NEKHLUDOFF.
When Maslova, wearied out by the long walk, reached the building, accompanied by two soldiers, Prince Dmitri Ivanovitch Nekhludoff, who had seduced her, was still lying on his high bedstead, with a feather bed on the top of the spring mattress, in a fine, clean, well-ironed linen night shirt, smoking a cigarette, and considering what he had to do to-day, and what had happened yesterday.
Recalling the evening he had spent with the Korchagins, a wealthy and aristocratic family, whose daughter every one expected he would marry, he sighed, and, throwing away the end of his cigarette, was going to take another out of the silver case; but, changing his mind, he resolutely raised his solid frame, and, putting down his smooth, white legs, stepped into his slippers, threw his silk dressing gown over his broad shoulders, and passed into his dressing-room, walking heavily and quickly. There he carefully cleaned his teeth, many of which were filled, with tooth powder, and rinsed his mouth with scented elixir. After that he washed his hands with perfumed soap, cleaned his long nails with particular care, then, from a tap fixed to his marble washstand, he let a spray of cold water run over his face and stout neck. Having finished this part of the business, he went into a third room, where a shower bath stood ready for him. Having refreshed his full, white, muscular body, and dried it with a rough bath sheet, he put on his fine undergarments and his boots, and sat down before the glass to brush his black beard and his curly hair, that had begun to get thin above the forehead. Everything he used, everything belonging to his toilet, his linen, his clothes, boots, necktie, pin, studs, was of the best quality, very quiet, simple, durable and costly.
Nekhludoff dressed leisurely, and went into the dining-room. A table, which looked very imposing with its four legs carved in the shape of lions' paws, and a huge side-board to match, stood in the oblong room, the floor of which had been polished by three men the day before. On the table, which was covered with a fine, starched cloth, stood a silver coffeepot full of aromatic coffee, a sugar basin, a jug of fresh cream, and a bread basket filled with fresh rolls, rusks, and biscuits; and beside the plate lay the last number of the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, a newspaper, and several letters.
Nekhludoff was just going to open his letters, when a stout, middle-aged woman in mourning, a lace cap covering the widening parting of her hair, glided into the room. This was Agraphena Petrovna, formerly lady's maid to Nekhludoff's mother. Her mistress had died quite recently in this very house, and she remained with the son as his housekeeper. Agraphena Petrovna had spent nearly ten years, at different times, abroad with Nekhludoff's mother, and had the appearance and manners of a lady. She had lived with the Nekhludoffs from the time she was a child, and had known Dmitri Ivanovitch at the time when he was still little Mitinka.
"Good-morning, Dmitri Ivanovitch."
"Good-morning, Agraphena Petrovna. What is it you want?" Nekhludoff asked.
"A letter from the princess; either from the mother or the daughter. The maid brought it some time ago, and is waiting in my room," answered Agraphena Petrovna, handing him the letter with a significant smile.
"All right! Directly!" said Nekhludoff, taking the letter and frowning as he noticed Agraphena Petrovna's smile.
That smile meant that the letter was from the younger Princess Korchagin, whom Agraphena Petrovna expected him to marry. This supposition of hers annoyed Nekhludoff.
"Then I'll tell her to wait?" and Agraphena Petrovna took a crumb brush which was not in its place, put it away, and sailed out of the room.
Nekhludoff opened the perfumed note, and began reading it.
The note was written on a sheet of thick grey paper, with rough edges; the writing looked English. It said:
Having assumed the task of acting as your memory, I take the liberty of reminding you that on this the 28th day of April you have to appear at the Law Courts, as juryman, and, in consequence, can on no account accompany us and Kolosoff to the picture gallery, as, with your habitual flightiness, you promised yesterday; _a moins que vous ne soyez dispose a payer la cour d'assise les 300 roubles d'amende que vous vous refusez pour votre cheval,_ for not appearing in time. I remembered it last night after you were gone, so do not forget.
Princess M. Korchagin.
On the other side was a postscript.
_Maman vous fait dire que votre convert vous attendra jusqu'a la nuit. Venez absolument a quelle heure que cela soit._
M. K.
Nekhludoff made a grimace. This note was a continuation of that skilful manoeuvring which the Princess Korchagin had already practised for two months in order to bind him closer and closer with invisible threads. And yet, beside the usual hesitation of men past their youth to marry unless they are very much in love, Nekhludoff had very good reasons why, even if he did make up his mind to it, he could not propose at once. It was not that ten years previously he had betrayed and forsaken Maslova; he had quite forgotten that, and he would not have considered it a reason for not marrying. No! The reason was that he had a liaison with a married woman, and, though he considered it broken off, she did not.
