Uncle's Dream

Chapter 4

At first sight you would not take this prince for an old man at all, and it is only when you come near and take a good look at him, that you see he is merely a dead man working on wires. All the resources of science are brought to bear upon this mummy, in order to give it the appearance of life and youth. A marvellous wig, glorious whiskers, moustache and napoleonall of the most raven blackcover half his face. He is painted and powdered with very great skill, so much so that one can hardly detect any wrinkles. What has become of them, goodness only knows.

He is dressed in the pink of fashion, just as though he had walked straight out of a tailor's fashion-page. His coat, his gloves, tie, his waistcoat, his linen, are all in perfect taste, and in the very last mode. The prince limps slightly, but so slightly that one would suppose he did it on purpose because that was in fashion too. In his eye he wears a glassin the eye which is itself glass already.

He was soaked with scent. His speech and manner of pronouncing certain syllables was full of affectation; and this was, perhaps, all that he retained of the mannerisms and tricks of his younger days. For if the prince had not quite lost his wits as yet, he had certainly parted with nearly every vestige of his memory, whichalas!is a thing which no amount of perfumeries and wigs and rouge and tight-lacing will renovate. He continually forgets words in the midst of conversation, and loses his way, which makes it a matter of some difficulty to carry on a conversation with him. However, Maria Alexandrovna has confidence in her inborn dexterity, and at sight of the prince she flies into a condition of unspeakable rapture.

Oh! but you've not changed, you've not changed a bit! she cries, seizing her guest by both hands, and popping him into a comfortable arm-chair. Sit down, dear Prince, do sit down! Six years, prince, six whole long years since we saw each other, and not a letter, not a little tiny scrap of a note all the while. Oh, how naughty you have been, prince! And how angry I have been with you, my dear friend! But, tea! tea! Good Heavens, Nastasia Petrovna, tea for the prince, quick!

Ththanks, thanks; I'm very sorry! stammered the old man (I forgot to mention that he stammered a little, but he did even this as though it were the fashion to do it). Very ssorry; fancy, II wanted to cocome last year, but they ttold me there was chochocholera here.

There was foot and mouth disease here, uncle, put in Mosgliakoff, by way of distinguishing himself. Maria Alexandrovna gave him a severe look.

Yeyes, foot and mouth disease, or something of that ssort, said the prince; so I ststayed at home. Well, and how's your hhusband, my dear Anna NicNicolaevna? Still at his procprocuror's work?

No, prince! said Maria Alexandrovna, a little disconcerted. My husband is not a procurer.

I'll bet anything that uncle has mixed you up with Anna Nicolaevna Antipova, said Mosgliakoff, but stopped suddenly on observing the look on Maria Alexandrovna's face.

Yeyes, of course, Anna Nicolaevna. AAn. What the deuce! I'm always fforgetting; Antipova, Antipova, of course, continued the prince.

No, prince, you have made a great mistake, remarked Maria Alexandrovna, with a bitter smile. I am not Anna Nicolaevna at all, and I confess I should never have believed that you would not recognise me. You have astonished me, prince. I am your old friend, Maria Alexandrovna Moskaloff. Don't you remember Maria Alexandrovna?

MMaria Alexandrovna! think of that; and I thought she was wwhat's her name. Yyes, Anna Vasilievna! C'est dlicieux. Wwhy I thought you were going to take me to this AAnna Matveyevna. Dear me! C'est chcharmant! It often happens so wwith me. I get taken to the wrong house; but I'm vvery pleased, vvery pleased! So you're not Nastasia Vasilievna? How interesting.

I'm Maria Alexandrovna, prince; Maria Alexandrovna! Oh! how naughty you are, Prince, to forget your best, best friend!

Yees! yeyes! best friend; best friend, forforgive me! stammered the old man, staring at Zina.

That's my daughter Zina. You are not acquainted yet, prince. She wasn't here when you were last in the town, in the year you know.

Oh, ththis is your ddaughter! muttered the old man, staring hungrily at Zina through his glasses. Dear me, dear me. Chcharmante, charmante! But what a loovely girl, he added, evidently impressed.

Tea! prince, remarked Maria Alexandrovna, directing his attention to the page standing before him with the tray. The prince took a cup, and examined the boy, who had a nice fresh face of his own.

Ah! this is your llittle boy? Whwhat a charming little bboy! and does he bebehave nicely?

But, prince, interrupted Maria Alexandrovna, impatiently, what is this dreadful occurrence I hear of? I confess I was nearly beside myself with terror when I heard of it. Were you not hurt at all? Do take care. One cannot make light of this sort of thing.

