"Ye-yes, her cook, a Frenchman, abroad. She bought him a count"s t.i.tle a-broad; he was a good-looking fellow enough, with little moustaches--"
"And how did they get on?"
"Oh, very well indeed; however, they p-arted very soon; they quarrelled about some sa-sauce. He robbed her-and bo-olted."
"Mamma, what shall I play?" asked Zina.
"Better sing us something, Zina. _How_ she sings, prince! Do you like music?"
"Oh, ye-yes! charming, charming. I love music pa.s.s-sionately. I knew Beethoven, abroad."
"Knew Beethoven!" cried Maria Alexandrovna, ecstatically. "Imagine, Zina, the prince knew Beethoven! Oh, prince, did you really, _really_ know the great Beethoven?"
"Ye-yes, we were great friends, Beet-hoven and I; he was always taking snuff-such a funny fellow!"
"What, Beethoven?"
"Yes, Beethoven; or it may have been some other German fellow-I don"t know; there are a great many Germans there. I forget."
"Well, what shall I sing, mamma?" asked Zina again.
"Oh Zina darling, do sing us that lovely ballad all about knights, you know, and the girl who lived in a castle and loved a troubadour. Don"t you know! Oh, prince, how I do _love_ all those knightly stories and songs, and the castles! Oh! the castles, and life in the middle ages, and the troubadours, and heralds and all. Shall I accompany you, Zina? Sit down near here, prince. Oh! those castles, those castles!"
"Ye-yes, ye-yes, castles; I love ca-astles too!" observed the prince, staring at Zina all the while with the whole of his one eye, as if he would like to eat her up at once. "But, good heavens," he cried, "that song! I know that s-song. I heard that song years-years ago! Oh! how that song reminds me of so-omething. Oh, oh."
I will not attempt to describe the ecstatic state of the prince while Zina sang.
She warbled an old French ballad which had once been all the fashion. Zina sang it beautifully; her lovely face, her glorious eyes, her fine sweet contralto voice, all this went to the prince"s heart at once; and her dark thick hair, her heaving bosom, her proud, beautiful, stately figure as she sat at the piano, and played and sang, quite finished him. He never took his eyes off her, he panted with excitement. His old heart, partially revivified with champagne, with the music, and with awakening recollections (and who is there who has no beloved memories of the past?), his old heart beat faster and faster. It was long since it had last beat in this way. He was ready to fall on his knees at her feet, when Zina stopped singing, and he was almost in tears with various emotions.
"Oh, my charming, charming child," he cried, putting his lips to her fingers, "you have ra-vished me quite-quite! I remember all now. Oh charming, charming child!--"
The poor prince could not finish his sentence.
Maria Alexandrovna felt that the moment had arrived for her to make a move.
"Why, _why_ do you bury yourself alive as you do, prince?" she began, solemnly. "So much taste, so much vital energy, so many rich gifts of the mind and soul-and to hide yourself in solitude all your days; to flee from mankind, from your friends. Oh, it is unpardonable! Prince, bethink yourself. Look up at life again with open eyes. Call up your dear memories of the past; think of your golden youth-your golden, careless, happy days of youth! Wake them, wake them from the dead, Prince! and wake yourself, too; and recommence life among men and women and society! Go abroad-to Italy, to Spain, oh, to Spain, Prince! You must have a guide, a heart that will love and respect, and sympathize with you! You have friends; summon them about you! Give the word, and they will rally round you in crowds! I myself will be the first to throw up everything, and answer to your cry! I remembered our old friendship, my Prince; and I will sacrifice husband, home, all, and follow you. Yes, and were I but young and lovely, like my daughter here, I would be your fellow, your friend, your _wife_, if you said but the word!"
"And I am convinced that you were a most charming creature in your day, too!" said the prince, blowing his nose violently. His eyes were full of tears.
"We live again in our children," said Maria Alexandrovna, with great feeling. "I, too, have my guardian angel, and that is this child, my daughter, Prince, the partner of my heart and of all my thoughts! She has refused seven offers because she is unwilling to leave me! So that she will go too, when you accompany me abroad."
"In that case, I shall certainly go abroad," cried the prince with animation. "As-suredly I shall go! And if only I could ve-venture to hope-oh! you be-witching child, charming, be-witching child!" And the prince recommenced to kiss Zina"s fingers. The poor old man was evidently meditating going down on his knees before her.
"But, Prince," began Maria Alexandrovna again, feeling that the opportunity had arrived for another display of eloquence. "But, Prince, you say, "If only I could flatter myself into indulging any hope!" Why, what a strange man you are, Prince. Surely you do not suppose that you are unworthy the flattering attention of _any_ woman! It is not only youth that const.i.tutes true beauty. Remember that you are, so to speak, a chip of the tree of aristocracy. You are a representative of all the most knightly, most refined taste and culture and manners. Did not Maria fall in love with the old man Mazeppa? I remember reading that Lauzun, that fascinating marquis of the court of Louis (I forget which), when he was an old, bent and bowed man, won the heart of one of the youngest and most beautiful women about the court.