Nekhludoff was rather shy with women, and his very shyness awakened in this married woman, the unprincipled wife of the marechal de noblesse of a district where Nekhludoff was present at an election, the desire of vanquishing him. This woman drew him into an intimacy which entangled him more and more, while it daily became more distasteful to him. Having succumbed to the temptation, Nekhludoff felt guilty, and had not the courage to break the tie without her consent. And this was the reason he did not feel at liberty to propose to Korchagin even if he had wished to do so. Among the letters on the table was one from this woman's husband. Seeing his writing and the postmark, Nekhludoff flushed, and felt his energies awakening, as they always did when he was facing any kind of danger.
But his excitement passed at once. The marechal do noblesse, of the district in which his largest estate lay, wrote only to let Nekhludoff know that there was to be a special meeting towards the end of May, and that Nekhludoff was to be sure and come to "_donner un coup d'epaule_," at the important debates concerning the schools and the roads, as a strong opposition by the reactionary party was expected.
The marechal was a liberal, and was quite engrossed in this fight, not even noticing the misfortune that had befallen him.
Nekhludoff remembered the dreadful moments he had lived through; once when he thought that the husband had found him out and was going to challenge him, and he was making up his mind to fire into the air; also the terrible scene he had with her when she ran out into the park, and in her excitement tried to drown herself in the pond.
"Well, I cannot go now, and can do nothing until I get a reply from her," thought Nekhludoff. A week ago he had written her a decisive letter, in which he acknowledged his guilt, and his readiness to atone for it; but at the same time he pronounced their relations to be at an end, for her own good, as he expressed it. To this letter he had as yet received no answer. This might prove a good sign, for if she did not agree to break off their relations, she would have written at once, or even come herself, as she had done before. Nekhludoff had heard that there was some officer who was paying her marked attention, and this tormented him by awakening jealousy, and at the same time encouraged him with the hope of escape from the deception that was oppressing him.
The other letter was from his steward. The steward wrote to tell him that a visit to his estates was necessary in order to enter into possession, and also to decide about the further management of his lands; whether it was to continue in the same way as when his mother was alive, or whether, as he had represented to the late lamented princess, and now advised the young prince, they had not better increase their stock and farm all the land now rented by the peasants themselves. The steward wrote that this would be a far more profitable way of managing the property; at the same time, he apologised for not having forwarded the 3,000 roubles income due on the 1st. This money would he sent on by the next mail. The reason for the delay was that he could not get the money out of the peasants, who had grown so untrustworthy that he had to appeal to the authorities. This letter was partly disagreeable, and partly pleasant. It was pleasant to feel that he had power over so large a property, and yet disagreeable, because Nekhludoff had been an enthusiastic admirer of Henry George and Herbert Spencer. Being himself heir to a large property, he was especially struck by the position taken up by Spencer in Social Statics, that justice forbids private landholding, and with the straightforward resoluteness of his age, had not merely spoken to prove that land could not be looked upon as private property, and written essays on that subject at the university, but had acted up to his convictions, and, considering it wrong to hold landed property, had given the small piece of land he had inherited from his father to the peasants. Inheriting his mother's large estates, and thus becoming a landed proprietor, he had to choose one of two things: either to give up his property, as he had given up his father's land ten years before, or silently to confess that all his former ideas were mistaken and false.
He could not choose the former because he had no means but the landed estates (he did not care to serve); moreover, he had formed luxurious habits which he could not easily give up. Besides, he had no longer the same inducements; his strong convictions, the resoluteness of youth, and the ambitious desire to do something unusual were gone. As to the second course, that of denying those clear and unanswerable proofs of the injustice of landholding, which he had drawn from Spencer's Social Statics, and the brilliant corroboration of which he had at a later period found in the works of Henry George, such a course was impossible to him.
