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013 - 13 Chapter 13 The Arrest · Daughter of the Commandant

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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen 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. The arrest reunited
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  Speaker 1: in so marvelous a manner to the young girl, who
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  Speaker 1: that very morning even had caused me so much unhappy disquiet.
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  Speaker 1: I could not believe in my happiness, and I deemed
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  Speaker 1: all that had befallen me a dream. Marya looked sometimes
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  Speaker 1: thoughtfully upon me, and sometimes upon the road, and did
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  Speaker 1: not seem either to have recovered her senses. We kept silence,
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  Speaker 1: our hearts were too weary with emotion. At the end
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  Speaker 1: of two hours we had already reached the neighboring fort,
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  Speaker 1: which also belonged to Pugachov. We changed horses. There By
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  Speaker 1: the alertness with which we were served and the eager
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  Speaker 1: zeal of the bearded Cossack whom Pugachov had appointed Dant,
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  Speaker 1: I saw that, thanks to the talk of the postilion
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  Speaker 1: who had driven us, I was taken for a favorite
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  Speaker 1: of the master. When we again set forth, it was
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  Speaker 1: getting dark. We were approaching a little town, where, according
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  Speaker 1: to the bearded commandant, there ought to be a strong
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  Speaker 1: detachment on the march to join the usurper. The sentry
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  Speaker 1: stopped us, and to the shout who goes there? Our
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  Speaker 1: postilion replied aloud that tsar's gossip traveling with his good woman.
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  Speaker 1: Immediately a party of Russian Hussars surrounded us with awful oaths.
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  Speaker 1: Get out devil's gossip. A quartermaster with thick mustachios said
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  Speaker 1: to me, we will give you a bath, you and
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  Speaker 1: your good woman. I got out of the kibitka and
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  Speaker 1: asked to be taken before the authorities. Seeing I was
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  Speaker 1: an officer, the men ceased swearing, and the quartermaster took
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  Speaker 1: me to the major's Savielitch followed me, grumbling, that's fun
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  Speaker 1: gossip of the Tsar. Out of the frying pan and
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  Speaker 1: into the fire, O lord, how will it end? The
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  Speaker 1: kibitt have followed at a walk. In five minutes we
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  Speaker 1: reached the little house brilliantly lit up. The quartermaster left
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  Speaker 1: me under the guard and went in to announce his capture.
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  Speaker 1: He returned almost directly and told me his High Mightiness
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  Speaker 1: had not time to see me, and that he had
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  Speaker 1: bid me be taken to prison, and that my good
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  Speaker 1: woman be brought before him. What does it all mean?
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  Speaker 1: I cried furiously? Is he gone? Mad? I cannot say,
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  Speaker 1: your lordship, replied the quartermaster. Only his High Mightiness has
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  Speaker 1: given orders that your lordship be taken to prison, and
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  Speaker 1: that her ladyship be taken before his high Mightiness, Your lordship,
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  Speaker 1: I ran up the steps. The sentries had not time
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  Speaker 1: to stop me, and I entered straightway the room where
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  Speaker 1: six Hussar officers were playing Pharaoh. The major held the bank.
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  Speaker 1: What was my surprise when, in a momentary glance at
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  Speaker 1: him I recognized in him the very ivan Ivanovitch Zulien,
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  Speaker 1: who had so well fleeced me in the simbirsk Inn.
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  Speaker 1: Is it possible, cried I ivan Ivanovitch? Is it you,
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  Speaker 1: ah bah pyotr androtch? By what chance? And where did
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  Speaker 1: you drop from? Good day? Brother? Won't you punt a card? Thanks?
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  Speaker 1: Rather give me a lodging? What lodging do you want?
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  Speaker 1: Stay with me? I cannot, I'm not alone. Well bring
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  Speaker 1: your comrade too. I'm not with a comrade. I am
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  Speaker 1: with the lady. With the lady, where'd you pick her up? Brother?
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  Speaker 1: After saying which words, Zurin began to whistle so slyly
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  Speaker 1: that all the other officers began to laugh, and I
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  Speaker 1: remain confused. Well, continued Zurin, then there's nothing to be done.
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  Speaker 1: I'll give you a lodging. But it is a pity
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  Speaker 1: we would have had a spreed like last time. Hullo there, boy,
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  Speaker 1: Why is not Pugatchov's gossip brought up? Is she refractory?
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  Speaker 1: Tell her that she has nothing to fear, that the
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  Speaker 1: gentleman who wants her is very good, that he will
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  Speaker 1: not offend her in any way, and at the same
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  Speaker 1: time shove her along by the shoulder. What are you
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  Speaker 1: talking about, I said to Zurin, of what gossip of
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  Speaker 1: pugat sharps for you speaking? It is the daughter of
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  Speaker 1: Captain Mironov. I have delivered her from captivity, and I
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  Speaker 1: am taking her now to my father's house, where I
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  Speaker 1: shall leave her. What so it's you whom they came
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  Speaker 1: to announce a while ago. In Heaven's name, what does
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  Speaker 1: all this mean? I'll tell you about it all presently,
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  Speaker 1: But now I beg of you. Do reassure the poor
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  Speaker 1: girl whom your hussars have frightened dreadfully. Zurin directly settled
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  Speaker 1: the matters. He went out himself into the street to
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  Speaker 1: make excuses to Marya for the involuntary misunderstanding, and ordered
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  Speaker 1: the quartermaster to take her to the best lodging in
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  Speaker 1: the town. I stayed to sleep at Zurin's house. We
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  Speaker 1: supped together, and as soon as I found myself alone
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  Speaker 1: with Zurin, I told him all my adventures. He heard
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  Speaker 1: me with great attention and what I had done, shaking
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  Speaker 1: his head. All that's very well, brother, said he. But
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  Speaker 1: one thing is not well. Why the devil do you
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  Speaker 1: want to marry as an honest officer, as a good fellow.
