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005 - 05 Chapter 5 Love · Daughter of the Commandant

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  Speaker 1: Chapter five of the Daughter of the Commandant by Alexander Pushkin,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Missus Milner Home. This LibriVox recording is in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain recording by Kevin Davidson Love. When I
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  Speaker 1: came to myself, I remained some time without understanding what
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  Speaker 1: had befallen me, nor where I chanced to be. I
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  Speaker 1: was in bed in an unfamiliar room, and I felt
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  Speaker 1: very weak. Indeed, Taviyelitch was standing by me, a light
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  Speaker 1: in his hand. Some one was unrolling with care the
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  Speaker 1: bandages round my shoulder and chest. Little by little, my
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  Speaker 1: ideas grew clearer. I recollected my duel and guessed without
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  Speaker 1: any difficulty that I had been wounded. At this moment,
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  Speaker 1: the door creaked slightly on its hinges. Well, how is
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  Speaker 1: he getting on? Whispered a voice which thrilled through me.
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  Speaker 1: Always the same, replied Tavielitch, sighing, always unconscious as he
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  Speaker 1: has been these four days. I wished to turn, but
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  Speaker 1: I had not the strength to do so. Where am I?
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  Speaker 1: Who is there? I said, with difficulty. Marya Ivanovna came
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  Speaker 1: nearer to my bed and leaned over to me. How
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  Speaker 1: do you feel? She said to me, All right. Thank God,
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  Speaker 1: I replied, in a weak voice. Is it you, Marya Ivanovna,
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  Speaker 1: tell me? I could not finish. Savielitch exclaimed, joy painted
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  Speaker 1: on his face. He is coming to himself. He is
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  Speaker 1: coming to himself. Ah, thanks be to Heaven, my father,
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  Speaker 1: Pyotr and Ratch. Have you frighten me enough? Four days?
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  Speaker 1: That seems little enough to say. But Marya Ifanovna interrupted him.
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  Speaker 1: Do not talk to him too much, Saidviyelitch. He is
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  Speaker 1: still very weak. She went away, shutting the door carefully.
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  Speaker 1: I felt myself disturbed with confused thoughts. I was evidently
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  Speaker 1: in the house of the commandant, as Marya Ivanovna could
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  Speaker 1: thus come and see me. I wished to question Savielitch,
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  Speaker 1: but the old man shook his head and turned a
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  Speaker 1: deaf ear. I shut my eyes in displeasure, and soon
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  Speaker 1: fell asleep. Upon waking, I called Savielitch, but in his
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  Speaker 1: stead I saw before me Marya Ivanovna, who greeted me
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  Speaker 1: in her soft voice. I cannot describe the delicious feeling
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  Speaker 1: which thrilled me at this moment. I seized her hand
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  Speaker 1: and pressed it in a transport of delight, while bedewing
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  Speaker 1: it with my tears. Marya did not withdraw, and all
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  Speaker 1: of a sudden I felt upon my cheek the moist
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  Speaker 1: and burning imprint of her lips. A wild flame of
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  Speaker 1: love thrilled through my whole being. Dear good Marya Ivanovna,
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  Speaker 1: I said to her, be my wife, consent to give
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  Speaker 1: me happiness. She became reasonable again. For Heaven's sake, calm yourself,
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  Speaker 1: she said, withdrawing her hand. You are still in danger.