當瑪絲洛娃在士兵押送下走了許多路，筋疲力盡，好容易才走到州法院大廈時，她兩個養(yǎng)母的侄兒，當年誘*她的德米特里·伊凡內奇·聶赫留朵夫公爵正躺在高高的彈簧床上，床上鋪著鴨絨墊褥，被單被揉得很皺。他穿著一件前襟皺裥熨得筆挺的潔凈荷蘭細麻布睡衣，敞開領子，吸著香煙。他目光呆滯地瞪著前方，想著今天有什么事要做，昨天發(fā)生過什么事。
昨天他在有錢有勢的柯察金家度過一個黃昏。大家都認為他應該同他們家的小姐結婚。他想起昨晚的事，嘆了一口氣，丟掉手里的煙蒂，想從銀煙盒里再取出一支煙，可是忽然改變主意，從床上掛下兩條光溜溜的白腿，用腳找到拖鞋。他拿起一件綢晨衣往胖胖的肩膀上一披，邁著沉重的步子，急速走到臥室旁的盥洗室里。盥洗室里充滿甘香酒劑、花露水、發(fā)蠟和香水的香味。他在那里用特等牙粉刷他那口補過多處的牙齒，用香噴噴的漱口藥水漱口。然后上上下下擦洗身子，再用幾塊不同的毛巾擦干。他拿香皂洗手，用刷子仔細刷凈長指甲，在巨大的大理石洗臉盆里洗了臉和肥胖的脖子，然后走到臥室旁的第三間屋里，那里已為他準備好了淋浴。他用涼水沖洗豐滿白凈、肌肉累累的身子，拿軟毛巾擦干，穿上熨得筆挺的潔凈襯衫和擦得象鏡子一樣光亮的皮鞋，坐到梳妝臺前，用兩把刷子梳理他那鬈曲的黑胡子和頭頂前面已變得稀疏的鬈發(fā)。
凡是他使用的東西，襯衫、外衣、皮鞋、領帶、別針、袖扣，樣樣都是最貴重最講究的，都很高雅，大方，堅固，名貴。
聶赫留朵夫從好多領帶和胸針中隨手取了一條領帶和一枚胸針（以前他對挑選領帶和胸針很感興趣，現在卻毫不在意），又從椅子上拿起刷凈的衣服穿好。這下子他雖算不上精神抖擻，卻也渾身上下整潔芳香。他走進長方形飯廳。飯廳里的鑲木地板昨天已由三個農民擦得鋸光閃亮，上面擺著麻櫟大酒臺和一張活動大餐桌，桌腿雕成張開的獅爪，很有氣派。桌上鋪一塊漿得筆挺、繡有巨大花體字母拼成的家徽的薄桌布，上面放著裝有香氣撲鼻的咖啡的銀咖啡壺、銀糖缸、盛有煮沸過的奶油的銀壺和裝滿新鮮白面包、面包干和餅干的籃子。食具旁放著剛收到的信件、報紙和一本新出的法文雜志《兩個世界》①。聶赫留朵夫剛要拆信，從通向走廊的門里忽然悄悄地進來一個肥胖的老婦人。她身穿喪服，頭上扎著花邊頭帶，把她那寬闊的頭路都遮住了。她叫阿格拉斐娜，原是聶赫留朵夫母親的侍女。前不久母親在這個房子里去世，她就留下擔任少爺的女管家。
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①一八二九年起在巴黎印行的文藝和政論法語雜志，在俄國知識分子中間流行很廣。這里原文為法語。以下原文凡用法語的，一律排仿微軟雅黑，不再一一作注。
阿格拉斐娜跟隨聶赫留朵夫母親前后在國外待了十年，很有點貴婦人的風度和氣派。她從小就生活在聶赫留朵夫家，在德米特里·伊凡內奇還叫小名米金卡的時候就知道他了。
“您早，德米特里·伊凡內奇！”
“您好，阿格拉斐娜！有什么新鮮事兒??？”聶赫留朵夫戲謔地問。
“有一封信，也不知是公爵夫人寫來的，還是公爵小姐寫來的，她們家的女傭人送來有好半天了，現在她還在我屋里等著呢，”阿格拉斐娜說著把信交給聶赫留朵夫，臉上現出會心的微笑。
“好，等一下，”聶赫留朵夫接過信說，察覺阿格拉斐娜臉上的笑意，不由得皺起眉頭。
阿格拉斐娜的笑容表示，信是柯察金公爵小姐寫來的。她以為聶赫留朵夫已準備同她結婚。阿格拉斐娜笑容的含義卻使聶赫留朵夫不快。
“那我去叫她再等一下，”阿格拉斐娜拿起那把放錯地方的掃面包屑小刷子，將它放回老地方，悄悄地走出飯廳。
聶赫留朵夫拆開阿格拉斐娜交給他的那封香氣撲鼻的信，抽出一張曲邊的灰色厚信紙，看見上面的字跡尖細而稀疏，讀了起來：
“我既已承擔責任，把您的事隨時提醒您，現在就通知您，今天四月二十八日您應該出庭陪審，因此您不能照您一貫的輕率作風，如昨天所答應的那樣，陪我們和柯洛索夫去觀看畫展，除非您情愿向州法院繳納三百盧布罰金，相當于您舍不得買那匹馬的數目，為的是您沒有準時出庭。昨天您一走，我就記起這件事。請您務必不要忘記。
瑪·柯察金公爵小姐?！?BR> 信紙背面又加了兩句：
“媽要我告訴您，為您準備的晚餐將等您到深夜。請您務必光臨，遲早聽便。
瑪·柯·”
聶赫留朵夫皺起眉頭。這封信是柯察金公爵小姐兩個月來向他巧妙進攻的又一招，目的是要用無形的千絲萬縷把他同自己拴得越來越緊。凡是年紀已不很輕、又不是在熱戀中的男人，對結婚問題往往患得患失，猶豫不決。不過，除了這一點，聶赫留朵夫還有一個重大原因，使他就算拿定主意，也不能立刻去求婚。這原因并非他在十年前誘*了卡秋莎又把她拋棄了。這件事他已經忘記得一干二凈，即使想起來，也不會把它看作結婚的障礙。這原因是他同一個有夫之婦有過私情，雖然從他這方面來說，這種關系現在已經結束，但她卻不認為已一刀兩斷。
