22

AT the top of the hill the driver turned round to Nekhlyudov.

‘Where shall I take you, sir?’

‘Which is the best hotel?’

‘What could be better than the Sibirsk? But Dukov’s is good, too.’

‘Whichever you like.’

The driver seated himself sideways again and increased the horses’ pace. The town was like all other towns: the same sort of houses with dormer windows and green roofs, the same kind of cathedral, the same little stores and shops in the main street and even the same policemen. Only the houses were mostly of wood and the streets were not paved. In one of the busier streets the driver stopped at the entrance to a hotel. But there were no rooms to be had in that hotel, so they were obliged to drive on to another. Here there was one unoccupied room, and for the first time in two months Nekhlyudov found himself in surroundings such as he was accustomed to, so far as cleanliness and comfort went. Though the room he was shown to was far from luxurious, he felt a sense of well-being after post-carts, country inns and halting-stations. His first business was to clean himself from the lice, which he had never managed quite to get rid of after his visits at the halting-stations. The moment he had unpacked he drove to the bath-house, and thence, having donned his city clothes – a starched shirt, trousers somewhat crumpled from long packing, a frock coat and an overcoat – went to the governor of the district. The cabby, who had been called by the hotel porter, had a big sleek Kirghiz horse harnessed to a rattling four-wheeler. He took Nekhlyudov to a large handsome building guarded by sentries and a policeman. There was a garden in front of the house and at the back, where the leafless branches of aspen and birch stood stark against the dense dark green of firs, pines and spruces.

The general was indisposed and not receiving. Nekhlyudov, nevertheless, asked the footman to take in his card, and presently the man returned with a favourable message:

‘You are to come in, please.’

The hall, the footman, the orderly, the staircase, the parlour with its polished parquet floor – all reminded him of Petersburg, only that it was slightly dirtier and more pretentious. Nekhlyudov was shown into the study.

The general, a bloated potato-nosed man of sanguine temperament, with large bumps on his forehead, bags under his eyes and a bald head, sat wrapped in a Tartar-silk dressing-gown, smoking a cigarette and sipping his tea out of a tumbler in a silver holder.

‘Good morning, my dear sir. Excuse the dressing-gown, but it’s better to receive you in a dressing-gown than not at all,’ he said, pulling the dressing-gown closer round the fat wrinkled nape of his neck. ‘I am not feeling very well and am keeping to the house. What on earth has brought you to this out-of-the-way place?’

‘I have been travelling with a party of prisoners, among whom there is a person who is very dear to me,’ said Nekhlyudov, ’and now I have come to petition Your Excellency partly in respect of this person, and partly on another matter.’

The general took a puff at his cigarette, and a sip of tea, stubbed the cigarette out in a malachite ashtray, and, fixing his narrow, bloated beady eyes on Nekhlyudov, listened attentively to what he had to say, only interrupting him once to ask whether he wouldn’t like to smoke.

The general belonged to the educated type of military man who believe it possible to reconcile liberalism and humanitarianism with their profession. But being by nature a kind and intelligent man he very soon recognized the impossibility of such a combination and in order not to see the inconsistencies of the life he was leading he had given himself more and more to the habit, so prevalent in military circles, of drinking a great deal of wine, and grew so addicted that after thirty-five years’ army service he had become what the doctors term an ‘alcoholic’. He was literally saturated with alcohol. It was enough for him to drink any kind of liquid to feel intoxicated. But wine had become such a necessity for him that he could not exist without it, and every day towards evening he was quite drunk; but he had grown so used to being in this state that he did not reel about or talk any special nonsense. Or if he did say something silly now and then it was received as a piece of wisdom, so important was the post he occupied. It was only in the morning – just at the time Nekhlyudov came to see him – that he was something like a reasonable being, able to understand what was said to him, and provide a personal illustration, more or less successful, of the proverb he was fond of repeating: ‘If you can drink and be clever, then you are two up for ever.’ The higher authorities knew he was a drunkard, but he had had a better education than the other men available – although his education had stopped at the point where his fondness for drink began – he was vigorous, adroit and of imposing appearance, and could behave with discretion even when tipsy, and therefore they had appointed him to, and allowed him to retain, his prominent and responsible position.

Nekhlyudov told him that the person he was interested in was a woman, that she had been wrongfully convicted and that a petition on her behalf had been sent to His Majesty.

‘Yes, I see,’ said the general. ‘Well?’

‘I was promised in Petersburg that the decision concerning the fate of this woman would be forwarded to me here some time this month… ’

Without taking his eyes off Nekhlyudov the general reached out his hand with its stumpy fingers towards the table and rang the bell, and continued to listen in silence, puffing at his cigarette and noisily clearing his throat.

‘So I came to ask you, if possible, to allow this woman to remain here until we receive the answer to her petition.’

A servant, an orderly in uniform, came in.

