... ("Come and help me, quick!" Arkady cried out in despair. But Katerina still did not look back He.) If I can hope for..."

"As I can be sure of what you say," came Anna Sergeyevna's clear voice at this moment. Arkady stopped talking quickly, and Katerina turned pale.Behind the bushes blocking the colonnade was the path through which Anna Sergeyevna, accompanied by Bazarov, was passing. Katerina and Arkady could not see them, but they could hear them. The breath, their every word, even the rustle of their clothes.As if on purpose, they went to the colonnade and stopped. "You see," continued Anna Sergeyevna, "you and I are both wrong. Neither of us is young, especially me, who has lived a life and is tired of walking. We both—why bother?" What about detours?—not stupid: at first we were interested in each other, excited and curious...but then..."

"It turned out that I was so dull," Bazarov interjected. "You know, that's not why we parted ways. But anyway, we don't need each other, and that's the main point. Each of us has too much... how to put it... likeness, for that We didn't realize it at once. On the contrary, Arkady..." "You want him?" asked Bazarov. "Stop your mocking, Yevgeny Vasilyitch. You say he's interested in me, and I think I'm in his favor, but I can be his aunt. I don't want to be in front of you. Concealment: I often think of him, and there was a charming beauty in his youthful freshness."

"The word charm is more appropriate in this case," Bazarov interrupted her.There was resentment in his deep voice. "Arkady didn't say a word to me yesterday, neither about you nor about your sister... That's an important sign." "He treats Katerina like a brother," said Anna Sergeyevna. "I'd like to, though perhaps I shouldn't let them get too close." "Did you... my sister say this from the heart?" Bazarov said with a pause. "Of course... but why are we standing still? Let's go! Our conversation is extraordinary, don't you think? Can I talk to you like this in the future? You know, I'm afraid you... But at the same time I trust you because you are actually very kind."

"First, that I am not at all kind; and second, that I have lost all meaning to you. Your words of kindness about me are like putting a garland on the dead man's head." "Evgeny Vasilyitch, sometimes we are not good at restraining ourselves..." Anna Sergeyevna had just finished speaking, when a gust of wind rustled the leaves and blew away the rest of her words. . "But you are free," said Bazarov after a while. The conversation that followed was indistinguishable, the footsteps faded away... everything returned to silence. Arkady looked at Katerina and saw that she was sitting just as she was, but with her head lowered.

"Katerina Sergeyevna," he said, wringing his hands, his voice trembling, "I will always love you, I will never change my heart, and I will never love anyone but you. I told you this , looking forward to hearing your opinion and asking for your consent. I am not rich, but I would sacrifice everything for you... You don't answer me? You don't believe me? You think I'm rash? But, please recall Look at these days! Didn't you see long ago that all the rest—please understand me,—all the rest hadn't long since faded from my head? Look at me and answer that I'm afraid It's a sentence...I love...I love you...please believe me!"