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  Speaker 1: I would not deceive you, le me, I implore you
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  Speaker 1: marriages but a folly. Is it wise of you to
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  Speaker 1: bother yourself with a wife and rock babies? Give up
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  Speaker 1: the idea. Listen to me. Part with the commandant's daughter.
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  Speaker 1: I have cleared and made safe the road to Simbirsk.
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  Speaker 1: Send her tomorrow to your parents alone, and you stay
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  Speaker 1: in my detachment. If you fall again into the hands
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  Speaker 1: of the rebels, it will not be easy for you
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  Speaker 1: to get off another time. In this way, your love
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  Speaker 1: fit will cure itself, and all will be for the best.
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  Speaker 1: Though I did not completely agree with him. I yet
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  Speaker 1: felt that duty and honor alike required my presence in
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  Speaker 1: the Tsarina's army. So I resolved to follow in part
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  Speaker 1: Zurlien's advice and send Marya to my parents and stay
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  Speaker 1: in his troop. Sevilitch came to help me to undress.
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  Speaker 1: I told him he would have to be ready to
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  Speaker 1: start on the morrow with Marya Ivanovna. He began by
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  Speaker 1: showing obstinacy. What are you saying, sir, How can you
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  Speaker 1: expect me to leave you? Who will serve you? And
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  Speaker 1: what will your parents say? Knowing the obstinacy of my retainer,
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  Speaker 1: I resolved to meet him with sincerity and coaxing my
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  Speaker 1: friend Arkeepsaviylitch, I said to him, do not refuse me
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  Speaker 1: be my benefactor here. I have no need of a servant,
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  Speaker 1: and I should not be easy if Marya Ivanovna were
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  Speaker 1: to go without you. In serving her, you serve me,
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  Speaker 1: for I have made up my mind to marry her
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  Speaker 1: without fail directly circumstances will permit. Savilitch clasped his hands
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  Speaker 1: with a look of surprise and stupefaction. Impossible to describe.
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  Speaker 1: Mary repeated he the child wants to marry. But what
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  Speaker 1: will your father say and your mother what will she think?
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  Speaker 1: They will doubtless consent, replied I when they know Marya Ivanovna,
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  Speaker 1: I count on you. My father and mother have full
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  Speaker 1: confidence in you. You will intercede for us, won't you?
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  Speaker 1: The old fellow is touched. Oh, my father, Pyotrandretch said he.
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  Speaker 1: Although you do want to marry too early. Still, Mary
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  Speaker 1: Ivanovna is such a good young lady. It would be
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  Speaker 1: a sin to let slip so good a chance. I
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  Speaker 1: will do as you wish. I will take her this
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  Speaker 1: angel of God, and I will tell your parents with
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  Speaker 1: all due deference, that such a betrothal needs no dowry.
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  Speaker 1: I thank Savilitch and went away to share Zurin's room.
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  Speaker 1: In my emotion, I again began to talk. At first
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  Speaker 1: Zurin willingly listened. Then his words became fewer and more vague,
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  Speaker 1: and at last he replied to one of my questions
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  Speaker 1: by a vigorous snore. And then I followed his example.
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  Speaker 1: On the morrow, when I told Marya my plans, she
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  Speaker 1: saw how reasonable they were and agreed to them. As
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  Speaker 1: Zurin's detachment was to leave the town that same day,
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  Speaker 1: and it was no longer possible to hesitate. I parted
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  Speaker 1: with Marya, after intrusting her to Tsaviyelitch and giving him
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  Speaker 1: my letter for my parents. Marya bid me good bye,
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  Speaker 1: all forlorn. I could answer her nothing, not wishing to
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  Speaker 1: give way to feelings of my heart before the by standers.
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  Speaker 1: I returned to Zurin's silent and thoughtful. He wished to
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  Speaker 1: cheer me. I hoped to raise my spirits. We passed
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  Speaker 1: the day noisily, and on the morrow we marched. It
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  Speaker 1: was near the end of the month of February. The winter,
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  Speaker 1: which had rendered maneuvers difficult, was drawing to a close,
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  Speaker 1: and our generals were making ready for a combined campaign.
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  Speaker 1: Pugachov had reassembled his troops and was still to be
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  Speaker 1: found before Orenburg. At the approach of our forces, the
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  Speaker 1: disaffected villagers returned to their allegiance. Soon Prince Galitzin won
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  Speaker 1: a complete victory over Pugatchov, who had ventured near Fort Talichef.