‘Find out if Her Excellency is up,’ the general said to him, ‘and bring some more tea. And the other thing?’ he asked, turning to Nekhlyudov.

‘My other request concerns a political prisoner in the same party.’

‘Indeed!’ said the general, with a significant shake of his head.

‘He is seriously ill – dying – and will probably be left in the hospital here. So one of the women political prisoners would like to stay behind with him.’

‘She is no relation of his?’

‘No, but she is willing to marry him if that is the only way she could stay with him.’

The general went on smoking and listening in silence, his keen eyes fixed on Nekhlyudov, with an evident wish to embarrass him.

When Nekhlyudov had finished, the general took a book from the table and, moistening his fingers and quickly leafing through the pages, found the statute relating to marriage and read it.

‘What is her sentence?’ he asked, looking up from the book.

‘Hard labour.’

‘In that case the circumstances of the sick man wouldn’t be improved by such a marriage.’

‘Yes, but – ’

‘Allow me – Even if a free man were to marry her she would still be obliged to serve her term. The question is, which of them has the heavier sentence – he or she?’

‘They are both sentenced to hard labour.’

‘Well, they are quits, then,’ said the general, with a laugh. ‘Both in the same boat. Only he can be left here if he is ill, and of course everything would be done to make things easier for him; but so far as she is concerned, even if she married him she would not be allowed to remain here.’

‘Her Excellency is having coffee,’ announced the orderly.

The general nodded and went on.

‘Still, I will think the matter over. What are their names? Write them down here, will you.’

Nekhlyudov wrote down their names.

‘No, I couldn’t do that, either,’ said the general, when Nekhlyudov asked for permission to see the sick man. I do not suspect you, of course, but you are interested in him and in the others, and you have money. Here with us, money can buy anything. They tell me to put down bribery. But how can I hope to, when there isn’t anyone who won’t take a bribe? And the lower their rank the easier they are to bribe. How am I to keep an eye on a man who is three thousand miles away? Out there every official is as much a little tsar as I am here,’ and he laughed. ‘Now I’m sure you’ve been seeing these political prisoners: you gave some money and they let you in,’ he said with a smile. ‘Isn’t that so?’

‘Yes, it’s true.’

‘I quite understand that you had to do it. You want to see a political prisoner: you are sorry for him. And the inspector or a convoy soldier accepts your bribe because he earns tuppence ha’penny a week and has a family to support, and he can’t help taking it. If I were in his place, or in yours, I don’t doubt that I should behave in exactly the same way. But in my position I cannot allow myself to deviate from the strict letter of the law, just because I am a human being and liable to be influenced by pity. I am a member of the executive and I have been placed in a position of trust on certain conditions, and I must justify that trust. So there you are. Now tell me what is going on in the metropolis?’

And the general talked and asked questions, obviously wishing at the same time to hear the news and to display his own importance and humanity.

Resurrection
cover.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_000.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_001.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_002.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_003.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_004.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_005.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_006.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_007.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_008.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_009.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_010.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_011.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_012.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_013.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_014.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_015.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_016.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_017.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_018.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_019.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_020.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_021.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_022.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_023.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_024.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_025.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_026.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_027.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_028.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_029.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_030.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_031.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_032.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_033.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_034.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_035.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_036.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_037.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_038.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_039.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_040.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_041.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_042.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_043.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_044.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_045.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_046.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_047.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_048.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_049.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_050.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_051.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_052.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_053.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_054.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_055.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_056.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_057.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_058.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_059.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_060.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_061.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_062.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_063.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_064.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_065.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_066.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_067.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_068.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_069.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_070.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_071.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_072.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_073.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_074.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_075.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_076.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_077.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_078.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_079.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_080.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_081.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_082.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_083.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_084.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_085.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_086.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_087.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_088.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_089.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_090.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_091.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_092.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_093.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_094.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_095.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_096.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_097.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_098.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_099.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_100.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_101.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_102.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_103.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_104.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_105.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_106.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_107.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_108.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_109.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_110.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_111.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_112.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_113.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_114.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_115.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_116.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_117.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_118.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_119.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_120.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_121.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_122.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_123.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_124.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_125.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_126.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_127.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_128.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_129.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch2_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch3_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch6_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch7_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch14_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch15_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch27_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch29_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch39_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch50_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch53_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch54_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch57_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part01_ch58_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch1_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch2_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch3_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch4_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch5_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch14_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch15_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch18_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch19_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch20_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch24_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch27_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch29_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch37_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch38_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch39_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch40_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch41_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part02_ch42_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part03_ch2_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part03_ch5_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part03_ch8_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part03_ch12_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part03_ch25_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part03_ch26_footnotes.html
9780140441840_Resurrection_part03_ch27_footnotes.html