CHAPTER XIV
A few days later the ball at the Governor's took place. Matvy Ilyitchwas the real 'hero of the occasion.' The marshal of nobility declaredto all and each that he had come simply out of respect for him; whilethe Governor, even at the ball, even while he remained perfectlymotionless, was still 'making arrangements.' The affability of MatvyIlyitch's demeanour could only be equalled by its dignity. He wasgracious to all, to some with a shade of disgust, to others with ashade of respect; he was all bows and smiles '_en vrai chevalierfrancais_' before the ladies, and was continually giving vent to ahearty, sonorous, unshared laugh, such as befits a high official. Heslapped Arkady on the back, and called him loudly 'nephew'; vouchsafedBazarov--who was attired in a rather old evening coat--a sidelongglance in passing--absent but condescending--and an indistinct butaffable grunt, in which nothing could be distinguished but 'I ...' and'very much'; gave Sitnikov a finger and a smile, though with his headalready averted; even to Madame Kukshin, who made her appearance at theball with dirty gloves, no crinoline, and a bird of Paradise in herhair, he said '_enchante_.' There were crowds of people, and no lack ofdancing men; the civilians were for the most part standing close alongthe walls, but the officers danced assiduously, especially one of themwho had spent six weeks in Paris, where he had mastered various daringinterjections of the kind of--'_zut_,' '_Ah, fichtr-re_,' '_pst, pst,mon bibi_,' and such. He pronounced them to perfection with genuineParisian _chic_, and at the same time he said '_si j'aurais_' for '_sij'avais_,' '_absolument_' in the sense of 'absolutely,' expressedhimself, in fact, in that Great Russo-French jargon which the Frenchridicule so when they have no reason for assuring us that we speakFrench like angels, '_comme des anges_.'
Arkady, as we are aware, danced badly, while Bazarov did not dance atall; they both took up their position in a corner; Sitnikov joinedhimself on to them, with an expression of contemptuous scorn on hisface, and giving vent to spiteful comments, he looked insolently abouthim, and seemed to be really enjoying himself. Suddenly his facechanged, and turning to Arkady, he said, with some show ofembarrassment it seemed, 'Odintsova is here!'
Arkady looked round, and saw a tall woman in a black dress standing atthe door of the room. He was struck by the dignity of her carriage. Herbare arms lay gracefully beside her slender waist; gracefully somelight sprays of fuchsia drooped from her shining hair on to her slopingshoulders; her clear eyes looked out from under a rather overhangingwhite brow, with a tranquil and intelligent expression--tranquil it wasprecisely, not pensive--and on her lips was a scarcely perceptiblesmile. There was a kind of gracious and gentle force about her face.
'Do you know her?' Arkady asked Sitnikov.
'Intimately. Would you like me to introduce you?'
'Please ... after this quadrille.'
Bazarov's attention, too, was directed to Madame Odintsov.
'That's a striking figure,' he remarked. 'Not like the other females.'
After waiting till the end of the quadrille, Sitnikov led Arkady up toMadame Odintsov; but he hardly seemed to be intimately acquainted withher; he was embarrassed in his sentences, while she looked at him insome surprise. But her face assumed an expression of pleasure when sheheard Arkady's surname. She asked him whether he was not the son ofNikolai Petrovitch.
'Yes.'
'I have seen your father twice, and have heard a great deal about him,'she went on; 'I am glad to make your acquaintance.'
At that instant some adjutant flew up to her and begged for aquadrille. She consented.
'Do you dance then?' asked Arkady respectfully.
'Yes, I dance. Why do you suppose I don't dance? Do you think I am tooold?'
'Really, how could I possibly.... But in that case, let me ask you fora mazurka.'
Madame Odintsov smiled graciously. 'Certainly,' she said, and shelooked at Arkady not exactly with an air of superiority, but as marriedsisters look at very young brothers. Madame Odintsov was a little olderthan Arkady--she was twenty-nine--but in her presence he felt himself aschoolboy, a little student, so that the difference in age between themseemed of more consequence. Matvy Ilyitch approached her with amajestic air and ingratiating speeches. Arkady moved away, but he stillwatched her; he could not take his eyes off her even during thequadrille. She talked with equal ease to her partner and to the grandofficial, softly turned her head and eyes, and twice laughed softly.Her nose--like almost all Russian noses--was a little thick; and hercomplexion was not perfectly clear; Arkady made up his mind, for allthat, that he had never before met such an attractive woman. He couldnot get the sound of her voice out of his ears; the very folds of herdress seemed to hang upon her differently from all the rest--moregracefully and amply--and her movements were distinguished by apeculiar smoothness and naturalness.
