creatures that once were men- 第7部分

for　the　papers；〃　he　shouts；　〃I　would　show　up　the　merchant　in　

his　true　colors　。　。　。　I　would　show　that　he　is　a　beast；　playing　

for　a　time　the　role　of　a　man。　　I　understand　him！　　　He　is　a　rough　

boor；　does　not　know　the　meaning　of　the　words　'good　taste；'　has　

no　notion　of　patriotism；　and　his　knowledge　is　not　worth　five

kopecks。〃

　　　　　

Abyedok；　knowing　the　Captain's　weak　point；　and　fond　of　making　

other　people　angry；　cunningly　adds：



〃Yes；　since　the　nobility　began　to　make　acquaintance　with　hunger；　

men　have　disappeared　from　the　world。　。　。　。〃



〃You　are　right；　you　son　of　a　spider　and　a　toad。　　Yes；　from　the　

time　that　the　noblemen　fell；　there　have　been　no　men。　　There　are　

only　merchants；　and　I　hate　them。〃





39　　CREATURES　THAT　ONCE　WERE　MEN





〃That　is　easy　to　understand；　brother；　because　you　too；　have　

been　brought　down　by　them。　。　。　。〃



〃I？　　I　was　ruined　by　love　of　life　。　。　。　Fool　that　I　was；　I　loved　

life；　but　the　merchant　spoils　it；　and　I　cannot　bear　it；　simply　

for　this　reason；　and　not　because　I　am　a　nobleman。　　But　if　you　

want　to　know　the　truth；　I　was　once　a　man；　though　I　was　not　noble。　

I　care　now　for　nothing　and　nobody　。　。　。　and　all　my　life　has　been

tamea　sweetheart　who　has　jilted　metherefore　I　despise　life；　

and　am　indifferent　to　it。〃



〃You　lie！〃　says　Abyedok。



〃I　lie？〃　roars　Aristid　Kuvalda；　almost　crimson　with　anger。



〃Why　shout？〃　comes　in　the　cold　sad　voice　of　Martyanoff。



〃Why　judge　others？　　Merchants；　noblemen。　。　。what　have　we　to　

do　with　them？〃



〃Seeing　what　we　are〃　。　。　。　puts　in　Deacon　Taras。



〃Be　quiet；　Abyedok；〃　says　the　teacher　good…naturedly。



〃Why　do　you　provoke　him？〃　　He　does　not　love　either　discussion　

or　noise；　and　when　they　quarrel　all　around　him　his　lips　form　

into　a　sickly　grimace；　and　he　endeavors　quietly　and　reasonably　

to　reconcile　each　with　the　other；　and　if　he　does　not　succeed　

in　this　he　leaves　the　company。　　Knowing　this；　the　Captain；　if　

he　is　not　very　drunk；　controls　himself；　not　wishing　to　lose；　

in　the　person　of　the　teacher；　one　of　the　best　of　his　listeners。



〃I　repeat；〃　he　continues；　in　a　quieter　tone；　〃that　I　see　life　

in　the　hands　of　enemies；　not　only　enemies　of　the　noble　but　of　

everything　good；　avaricious　and　incapable　of　adorning　existence　

in　any　way。〃





40　　CREATURES　THAT　ONCE　WERE　MEN





〃But　all　the　same；　says　the　teacher；　〃merchants；　so　to　speak；　

created　Genoa；　Venice；　Hollandand　all　these　were　merchants；　

merchants　from　England；　India；　the　Stroyanoff　merchants。　。　。　。〃



〃I　do　not　speak　of　these　men；　I　am　thinking　of　Judas　Petunikoff；　

who　is　one　of　them。　。　。　。〃



〃And　you　say　you　have　nothing　to　do　with　them？〃　asks　the　teacher　

quietly。



〃But　do　you　think　that　I　do　not　live？　　Aha！　　I　do　live；　but　I　

suppose　I　ought　not　to　be　angry　at　the　fact　that　life　is　

desecrated　and　robbed　of　all　freedom　by　these　men。〃



〃And　they　dare　to　laugh　at　the　kindly　anger　of　the　Captain；　a　

