Very few of the young women of his household escaped the amorous11 attentions of this old man of fifty. Moreover, in one of the wings of his house lived sixteen girls engaged in needlework. The windows of this wing were protected by wooden bars, the doors were kept locked, and the keys retained by Kirila Petrovitch. The young recluses12 at an appointed hour went into the garden for a walk under the surveillance of two old women. From time to time Kirila Petrovitch married some of them off, and new comers took their places. He treated his peasants and domestics in a severe and arbitrary fashion, in spite of which they were very devoted13 to him: they loved to boast of the wealth and influence of their master, and in their turn took many a liberty with their neighbours, trusting to his powerful protection.
The ordinary occupations of Troekouroff consisted in driving over his vast domains14, passing his nights in prolonged revels15, and playing practical jokes, specially16 invented from time to time, the victims being generally new acquaintances, though his old friends did not always escape, one only—Andrei Gavrilovitch Doubrovsky—excepted.
This Doubrovsky, a retired17 lieutenant18 of the Guards, was his nearest neighbour, and possessed19 seventy serfs. Troekouroff, haughty20 in his dealings with people of the highest rank, respected Doubrovsky, in spite of his humble22 fortune. They had been friends in the service, and Troekouroff knew from experience the impatience23 and decision of his character. The celebrated24 events of the year 1762[1] separated them for a long time. Troekouroff, a relative of the Princess Dashkoff,[2] received rapid promotion25; Doubrovsky with his reduced fortune, was compelled to leave the service and settle down in the only village that remained to him. Kirila Petrovitch, hearing of this, offered him his protection but Doubrovsky thanked him and remained poor and independent. Some years later, Troekouroff, having obtained the rank of general, and retired to his estate, they met again and were delighted with each other. After that they saw each other every day, and Kirila Petrovitch, who had never deigned26 to visit anybody in his life, came quite as a matter of course to the little house of his old comrade. Being of the same age, born in the same rank of society, and having received the same education, they resembled each other somewhat in character and inclinations27. In some respects their fates had been similar: both had married for love, both had soon become widowers28, and both had been left with an only child. The son of Doubrovsky was studying at St. Petersburg; the daughter of Kirila Petrovitch grew up under the eyes of her father, and Troekouroff often said to Doubrovsky:
"Listen, brother Andrei Gavrilovitch; if your Volodka[3] should be successful, I will give him Masha[4] for his wife, in spite of his being as naked as a goshawk."
Andrei Gavrilovitch used to shake his head, and generally replied:
"No', Kirila Petrovitch; my Volodka is no match for Maria Kirilovna. A poor petty noble, such as he, would do better to marry a poor girl of the petty nobility, and be the head of his house, rather than become the bailiff of some spoilt little woman."
Everybody envied the good understanding existing between the haughty Troekouroff and his poor neighbour, and wondered at the boldness of the latter when, at the table of Kirila Petrovitch, he expressed his own opinion frankly29, and did not hesitate to maintain an opinion contrary to that of his host Some attempted to imitate him and ventured to overstep the limits of the license30 accorded them; but Kirila Petrovitch taught them such a lesson, that they never afterwards felt any desire to repeat the experiment. Doubrovsky alone remained beyond the range of this general law. But an unexpected incident deranged31 and altered all this.
One day, in the beginning of autumn, Kirila Petrovitch prepared to go out hunting. Orders had been given the evening before for the huntsmen and gamekeepers to be ready at five o'clock in the morning. The tent and kitchen had been sent on beforehand to the place where Kirila Petrovitch was to dine. The host and his guests went to the kennel32, where more than five hundred harriers and greyhounds lived in luxury and warmth, praising the generosity33 of Kirila Petrovitch in their canine34 language. There was also a hospital for the sick dogs, under the care of staff-surgeon Timoshka, and a separate place where the bitches brought forth35 and suckled their pups. Kirila Petrovitch was proud of this magnificent establishment, and never missed an opportunity of boasting about it, before his guests, each of whom had inspected it at least twenty times. He walked through the kennel, surrounded by his guests and accompanied by Timoshka and the head gamekeepers, pausing before some of the compartments36, either to ask, after the health of some sick dog, to make some observation more or less just and severe, or to call some dog to him; by name and speak caressingly37 to it. The guests considered it their duty to go into raptures38 over Kirila Petrovitch's kennel; Doubrovsky alone remained silent and frowned. He was an ardent39 sportsman; but his modest fortune only permitted him to keep two harriers and one greyhound, and he could not restrain a certain feeling of envy at the sight of this magnificent establishment.