聶赫留朵夫見到女人很靦腆。正因為他靦腆，這個有夫之婦才想要征服他。這個女人是聶赫留朵夫參加選舉的那個縣的首席貴族的妻子。她終于把聶赫留朵夫引入彀中。聶赫留朵夫一天比一天迷戀她，同時又一天比一天嫌惡她。聶赫留朵夫起初經不住她的誘惑，后來又在她面前感到內疚，因此若不取得她的同意，就不能斷絕這種關系。也就因為這個緣故，聶赫留朵夫認為即使他心里愿意，也無權向柯察金小姐求婚。
桌上正好放著那個女人的丈夫的來信。聶赫留朵夫一看見他的筆跡和郵戳，就臉紅耳赤，心驚肉跳。他每次面臨危險，總有這樣的感覺。不過，他的緊張是多余的：那個丈夫，聶赫留朵夫主要地產所在縣的首席貴族，通知聶赫留朵夫說，五月底將召開地方自治會非常會議，他要求聶赫留朵夫務必出席，以便在討論有關學校和馬路等當前重大問題時支持他，因為估計將遭到反動派的堅決反對。
首席貴族是個自由派，他和幾個志同道合的人一起反對亞歷山大三世①登位后逐漸抬頭的反動勢力，一心一意投入這場斗爭，根本不知道家里出了不幸的變故。
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①俄國沙皇，一八八一——一八九四年在位，因他父親被民意黨人殺害，實行恐怖統治，慫恿反動勢力抬頭。
聶赫留朵夫想起由于這個人而產生的種種煩惱。記得有一次他以為那女人的丈夫已知道這事，就做好同他決斗的準備，決斗時他將朝天開槍。還記得她跟他大鬧過一場，她在絕望中奔往花園的池塘，想投水自盡，他連忙追了上去?！拔椰F在不能到她那邊去，在她沒有答復我以前，我也不能采取任何措施，”聶赫留朵夫心里盤算著。一星期以前，他寫了一封信給她，語氣很堅決，承認自己有罪，不惜用任何方式贖罪，但認為為了她的幸福，他們的關系必須一刀兩斷。他現在就在等她的回信，但沒有等到。沒有回信多少也是個好兆頭。她要是不同意斷絕關系，早就該來信了，說不定還會象上次那樣親自趕來。聶赫留朵夫聽說現在有個軍官在追求她，這使他心里酸溜溜的，但同時又因為可以不再撒謊做假而感到高興，并松了一口氣。
另一封信是經管他地產的總管寫來的。總管在信里說，他聶赫留朵夫必須親自回鄉(xiāng)一次，以便辦理遺產過戶手續(xù)，同時就農業(yè)的經營方式作出決定：繼續(xù)照公爵夫人在世時那樣經營呢，還是采取他總管以前曾向公爵夫人提出，如今再向公爵少爺提出的辦法，也就是增加農具，把租給農民的土地全部收回自己耕種?？偣苷J為自己耕種要劃算得多。此外，總管還表示歉意說，原定月初匯出的三千盧布得耽擱幾天，這筆錢將隨下一班郵車匯出。耽擱的原因是農民不肯繳租，他收不齊租金，只得求助于官府，強制農民繳納。聶赫留朵夫收到這封信，又高興又不高興。高興的是他意識到自己掌握了大量產業(yè)。不高興的是他當年原是斯賓塞①的忠實信徒，而且身為大地主，對斯賓塞在《社會靜力學》②中所提出的“正義不容許土地私有”這個論點特別折服。他出于青年人的正直和果斷，不僅口頭上擁護土地不該成為私有財產的觀點，在大學里還就這個問題寫過論文，而且真的曾把一小塊土地（那塊土地不屬于他母親所有，而是他從父親名下直接繼承來的）分給農民。他不愿違反自己的信念而占有土地。如今繼承了母親的遺產而成為大地主，他必須在兩條道路中間選擇一條：或者象十年前處理父親遺下的兩百俄畝土地那樣，放棄他名下的產業(yè)；或者默認自己以前的全部想法都是荒謬的。
第一條道路他不能走，因為除了土地他沒有任何其他生活資料。他既不愿意做官，又不能放棄早已過慣的奢侈生活。再說，他也沒有必要放棄這樣的生活，因為年輕時的信仰、決心、虛榮和一鳴驚人的欲望，如今都沒有了。至于第二條道路，要否定他從斯賓塞的《社會靜力學》中汲取來、后來又從亨利·喬治③的著作里找到光輝論證的“土地私有不合理”這個論點，他可怎么也辦不到。
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①赫伯特·斯賓塞（1820—1903）——英國社會學家，不可知論者，唯心主義哲學家。
②原文是英語。
③亨利·喬治（1839—1897）——美國經濟學家和社會活動家。
就因為這個緣故，總管的信使他不高興。
When Maslova, wearied out by the long walk, reached the building, accompanied by two soldiers, Prince Dmitri Ivanovitch Nekhludoff, who had seduced her, was still lying on his high bedstead, with a feather bed on the top of the spring mattress, in a fine, clean, well-ironed linen night shirt, smoking a cigarette, and considering what he had to do to-day, and what had happened yesterday.
