"Look here, my dear sir," he began, addressing Ptitsin in a very loud tone of voice; "if you have really made up your mind to sacrifice an old man--your father too or at all events father of your wife--an old man who has served his emperor--to a wretched little atheist like this, all I can say is, sir, my foot shall cease to tread your floors. Make your choice, sir; make your choice quickly, if you please! Me or this--screw! Yes, screw, sir; I said it accidentally, but let the word stand--this screw, for he screws and drills himself into my soul--""Hadn't you better say corkscrew?" said Hippolyte.
"No, sir, NOT corkscrew. I am a general, not a bottle, sir. Make your choice, sir--me or him."Here Colia handed him a chair, and he subsided into it, breathless with rage.
"Hadn't you better--better--take a nap?" murmured the stupefied Ptitsin.
"A nap?" shrieked the general. "I am not drunk, sir; you insult me! I see," he continued, rising, "I see that all are against me here. Enough--I go; but know, sirs--know that--"He was not allowed to finish his sentence. Somebody pushed him back into his chair, and begged him to be calm. Nina Alexandrovna trembled, and cried quietly. Gania retired to the window in disgust.
"But what have I done? What is his grievance?" asked Hippolyte, grinning.
"What have you done, indeed?" put in Nina Alexandrovna. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, teasing an old man like that--and in your position, too."
"And pray what IS my position, madame? I have the greatest respect for you, personally; but--""He's a little screw," cried the general; "he drills holes my heart and soul. He wishes me to be a pervert to atheism. Know, you young greenhorn, that I was covered with honours before ever you were born; and you are nothing better than a wretched little worm, torn in two with coughing, and dying slowly of your own malice and unbelief. What did Gavrila bring you over here for?
They're all against me, even to my own son--all against me.""Oh, come--nonsense!" cried Gania; "if you did not go shaming us all over the town, things might be better for all parties.""What--shame you? I?--what do you mean, you young calf? I shame you? I can only do you honour, sir; I cannot shame you."He jumped up from his chair in a fit of uncontrollable rage.
Gania was very angry too.
"Honour, indeed!" said the latter, with contempt.
"What do you say, sir?" growled the general, taking a step towards him.
"I say that I have but to open my mouth, and you--"Gania began, but did not finish. The two--father and son--stood before one another, both unspeakably agitated, especially Gania.
"Gania, Gania, reflect!" cried his mother, hurriedly.
"It's all nonsense on both sides," snapped out Varia. "Let them alone, mother.""It's only for mother's sake that I spare him," said Gania, tragically.
"Speak!" said the general, beside himself with rage and excitement; "speak--under the penalty of a father's curse "Oh, father's curse be hanged--you don't frighten me that way!"said Gania. "Whose fault is it that you have been as mad as a March hare all this week? It is just a week--you see, I count the days. Take care now; don't provoke me too much, or I'll tell all.
Why did you go to the Epanchins' yesterday--tell me that? And you call yourself an old man, too, with grey hair, and father of a family! H'm--nice sort of a father.""Be quiet, Gania," cried Colia. "Shut up, you fool!""Yes, but how have I offended him?" repeated Hippolyte, still in the same jeering voice. " Why does he call me a screw? You all heard it. He came to me himself and began telling me about some Captain Eropegoff. I don't wish for your company, general. Ialways avoided you--you know that. What have I to do with Captain Eropegoff? All I did was to express my opinion that probably Captain Eropegoff never existed at all!""Of course he never existed!" Gania interrupted.
But the general only stood stupefied and gazed around in a dazed way. Gania's speech had impressed him, with its terrible candour.
For the first moment or two he could find no words to answer him, and it was only when Hippolyte burst out laughing, and said:
"There, you see! Even your own son supports my statement that there never was such a person as Captain Eropegoff!" that the old fellow muttered confusedly:
"Kapiton Eropegoff--not Captain Eropegoff!--Kapiton--major retired--Eropegoff--Kapiton.""Kapiton didn't exist either!" persisted Gania, maliciously.
"What? Didn't exist?" cried the poor general, and a deep blush suffused his face.
"That'll do, Gania!" cried Varia and Ptitsin.
"Shut up, Gania!" said Colia.
But this intercession seemed to rekindle the general.
"What did you mean, sir, that he didn't exist? Explain yourself,"he repeated, angrily.
"Because he DIDN'T exist--never could and never did--there! You'd better drop the subject, I warn you!""And this is my son--my own son--whom I--oh, gracious Heaven!
Eropegoff--Eroshka Eropegoff didn't exist!"
"Ha, ha! it's Eroshka now," laughed Hippolyte.
"No, sir, Kapitoshka--not Eroshka. I mean, Kapiton Alexeyevitch--retired major--married Maria Petrovna Lu--Lu--he was my friend and companion--Lutugoff--from our earliest beginnings. I closed his eyes for him--he was killed. Kapiton Eropegoff never existed! tfu!"
The general shouted in his fury; but it was to be concluded that his wrath was not kindled by the expressed doubt as to Kapiton's existence. This was his scapegoat; but his excitement was caused by something quite different. As a rule he would have merely shouted down the doubt as to Kapiton, told a long yarn about his friend, and eventually retired upstairs to his room. But today, in the strange uncertainty of human nature, it seemed to require but so small an offence as this to make his cup to overflow. The old man grew purple in the face, he raised his hands. "Enough of this!" he yelled. "My curse--away, out of the house I go! Colia, bring my bag away!" He left the room hastily and in a paroxy** of rage.