登陆注册
19593600000037

第37章

Rakitin, of course, was a person of too little consequence to be invited to the dinner, to which Father Iosif, Father Paissy, and one other monk were the only inmates of the monastery invited.They were already waiting when Miusov, Kalganov, and Ivan arrived.The other guest, Maximov, stood a little aside, waiting also.The Father Superior stepped into the middle of the room to receive his guests.He was a tall, thin, but still vigorous old man, with black hair streaked with grey, and a long, grave, ascetic face.He bowed to his guests in silence.But this time they approached to receive his blessing.

Miusov even tried to kiss his hand, but the Father Superior drew it back in time to avoid the salute.But Ivan and Kalganov went through the ceremony in the most simple-hearted and complete manner, kissing his hand as peasants do.

"We must apologise most humbly, your reverence," began Miusov, simpering affably, and speaking in a dignified and respectful tone.

"Pardon us for having come alone without the gentleman you invited, Fyodor Pavlovitch.He felt obliged to decline the honour of your hospitality, and not without reason.In the reverend Father Zossima's cell he was carried away by the unhappy dissension with his son, and let fall words which were quite out of keeping...in fact, quite unseemly...as"- he glanced at the monks- "your reverence is, no doubt, already aware.And therefore, recognising that he had been to blame, he felt sincere regret and shame, and begged me, and his son Ivan Fyodorovitch, to convey to you his apologies and regrets.In brief, he hopes and desires to make amends later.He asks your blessing, and begs you to forget what has taken place."As he uttered the last word of his tirade, Miusov completely recovered his self-complacency, and all traces of his former irritation disappeared.He fully and sincerely loved humanity again.

The Father Superior listened to him with dignity, and, with a slight bend of the head, replied:

"I sincerely deplore his absence.Perhaps at our table he might have learnt to like us, and we him.Pray be seated, gentlemen."He stood before the holy image, and began to say grace, aloud.All bent their heads reverently, and Maximov clasped his hands before him, with peculiar fervour.

It was at this moment that Fyodor Pavlovitch played his last prank.It must be noted that he really had meant to go home, and really had felt the impossibility of going to dine with the Father Superior as though nothing had happened, after his disgraceful behaviour in the elder's cell.Not that he was so very much ashamed of himself- quite the contrary perhaps.But still he felt it would be unseemly to go to dinner.Yet his creaking carriage had hardly been brought to the steps of the hotel, and he had hardly got into it, when he suddenly stopped short.He remembered his own words at the elder's:

"I always feel when I meet people that I am lower than all, and that they all take me for a buffoon; so I say let me play the buffoon, for you are, every one of you, stupider and lower than I." He longed to revenge himself on everyone for his own unseemliness.He suddenly recalled how he had once in the past been asked, "Why do you hate so and so, so much?" And he had answered them, with his shameless impudence, "I'll tell you.He has done me no harm.But I played him a dirty trick, and ever since I have hated him."Remembering that now, he smiled quietly and malignantly, hesitating for a moment.His eyes gleamed, and his lips positively quivered.

"Well, since I have begun, I may as well go on," he decided.His predominant sensation at that moment might be expressed in the following words, "Well, there is no rehabilitating myself now.So let me shame them for all I am worth.I will show them I don't care what they think- that's all!"He told the coachman to wait, while with rapid steps he returned to the monastery and straight to the Father Superior's.He had no clear idea what he would do, but he knew that he could not control himself, and that a touch might drive him to the utmost limits of obscenity, but only to obscenity, to nothing criminal, nothing for which he could be legally punished.In the last resort, he could always restrain himself, and had marvelled indeed at himself, on that score, sometimes.He appeared in the Father Superior's dining-room, at the moment when the prayer was over, and all were moving to the table.Standing in the doorway, he scanned the company, and laughing his prolonged, impudent, malicious chuckle, looked them all boldly in the face."They thought I had gone, and here I am again," he cried to the whole room.