Recalling the evening he had spent with the Korchagins, a wealthy and aristocratic family, whose daughter every one expected he would marry, he sighed, and, throwing away the end of his cigarette, was going to take another out of the silver case; but, changing his mind, he resolutely raised his solid frame, and, putting down his smooth, white legs, stepped into his slippers, threw his silk dressing gown over his broad shoulders, and passed into his dressing-room, walking heavily and quickly. There he carefully cleaned his teeth, many of which were filled, with tooth powder, and rinsed his mouth with scented elixir. After that he washed his hands with perfumed soap, cleaned his long nails with particular care, then, from a tap fixed to his marble washstand, he let a spray of cold water run over his face and stout neck. Having finished this part of the business, he went into a third room, where a shower bath stood ready for him. Having refreshed his full, white, muscular body, and dried it with a rough bath sheet, he put on his fine undergarments and his boots, and sat down before the glass to brush his black beard and his curly hair, that had begun to get thin above the forehead. Everything he used, everything belonging to his toilet, his linen, his clothes, boots, necktie, pin, studs, was of the best quality, very quiet, simple, durable and costly.
Nekhludoff dressed leisurely, and went into the dining-room. A table, which looked very imposing with its four legs carved in the shape of lions' paws, and a huge side-board to match, stood in the oblong room, the floor of which had been polished by three men the day before. On the table, which was covered with a fine, starched cloth, stood a silver coffeepot full of aromatic coffee, a sugar basin, a jug of fresh cream, and a bread basket filled with fresh rolls, rusks, and biscuits; and beside the plate lay the last number of the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, a newspaper, and several letters.
Nekhludoff was just going to open his letters, when a stout, middle-aged woman in mourning, a lace cap covering the widening parting of her hair, glided into the room. This was Agraphena Petrovna, formerly lady's maid to Nekhludoff's mother. Her mistress had died quite recently in this very house, and she remained with the son as his housekeeper. Agraphena Petrovna had spent nearly ten years, at different times, abroad with Nekhludoff's mother, and had the appearance and manners of a lady. She had lived with the Nekhludoffs from the time she was a child, and had known Dmitri Ivanovitch at the time when he was still little Mitinka.
"Good-morning, Dmitri Ivanovitch."
"Good-morning, Agraphena Petrovna. What is it you want?" Nekhludoff asked.
"A letter from the princess; either from the mother or the daughter. The maid brought it some time ago, and is waiting in my room," answered Agraphena Petrovna, handing him the letter with a significant smile.
"All right! Directly!" said Nekhludoff, taking the letter and frowning as he noticed Agraphena Petrovna's smile.
That smile meant that the letter was from the younger Princess Korchagin, whom Agraphena Petrovna expected him to marry. This supposition of hers annoyed Nekhludoff.
"Then I'll tell her to wait?" and Agraphena Petrovna took a crumb brush which was not in its place, put it away, and sailed out of the room.
Nekhludoff opened the perfumed note, and began reading it.
The note was written on a sheet of thick grey paper, with rough edges; the writing looked English. It said:
Having assumed the task of acting as your memory, I take the liberty of reminding you that on this the 28th day of April you have to appear at the Law Courts, as juryman, and, in consequence, can on no account accompany us and Kolosoff to the picture gallery, as, with your habitual flightiness, you promised yesterday; _a moins que vous ne soyez dispose a payer la cour d'assise les 300 roubles d'amende que vous vous refusez pour votre cheval,_ for not appearing in time. I remembered it last night after you were gone, so do not forget.
Princess M. Korchagin.
On the other side was a postscript.
_Maman vous fait dire que votre convert vous attendra jusqu'a la nuit. Venez absolument a quelle heure que cela soit._
M. K.
Nekhludoff made a grimace. This note was a continuation of that skilful manoeuvring which the Princess Korchagin had already practised for two months in order to bind him closer and closer with invisible threads. And yet, beside the usual hesitation of men past their youth to marry unless they are very much in love, Nekhludoff had very good reasons why, even if he did make up his mind to it, he could not propose at once. It was not that ten years previously he had betrayed and forsaken Maslova; he had quite forgotten that, and he would not have considered it a reason for not marrying. No! The reason was that he had a liaison with a married woman, and, though he considered it broken off, she did not.