man　living　in　retirement？〃　says　Abyedok　teasingly。



〃Very　well！　I　agree　with　you　that　I　am　foolish。　　Being　a　

creature　who　was　once　a　man；　I　ought　to　blot　out　from　my　heart　

all　those　feelings　that　once　were　mine。　　You　may　be　right；　but　

then　how　could　I　or　any　of　you　defend　ourselves　if　we　did　away　

with　all　these　feelings？〃



〃Now　then；　you　are　talking　sense；〃　says　the　teacher　encouragingly。



〃We　want　other　feelings　and　other　views　on　life　。　。　。　We　want　

something　new。　。　。because　we　ourselves　are　a　novelty　in　this　

life。　。　。　。〃



〃Doubtless　this　is　most　important　for　us；〃　remarks　the　teacher。



〃Why？〃　asks　Kanets。　　〃Is　it　not　all　the　same　whatever　we　say　or　

think？　　We　have　not　got　long　to　live　I　am　forty；　you　are　fifty　

。　。　。　there　is　no　one　among　us　younger　than　thirty；　and　even　

at　twenty　one　cannot　live　such　a　life　long。〃





41　　CREATURES　THAT　ONCE　WERE　MEN





〃And　what　kind　of　novelty　are　we？〃　asked　Abyedok　mockingly。



〃Since　nakedness　has　always　existed　〃



〃Yes；　and　it　created　Rome；〃　said　the　teacher。



〃Yes；　of　course；〃　says　the　Captain；　beaming　with　joy。



〃Romulus　and　Remus；　eh？　　We　also　shall　create　when　our　time　

comes。　。　。　。〃



〃Violation　of　public　peace；〃　interrupts　Abyedok。　　He　laughs　

in　a　self…satisfied　way。　　His　laughter　is　impudent　and　insolent；　

and　is　echoed　by　Simtsoff；　the　Deacon　and　Paltara　Taras。　The　

naive　eyes　of　young　Meteor　light　up；　and　his　cheeks　flush　

crimson。



Kanets　speaks；　and　it　seems　as　if　he　were　hammering　their　heads。



〃All　these　are　foolish　illusions　。　。　。　fiddlesticks！〃



It　was　strange　to　see　them　reasoning　in　this　manner；　these　

outcasts　from　life；　tattered；　drunken　with　vodki　and　wickedness；　

filthy　and　forlorn。　　Such　conversations　rejoiced　the　Captain's　

heart。　They　gave　him　an　opportunity　of　speaking　more；　and　

therefore　he　thought　himself　better　than　the　rest。　　However　low　

he　may　fall；　a　man　can　never　deny　himself　the　delight　of　feeling

cleverer；　more　powerful；　or　even　better　fed　than　his　companions。　

Aristid　Kuvalda　abused　this　pleasure；　and　never　could　have　

enough　of　it；　much　to　the　disgust　of　Abyedok；　Kubar；　and　others　

of　these　creatures　that　once　were　men；　who　were　less　interested

in　such　things。



Politics；　however；　were　more　to　the　popular　taste。　　The　

discussions　as　to　the　necessity　of　taking　India　or　of　subduing　

England　were　lengthy　and　protracted。　　





42　　CREATURES　THAT　ONCE　WERE　MEN





Nor　did　they　speak　with　less　enthusiasm　of　the　radical　measure　

of　clearing　Jews　off　the　face　of　the　earth。　　On　this　subject　

Abyedok　was　always　the　first　to　propose　dreadful　plans　to　effect　

the　desired　end；　but　the　Captain；　always　first　in　every　other　

argument；　did　not　join　in　this　one。　　They　also　spoke　much　and　

impudently　about　women；　but　the　teacher　always　defended　them；　

and　sometimes　was　very　angry　when　they　went　so　far　as　to　pass　

the　limits　of　decency。　　They　all；　as　a　rule；　gave　in　to　him；　