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  Speaker 1: Your wound may reopen. Be careful of yourself, were it
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  Speaker 1: only for my sake. After these words, she went away,
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  Speaker 1: leaving me at the height of happiness. I felt that
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  Speaker 1: life was given back to me. She will be mine,
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  Speaker 1: she loves me. This thought filled all my being. From
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  Speaker 1: this moment I hourly got better. It was the barber
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  Speaker 1: of the regiment who dressed my wound, for there was
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  Speaker 1: no other doctor in all the fort, and thank god,
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  Speaker 1: he did not attempt any doctoring. Youth and nature hastened
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  Speaker 1: my recovery. All the commandant's family took the greatest care
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  Speaker 1: of me. Marya Ivanovna scarcely ever left me. It is
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  Speaker 1: unnecessary to say that I seize the first favorable opportunity
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  Speaker 1: to resume my interrupted proposal and this time, Marya heard
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  Speaker 1: me more patiently. She naively avowed to me her love
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  Speaker 1: and added that her parents would, in all probability rejoice
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  Speaker 1: in her happiness. But think well about it. She used
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  Speaker 1: to say, will there be no objections on the part
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  Speaker 1: of your family. These words made me reflect. I had
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  Speaker 1: no doubt of my mother's tenderness, but knowing the character
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  Speaker 1: and way of thinking of my father, I foresaw that
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  Speaker 1: my love would not touch him very much, and that
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  Speaker 1: he would call it youthful folly. I frankly confessed this
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  Speaker 1: to Martya Ivanovna, But in spite of this I resolved
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  Speaker 1: to write to my father as eloquently as possible to
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  Speaker 1: ask his blessing. I showed my letter to Marya Ivanovna,
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  Speaker 1: who found it so convincing and touching that she had
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  Speaker 1: no doubt of success and gave herself up to the
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  Speaker 1: feeling of her heart with all the confidence of youth
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  Speaker 1: and love. I made peace with Schwabrin during the early
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  Speaker 1: days of my convalescence. Ivan Kuzmitch said to me, reproaching
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  Speaker 1: me for the duel. You know, Pyotandrovitch, properly speaking, I
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  Speaker 1: ought to put you under arrest, but you are already
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  Speaker 1: sufficiently punished without that. As to alexey Ivanitch, he is
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  Speaker 1: confined by my order an under strict guard in the
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  Speaker 1: corn magazine, and Vasilisa Yegorovna has his sword under lock
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  Speaker 1: and key. He will have time to reflect and repent
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  Speaker 1: at his ease. I was too happy to cherish the
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  Speaker 1: least rancor. I began to intercede for Schwabrin, and the
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  Speaker 1: good Commandant, with his wife's leaves, agreed to set him
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  Speaker 1: at liberty. Schwabrin came to see me. He expressed deep
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  Speaker 1: regret for all that had occurred, declared it was all
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  Speaker 1: his fault, and begged me to forget the past. Not
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  Speaker 1: being of a rancorous disposition, I heartily forgave him both
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  Speaker 1: our quarrel and my wound. I saw in his slander
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  Speaker 1: the irritation of wounded vanity and rejected love, so I
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  Speaker 1: generously forgave my unhappy rival. I was soon completely recovered
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  Speaker 1: and was able to get back to my quarters. I
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  Speaker 1: impatiently awaited the answer to my letter, but not daring
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  Speaker 1: to hope, but trying to stifle sad forebodings that would arise,
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  Speaker 1: I had not yet attempted any explanation as regarded vasilish
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  Speaker 1: Gorovna and her husband. But my courtship could be no
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  Speaker 1: surprise to them, as neither Marya nor myself made any
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  Speaker 1: secret of our feelings before them, and we were sure
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  Speaker 1: beforehand of their consent. At last, one fine day, Savielitch
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  Speaker 1: came into my room with a letter in his hand.
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  Speaker 1: I took it trembling. The address was written in my
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  Speaker 1: father's hand. This prepared me for something serious, since it
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  Speaker 1: was usually my mother who wrote, and he only added
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  Speaker 1: a few lines at the end. For a long time,
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  Speaker 1: I could not make up my mind to break the seal.
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  Speaker 1: I read over the solemn address to my son Pyotr Andreitch, Grinev,
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  Speaker 1: District of Uremburg fort Belogorsk. I tried to guess from
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  Speaker 1: my father's handwriting in what mood he had written the letter.
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  Speaker 1: At last I resolved to open it, and I did
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  Speaker 1: not need to read more than the first few lines
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  Speaker 1: to see that the whole affair was at the devil.
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  Speaker 1: Hear the contents of the letter, my son Pyotr, we
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  Speaker 1: received the fifteenth this month, the letter in which you
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  Speaker 1: asked our parental blessing now consent to your marriage with
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  Speaker 1: Mary Ifanovna, the Mironov's daughter. And not only have I
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  Speaker 1: no intention of giving you either my blessing or my consent,
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  Speaker 1: but I intend to come and punish you well for
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  Speaker 1: your follies like a little boy, in spite of your
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  Speaker 1: officer's rank, because you have shown me that you are
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  Speaker 1: not fit to wear the sword entrusted to you for
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  Speaker 1: the defense of your country and not for fighting duels
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  Speaker 1: with fools like yourself. I shall write immediately to Andrey
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  Speaker 1: Karlovitch to beg him to send you away from Fort
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  Speaker 1: Belogorsk to some place still further removed, so that you
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  Speaker 1: may get over this folly. Upon hearing of your duel
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  Speaker 1: and wound, your mother fell ill with sorrow, and she
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  Speaker 1: is still confined to her bed. What will become of you?
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  Speaker 1: I pray God may correct you, though I scarcely dare
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  Speaker 1: trust in his goodness. Your father a g The perusal
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  Speaker 1: of the letter aroused in me a medley of feelings.