Nekhludoff was rather shy with women, and his very shyness awakened in this married woman, the unprincipled wife of the marechal de noblesse of a district where Nekhludoff was present at an election, the desire of vanquishing him. This woman drew him into an intimacy which entangled him more and more, while it daily became more distasteful to him. Having succumbed to the temptation, Nekhludoff felt guilty, and had not the courage to break the tie without her consent. And this was the reason he did not feel at liberty to propose to Korchagin even if he had wished to do so. Among the letters on the table was one from this woman's husband. Seeing his writing and the postmark, Nekhludoff flushed, and felt his energies awakening, as they always did when he was facing any kind of danger.
But his excitement passed at once. The marechal do noblesse, of the district in which his largest estate lay, wrote only to let Nekhludoff know that there was to be a special meeting towards the end of May, and that Nekhludoff was to be sure and come to "_donner un coup d'epaule_," at the important debates concerning the schools and the roads, as a strong opposition by the reactionary party was expected.
The marechal was a liberal, and was quite engrossed in this fight, not even noticing the misfortune that had befallen him.
Nekhludoff remembered the dreadful moments he had lived through; once when he thought that the husband had found him out and was going to challenge him, and he was making up his mind to fire into the air; also the terrible scene he had with her when she ran out into the park, and in her excitement tried to drown herself in the pond.
"Well, I cannot go now, and can do nothing until I get a reply from her," thought Nekhludoff. A week ago he had written her a decisive letter, in which he acknowledged his guilt, and his readiness to atone for it; but at the same time he pronounced their relations to be at an end, for her own good, as he expressed it. To this letter he had as yet received no answer. This might prove a good sign, for if she did not agree to break off their relations, she would have written at once, or even come herself, as she had done before. Nekhludoff had heard that there was some officer who was paying her marked attention, and this tormented him by awakening jealousy, and at the same time encouraged him with the hope of escape from the deception that was oppressing him.
The other letter was from his steward. The steward wrote to tell him that a visit to his estates was necessary in order to enter into possession, and also to decide about the further management of his lands; whether it was to continue in the same way as when his mother was alive, or whether, as he had represented to the late lamented princess, and now advised the young prince, they had not better increase their stock and farm all the land now rented by the peasants themselves. The steward wrote that this would be a far more profitable way of managing the property; at the same time, he apologised for not having forwarded the 3,000 roubles income due on the 1st. This money would he sent on by the next mail. The reason for the delay was that he could not get the money out of the peasants, who had grown so untrustworthy that he had to appeal to the authorities. This letter was partly disagreeable, and partly pleasant. It was pleasant to feel that he had power over so large a property, and yet disagreeable, because Nekhludoff had been an enthusiastic admirer of Henry George and Herbert Spencer. Being himself heir to a large property, he was especially struck by the position taken up by Spencer in Social Statics, that justice forbids private landholding, and with the straightforward resoluteness of his age, had not merely spoken to prove that land could not be looked upon as private property, and written essays on that subject at the university, but had acted up to his convictions, and, considering it wrong to hold landed property, had given the small piece of land he had inherited from his father to the peasants. Inheriting his mother's large estates, and thus becoming a landed proprietor, he had to choose one of two things: either to give up his property, as he had given up his father's land ten years before, or silently to confess that all his former ideas were mistaken and false.
He could not choose the former because he had no means but the landed estates (he did not care to serve); moreover, he had formed luxurious habits which he could not easily give up. Besides, he had no longer the same inducements; his strong convictions, the resoluteness of youth, and the ambitious desire to do something unusual were gone. As to the second course, that of denying those clear and unanswerable proofs of the injustice of landholding, which he had drawn from Spencer's Social Statics, and the brilliant corroboration of which he had at a later period found in the works of Henry George, such a course was impossible to him.