Katerina looked at Arkady with a solemn but cheerful expression.She pondered for a long time before she smiled and said: "yes." Arkady jumped up from his chair. "Yes! You said yes. Katerina Sergeyevna, what does 'yes' mean? It means that you believe that I love you... or... or that... I said no down..." "Yes," Katerina repeated.This time he finally understood. He grabbed her big beautiful hands and pressed them to his heart. He was so excited that he almost fell to his knees and kept saying, "Dear Katerina, Dear Katerina..." And she burst into tears, all right, laughing to herself at how all of a sudden she shed tears.Anyone who has never seen such tears in the eyes of a lover will not be able to experience how happy a person in this world who is both surprised and shy should be. Early the next morning, Anna Sergeyevna ordered Bazarov to come to her study, and with a forced smile showed him a folded letter.It was a letter from Arkady, saying that he had proposed to her sister. Bazarov read it quickly, trying to suppress the sudden burst of schadenfreude, not to let it out. "Well," he said, "yesterday you thought his love for Katerina Sergeyevna was brotherly love. What are you going to do now?" "What do you think?" asked Anna Sergeyevna, still smiling. "I think," replied Bazarov with a smile too, though he was not at all happy and, like her, had no desire to smile. "I think the young people should be blessed. This is a match made in heaven. The Kirsanov family is quite wealthy, he is an only child, and his father is also a good man. There will be no objection to this marriage." Odintova walked up and down the room, her face turning red and white. "You think so?" she said. "Why not? I don't see any obstacle... I'm happy for Katerina... and for Arkady Nikolaitch. Of course, I will wait for his father's reply. I will send him back himself. So I was right yesterday: we are both old... How did I not notice it? How strange!" Anna Sergeyevna laughed again, and she hastily averted her face. "Youth is much more cunning now," Bazarov sighed, and smiled back... "Farewell," he said, after a short silence, "I wish you a successful marriage , even though I am far away, I will be happy for this." Odintsova immediately turned to look at him. "Are you going? Why can't you stay now? Stay... It feels better to be able to talk to you... It's like walking on the edge of a cliff. It's scary at first, but as you walk, Don't be afraid anymore. Stay!" "Thank you for your advice, Anna Sergeyevna, and for your compliments on my eloquence, but I feel that I have stayed too long in circles that do not belong to me. Flying fish can fly in the air for a while, but It should swim back to sea in time. Please allow me to return to my original environment." Odintsova looked at Bazarov and saw a wry smile on his pale face, "This man once loved me!" she thought, feeling pitiful, and held out her hand to him sympathetically. Bazarov immediately understood the mystery of her heart. "No!" he said, taking a step back. "I am a poor commoner, but I have never begged for alms. Farewell, madam, and I wish you good health!" "I am sure this will not be the last time we will see each other," said Anna Sergeyevna, speaking unnaturally. "Anything can happen in the world," Bazarov said, bowed, and walked out. "So you want to build yourself a nest?" he said to Arkady the same day, squatting down to unpack the boxes. "It's a good thing, but there's no need to be clever. I thought you had other plans. Or are you at a loss?" "I didn't expect it myself when I parted from you," answered Arkady. "But why are you also lying, saying 'this is a good thing,' as if I don't know what you think about marriage?" "Alas, my dear friend!" replied Bazarov, "see what you say! There is a void in my trunk, so I filled it with hay. The same is true of our living chests, so that there are no voids. , something has to fill it. Please don't be offended, you must remember what I usually think of Katerina Sergeyevna. A young lady is usually said to be smart because she sighs smart, but you That one, she is smart because she is stable and considerate, and she can still control you—it will be the case in the future." He closed the lid of the box and stood up. "I'll say it again while we're saying goodbye... because we don't have to lie to ourselves, we'll never see each other again this time, and you can feel it... You're doing very smartly, you weren't born like us A man of hard and poor lives. You have not the desperate vehemence and violent rage, but the courage and zeal of youth, which are of no use to our cause. You are sons of nobility, and nothing but noble There is nothing but obedience and noble resentment. But mere obedience or resentment is useless, for example, you don't want to fight, but you think you are the heroes of the world, and we will fight. Well! You are afraid that our dust will blur your eyes, our filth will stain your clothes, how can you be a person like us! You can't help admiring yourself, you are happy to scold yourself, but we hate We're going to be practical about this! We're going to destroy! You're certainly a fine man, but you're always weak, just a liberty-loving young master, Evolata, as my father said." -------- ①French pronunciation means "nothing more". "Are you really going to say goodbye to me forever, Yevgeny?" Arkady asked sadly, "you have nothing else to say to me?" Bazarov scratched the back of his head. "Yes, Arkady, I have something to say, but I don't want to say it, because it's all romantic, that is to say, sentimental. Get married quickly, build a nest quickly, and have a lot of them." Children. They will be very wise, for they will live in a new age, not as untimely as we are. Oh, the carriage is ready, it is time to go! I have said goodbye to everyone... Shall we hug each other?" Arkady hugged Bazarov's neck, whom he had once had a friendship with as a teacher, and tears flowed down his cheeks. "Ah, this is youth!" said Bazarov calmly. "I have my hopes in Katerina Sergeyevna. Just wait and see, she will comfort you very well." As he got into the carriage, pointing to a pair of jackdaws sitting on the roof of the stable, he added to Arkady: "Farewell, brother! That is an example for you, study it carefully!" "What does that mean?" asked Arkady. "Why, is it because you know too little about the history of natural science, or have you forgotten it? Jackdaws are the most family-loving, male and female birds that love each other the most. It is a good example for you to learn from!... Farewell ,gentlemen!" The carriage rolled on its way. Bazarov was right, and Arkady had forgotten his old mentor that night when he was talking to Katerina, and had taken orders from her instead.Katerina felt this too, so it wasn't surprising.He should go to Maryino to see his father tomorrow.Anna Sergeyevna did not want to be in the way of the young man, but out of decency she did not allow them to stay together too long, and out of generosity she deliberately dismissed the old princess, because the latter The reporter even burst into tears when he heard about the future marriage.At first Anna Sergeyevna was afraid that the sight of young people full of happiness would make her feel bad, but something happened, not only did not make her feel bad, but was attracted and moved by it, and finally Anna Sergeyev Funa was both happy and sad because of this, "It seems that Bazarov is right," she thought to herself, "but in my case, it was just driven by a curiosity. In fact, I am greedy for comfort, I am selfish ..." "Children," she cried, "how can love be a false feeling?" But neither Katerina nor Arkady could understand her words, they were wary, and the words they had overheard were still haunting their heads.But Anna Sergeyevna soon reassured them, as she reassured herself.