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  Speaker 1: The harsh expressions, which my father had not scrupled to
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  Speaker 1: make use of, hurt me deeply. The contempt which he
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  Speaker 1: cast on marya Ivanovna appeared to me as unjust as
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  Speaker 1: it was unseemly, while finally the idea of being sent
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  Speaker 1: away from Fort Blagorosk dismayed me. But I was above
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  Speaker 1: all grieved at my mother's illness. I was disgusted, but Savilitch,
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  Speaker 1: never doubting that it was he who had made known
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  Speaker 1: my duel to my parents. After walking up and down
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  Speaker 1: a while in my little room, I suddenly stopped short
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  Speaker 1: before him and said to him angrily, it seems that
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  Speaker 1: it did not satisfy you that thanks to you I
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  Speaker 1: have been wounded and at death's door, but that you
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  Speaker 1: must also want to kill my mother as well. Savilitch
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  Speaker 1: remained motionless, as if struck by a thunderbolt. A pity
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  Speaker 1: on me, sir, he exclaimed, almost sobbing. What is it
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  Speaker 1: you deign to tell me that I am the cause
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  Speaker 1: of your wound? But God knows, I was only running
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  Speaker 1: to stand between you and alexey Ivanitch's sword a cursed
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  Speaker 1: old age alone prevented me. What have I now done
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  Speaker 1: to your mother? What did you do? I retorted? Who
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  Speaker 1: told you to write and denounce me? Will you put
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  Speaker 1: in my service to be a spy upon me? I
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  Speaker 1: denounce you, replied Seville gent tears. Oh good, heavens here,
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  Speaker 1: be so good as to read what my master has
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  Speaker 1: written to me and see if it was I who
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  Speaker 1: denounced you. With this, he drew from his pocket a
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  Speaker 1: letter which he offered to me, and I read as follows.
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  Speaker 1: Shame on you, old dog, for never writing and telling
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  Speaker 1: me anything about my son Pyotrandrotch in spite of my
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  Speaker 1: strict orders, and that it should be from strangers that
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  Speaker 1: I learned his follies. Is it thus you do your
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  Speaker 1: duty and act up to your master's wishes. I shall
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  Speaker 1: send you to keep the pigs, old rascal, for having
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  Speaker 1: hid from me the truth, and for your weak compliance
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  Speaker 1: with the lad's whims. On receipt of this letter, I
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  Speaker 1: order you to let me know direct the state of
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  Speaker 1: his health, which, judging by what I hear, is improving,
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  Speaker 1: and to tell me exactly the place where he was hit,
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  Speaker 1: and if the wound be well healed. Evidently, Savielitch had
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  Speaker 1: not been the least to blame, and it was I
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  Speaker 1: who had insulted him by my suspicions and reproaches. I
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  Speaker 1: begged his pardon, but the old man was inconsolable that
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  Speaker 1: I should have lived to see it repeated, He these
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  Speaker 1: be the thanks that I have deserved of my masters
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  Speaker 1: for all my long service. I am an old dog.
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  Speaker 1: I am only fit to keep pigs. In addition to
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  Speaker 1: all this, I am the cause of your wound. No,
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  Speaker 1: my father, Pyotrandratch, tis not I who am to blame.
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  Speaker 1: It is rather the confounded mouveful. It was he who
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  Speaker 1: taught you to fight with those iron spits, stamping your foot,
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  Speaker 1: as though by ramming and stamping you could defend yourself
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  Speaker 1: from a bad man. It was indeed worth while spending
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  Speaker 1: money on a musful to teach you that. But who
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  Speaker 1: could have taken the trouble to tell my father what
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  Speaker 1: I had done? The General he did not seem to
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  Speaker 1: trouble himself much about me, And indeed ivan Kuzmitch had
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  Speaker 1: not thought it necessary to report my duel to him.
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  Speaker 1: I could not think my suspicions fell upon Schwabrin. He
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  Speaker 1: alone could profit by this betrayal, which might end in
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  Speaker 1: my banishment from the fort and my separation from the
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  Speaker 1: commandant's family. I was going to tell all to Martya
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  Speaker 1: Ivanovna when she met me on the doorstep. What has happened?
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  Speaker 1: She said to me, how pale you are? All is
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  Speaker 1: at an end, replied I, handing her my father's letter.
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  Speaker 1: In her turn, she grew pale. After reading the letters,
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  Speaker 1: she gave it me back and said, in a voice
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  Speaker 1: broken by emotion, it was not my fate. Your parents
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  Speaker 1: do not want me and your family. God's will be done.
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  Speaker 1: God knows better than we do what is fit for us,
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  Speaker 1: and there is nothing to be done. Piotr Androvitch, May
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  Speaker 1: you at least be happy. I shall not be thus,
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  Speaker 1: I exclaimed, seizing her hand. You love me. I am
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  Speaker 1: ready for anything. Let us go and throw ourselves at
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  Speaker 1: your parents feet. They are honest people, neither proud nor hard.