Upset, upset; the ccoachman upset me! cried the prince, with unwonted vivacity. I thought it was the end of the world, and I was frifrightened out of my wits. I didn't expect it; I didn't, indeed! and my cooachman is to blame for it all. I trust you, my friend, to look into the matter well. I feel sure he was making an attempt on my life!

All right, all right, uncle, said Paul; I'll see about it. But look hereforgive him, just this once, uncle; just this once, won't you?

Nnot I! Not for anything! I'm sure he wants my life, he and Lavrenty too. It'sit's the 'new ideas;' it's ComCommunism, in the fullest sense of the word. I daren't meet them anywhere.

You are right, you are quite right, prince, cried Maria Alexandrovna. You don't know how I suffer myself from these wretched people. I've just been obliged to change two of my servants; and you've no idea how stupid they are, prince.

Yeyes! quite so! said the prince, delightedas all old men are whose senile chatter is listened to with servility. But I like a flflunky to look stupid; it gives them presence. There's my Terenty, now. You remember Terenty, my friend? Well, the ffirst time I ever looked at him I said, You shall be my hahall porter. He's stupid, phenphenomenally stupid, he looks like a shesheep; but his digdignity and majesty are wonderful. When I look at him he seems to be composing some llearned dissertation. He's just like the German philosopher, Kant, or like some fafat old turkey, and that's just what one wants in a serving-man.

Maria Alexandrovna laughed, and clapped her hands in the highest state of ecstasy; Paul supported her with all his might; Nastasia Petrovna laughed too; and even Zina smiled.

But, prince, how clever, how witty, how humorous you are! cried Maria Alexandrovna. What a wonderful gilt of remarking the smallest refinements of character. And for a man like you to eschew all society, and shut yourself up for five years! With such talents! Why, prince, you could write, you could be an author. You could emulate Von Vezin, Gribojedoff, Gogol!

Yeyes! yeyes! said the delighted prince. I can reproduce things I see, very well. And, do you know, I used to be a very wiwitty fellow indeed, some time ago. I even wrote a play once. There were some very smart couplets, I remember; but it was never acted.

Oh! how nice it would be to read it over, especially just now, eh, Zina? for we are thinking of getting up a play, you must know, prince, for the benefit of the martyrs of the Fatherland, the wounded soldiers. There, now, how handy your play would come in!

Certainly, certainly. II would even write you another. I think I've quite forgotten the old one. I remember there were two or three such epigrams that (here the prince kissed his own hand to convey an idea of the exquisite wit of his lines) I recollect when I was abroad I made a real furore. I remember Lord Byron well; we were great friends; you should have seen him dance the mazurka one day during the Vienna Congress.

Lord Byron, uncle?Surely not!

Yeyes, Lord Byron. Perhaps it was not Lord Byron, though, perhaps it was someone else; no, it wasn't Lord Byron, it was some Pole; I remember now. A wonder-ful fellow that Pole was! He said he was a CCount, and he turned out to be a ccookshop man! But he danced the mazurka wonderfully, and broke his leg at last. I recollect I wrote some lines at the time:

Our little Pole

Danced like blazes.

How did it go on, now? Wait a minute! No, I can't remember.

I'll tell you, uncle. It must have been like this, said Paul, becoming more and more inspired:

But he tripped in a hole,

Which stopped his crazes.

Yeyes, that was it, I think, or something very like it. I don't know, thoughperhaps it wasn't. Anyhow, the lines were very smart. I forget a good deal of what I have seen and done. I'm so bbusy now!

But do let me hear how you have employed your time in your solitude, dear prince, said Maria Alexandrovna. I must confess that I have thought of you so often, and often, that I am burning with impatience to hear more about you and your doings.

Employed my time? Oh, very busy; very busy, gegenerally. One rests, you see, part of the day; and then I imagine a good many things.

I should think you have a very strong imagination, haven't you, uncle? remarked Paul.

Exceptionally so, my dear fellow. I sometimes imagine things which amaze even myself! When I was at Kadueff,by-the-by, you were vice-governor of Kadueff, weren't you?

I, uncle! Why, what are you thinking of?

No? Just fancy, my dear fellow! and I've been thinking all this time how ffunny that the vice-governor of Kadueff should be here with quite a different face: he had a fine intelligent, digdignified face, you know. A wowonderful fellow! Always writing verses, too; he was rather like the KiKing of Diamonds from the side view, but

No, prince, interrupted Maria Alexandrovna. I assure you, you'll ruin yourself with the life you are leading! To make a hermit of oneself for five years, and see no one, and hear no one: you're a lost man, dear prince! Ask any one of those who love you, they'll all tell you the same; you're a lost man!

