UNTIL his visit Mariana had pictured Solomin to herself as quite different.At first sight he had struck her as undefined, characterless.She had seen many such fair, lean, sinewy men in her day, but the more she watched him, the longer she listened to him, the stronger grew her feeling of confidence in him--for it was confidence he inspired her with.This calm, not exactly clumsy, but heavy man, was not only incapable of lying or bragging, but one could rely on him as on a stone wall.He would not betray one; more than that, he would understand and help one.
It seemed to Mariana that he aroused such a feeling, not only in herself alone, but in everyone present.The things he spoke about had no particular interest for her.She attached very little significance to all this talk about factories and merchants, but the way in which he spoke, the manner in which he looked round and smiled, pleased her immensely.
A straightforward man...at any rate! this was what appealed to her.It is a well-known fact, though not very easy to understand, that Russians are the greatest liars on the face of the earth, yet there is nothing they respect more than truth, nothing they sympathise with more.And then Solomin, in Mariana's eyes, was surrounded by a particular halo, as a man who had been recommended by Vassily Nikolaevitch himself.During dinner she had exchanged glances with Nejdanov several times on his account, and in the end found herself involuntarily comparing the two, not to Nejdanov's advantage.Nejdanov's face was, it is true, handsomer and pleasanter to look at than Solomin's, but the very face expressed a medley of troubled sensations: embarrassment, annoyance, impatience, and even dejection.
He seemed to be sitting on hot coals; tried to speak, but did not, and laughed nervously.Solomin, on the other hand, seemed a little bored, but looked quite at home and utterly independent of what was going on around him."We must certainly ask advice of this man," Mariana thought, "he is sure to tell us something useful." It was she who had sent Nejdanov to him after dinner.
The evening went very slowly; fortunately dinner was not over until late and not very long remained before bedtime.
Kollomietzev was sulky and said nothing.
"What is the matter with you? " Madame Sipiagina asked half-jestingly."Have you lost anything?"
"Yes, I have," Kollomietzev replied."There is a story about a certain officer in the lifeguards who was very much grieved that his soldiers had lost a sock of his.'Find me my sock!' he would say to them, and I say, find me the word 'sir!' The word ' sir'
is lost, and with it every sense of respect towards rank!"Madame Sipiagina informed Kollomietzev that she would not help him in the search.
Emboldened by the success of his speech at dinner, Sipiagin delivered two others, in which he let fly various statesmanlike reflections about indispensable measures and various words--des mots--not so much witty as weighty, which he had especially prepared for St.Petersburg.He even repeated one of these words, saying beforehand, "If you will allow the expression." Above all, he declared that a certain minister had an "idle, unconcentrated mind," and was given "to dreaming." And not forgetting that one of his listener's was a man of the people, he lost no opportunity in trying to show that he too was a Russian through and through, and steeped in the very root of the national life! For instance, to Kollomietzev's remark that the rain might interfere with the haymaking, he replied, "If the hay is black, then the buckwheat will be white;" then he made use of various proverbs like: "Astore without a master is an orphan," "Look before you leap,""When there's bread then there's economy," " If the birch leaves are as big as farthings by St.Yegor's day, the dough can be put into tubs by the feast of Our Lady of Kazan." He sometimes went wrong, however, and would get his proverbs very much mixed; but the society in which these little slips occurred did not even suspect that notre bon Russe had made a mistake, and, thanks to Prince Kovrishkin, it had got used to such little blunders.
Sipiagin pronounced all these proverbs in a peculiarly powerful, gruff voice--d'une voix rustique.Similar sayings let loose at the proper time and place in St.Petersburg would cause influential high-society ladies to exclaim, "Comme il connait bien les moeurs de notre people!" and great statesmen would add, "Les moeurs et les besoins!"Valentina Mihailovna fussed about Solomin as much as she could, but her failure to arouse him disheartened her.On passing Kollomietzev she said involuntarily, in an undertone: "Mon Dieu, que je me sens fatiguee!" to which he replied with an ironical bow: "Tu l'as voulu, George Daudin!"At last, after the usual outburst of politeness and amiability, which appears on the faces of a bored assembly on the point of breaking up, after sudden handshakings and friendly smiles, the weary guests and weary hosts separated.
Solomin, who had been given almost the best bedroom on the second floor, with English toilette accessories and a bathroom attached, went in to Nejdanov.
The latter began by thanking him heartily for having agreed to stay.
"I know it's a sacrifice on your part--"
"Not at all," Solomin said hastily."There was no sort of sacrifice required.Besides I couldn't refuse you.""Why not?"
"Because I've taken a great liking to you."Nejdanov was surprised and glad at the same time, while Solomin pressed his hand.Then he seated himself astride on a chair, lighted a cigar, and leaning both his elbows against the back, began:
"Now tell me what's the matter."
Nejdanov also seated himself astride on a chair in front of Solomin, but did not light a cigar.
"So you want to know what's the matter...The fact is, I want to run away from here.""Am I to understand that you want to leave this house? As far as I can see there is nothing to prevent you.
"Not leave it, but run away from it."
