Yama (The Pit) by Aleksandr Ivanovich Kuprin
PART TWO
CHAPTER V
With the arrival of Horizon (however, God knows how he was called:
Gogolevich, Gidalevich, Okunev, Rosmitalsky), in a word, with the
arrival of this man everything changed on Yamskaya Street.
Enormous shufflings commenced. From Treppel girls were transferred
to Anna Markovna, from Anna Markovna into a rouble establishment,
and from the rouble establishment into a half-rouble one. There
were no promotions: only demotions. At each change of place
Horizon earned from five to a hundred roubles. Verily, he was
possessed of an energy equal, approximately, to the waterfall of
Imatra! Sitting in the daytime at Anna Markovna's, he was saying,
squinting from the smoke of the cigarette, and swinging one leg
crossed over the other:
"The question is ... What do you need this same Sonka for? It's no
place for her in a decent establishment. If we'll float her down
the stream, then you'll make a hundred roubles for yourself, I
twenty-five for myself. Tell me frankly, she isn't in demand, is
she, now?"
"Ah, Mr. Shatzky! You can always talk a person over! But just
imagine, I'm sorry for her. Such a nice girl ..."
Horizon pondered for a moment. He was seeking an appropriate
citation and suddenly let out:
"'Give the falling a shove!' [Footnote: Horizon is quoting a
Nietzscheism of Gorky's.—TRANS.] And I'm convinced, Madam
Shaibes, that there's no demand of any sort for her."
Isaiah Savvich, a little, sickly, touchy old man, but in moments
of need very determined, supported Horizon:
"And that's very simple. There is really no demand of any sort for
her. Think it over for yourself, Annechka; her outfit costs fifty
roubles, Mr. Shatzky will receive twenty-five roubles, fifty
roubles will be left for you and me. And, glory be to God, we have
done with her! At least, she won't be compromising our
establishment."
In such a way Sonka the Rudder, avoiding a rouble establishment,
was transferred into a half-rouble one, where all kinds of riff-
raff made sport of the girls at their own sweet will, whole nights
through. There tremendous health and great nervous force were
requisite. Sonka once began shivering from terror, in the night,
when Thekla, a mountain of a woman of some two hundred pounds,
jumped out into the yard to fulfill a need of nature, and cried
out to the housekeeper who was passing by her:
"Housekeeper, dear! Listen—the thirty-sixth man! ... Don't
forget!"
Fortunately, Sonka was not disturbed much; even in this
establishment she was too homely. No one paid any attention to her
splendid eyes, and they took her only in those instances when
there was no other at hand. The pharmacist sought her out and came
every evening to her. But cowardice, or a special Hebrew
fastidiousness, or, perhaps, even physical aversion, would not
permit him to take the girl and carry her away with him from the
house. He would sit whole nights through near her, and, as of
yore, patiently waited until she would return from a chance guest;
created scenes of jealousy for her and yet loved her still, and,
sticking in the daytime behind the counter in his drug store and
rolling some stinking pills or other, ceaselessly thought of her
and yearned.