當瑪絲洛娃在士兵押送下走了許多路，筋疲力盡，好容易才走到州法院大廈時，她兩個養(yǎng)母的侄兒，當年誘*她的德米特里·伊凡內奇·聶赫留朵夫公爵正躺在高高的彈簧床上，床上鋪著鴨絨墊褥，被單被揉得很皺。他穿著一件前襟皺裥熨得筆挺的潔凈荷蘭細麻布睡衣，敞開領子，吸著香煙。他目光呆滯地瞪著前方，想著今天有什么事要做，昨天發(fā)生過什么事。
昨天他在有錢有勢的柯察金家度過一個黃昏。大家都認為他應該同他們家的小姐結婚。他想起昨晚的事，嘆了一口氣，丟掉手里的煙蒂，想從銀煙盒里再取出一支煙，可是忽然改變主意，從床上掛下兩條光溜溜的白腿，用腳找到拖鞋。他拿起一件綢晨衣往胖胖的肩膀上一披，邁著沉重的步子，急速走到臥室旁的盥洗室里。盥洗室里充滿甘香酒劑、花露水、發(fā)蠟和香水的香味。他在那里用特等牙粉刷他那口補過多處的牙齒，用香噴噴的漱口藥水漱口。然后上上下下擦洗身子，再用幾塊不同的毛巾擦干。他拿香皂洗手，用刷子仔細刷凈長指甲，在巨大的大理石洗臉盆里洗了臉和肥胖的脖子，然后走到臥室旁的第三間屋里，那里已為他準備好了淋浴。他用涼水沖洗豐滿白凈、肌肉累累的身子，拿軟毛巾擦干，穿上熨得筆挺的潔凈襯衫和擦得象鏡子一樣光亮的皮鞋，坐到梳妝臺前，用兩把刷子梳理他那鬈曲的黑胡子和頭頂前面已變得稀疏的鬈發(fā)。
凡是他使用的東西，襯衫、外衣、皮鞋、領帶、別針、袖扣，樣樣都是最貴重最講究的，都很高雅，大方，堅固，名貴。
聶赫留朵夫從好多領帶和胸針中隨手取了一條領帶和一枚胸針（以前他對挑選領帶和胸針很感興趣，現在卻毫不在意），又從椅子上拿起刷凈的衣服穿好。這下子他雖算不上精神抖擻，卻也渾身上下整潔芳香。他走進長方形飯廳。飯廳里的鑲木地板昨天已由三個農民擦得鋸光閃亮，上面擺著麻櫟大酒臺和一張活動大餐桌，桌腿雕成張開的獅爪，很有氣派。桌上鋪一塊漿得筆挺、繡有巨大花體字母拼成的家徽的薄桌布，上面放著裝有香氣撲鼻的咖啡的銀咖啡壺、銀糖缸、盛有煮沸過的奶油的銀壺和裝滿新鮮白面包、面包干和餅干的籃子。食具旁放著剛收到的信件、報紙和一本新出的法文雜志《兩個世界》①。聶赫留朵夫剛要拆信，從通向走廊的門里忽然悄悄地進來一個肥胖的老婦人。她身穿喪服，頭上扎著花邊頭帶，把她那寬闊的頭路都遮住了。她叫阿格拉斐娜，原是聶赫留朵夫母親的侍女。前不久母親在這個房子里去世，她就留下擔任少爺的女管家。
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①一八二九年起在巴黎印行的文藝和政論法語雜志，在俄國知識分子中間流行很廣。這里原文為法語。以下原文凡用法語的，一律排仿微軟雅黑，不再一一作注。
阿格拉斐娜跟隨聶赫留朵夫母親前后在國外待了十年，很有點貴婦人的風度和氣派。她從小就生活在聶赫留朵夫家，在德米特里·伊凡內奇還叫小名米金卡的時候就知道他了。
“您早，德米特里·伊凡內奇！”
“您好，阿格拉斐娜！有什么新鮮事兒??？”聶赫留朵夫戲謔地問。
“有一封信，也不知是公爵夫人寫來的，還是公爵小姐寫來的，她們家的女傭人送來有好半天了，現在她還在我屋里等著呢，”阿格拉斐娜說著把信交給聶赫留朵夫，臉上現出會心的微笑。
“好，等一下，”聶赫留朵夫接過信說，察覺阿格拉斐娜臉上的笑意，不由得皺起眉頭。
阿格拉斐娜的笑容表示，信是柯察金公爵小姐寫來的。她以為聶赫留朵夫已準備同她結婚。阿格拉斐娜笑容的含義卻使聶赫留朵夫不快。
“那我去叫她再等一下，”阿格拉斐娜拿起那把放錯地方的掃面包屑小刷子，將它放回老地方，悄悄地走出飯廳。
聶赫留朵夫拆開阿格拉斐娜交給他的那封香氣撲鼻的信，抽出一張曲邊的灰色厚信紙，看見上面的字跡尖細而稀疏，讀了起來：
“我既已承擔責任，把您的事隨時提醒您，現在就通知您，今天四月二十八日您應該出庭陪審，因此您不能照您一貫的輕率作風，如昨天所答應的那樣，陪我們和柯洛索夫去觀看畫展，除非您情愿向州法院繳納三百盧布罰金，相當于您舍不得買那匹馬的數目，為的是您沒有準時出庭。昨天您一走，我就記起這件事。請您務必不要忘記。
瑪·柯察金公爵小姐?！?BR> 信紙背面又加了兩句：
“媽要我告訴您，為您準備的晚餐將等您到深夜。請您務必光臨，遲早聽便。
瑪·柯·”
