The Torrents Of Spring

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Pantaleone got up, looked at his watch, straightened his topknot of hair, and hurriedly stuffed into his shoe an end of tape which was sticking out below his trouser-leg, and the young sub-lieutenant came in, as red and embarrassed as ever. Sanin presented the seconds to each other. ‘M. Richter, sous-lieutenant, M. Cippatola, artiste!’ The sub-lieutenant was slightly disconcerted by the old man’s appearance … Oh, what would he have said had any one whispered to him at that instant that the ‘artist’ presented to him was also employed in the culinary art! But Pantaleone assumed an air as though taking part in the preliminaries of duels was for him the most everyday affair: probably he was assisted at this juncture by the recollections of his theatrical career, and he played the part of second simply as a part. Both he and the sub-lieutenant were silent for a little. ‘Well? Let us come to business!’ Pantaleone spoke first, playing with his cornelian seal. ‘By all means,’ responded the sub-lieutenant, ‘but … the presence of one of the principals … ’ ‘I will leave you at once, gentlemen,’ cried Sanin, and with a bow he went away into the bedroom and closed the door after him. He flung himself on the bed and began thinking of Gemma … but the conversation of the seconds reached him through the shut door. It was conducted in the French language; both maltreated it mercilessly, each after his own fashion. Pantaleone again alluded to the dragoons in Padua, and Principe Tarbuski; the sub-lieutenant to ‘exghizes léchères’ and ‘goups de bistolet à l’amiaple.’ But the old man would not even hear of any exghizes! To Sanin’s horror, he suddenly proceeded to talk of a certain young lady, an innocent maiden, whose little finger was worth more than all the officers in the world … (oune zeune damigella innoucenta, qu’a elle sola dans soun péti doa vale pin que tout le zouffissié del mondo.’), and repeated several times with heat: ‘It’s shameful! it’s shameful!’ (E ouna onta, ouna onta!) The sub-lieutenant at first made him no reply, but presently an angry quiver could be heard in the young man’s voice, and he observed that he had not come there to listen to sermonising. ‘At your age it is always a good thing to hear the truth!’ cried Pantaleone. The debate between the seconds several times became stormy; it lasted over an hour, and was concluded at last on the following conditions: ‘Baron von Dönhof and M. de Sanin to meet the next day at ten o’clock in a small wood near Hanau, at the distance of twenty paces; each to have the right to fire twice at a signal given by the seconds, the pistols to be 42
single-triggered and not rifle-barrelled.’ Herr von Richter withdrew, and Pantaleone solemnly opened the bedroom door, and after communicating the result of their deliberations, cried again: ‘Bravo Russo! Bravo giovanotto! You will be victor!’ A few minutes later they both set off to the Rosellis’ shop. Sanin, as a preliminary measure, had exacted a promise from Pantaleone to keep the affair of the duel a most profound secret. In reply, the old man had merely held up his finger, and half closing his eyes, whispered twice over, Segredezza! He was obviously in good spirits, and even walked with a freer step. All these unusual incidents, unpleasant though they might be, carried him vividly back to the time when he himself both received and gave challenges – only, it is true, on the stage. Baritones, as we all know, have a great deal of strutting and fuming to do in their parts. 43
Page 1 and 2: The Torrents Of Spring Turgenev, Iv
Page 3 and 4: ‘Years of gladness, Days of joy,
Page 5 and 6: I It was the summer of 1840. Sanin
Page 7 and 8: ‘But meanwhile Emil will die!’
Page 9 and 10: ‘He is saved, mother, he is alive
Page 11 and 12: Roselli pointed to his portrait, pa
Page 13 and 14: much ado and accompanying himself w
Page 15 and 16: illustrissimo maestro Rossini - in
Page 17 and 18: ‘The whole fare!’ Sanin said do
Page 19 and 20: VIII He had not finished dressing,
Page 21 and 22: IX Emil, who had continued to stand
Page 23 and 24: presence of the ladies of the house
Page 25 and 26: XI The bell tinkled at the outer do
Page 27 and 28: XII It appeared that Gemma was not
Page 29 and 30: carrying with him the image of the
Page 31 and 32: powerful whiff of the most refined
Page 33 and 34: mirthfulness of the company; he beg
Page 35 and 36: muttered something unintelligible,
Page 37 and 38: embarrassed by his presence - Gemma
Page 39 and 40: and all that’s left is that I am
Page 41: XVIII An hour later the waiter came
Page 45 and 46: to leave off, and for the first tim
Page 47 and 48: XX It was bright starlight when he
Page 49 and 50: XXI It was quite morning when he fe
Page 51 and 52: ‘Your return,’ moaned Emil - an
Page 53 and 54: The old man looked dejectedly at hi
Page 55 and 56: arm with Baron Dönhof. And afterwa
Page 57 and 58: XXIII He slept for some hours witho
Page 59 and 60: you… .’ And Frau Lenore half ro
Page 61 and 62: ‘Oh, come! I have not been expose
Page 63 and 64: ‘Very well,’ said Gemma. ‘If
Page 65 and 66: that I cannot give you any advice
Page 67 and 68: XXVI At eight o’clock next mornin
Page 69 and 70: morning, in one of the public garde
Page 71 and 72: to say, which could compare, in imp
Page 73 and 74: XXVIII Sanin walked along, at one t
Page 75 and 76: ‘But, Gemma,’ cried Sanin, ‘d
Page 77 and 78: XXIX If Gemma had announced that sh
Page 79 and 80: XXX The transition from despair to
Page 81 and 82: ‘Come, that’s nonsense, nonsens
Page 83 and 84: XXXI Sanin woke up very early. He f
Page 85 and 86: ordered with intense care a very la
Page 87 and 88: ‘There’s one means,’ Polozov
Page 89 and 90: argaining with her. I shall tell he
Page 91 and 92: XXXIII It takes less than an hour i
Page 93 and 94:
flew up another man, also very well
Page 95 and 96:
But Gemma’s image preserved Sanin
Page 97 and 98:
XXXV The free and easy deportment o
Page 99 and 100:
‘I should be satisfied with a few
Page 101 and 102:
XXXVI Long after midnight the lamp
Page 103 and 104:
avenues of the park, now mounting a
Page 105 and 106:
XXXVII Sanin proceeded to expound h
Page 107 and 108:
XXXVIII Oh, what a deep sigh of del
Page 109 and 110:
much as her diamonds; she seemed in
Page 111 and 112:
XXXIX In the year 1840, the theatre
Page 113 and 114:
Maria Nikolaevna suddenly turned to
Page 115 and 116:
‘Yes, Dimitri Pavlovitch,’ she
Page 117 and 118:
XL The play lasted over an hour lon
Page 119 and 120:
faith in its pressure. What sort of
Page 121 and 122:
She seemed so happy that Sanin was
Page 123 and 124:
XLII This track soon changed into a
Page 125 and 126:
and plunged into a rather narrow go
Page 127 and 128:
The same day, two hours later, Sani
Page 129 and 130:
that smile he knows already, the sm
Page 131 and 132:
probably know her husband’s addre
Page 133 and 134:
We will not attempt to describe the
Page 135 and 136:
continues today to seem as fresh an
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The Torrents Of Spring

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