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  Speaker 1: The victor relieved Orenburg and appeared to have given the
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  Speaker 1: finishing stroke to the rebellion. In the midst of all this,
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  Speaker 1: Zurin had been detached against some mounted Bashkirs who disappeared
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  Speaker 1: before we even set eyes on them. Spring, which caused
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  Speaker 1: the rivers to overflow and thus block the roads, surprised
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  Speaker 1: us in a little Tatar village, when we consoled ourselves
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  Speaker 1: for our forced inaction by the thought that this insignificant
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  Speaker 1: war of skirmishers with robbers would soon come to an end.
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  Speaker 1: But Pugachov had not been taken. He reappeared very soon
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  Speaker 1: in the mining country of the Ural on the Siberian frontier.
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  Speaker 1: He reassembled new bands and again began his robberies. We
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  Speaker 1: soon learned the destruction of Siberian forts, then the fall
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  Speaker 1: of Kasan and the audacious march of the usurper on Moscow.
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  Speaker 1: Zurin received orders to cross the river Volga. I shall
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  Speaker 1: not stay to relate the events of the war. I
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  Speaker 1: shall only say that misery reached its height. The gentry
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  Speaker 1: hid in the woods. The authorities had no longer any
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  Speaker 1: power anywhere. The leaders of solitary detachments punished or pardoned
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  Speaker 1: without giving account of their conduct. All this extensive and
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  Speaker 1: beautiful countryside was laid waste with fire and sword. May
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  Speaker 1: God grant we never see again so senseless and pitiless.
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  Speaker 1: A revolt at last Pugachov was beaten by Michaelson and
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  Speaker 1: was obliged to fly again. Zurin received soon afterwards the
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  Speaker 1: news that the robber had been taken, and the order
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  Speaker 1: to halt the war was at an end. It was
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  Speaker 1: at last possible for me to go home. The thought
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  Speaker 1: of embracing my parents and seeing Marya again, of whom
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  Speaker 1: I had no news, filled me with joy. I jumped
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  Speaker 1: like a child. Zurin laughed and said, shrugging his shoulders,
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  Speaker 1: wait a bit, Wait till you be married. You will see.
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  Speaker 1: I'll go to the devil then, and I must confess
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  Speaker 1: a strange feeling, admitted my joy. The recollection of the
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  Speaker 1: man covered with the blood of so many innocent victims,
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  Speaker 1: and the thought of the punishment awaiting him never left
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  Speaker 1: me any peace. Amelia, I said to myself in vexation,
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  Speaker 1: why did you not cast yourself on the bayonets, or
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  Speaker 1: present your heart to the grape shot that had been
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  Speaker 1: best for you? After advancing as far as the gates
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  Speaker 1: of Moscow, which he might perhaps have taken had not
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  Speaker 1: his bold heart failed him at the last moment, Pugatchov, beaten,
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  Speaker 1: had been delivered up by his comrades, for the sum
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  Speaker 1: of a hundred thousand roubles, shut up in an iron cage,
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  Speaker 1: and conveyed to Moscow. He was executed by the order
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  Speaker 1: of Catherine the Second in seventeen seventy five. Zurin gave
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  Speaker 1: me leave. A few days later. I should have been
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  Speaker 1: in the bosom of my family when an unforeseen thunderbolt
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  Speaker 1: struck me the day of my departure. Just as I
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  Speaker 1: was about to start, Zurin entered my room with a
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  Speaker 1: paper in his hand, looking anxious. I felt a pang
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  Speaker 1: in my heart. I was afraid, without knowing wherefore, the
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  Speaker 1: major bade my servant leave us and told me he
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  Speaker 1: wished to speak to me. What's the matter, I asked
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  Speaker 1: with disquietude. A little unpleasantness, replied he, offering me the paper.
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  Speaker 1: Read what I have just received. It was a secret
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  Speaker 1: dispatch addressed to all commanders of detachments, ordering them to
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  Speaker 1: arrest me wherever I should be found, and to send
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  Speaker 1: me under strong escort to Kazan, to the Commission of
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  Speaker 1: Inquiry appointed to try Pugachov and his accomplices. The paper
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  Speaker 1: dropped from my hands, come, said Zurin. It is my
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  Speaker 1: duty to execute the order. Probably the report of your
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  Speaker 1: journeys in Pugatchov's Intimate Company has reached head quarters. I
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  Speaker 1: hope sincerely the affair will not end badly, and that
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  Speaker 1: you will be able to justify yourself to the commission.
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  Speaker 1: Don't be cast down and start at once. I had
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  Speaker 1: a clear conscience, but the thought that our reunion was
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  Speaker 1: delayed for some months yet made my heart fail me.
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  Speaker 1: After receiving Zurin's affectionate farewell, I got into my tiliega.
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  Speaker 1: Two hussars with drawn swords seated themselves, one on each
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  Speaker 1: side of me, and we took the road to Khassan.
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  Speaker 1: End of Chapter thirteen. Recording by Kevin Davidson w w
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  Speaker 1: W dot Blog or die dot com.