"And who told you you are an old man? Who taught you that nonsense? Do men like you ever grow old? You, with your wealth of taste and wit, and animation and vital energy and brilliant manners! Just you make your appearance at some watering-place abroad with a young wife on your arm-some lovely young girl like my Zina, for instance-of course I merely mention her as an example, nothing more,-and you will see at once what a colossal effect you will produce: you, a scion of our aristocracy; she a beauty among beauties! You will lead her triumphantly on your arm; she, perhaps, will sing in some brilliant a.s.semblage; you will delight the company with your wit. Why, all the people of the place will crowd to see you! All Europe will ring with your renown, for every newspaper and feuilleton at the Waters will be full of you. And yet you say, "If I could but _venture_ to _hope_," indeed!"
"The feuilletons! yes-ye-yes, and the newspapers," said the prince, growing more and more feeble with love, but not understanding half of Maria Alexandrovna"s tall talk. "But, my child, if you"re not tired, do repeat that song which you have just sung so cha-armingly once more."
"Oh! but, Prince, she has other lovely songs, still prettier ones; don"t you remember _L"Hirondelle_? You must have heard it, haven"t you?"
"Ye-yes, I remember it; at least I"ve for-gotten it. No, no! the one you have just sung. I don"t want the Hir-ondelle! I want that other song,"
whined the prince, just like any child.
Zina sang again.
This time the prince could not contain himself; he fell on his knees at her feet, he cried, he sobbed:
"Oh, my beautiful _chatelaine_!" he cried in his shaky old voice-shaky with old age and emotion combined. "Oh, my charming, charming _chatelaine_! oh, my dear child! You have re-minded me of so much that is long, long pa.s.sed! I always thought then that things must be fairer in the future than in the present. I used to sing duets with the vis-countess in this very ballad! And now, oh! I don"t know what to do, I don"t know _what_ to do!"
The prince panted and choked as he spoke; his tongue seemed to find it difficult to move; some of his words were almost unintelligible. It was clear that he was in the last stage of emotional excitement. Maria Alexandrovna immediately poured oil on the fire.
"Why, Prince, I do believe you are falling in love with my Zina," she cried, feeling that the moment was a solemn one.
The prince"s reply surpa.s.sed her fondest expectations.
"I am madly in love with her!" cried the old man, all animated, of a sudden. He was still on his knees, and he trembled with excitement as he spoke. "I am ready to give my life for her! And if only I could hope, if only I might have a little hope-I,-but, lift me up; I feel so weak. I-if only she would give me the hope that I might offer her my heart, I-she should sing ballads to me every day; and I could look at her, and look and gaze and gaze at her.--Oh, my G.o.d! my G.o.d!"
"Prince, Prince! you are offering her your hand. You want to take her from me, my Zina! my darling, my _ange_, my own dear child, Zina! No, Zina, no, I can"t let you go! They must tear you from me, Zina. They must tear you first from your mother"s arms!"
Maria Alexandrovna sprang to her daughter, and caught her up in a close embrace, conscious, withal, of serious physical resistance on Zina"s part.
The fond mother was a little overdoing it.
Zina felt this with all her soul, and she looked on at the whole comedy with inexpressible loathing.
However, she held her tongue, and that was all the fond mother required of her.
"She has refused nine men because she will not leave me!" said Maria. "But this time, I fear-my heart tells me that we are doomed to part! I noticed just now how she looked at you, Prince. You have impressed her with your aristocratic manner, with your refinement. Oh! Prince, you are going to separate us-I feel it, I feel it!"
"I ad-ore her!" murmured the poor old man, still trembling like an autumnal leaf.
"And you"ll consent to leave your mother!" cried Maria Alexandrovna, throwing herself upon her daughter once more. Zina made haste to bring this, to her, painful scene to an end. She stretched her pretty hand silently to the prince, and even forced herself to smile. The prince reverently took the little hand into his own, and covered it with kisses.
"I am only this mo-ment beginning to live," he mutterred, in a voice that seemed choking with rapture and ecstasy.
"Zina," began Maria Alexandrovna, solemnly, "look well at this man! This is the most honest and upright and n.o.ble man of all the men I know. He is a knight of the middle ages! But she knows it, Prince, she knows it too well; to my grief I say it. Oh! why did you come here? I am surrendering my treasure to you-my angel! Oh! take care of her, Prince. Her mother entreats you to watch over her. And what mother could blame my grief!"
"Enough, mamma! that"s enough," said Zina, quietly.
"Protect her from all hurt and insult, Prince! Can I rely upon your sword to flash in the face of the vile scandal-monger who dares to offend my Zina?"
"Enough, mother, I tell you! am I--?"
"Ye-yes, ye-yes, it shall flash all right," said the prince. "But I want to be married now, at once. I-I"m only just learning what it is to live. I want to send off to Donchanovo at once. I want to send for some di-iamonds I have there. I want to lay them at her feet.--I--"
"What n.o.ble ardour! what ecstasy of love! what n.o.ble, generous feelings you have, Prince!" cried Maria Alexandrovna. "And you could bury yourself-_bury_ yourself, far from the world and society! I shall remind you of this a thousand times! I go mad when I think of that _h.e.l.lish_ woman."
"What could I do? I was fri-ghtened!" stammered the prince in a whining voice: "they wanted to put me in a lu-unatic asylum! I was dreadfully alarmed!"