Yama (The Pit) by Aleksandr Ivanovich Kuprin
PART TWO
CHAPTER IX
On that early morning when Lichonin so suddenly, and, perhaps,
unexpectedly even to himself, had carried off Liubka from the gay
establishment of Anna Markovna it was the height of summer. The
trees still remained green, but in the scent of the air, the
leaves, and the grass there was already to be felt, as though from
afar, the tender, melancholy, and at the same time bewitching
scent of the nearing autumn. With wonder the student gazed at the
trees, so clean, innocent and quiet, as though God, imperceptibly
to men, had planted them about here at night; and the trees
themselves were looking around with wonder upon the calm blue
water, that still seemed slumbering in the pools and ditches and
under the wooden bridge thrown across the shallow river; upon the
lofty, as though newly washed sky, which had just awakened, and,
in the glow of dawn, half asleep, was smiling with a rosy, lazy,
happy smile in greeting to the kindling sun.
The heart of the student expanded and quivered; both from the
beauty of the beatific morning, and from the joy of existence, and
from the sweet air, refreshing his lungs after the night, passed
without sleep, in a crowded and smoke-filled compartment. But the
beauty and loftiness of his own action moved him still more.
Yes, he had acted like a man, like a real man, in the highest
sense of that word! Even now he is not repenting of what he had
done. It's all right for them (to whom this "them" applied,
Lichonin did not properly understand even himself), it's all right
for them to talk about the horrors of prostitution; to talk,
sitting at tea, with rolls and sausage, in the presence of pure
and cultured girls. But had any one of his colleagues taken some
actual step toward liberating a woman from perdition? Eh, now? And
then there is also—the sort that will come to this same Sonechka
Marmeladova, will tell her all sorts of taradiddles, describe all
kinds of horrors to her, butt into her soul, until he brings her
to tears; and right off will start in crying himself and begin to
console her, embrace her, pat her on the head, kiss her at first
on the cheek, then on the lips; well, and everybody knows what
happens next! Faugh! But with him, with Lichonin, the word and the
deed were never at odds.
He clasped Liubka around the waist, and looked at her with kindly,
almost loving, eyes; although, the very same minute, he himself
thought that he was regarding her as a father or a brother.
Sleep was fearfully besetting Liubka; her eyes would close, and
she with an effort would open them wide, so as not to fall asleep
again; while on her lips lay the same naive, childish, tired
smile, which Lichonin had noticed still there, in the cabinet. And
out of one corner of her mouth ran a thin trickle of saliva.
"Liubka, my dear! My darling, much-suffering woman! Behold how
fine it is all around! Lord! Here it's five years that I haven't
seen the sunrise. Now play at cards, now drinking, now I had to
hurry to the university. Behold, my dearest, over there the dawn
has burst into bloom. The sun is near! This is your dawn,
Liubochka! This is your new life beginning. You will fearlessly
lean upon my strong arm. I shall lead you out upon the road of
honest toil, on the way to a brave combat with life, face to face
with it!"
Liubka eyed him askance. "There, the fumes are still playing in
his head," she thought kindly. "But that's nothing—he's kind and a
good sort. Only a trifle homely." And, having smiled with a half-
sleepy smile, she said in a tone of capricious reproach:
"Ye—es! You'll fool me, never fear. All of you men are like that.
You just gain yours at first, to get your pleasure, and then—no
attention whatsoever!"
"I? Oh? That I should do this!" Lichonin exclaimed warmly and even
smote himself on the chest with his free hand. "Then you know me
very badly! I'm too honest a man to be deceiving a defenseless
girl. No! I'll exert all my powers and all my soul to educate your
mind, to widen your outlook, to compel your poor heart, which has
suffered so, to forget all the wounds and wrongs which life has
inflicted upon it. I will be a father and a brother to you! I
shall safeguard your every step! And if you will come to love
somebody with a truly pure, holy love, then I shall bless that day
and hour when I had snatched you out of this Dantean hell!"
During the continuation of this flaming tirade the old cabby with
great significance, although silently, began laughing, and from
this inaudible laughter his back shook. Old cabbies hear very many
things, because to the cabby, sitting in front, everything is
readily audible, which is not at all suspected by the conversing
fares; and many things do the old cabbies know of that which takes
place among people. Who knows, perhaps he had heard more than once
even more disordered, more lofty speeches?
It seemed to Liubka for some reason that Lichonin had grown angry
at her, or that he was growing jealous beforehand of some
imaginary rival. He was declaiming with entirely too much noise
and agitation. She became perfectly awake, turned her face to
Lichonin with wide open, uncomprehending, and at the same time
submissive eyes, and slightly touched his right hand, lying on her
waist, with her fingers.
"Don't get angry, my sweetie. I'll never exchange you for another.
Here's my word of honour, honest to God! My word of honour, that I
never will! Don't you think I feel you're wanting to take care of
me? Do you think I don't understand? Why, you're such an
attractive, nice little young fellow. There, now, if you were an
old man and homely..."
"Ah! You haven't got the right idea!" shouted Lichonin, and again
in high-flown style began to tell her about the equal rights of
women, about the sacredness of toil, about human justice, about
freedom, about the struggle against reigning evil.
Of all his words Liubka understood exactly not a one. She still
felt herself guilty of something and somehow shrank all up, grew
sad, bowed her head and became quiet. A little more and she, in
all probability, would have burst out crying in the middle of the
street; but fortunately, they by this time had driven up to the
house where Lichonin was staying.
"Well, here we are at home," said the student. "Stop, driver!"
And when he had paid him, he could not refrain from declaiming
with pathos, his hand extended theatrically straight before him:
"And into my house, calm and fearless,
As its full mistress walk thou in!"
And again the unfathomable, prophetic smile wrinkled the aged
brown face of the cabby.