For one moment everyone stared at him without a word; and at once everyone felt that something revolting, grotesque, positively scandalous, was about to happen.Miusov passed immediately from the most benevolent frame of mind to the most savage.All the feelings that had subsided and died down in his heart revived instantly.

"No! this I cannot endure!" he cried."I absolutely cannot! and...

I certainly cannot!"

The blood rushed to his head.He positively stammered; but he was beyond thinking of style, and he seized his hat.

"What is it he cannot?" cried Fyodor Pavlovitch, "that he absolutely cannot and certainly cannot? Your reverence, am I to come in or not? Will you receive me as your guest?""You are welcome with all my heart," answered the Superior.

"Gentlemen!" he added, "I venture to beg you most earnestly to lay aside your dissensions, and to be united in love and family harmony-with prayer to the Lord at our humble table.""No, no, it is impossible!" cried Miusov, beside himself.

"Well, if it is impossible for Pyotr Alexandrovitch, it is impossible for me, and I won't stop.That is why I came.I will keep with Pyotr Alexandrovitch everywhere now.If you will go away, Pyotr Alexandrovitch, I will go away too, if you remain, I will remain.

同类推荐
  • 服气精义论

    服气精义论

    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。
  • 图经衍义本草

    图经衍义本草

    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。
  • 华清宫

    华清宫

    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。
  • 八关斋法

    八关斋法

    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。
  • 丁鹤年集

    丁鹤年集

    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。
热门推荐
  • 摄政王的金牌宠妃

    摄政王的金牌宠妃

    那年春天,中毒,扑倒了个王爷,到了秋天,儿女成双!儿女天生带毒,碎了心,断了肠!进王府偷解药,被抓,欠债要偿还!摄政王说,一而再,再而三,这债要细算!撒娇卖萌齐上阵,哄得摄政王心花怒放,横着走,无人敢拦!传说相府嫡女凤倾城彪悍凶猛,上的朝堂,下的厨房,杀得过强敌,斗的过渣爹与白眼狼!身后萌娃一对,闪亮登场!【阴谋】有人说凤倾城和长工有染,败坏世俗,该浸猪笼!第二日,那些说这话的人,不是聋了,就是哑了,要么就是断手断腿!谁干的?【陷害】说她凶悍似虎,苛待庶妹。凤倾城笑,扬手打的庶妹满脸桃花开,让她知道花儿为什么开得这样红!谁鼓掌!【谈判】摄政王问,如果,我们之间,只能活一个,你怎么选?凤倾城答,逍遥快活,我来!送死,你去!【看病】“王爷,你这病……”“王爷,你这病…”“很严重?”“嗯!”“多严重?”“不举!”“可有医?”“无…”“本王到不这么认为!”“王爷此言…”“本王对你很有感觉!”“可我是个男人!”“你不是男人,最多算得上不男不女,而本王,最喜不男不女【萌娃语录】“我娘是世界上最好的娘!”“我娘是世界上最威武霸气的娘!”“我娘是世界上最涩的娘!”一巴掌拍下,某女怒,“说错了!”萌娃歪着头,眨巴着大眼睛,“娘,可是爹是这么说的啊!”“你爹还说他政务繁忙,整日抽不开身,结果呢,还不是陪你娘窝在花架下,给你娘梳理头发!”【这是一个女汉子推到闷骚男的故事,亦是一个冷汉子反扑腹黑女的故事,这年头,流氓不可怕,就怕流氓有文化!】
  • 嗜血王爷的宝宝娘

    嗜血王爷的宝宝娘

    他;一国王爷无情、嗜血、残暴。她;活泼、可爱、又美丽。她一朝穿越被他紧紧缠住。他嘴上说着爱她,却为了一个虚无缥缈的传说娶了另一个女人,无情的将她打落悬崖,殊不知她的肚子里已经有了他们爱情的结晶。她大难不死,顶着一头飘逸的白发,练就一身绝世武功带着两个小魔王,隐姓埋名进入王府做了他的贴身保镖。是为复仇,还是~~~?收藏、收藏、收藏、收藏。收藏、收藏亲们给点收藏和票票吧!梦儿谢谢大家了!!!
  • 观相学