聶赫留朵夫皺起眉頭。這封信是柯察金公爵小姐兩個月來向他巧妙進攻的又一招，目的是要用無形的千絲萬縷把他同自己拴得越來越緊。凡是年紀已不很輕、又不是在熱戀中的男人，對結婚問題往往患得患失，猶豫不決。不過，除了這一點，聶赫留朵夫還有一個重大原因，使他就算拿定主意，也不能立刻去求婚。這原因并非他在十年前誘*了卡秋莎又把她拋棄了。這件事他已經忘記得一干二凈，即使想起來，也不會把它看作結婚的障礙。這原因是他同一個有夫之婦有過私情，雖然從他這方面來說，這種關系現在已經結束，但她卻不認為已一刀兩斷。
聶赫留朵夫見到女人很靦腆。正因為他靦腆，這個有夫之婦才想要征服他。這個女人是聶赫留朵夫參加選舉的那個縣的首席貴族的妻子。她終于把聶赫留朵夫引入彀中。聶赫留朵夫一天比一天迷戀她，同時又一天比一天嫌惡她。聶赫留朵夫起初經不住她的誘惑，后來又在她面前感到內疚，因此若不取得她的同意，就不能斷絕這種關系。也就因為這個緣故，聶赫留朵夫認為即使他心里愿意，也無權向柯察金小姐求婚。
桌上正好放著那個女人的丈夫的來信。聶赫留朵夫一看見他的筆跡和郵戳，就臉紅耳赤，心驚肉跳。他每次面臨危險，總有這樣的感覺。不過，他的緊張是多余的：那個丈夫，聶赫留朵夫主要地產所在縣的首席貴族，通知聶赫留朵夫說，五月底將召開地方自治會非常會議，他要求聶赫留朵夫務必出席，以便在討論有關學校和馬路等當前重大問題時支持他，因為估計將遭到反動派的堅決反對。
首席貴族是個自由派，他和幾個志同道合的人一起反對亞歷山大三世①登位后逐漸抬頭的反動勢力，一心一意投入這場斗爭，根本不知道家里出了不幸的變故。
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①俄國沙皇，一八八一——一八九四年在位，因他父親被民意黨人殺害，實行恐怖統治，慫恿反動勢力抬頭。
聶赫留朵夫想起由于這個人而產生的種種煩惱。記得有一次他以為那女人的丈夫已知道這事，就做好同他決斗的準備，決斗時他將朝天開槍。還記得她跟他大鬧過一場，她在絕望中奔往花園的池塘，想投水自盡，他連忙追了上去?！拔椰F在不能到她那邊去，在她沒有答復我以前，我也不能采取任何措施，”聶赫留朵夫心里盤算著。一星期以前，他寫了一封信給她，語氣很堅決，承認自己有罪，不惜用任何方式贖罪，但認為為了她的幸福，他們的關系必須一刀兩斷。他現在就在等她的回信，但沒有等到。沒有回信多少也是個好兆頭。她要是不同意斷絕關系，早就該來信了，說不定還會象上次那樣親自趕來。聶赫留朵夫聽說現在有個軍官在追求她，這使他心里酸溜溜的，但同時又因為可以不再撒謊做假而感到高興，并松了一口氣。
另一封信是經管他地產的總管寫來的。總管在信里說，他聶赫留朵夫必須親自回鄉(xiāng)一次，以便辦理遺產過戶手續(xù)，同時就農業(yè)的經營方式作出決定：繼續(xù)照公爵夫人在世時那樣經營呢，還是采取他總管以前曾向公爵夫人提出，如今再向公爵少爺提出的辦法，也就是增加農具，把租給農民的土地全部收回自己耕種?？偣苷J為自己耕種要劃算得多。此外，總管還表示歉意說，原定月初匯出的三千盧布得耽擱幾天，這筆錢將隨下一班郵車匯出。耽擱的原因是農民不肯繳租，他收不齊租金，只得求助于官府，強制農民繳納。聶赫留朵夫收到這封信，又高興又不高興。高興的是他意識到自己掌握了大量產業(yè)。不高興的是他當年原是斯賓塞①的忠實信徒，而且身為大地主，對斯賓塞在《社會靜力學》②中所提出的“正義不容許土地私有”這個論點特別折服。他出于青年人的正直和果斷，不僅口頭上擁護土地不該成為私有財產的觀點，在大學里還就這個問題寫過論文，而且真的曾把一小塊土地（那塊土地不屬于他母親所有，而是他從父親名下直接繼承來的）分給農民。他不愿違反自己的信念而占有土地。如今繼承了母親的遺產而成為大地主，他必須在兩條道路中間選擇一條：或者象十年前處理父親遺下的兩百俄畝土地那樣，放棄他名下的產業(yè)；或者默認自己以前的全部想法都是荒謬的。
第一條道路他不能走，因為除了土地他沒有任何其他生活資料。他既不愿意做官，又不能放棄早已過慣的奢侈生活。再說，他也沒有必要放棄這樣的生活，因為年輕時的信仰、決心、虛榮和一鳴驚人的欲望，如今都沒有了。至于第二條道路，要否定他從斯賓塞的《社會靜力學》中汲取來、后來又從亨利·喬治③的著作里找到光輝論證的“土地私有不合理”這個論點，他可怎么也辦不到。
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①赫伯特·斯賓塞（1820—1903）——英國社會學家，不可知論者，唯心主義哲學家。
②原文是英語。
③亨利·喬治（1839—1897）——美國經濟學家和社會活動家。
就因為這個緣故，總管的信使他不高興。