No, cried the prince, really?

Yes, I assure you of it! I am speaking to you as a sisteras a friend! I am telling you this because you are very dear to me, and because the memory of the past is sacred to me. No, no! You must change your way of living; otherwise you will fall ill, and break up, and die!

Gracious heavens! Surely I shan't ddie so soon? cried the old man. Youyou are right about being ill; I am ill now and then. I'll tell you all the sysymptoms! I'll dedetail them to you. Firstly I

Uncle, don't you think you had better tell us all about it another day? Paul interrupted hurriedly. I think we had better be starting just now, don't you?

Yesyes, perhaps, perhaps. But remind me to tell you another time; it's a most interesting case, I assure you!

But listen, my dear prince! Maria Alexandrovna resumed, why don't you try being doctored abroad?

Abroad? Yes, yesI shall certainly go abroad. I remember when I was abroad, about '20; it was delightfully ggay and jolly. I very nearly married a viviscountess, a French woman. I was fearfully in love, but somsomebody else married her, not I. It was a very sstrange thing. I had only gone away for a coupcouple of hours, and this GerGerman baron fellow came and carried her off! He went into a mamadhouse afterwards!

Yes, dear prince, you must look after your health. There are such good doctors abroad; andbesides, the mere change of life, what will not that alone do for you! You must desert your dear Donchanovo, if only for a time!

Ccertainly, certainly! I've long meant to do it. I'm going to try hyhydropathy!

Hydropathy?

Yes. I've tried it once before: I was abroad, you know, and they persuaded me to try drinking the wawaters. There wasn't anything the matter with me, but I agreed, just out of delidelicacy for their feelings; and I did seem to feel easier, somehow. So I drank, and drank, and draank up a whole waterfall; and I assure you if I hadn't fallen ill just then I should have been quite well, ththanks to the water! But, I confess, you've frightened me so about these mamaladies and things, I feel quite put out. I'll come back ddirectly!

Why, prince, where are you off to? asked Maria Alexandrovna in surprise.

Directly, directly. I'm just going to note down an iidea!

What sort of idea? cried Paul, bursting with laughter.

Maria Alexandrovna lost all patience.

I cannot understand what you find to laugh at! she cried, as the old man disappeared; to laugh at an honourable old man, and turn every word of his into ridiculepresuming on his angelic good nature. I assure you I blushed for you, Paul Alexandrovitch! Why, what do you see in him to laugh at? I never saw anything funny about him!

Well, I laugh because he does not recognise people, and talks such nonsense!

That's simply the result of his sad life, of his dreadful five years' captivity, under the guardianship of that she-devil! You should pity, not laugh at him! He did not even know me; you saw it yourself. I tell you it's a crying shame; he must be saved, at all costs! I recommend him to go abroad so that he may get out of the clutches of thatbeast of a woman!

Do you know whatwe must find him a wife! cried Paul.

Oh, Mr. Mosgliakoff, you are too bad; you really are too bad!

No, no, Maria Alexandrovna; I assure you, this time I'm speaking in all seriousness. Why not marry him off? Isn't it rather a brilliant idea? What harm can marriage do him? On the contrary, he is in that position that such a step alone can save him! In the first place, he will get rid of that fox of a woman; and, secondly, he may find some girl, or better still some widowkind, good, wise and gentle, and poor, who will look after him as his own daughter would, and who will be sensible of the honour he does her in making her his wife! And what could be better for the old fellow than to have such a person about him, rather than thewoman he has now? Of course she must be nice-looking, for uncle appreciates good looks; didn't you observe how he stared at Miss Zina?

But how will you find him such a bride? asked Nastasia Petrovna, who had listened intently to Paul's suggestion.

What a question! Why, you yourself, if you pleased! and why not, pray? In the first place, you are good-looking, you are a widow, you are generous, you are poor (at least I don't think you are very rich). Then you are a very reasonable woman: you'll learn to love him, and take good care of him; you'll send that other woman to the deuce, and take your husband abroad, where you will feed him on pudding and lollipops till the moment of his quitting this wicked world, which will be in about a year, or in a couple of months perhaps. After that, you emerge a princess, a rich widow, and, as a prize for your goodness to the old gentleman, you'll marry a fine young marquis, or a governor-general, or somebody of the sort! Therethat's a pretty enough prospect, isn't it?

Tfu! Goodness me! I should fall in love with him at once, out of pure gratitude, if he only proposed to me! said the widow, with her black eyes all ablaze; but, of course, it's all nonsense!

