登陆注册
5563000000089

第89章

Through a door, at the back of the room, entered, with a wriggling gait, the thin, yellow Vera Doukhova, with her large, kind eyes.

"Thanks for having come," she said, pressing Nekhludoff's hand.

"Do you remember me? Let us sit down."

"I did not expect to see you like this."

"Oh, I am very happy. It is so delightful, so delightful, that I desire nothing better," said Vera Doukhova, with the usual expression of fright in the large, kind, round eyes fixed on Nekhludoff, and twisting the terribly thin, sinewy neck, surrounded by the shabby, crumpled, dirty collar of her bodice.

Nekhludoff asked her how she came to be in prison.

In answer she began relating all about her affairs with great animation. Her speech was intermingled with a great many long words, such as propaganda, disorganisation, social groups, sections and sub-sections, about which she seemed to think everybody knew, but which Nekhludoff had never heard of.

She told him all the secrets of the Nardovolstvo, [literally, "People's Freedom," a revolutionary movement] evidently convinced that he was pleased to hear them. Nekhludoff looked at her miserable little neck, her thin, unkempt hair, and wondered why she had been doing all these strange things, and why she was now telling all this to him. He pitied her, but not as he had pitied Menshoff, the peasant, kept for no fault of his own in the stinking prison. She was pitiable because of the confusion that filled her mind. It was clear that she considered herself a heroine, and was ready to give her life for a cause, though she could hardly have explained what that cause was and in what its success would lie.

The business that Vera Doukhova wanted to see Nekhludoff about was the following: A friend of hers, who had not even belonged to their "sub-group," as she expressed it, had been arrested with her about five months before, and imprisoned in the Petropavlovsky fortress because some prohibited books and papers (which she had been asked to keep) had been found in her possession. Vera Doukhova felt herself in some measure to blame for her friend's arrest, and implored Nekhludoff, who had connections among influential people, to do all he could in order to set this friend free.

Besides this, Doukhova asked him to try and get permission for another friend of hers, Gourkevitch (who was also imprisoned in the Petropavlovsky fortress), to see his parents, and to procure some scientific books which he required for his studies.

Nekhludoff promised to do what he could when he went to Petersburg.

As to her own story, this is what she said: Having finished a course of midwifery, she became connected with a group of adherents to the Nardovolstvo, and made up her mind to agitate in the revolutionary movement. At first all went on smoothly. She wrote proclamations and occupied herself with propaganda work in the factories; then, an important member having been arrested, their papers were seized and all concerned were arrested. "I was also arrested, and shall be exiled. But what does it matter? I feel perfectly happy." She concluded her story with a piteous smile.

Nekhludoff made some inquiries concerning the girl with the prominent eyes. Vera Doukhova told him that this girl was the daughter of a general, and had been long attached to the revolutionary party, and was arrested because she had pleaded guilty to having shot a gendarme. She lived in a house with some conspirators, where they had a secret printing press. One night, when the police came to search this house, the occupiers resolved to defend themselves, put out the light, and began destroying the things that might incriminate them. The police forced their way in, and one of the conspirators fired, and mortally wounded a gendarme. When an inquiry was instituted, this girl said that it was she who had fired, although she had never had a revolver in her hands, and would not have hurt a fly. And she kept to it, and was now condemned to penal servitude in Siberia.

"An altruistic, fine character," said Vera Doukhova, approvingly.

The third business that Vera Doukhova wanted to talk about concerned Maslova. She knew, as everybody does know in prison, the story of Maslova's life and his connection with her, and advised him to take steps to get her removed into the political prisoner's ward, or into the hospital to help to nurse the sick, of which there were very many at that time, so that extra nurses were needed.

Nekhludoff thanked her for the advice, and said he would try to act upon it.

同类推荐
  • Yvette

    Yvette

    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。
  • 胎息精微论

    胎息精微论

    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。
  • Two Short Pieces

    Two Short Pieces

    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。
  • The Provost

    The Provost

    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。
  • 清稗琐缀

    清稗琐缀

    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。
热门推荐
  • 盛装舞步

    盛装舞步

    本书为王小波的杂文集,收录数篇杂文,简单的文字撰写人生的道理,三言两语之间,寓意深厚,足以见其写作之精妙,他的作品被誉为“中国当代文坛最美的收获”。
  • 秘密花园

    秘密花园

    美国著名作家弗兰西斯·哈德林·伯纳特的经典著作,奠定了伯纳特在英语儿童文学上举足轻重的地位。《秘密花园》被公认为无年龄界限的文学精品,影响了两位诺贝尔文学奖得主T.S.艾略特和D.H.劳伦斯的写作。并作为严肃的文学作品被收入牛津《世界经典丛书》,出版界巨头企鹅出版社也将它收入《企鹅二十世纪经典丛书》。被一代代孩子们不断重复阅读,是很多人童年时代记忆最深刻的书。
  • 快穿之守候的爱

    快穿之守候的爱

    穆寒,你像是一个天使为我带来了光,这次你食言了,接下来该我兑现诺言了
  • 七里樱

    七里樱

    年少时,我们,似乎成为了世界的主角,遗憾过,苦恼过,伤心心过,但庆幸的是在那个即将逝去的青春里,你世界的男主随着四季辗转在你身旁,陪你笑,陪你哭……终有一天,你发现他只是喜欢你身边的那个人而已…“你知道的,我喜欢她哎。”“没事…”至少我的青春,你来过就好。
  • 蜜宠甜妻,千万娇妻娶回家

    蜜宠甜妻,千万娇妻娶回家

    迪拜,伯瓷酒店,全世界最豪华的七星级船帆酒店。
  • 医学指归

    医学指归

    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。
  • 胡子有脸

    胡子有脸

    香港文学经典,西西短篇作品集。本书共收录西西短篇小说十二篇。胡子有脸,是什么东西?胡子有脸,是一个人的外号。当胡子有脸还是一个小孩子的时候,最喜欢一天到晚问问题,而且,他的问题总是多得问不完。问问题当然不是一件坏事,事实上还是一件好事,不过,胡子有脸的问题,常常叫给问的人很难答得对,譬如他问:为什么抽屉有桌子?“你选择了我,我很高兴。”如果你真想表达一下你喜欢这书,你就抚抚右耳;不然,抚抚左耳好了。至于不知是好是坏,就抚抚鼻子吧。
  • 我是月老我怕谁

    我是月老我怕谁

    我知道我的盖世英雄会踩着七彩祥云去娶别的女孩,我不会委屈,因为我和他……早已错过(非虐及甜,听你们的吖)
  • 快穿攻略,只为你

    快穿攻略,只为你

    三千位面,总能找到你。 “你确定要退?”——“不,这辈子你都是我的。” “我不是故意的。”——“我不管,既然你把我带回家了,那就不能抛弃我。” “我和他很早就认识了。”——“没事,我不后悔没有和你一起度过的时光,因为遇见你,我的时光才刚开始。” “你真的了解我了吗?”——“嗯,我喜欢你,就只喜欢你这个人,无关性别。”前方高甜,男强女强,男女互宠,作者无脑。
  • 两别一宽

    两别一宽

    此刻,我眼前这个高高瘦瘦的男人站在腊月的潇潇细雨中,站在民政局的大门外。他用力拉着我的衣角,流着泪乞求我不要离婚,不要离开他与孩子们。“余生我定会更爱你,请你不要离开”。我用力挣脱他的手,分分合合的十年里,我始终无法释怀你的欺骗、怀疑、背叛与冷漠。别了曾经的你,别了再爱的他,从此只等花开,只为花落而伤怀。