The Enchanted Wanderer and Other Stories

“ ‘No—look, look!’

“I take the glass and see—on the clasp, in the least conspicuous place, there are microscopic letters in French: ‘Bourguignon.’⁸

“ ‘Are you convinced,’ he says, ‘that these really are false pearls?’

“ ‘I see it.’

“ ‘And what do you say to me now?’

“ ‘The same thing as before. That is: this does not concern me, and I will only ask you for one thing …’

“ ‘Ask, ask!’

“ ‘Allow me not to speak of it to Masha.’

“ ‘Why is that?’

“ ‘Just so …’

“ ‘No, to precisely what end? You don’t want to upset her?’

“ ‘Yes—that among other things.’

“ ‘And what else?’

“ ‘I also don’t want anything in her heart to be stirred against her father.’

“ ‘Against her father?’

“ ‘Yes.’

“ ‘Well, for her father she’s now a cut-off slice, which can’t be stuck back on the loaf, and the main thing for her is her husband …’

“ ‘Never,’ I say, ‘is the heart a roadside inn: there’s no lack of space in it. One love goes to the father, and to the husband another, and besides that … a husband who wishes to be happy should see to it that he can respect his wife, and for that he must cherish her love and esteem for her parents.’

“ ‘Aha! What a practical one you are!’

“And he started silently drumming his fingers on the seat, then got up and said:

“ ‘I, my gentle son-in-law, have made my fortune by my own labor, but by various means. From a lofty point of view, it may be that they are not all very laudable, but such was my time, and I didn’t know how to make it any other way. I don’t have much faith in people, and of love I’ve heard only what you read about in novels, but in fact all I saw was that everybody wants money. I gave no money to my two sons-in-law, and right enough: they’re angry with me and won’t let their wives see me. I don’t know who is more noble—they or I? I don’t give them money, and they corrupt living hearts. So I won’t give them money, but you I’ll go and give it to! Yes! And here, I’ll even give it to you right now!’

“And kindly look at this!”

My brother showed us three fifty-thousand-rouble banknotes.

“Can all that be for your wife?” I say.

“No,” he replies, “he gave Masha fifty thousand, and I said to him:

“ ‘You know, Nikolai Ivanovich—it will be ticklish … Masha will feel awkward that she received a dowry from you and her sisters didn’t … It’s sure to cause envy and hostility towards her in her sisters … No, forget the money—let it stay with you and … someday, when a favorable chance comes for you to be reconciled with your other daughters, you’ll give to all of them equally. And then it will bring us all joy … But to us alone … better not!’

“Again he got up, again he paced the room, and, stopping outside the bedroom door, called:

“ ‘Marya!’

“Masha was already in her peignoir and came out.

“ ‘I congratulate you,’ he says.

“She kissed his hand.

“ ‘Do you want to be happy?’

“ ‘Of course I do, papa, and … I hope to be.’

“ ‘Very good … You’ve chosen yourself a good husband, old girl!’

“ ‘I didn’t choose, papa. God gave him to me.’

“ ‘Very good, very good. God gave, and I’ll give on top. I want to add to your happiness. Here are three banknotes, all the same. One for you, and two for your sisters. Give them to them yourself—say it’s your gift …’

“ ‘Papa!’

“Masha first threw herself on his neck, then suddenly lowered herself to the ground and, weeping joyfully, embraced his knees. I looked—he was weeping, too.

“ ‘Get up, get up!’ he says. ‘Today, in the words of the people, you are a “princess”—it’s not proper for you to bow down to me.’

“ ‘But I’m so happy … for my sisters! …’

“ ‘Well, there … And I’m happy, too! … Now you can see there was nothing for you to be afraid of in the pearl necklace. I’ve come to tell you the secret: the pearls I gave you are false; a bosom friend of mine duped me with them long ago—and not a simple friend, but one blended from the races of Rurik and Gediminas.⁹ While you have a husband with a simple but genuine soul: to dupe such a one is impossible—the soul can’t bear it.’ ”

“There you have the whole of my story,” our interlocutor concluded, “and I truly think that, despite its modern origin and its nonfictional character, it answers to the program and form of a traditional Christmas story.”

* With Cupid’s darts (gems made from rutilated quartz). Trans.

The Spook

Fear has big eyes.

A SAYING

I