登陆注册
19593600000170

第170章

Othello was incapable of making up his mind to faithlessness-not incapable of forgiving it, but of making up his mind to it- though his soul was as innocent and free from malice as a babe's.It is not so with the really jealous man.It is hard to imagine what some jealous men can make up their mind to and overlook, and what they can forgive! The jealous are the readiest of all to forgive, and all women know it.The jealous man can forgive extraordinarily quickly (though, of course, after a violent scene), and he is able to forgive infidelity almost conclusively proved, the very kisses and embraces he has seen, if only he can somehow be convinced that it has all been "for the last time," and that his rival will vanish from that day forward, will depart to the ends of the earth, or that he himself will carry her away somewhere, where that dreaded rival will not get near her.Of course the reconciliation is only for an hour.For, even if the rival did disappear next day, he would invent another one and would be jealous of him.And one might wonder what there was in a love that had to be so watched over, what a love could be worth that needed such strenuous guarding.But that the jealous will never understand.And yet among them are men of noble hearts.It is remarkable, too, that those very men of noble hearts, standing hidden in some cupboard, listening and spying, never feel the stings of conscience at that moment, anyway, though they understand clearly enough with their "noble hearts" the shameful depths to which they have voluntarily sunk.

At the sight of Grushenka, Mitya's jealousy vanished, and, for an instant he became trustful and generous, and positively despised himself for his evil feelings.But it only proved that, in his love for the woman, there was an element of something far higher than he himself imagined, that it was not only a sensual passion, not only the "curve of her body," of which he had talked to Alyosha.But, as soon as Grushenka had gone, Mitya began to suspect her of all the low cunning of faithlessness, and he felt no sting of conscience at it.

And so jealousy surged up in him again.He had, in any case, to make haste.The first thing to be done was to get hold of at least a small, temporary loan of money.The nine roubles had almost all gone on his expedition.And, as we all know, one can't take a step without money.But he had thought over in the cart where he could get a loan.He had a brace of fine duelling pistols in a case, which he had not pawned till then because he prized them above all his possessions.

In the Metropolis tavern he had some time since made acquaintance with a young official and had learnt that this very opulent bachelor was passionately fond of weapons.He used to buy pistols, revolvers, daggers, hang them on his wall and show them to acquaintances.He prided himself on them, and was quite a specialist on the mechanism of the revolver.Mitya, without stopping to think, went straight to him, and offered to pawn his pistols to him for ten roubles.The official, delighted, began trying to persuade him to sell them outright.But Mitya would not consent, so the young man gave him ten roubles, protesting that nothing would induce him to take interest.They parted friends.

Mitya was in haste; he rushed towards Fyodor Pavlovitch's by the back way, to his arbour, to get hold of Smerdyakov as soon as possible.In this way the fact was established that three or four hours before a certain event, of which I shall speak later on, Mitya had not a farthing, and pawned for ten roubles a possession he valued, though, three hours later, he was in possession of thousands....But Iam anticipating.From Marya Kondratyevna (the woman living near Fyodor Pavlovitch's) he learned the very disturbing fact of Smerdyakov's illness.He heard the story of his fall in the cellar, his fit, the doctor's visit, Fyodor Pavlovitch's anxiety; he heard with interest, too, that his brother Ivan had set off that morning for Moscow.

"Then he must have driven through Volovya before me," thought Dmitri, but he was terribly distressed about Smerdyakov."What will happen now? Who'll keep watch for me? Who'll bring me word?" he thought.He began greedily questioning the women whether they had seen anything the evening before.They quite understood what he was trying to find out, and completely reassured him.No one had been there.Ivan Fyodorovitch had been there that night; everything had been perfectly as usual.Mitya grew thoughtful.He would certainly have to keep watch to-day, but where? Here or at Samsonov's gate? He decided that he must be on the lookout both here and there, and meanwhile...meanwhile...The difficulty was that he had to carry out the new plan that he had made on the journey back.He was sure of its success, but he must not delay acting upon it.Mitya resolved to sacrifice an hour to it: "In an hour I shall know everything, Ishall settle everything, and then, then, then, first of all to Samsonov's.I'll inquire whether Grushenka's there and instantly be back here again, stay till eleven, and then to Samsonov's again to bring her home." This was what he decided.

He flew home, washed, combed his hair, brushed his clothes, dressed, and went to Madame Hohlakov's.Alas! he had built his hopes on her.He had resolved to borrow three thousand from that lady.And what was more, he felt suddenly convinced that she would not refuse to lend it to him.It may be wondered why, if he felt so certain, he had not gone to her at first, one of his own sort, so to speak, instead of to Samsonov, a man he did not know, who was not of his own class, and to whom he hardly knew how to speak.

同类推荐
  • 雪岩祖钦禅师语录

    雪岩祖钦禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上洞玄灵宝法身制论

    太上洞玄灵宝法身制论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 性善恶论

    性善恶论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 何仙姑宝卷

    何仙姑宝卷

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 古琴疏

    古琴疏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 岚斋集

    岚斋集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 那罗延天共阿修罗王斗战法

    那罗延天共阿修罗王斗战法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 武灵弑天

    武灵弑天

    他拼命修炼只为保护他的尊严;他驰骋天下只为寻求一个答案;他诛灭万千只为找到世间真理;他踏碎九天只为查到她的踪迹;
  • EXO:星星闪耀的夜晚

    EXO:星星闪耀的夜晚

    此小说为三个人写的小说,三个女主的名字就是我们三个人--,不看没人逼你。
  • 械宇

    械宇

    无尽轮回,械宇争锋。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
  • 仙贼飞扬

    仙贼飞扬

    俯瞰青山顺风翔,无尽冰海觅梅香。少年当有行空梦,横臂擎天任飞扬。一个很坏但有原则的少年,他与他越来越多的兄弟们。虽然他们是帮派里的歹徒。一起嚣张改变世界的故事。
  • 民间笑话(民间幽默笑话集)

    民间笑话(民间幽默笑话集)

    笑话在古今民间文学中都大量存在。为了给读者提供精神食粮并使之读后内心发笑、精神受益、心灵得到陶冶,编者从古今笑话中精选了一些优秀篇章,根据现代人口味作适当修改,并根据国内外笑话分类学的方法,主要从便于读者阅读的角度出发进行了分类。
  • 《霸道少爷的腹黑女友》

    《霸道少爷的腹黑女友》

    他,一个大少爷,光辉的背后是不为人知的秘密她,一个漂亮的女孩,一个杀手,背后却是辛酸的付出两人相遇,一见钟情,迷惑纷纷,多次误会,又会擦出怎样的火花结局又会如何?我们拭目以待吧!
  • 惑乱天下:盛世夫人

    惑乱天下:盛世夫人

    刚来就被姐姐“鞭策”?那还了得!暴打?那就陪你们练练手!恶人先告状?不过小小离间计就让她们狗咬狗。正当她小小得意之时,一场惊天阴谋扑面而来……身份曝光,宝藏现世之时,某庄主却在旁边看大戏?混蛋!还不快帮忙!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 倾城杀手:凤舞九天

    倾城杀手:凤舞九天

    她——霸道腹黑,坑人俏皮。一朝穿越,成为草包废材,收魔兽,炼药剂;勤修练,后成仙。且看她如何在异世大放光彩。