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  Speaker 1: They they will give us their blessing. We will marry,
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  Speaker 1: and then with time, I am sure we shall succeed
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  Speaker 1: in mollifying my father. My mother will intercede for us,
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  Speaker 1: and he will forgive me No. Pyotr Androvitch replied MARYA,
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  Speaker 1: I will not marry you without the blessing of your parents.
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  Speaker 1: Without their blessing, you would not be happy. Let us
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  Speaker 1: submit to the will of God. Should you meet with
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  Speaker 1: another betrothed, should you love her, God be with you,
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  Speaker 1: pyotranrotch Ah, I will pray for you both. She began
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  Speaker 1: to cry and went away. I meant to follow her
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  Speaker 1: to her room, but I felt unable to control myself,
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  Speaker 1: and I went home. I was seated deep in melancholy
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  Speaker 1: reflections when Savillitch suddenly came and interrupted me. Here, sir,
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  Speaker 1: he said, handing me a sheet of paper, all covered
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  Speaker 1: with writing. See if I be a spy on my master,
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  Speaker 1: and if I tried to sow discord, betookt father and son.
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  Speaker 1: I took the paper from his hand. It was Sevilitch's
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  Speaker 1: reply to the letter he had received. Here. It is
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  Speaker 1: word for word, my Lord Andrey Petrovitch, our gracious father,
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  Speaker 1: I have received your gracious letter, in which you deign
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  Speaker 1: to be angered with me yourself bidding me be ashamed
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  Speaker 1: of not obeying my master's orders. And I, who am
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  Speaker 1: not an old dog but your faithful servant, I do
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  Speaker 1: obey my master's orders. And I have ever served you zalicely,
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  Speaker 1: even unto white Hare's. I did not write to you,
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  Speaker 1: but Pyotr Andreich's wound, in order not to frighten you
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  Speaker 1: without cause. And now we hear that our mistress, our
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  Speaker 1: mother Avdotya Vassilivna, is ill of fright. And I shall
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  Speaker 1: go and pray Heaven for her health. Pyotr Androvitch has
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  Speaker 1: been wounded in the chest beneath the right shoulder, under
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  Speaker 1: one rib, to the depth of a verchokin a half.
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  Speaker 1: And he has been taken care of in the Commandant's house,
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  Speaker 1: whither we brought him from the river bank. And it
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  Speaker 1: was the barber here Stepan Paramonov, who treated him. And
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  Speaker 1: now Pyotr Androvitch, thank God, is going on well, and
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  Speaker 1: there is nothing but good to tell of him. His superiors,
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  Speaker 1: according to hearsay, are well pleased with him, and Vasilisa
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  Speaker 1: Igorovna treats him as her own son. And because such
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  Speaker 1: an affair should have happened to him, you must not
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  Speaker 1: reproach him. The horse may have four legs, and yet stumble,
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  Speaker 1: and you deign to write that you will send me
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  Speaker 1: to keep the pigs. My Lord's will be done. And
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  Speaker 1: now I salute you down to the ground, your faithful Serf,
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  Speaker 1: Archip Savaliev. I could not help smiling once or twice
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  Speaker 1: as I read the good old man's letter. I did
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  Speaker 1: not feel equal to writing to my father and to
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  Speaker 1: make my mother easy. The letter of Savielitch seemed me
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  Speaker 1: amply sufficient, From this day my position underwent a change.
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  Speaker 1: Marya Ivanovna, scarcely ever spoke to me and even tried
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  Speaker 1: to avoid me. The commandant's house became unbearable to me.
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  Speaker 1: Little by little I accustomed myself to stay alone in
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  Speaker 1: my quarters. At first Vasilisa Igorovna remonstrated, but seeing I
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  Speaker 1: persisted in my line of conduct, she left me in peace.
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  Speaker 1: I only saw ivan Kuzmitch when military duties brought us
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  Speaker 1: in contact. I had only rare interviews with Schabrin, whom
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  Speaker 1: I disliked. The more that I thought I perceived him
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  Speaker 1: in a secret enmity, which confirmed all the more my suspicions.
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  Speaker 1: Life became a burden to me. I gave myself up
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  Speaker 1: a prey to dark melancholy, which was further fed by
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  Speaker 1: loneliness and inaction. My love burnt the more hotly for
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  Speaker 1: my enforced quiet, and tormented me more and more. I
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  Speaker 1: lost all liking for reading and literature. I was allowing
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  Speaker 1: myself to be completely cast down, and I dreaded either
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  Speaker 1: becoming mad or dissolute. When events suddenly occurred which strongly
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  Speaker 1: influenced my life and gave my mind a profound and
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  Speaker 1: salutary rousing end of Chapter five. Recording by Kevin Davidson,
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  Speaker 1: Www dot Blog, ordie dot com.