"Why do you frown, brother?" Kirila Petrovitch asked him. "Does not my kennel please you?"
"No," replied Doubrovsky abruptly40: "the kennel, is marvellous, but I doubt whether your people live as well as your dogs."
One of the gamekeepers took offence.
"Thanks to God and our master, we have nothing to complain of," said he; "but if the truth must be told, there are certain nobles who would not do badly if they exchanged their manor-house for one of the compartments of this kennel: they would be better fed and feel warmer."
Kirila Petrovitch burst out laughing at this insolent41 remark from his servant, and the guests followed his example, although they felt that the gamekeeper's joke I might apply to them also. Doubrovsky turned pale and said not a word. At that moment a basket, containing I some new-born puppies, was brought to Kirila Petrovitch; he chose two out of the litter and ordered the rest to be drowned. In the meantime Andrei Gavrilovitch had disappeared without anybody having observed it.
On returning with his guests from the kennel, Kirila Petrovitch sat down to supper, and it was only then that he noticed the absence of Doubrovsky. His people informed him that Andrei Gavrilovitch had gone home. Troekouroff immediately gave orders that he was to be overtaken and brought back without fail. He had never gone hunting without Doubrovsky, who was a fine and experienced connoisseur42 in all matters relating to dogs, and an infallible umpire in all possible disputes connected with sport. The servant who had galloped43 after him, returned while they were still seated at table, and informed his master that Andrei Gavrilovitch had refused to listen to him and would not return. Kirila Petrovitch, as usual, was heated with liquor, and becoming very angry, he sent the same servant a second time to tell Andrei Gavrilovitch that if he did not return at once to spend the night at Pokrovskoe, he, Troekouroff, would break off all friendly intercourse44 with him for ever. The servant galloped off again. Kirila Petrovitch rose from the table, dismissed his guests retired to bed.
The next day his first question was: "Is Andrei Gavrilovitch here?" A triangular-shaped letter was handed to him. Kirila Petrovitch ordered his secretary to read it aloud, and the following is what he heard:
"Gracious Sir!
"I do not intend to return to Pokrovskoe until you send the dog-feeder Paramoshka to me with an apology: I shall retain the liberty of punishing or for forgiving him. I cannot put up with jokes from your servants, nor do I intend to put up with them from you, as I am not a buffoon45, but a gentleman of ancient family. I remain your obedient servant,
"ANDREI DOUBROVSKY."
According to present ideas of etiquette46, such a letter would be very unbecoming; it irritated Kirila Petrovitch, not by its strange style, but by its substance.
"What!" exclaimed Troekouroff, springing barefooted out of bed; "send my people to him with an apology! And he to be at liberty to punish or pardon them! What can he be thinking of? Does he know with whom he is dealing21? I'll teach him a lesson! He shall know what it is to oppose Troekouroff!"
Kirila Petrovitch dressed himself and set out for the hunt with his usual ostentation47. But the chase was not successful; during the whole of the day one hare only was seen, and that escaped. The dinner in the field, under the tent, was also a failure, or at least it was not to the taste of Kirila Petrovitch, who struck the cook, abused the guests, and on the return journey rode intentionally48, with all his suite49, through the fields of Doubrovsky.
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1
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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8
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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10
surfeit
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| v.使饮食过度；n.(食物)过量，过度 | |
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amorous
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| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
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recluses
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| n.隐居者，遁世者，隐士( recluse的名词复数 ) | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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domains
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| n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产 | |
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15
revels
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| n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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16
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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18
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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19
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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22
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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24
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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26
deigned
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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28
widowers
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| n.鳏夫( widower的名词复数 ) | |
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29
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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30
license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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deranged
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| adj.疯狂的 | |
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32
kennel
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| n.狗舍，狗窝 | |
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33
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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canine
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| adj.犬的，犬科的 | |
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35
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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37
caressingly
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| 爱抚地，亲切地 | |
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38
raptures
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| 极度欢喜( rapture的名词复数 ) | |
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39
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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40
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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41
insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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42
connoisseur
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| n.鉴赏家，行家，内行 | |
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43
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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44
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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45
buffoon
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| n.演出时的丑角 | |
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46
etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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47
ostentation
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| n.夸耀，卖弄 | |
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48
intentionally
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| ad.故意地，有意地 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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