Arkady felt some timidity in his heart when at the first sounds of themazurka he began to sit it out beside his partner; he had prepared toenter into a conversation with her, but he only passed his hand throughhis hair, and could not find a single word to say. But his timidity andagitation did not last long; Madame Odintsov's tranquillity gained uponhim too; before a quarter of an hour had passed he was telling herfreely about his father, his uncle, his life in Petersburg and in thecountry. Madame Odintsov listened to him with courteous sympathy,slightly opening and closing her fan; his talk was broken off whenpartners came for her; Sitnikov, among others, twice asked her. Shecame back, sat down again, took up her fan, and her bosom did not evenheave more rapidly, while Arkady fell to chattering again, filledthrough and through by the happiness of being near her, talking to her,looking at her eyes, her lovely brow, all her sweet, dignified, cleverface. She said little, but her words showed a knowledge of life; fromsome of her observations Arkady gathered that this young woman hadalready felt and thought much....
'Who is that you were standing with?' she asked him, 'when Mr. Sitnikovbrought you to me?'
'Did you notice him?' Arkady asked in his turn. 'He has a splendidface, hasn't he? That's Bazarov, my friend.'
Arkady fell to discussing 'his friend.' He spoke of him in such detail,and with such enthusiasm, that Madame Odintsov turned towards him andlooked attentively at him. Meanwhile, the mazurka was drawing to aclose. Arkady felt sorry to part from his partner; he had spent nearlyan hour so happily with her! He had, it is true, during the whole timecontinually felt as though she were condescending to him, as though heought to be grateful to her ... but young hearts are not weighed downby that feeling.
The music stopped. '_Merci_,' said Madame Odintsov, getting up. 'Youpromised to come and see me; bring your friend with you. I shall bevery curious to see the man who has the courage to believe in nothing.'
The Governor came up to Madame Odintsov, announced that supper wasready, and, with a careworn face, offered her his arm. As she wentaway, she turned to give a last smile and bow to Arkady. He bowed low,looked after her (how graceful her figure seemed to him, draped in thegreyish lustre of the black silk!), and thinking, 'This minute she hasforgotten my existence,' was conscious of an exquisite humility in hissoul.
'Well?' Bazarov questioned him, directly he had gone back to him in thecorner. 'Did you have a good time? A gentleman has just been talking tome about that lady; he said, "She's--oh, fie! fie!" but I fancy thefellow was a fool. What do you think, what is she?--oh, fie! fie!'
'I don't quite understand that definition,' answered Arkady.
'Oh, my! What innocence!'
'In that case, I don't understand the gentleman you quote. MadameOdintsov is very sweet, no doubt, but she behaves so coldly andseverely, that....'
'Still waters ... you know!' put in Bazarov. 'That's just what gives itpiquancy. You like ices, I expect?'
'Perhaps,' muttered Arkady. 'I can't give an opinion about that. Shewishes to make your acquaintance, and has asked me to bring you to seeher.'
'I can imagine how you've described me! But you did very well. Take me.Whatever she may be--whether she's simply a provincial lioness, or"advanced" after Kukshina's
fashion--any way she's got a pair ofshoulders such as I've not set eyes on for a long while.'
Arkady was wounded by Bazarov's cynicism, but--as often happens--hereproached his friend not precisely for what he did not like in him ...
'Why are you unwilling to allow freethinking in women?' he said in alow voice.
'Because, my boy, as far as my observations go, the only freethinkersamong women are frights.'
The conversation was cut short at this point. Both the young men wentaway immediately after supper. They were pursued by a nervouslymalicious, but somewhat faint-hearted laugh from Madame Kukshin; hervanity had been deeply wounded by neither of them having paid anyattention to her. She stayed later than any one at the ball, and atfour o'clock in the morning she was dancing a polka-mazurka withSitnikov in the Parisian style. This edifying spectacle was the finalevent of the Governor's ball.