because　they　did　not　look　upon　him　as　a　common　person；　and　also　

because　they　wished　to　borrow　from　him　on　Saturdays　the　money　

which　he　had　earned　during　the　week。　　He　had　many　privileges。　

They　never　beat　him；　for　instance；　on　these　occasions　when　the　

conversation　ended　in　a　free　fight。　　He　had　the　right　to　bring　

women　into　the　dosshouse；　a　privilege　accorded　to　no　one　else；　

as　the　Captain　had　previously　warned　them。



〃No　bringing　of　women　to　my　house；〃　he　had　said。　〃Women；　

merchants　and　philosophers；　these　are　the　three　causes　of　my　

ruin。　　I　will　horsewhip　anyone　bringing　in　women。　I　will　

horsewhip　the　woman　also　。　。　。　And　as　to　the　philosopher；　

I'll　knock　his　head　off　for　him。〃　　And　notwithstanding　his　age　

he　could　have　knocked　anyone's　head　off；　for　he　possessed　

wonderful　strength。　　Besides　that；　whenever　he　fought　or　

quarrelled；　he　was　assisted　by　Martyanoff；　who　was　accustomed　

during　a　general　fight　to　stand　silently　and　sadly　back　to　back　

with　Kuvalda；　when　he　became　an　all　destroying　and　impregnable　

engine　of　war。　Once　when　Simtsoff　was　drunk；　he　rushed　at　the　

teacher　for　no　reason　whatever；　and　getting　hold　of　his　head　

tore　out　a　bunch　of　hair。　





43　CREATURES　THAT　ONCE　WERE　MEN





Kuvalda；　with　one　stroke　of　his　fist　in　the　other's　chest；　sent　

him　spinning；　and　he　fell　to　the　ground。　　He　was　unconscious　

for　almost　half…an…hour；　and　when　he　came　to　himself　Kuvalda　

compelled　him　to　eat　the　hair　he　had　torn　from　the　teacher's　

head。　　He　ate　it；　preferring　this　to　being　beaten　to　death。



Besides　reading　newspapers；　fighting　and　indulging　in　general　

conversation；　they　amused　themselves　by　playing　cards。　They　

played　without　Martyanoff　because　he　could　not　play　honestly。　　

After　cheating　several　times；　he　openly　confessed：



〃I　cannot　play　without　cheating　。　。　。　it　is　a　habit　of　mine。〃



〃Habits　do　get　the　better　of　you；〃　assented　Deacon　Taras。　〃I　

always　used　to　beat　my　wife　every　Sunday　after　Mass；　and　when　

she　died　I　cannot　describe　how　extremely　dull　I　felt　every　

Sunday。　　I　lived　through　one　Sundayit　was　dreadful；　the　second　

I　still　controlled　myself；　the　third　Sunday　I　struck　my　Asok。

。　。　。　She　was　angry　and　threatened　to　summon　me。　Just　imagine　

if　she　had　done　so！　On　the　fourth　Sunday；　I　beat　her　just　as　

if　she　were　my　own　wife！　After　that　I　gave　her　ten　roubles；　

and　beat　her　according　to　my　own　rules　till　I　married　again！〃　



〃You　are　lying；　Deacon！　　How　could　you　marry　a　second　time？〃　

interrupted　Abyedok。



〃Ay；　just　so　。　。　。　She　looked　after　my　house　。　。　。〃



〃Did　you　have　any　children？〃　asked　the　teacher。



〃Five　of　them　。　。　。　One　was　drowned　。　。　。　the　oldest　。　。　。　

he　was　an　amusing　boy！　Two　died　of　diphtheria　。　。　。　One　of　

the　daughters　married　a　student　and　went　with　him　to　Siberia。　





44　　CREATURES　THAT　ONCE　WERE　MEN





The　other　went　to　the　University　of　St。　Petersburg　and　died　

there　。　。　。　of　consumption　they　say。　　Yees；　there　were　f