Nonsense, is it? Shall I make it sound sense, then, for you? Ask me prettily, and if I don't make you his betrothed by this evening, you may cut my little finger off! Why, there's nothing in the world easier than to talk uncle into anything you please! He'll only say, Yeyes, yeyes, just as you heard him now! We'll marry him so that he doesn't know anything about it, if you like? We'll deceive him and marry him, if you please! Any way you like, it can be done! Why, it's for his own good; it's out of pity for himself! Don't you think, seriously, Nastasia Petrovna, that you had better put on some smart clothes in any case?

Paul's enthusiasm amounted by now to something like madness, while the widow's mouth watered at his idea, in spite of her better judgment.

I know, I know I look horridly untidy! she said. I go about anyhow, nowadays! There's nothing to dress for. Do I really look like a regular cook?

All this time Maria Alexandrovna sat still, with a strange expression on her face. I shall not be far wrong if I say that she listened to Paul's wild suggestion with a look of terror, almost: she was confused and startled; at last she recollected herself, and spoke.

All this is very nice, of course; but at the same time it is utter nonsense, and perfectly out of the question! she observed cuttingly.

Why, why, my good Maria Alexandrovna? Why is it such nonsense, or why out of the question?

For many reasons; and, principally because you are, as the prince is also, a guest in my house; and I cannot permit anyone to forget their respect towards my establishment! I shall consider your words as a joke, Paul Alexandrovitch, and nothing more! Here comes the princethank goodness!

Here I am! cried the old man as he entered. It's a wowonderful thing how many good ideas of all ssorts I'm having to-day! and another day I may spend the whole of it without a single one! Astonishing? not one all day!

Probably the result of your accident, to-day, uncle! Your nerves got shaken up, you see, and

Yeyes, I think so, I think so too; and I look on the accident as profitable, on the whole; and therefore I'm going to excuse the coachman. I don't think it was an attempt on my life, after all, do you? Besides, he was punished a little while ago, when his beard was shshaved off!

Beard shaved off? Why, uncle, his beard is as big as a German state!

Yeyes, a German state, you are very happy in your expressions, my boy! but it's a fafalse one. Fancy what happened: I sent for a price-current for false hair and beards, and found advertisements for splendid servants' and coachmen's beards, very cheapextraordinarily so! I sent for one, and it certainly was a beauty. But when we wanted to clap it on the coachman, we found he had one of his own ttwice as big; so I thought, shall I cut off his, or let him wear it, and send this one bback? and I decided to shave his off, and let him wear the ffalse one!

On the theory that art is higher than nature, I suppose uncle?

Yes, yes! Just soand I assure you, when we cut off his beard he suffered as much as though we were depriving him of all he held most dear! But we must be gogoing, my boy!

But I hope, dear prince, that you will only call upon the governor! cried Maria Alexandrovna, in great agitation. You are mine now, Prince; you belong to my family for the whole of this day! Of course I will say nothing about the society of this place. Perhaps you are thinking of paying Anna Nicolaevna a visit? I will not say a word to dissuade you; but at the same time I am quite convinced thattime will show! Remember one thing, dear Prince, that I am your sister, your nurse, your guardian for to-day at least, and oh!I tremble for you. You don't know these people, Prince, as I do! You don't know them fully: but time will teach you all you do not know.

Trust me, Maria Alexandrovna! said Paul, it shall all be exactly as I have promised you!

Ohbut you're such a weathercock! I can never trust you! I shall wait for you at dinner time, Prince; we dine early. How sorry I am that my husband happens to be in the country on such an occasion! How happy he would have been to see you! He esteems you so highly, Prince; he is so sincerely attached to you!

Your husband? dear me! So you have a hhusband, too! observed the old man.

Oh, prince, prince! how forgetful you are! Why, you have quite, quite forgotten the past! My husband, Afanassy Matveyevitch, surely you must remember him? He is in the country: but you have seen him thousands of times before! Don't you rememberAfanassy Matveyevitch!

Afanassy Matveyevitch. Dear me!and in the cocountry! how very charming! So you have a husband! dear me, I remember a vaudeville very like that, something about

The husband's here,

And his wife at Tvere.

Charming, charmingsuch a good rhyme too; and it's a most ridiculous story! Charming, charming; the wife's away, you know, at Jaroslaf or Tv or somewhere, and the husband isisDear me! I'm afraid I've forgotten what we were talking about! Yes, yeswe must be going, my boy! Au revoir, madame; adieu, ma charmante demoiselle he added, turning to Zina, and putting the ends of her fingers to his lips.

Come back to dinner,to dinner, prince! don't forget to come back here quick! cried Maria Alexandrovna after them as they went out; be back to dinner!