    观相学

    本书作者收集和绘制了千张名人的颅相图谱,通过分析人的外部特征和内在气质来解读人的性格,以便协调开发身体与大脑,培养人的才能,改进和振奋人的思想。
  • 樗庵类稿

    樗庵类稿

    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。
  • 触动心的柔发

    触动心的柔发

    有那么一群学生,智商高的吓人,情商却不咋地。。。。。。。在这群学生十六岁之际之时,突然有一个人开窍了,紧接着大家都开窍了。”喂,楚依!“大树下,一个拥有巧夺天工般精致的五官,完完全全的恰到好处,白皙的颈分明的锁骨,回眸一笑,迷倒众女生的八等身男生靠在树干上。他,就是凌陌然。正和一群女生走在一起的楚依听到了凌陌然的话,回头一看,长发在空中飘着,”哼,凌陌然!“楚依邪魅一笑,嘟了嘟嘴,然后转头走人。凌陌然低头一看,一群蚂蚁在他屁股底下蹿来蹿去。。。。。。某人不怒反笑,呵,楚依,等我来缠着你。。。。。。某人危险了。。。。。
  • 断辰

    断辰

    问世间何为仙魔?仙和魔都只在自己心间!胜为仙、败就是魔!何为胜败?战胜自己的本性,控制自己的欲望可以称之为仙;控制不了自己的欲念,放逐自我谓之为魔!魔自由自在,心之所向纵刀山火海亦往,仙,呵呵
  • 魔仙武帝

    魔仙武帝

    梦想吗?我的梦想真的很简单。我周然要让父亲告别逃离的生活,让家族堂堂正正的生活在世上,我的梦想很简单,让父亲的眉头可以舒展,让那号称大陆七大教会之一的雷矛教会从世界上消失,我的梦想,就是杀人,让那些夺我立足之地的家伙,统统的死掉。新书群32256992喜欢本书的朋友一定要来,另外大家都帮忙宣传一下,有票的也投点票,此期间很重要,非常感谢。
  • 血战八方

    血战八方

    世间最阴暗的事人心。最美丽的也是人心。这是一个适者生存的世界,这是一个勇者的斗兽场。最为强大的并非是这世间的种种神器,功法和秘籍,而是一颗坚定的心。且请各位看官一同与章尘枫踏破强权的阻碍,成就无上战绩,铸就世间第一人的称谓。
  • 感谢我们的对手

    感谢我们的对手

    在人生的漫漫长路上,我们需要对手。因为对手是我们成功的标尺。我们也应当感谢对手,因为是他们的存在给了我们前进的动力,是他们自身的努力,迫使我们更快地成长。由于对手的存在,我们会在人生的道路上拥有更多的激情,会领略到更多美丽的风景,我们的生命也会因此闪耀出更加动人的光辉!我们和对手因为各自的理想和憧憬而相互了解,又因为各自的目标和追求而彼此竞争。对手让我们的人生价值得到极大的提升和飞跃。对手与我们一起被放在生活天平的两端,互相验证着对方生命的价值。一旦失去了对手,天平就会失去平衡,而我们自身生命的重量也失去了凭据和依靠。
  • 忘了告诉你我爱你

    忘了告诉你我爱你

    王之乔在想自己上辈子究竟是不是为了李淼,把头转过去就没往回扭,才让他这辈子对自己这么苦苦紧追不舍,自己要啥没啥,那里值得他垂青了,李淼觉得自己特别憋屈,想自己要才有才,要貌有貌,不乏女生前仆后继的喜欢。王之乔这丫头怎么就这么不解风情了,不仅对自己的好视若无睹,还把自己视作洪水猛兽,唯恐避之不及,自己怎么在她那一点人格魅力都没有?