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But in the country, in the wilds, she not only caught his attention, she was positively the sole cause of the transformation of which I have just been speaking. Consider the position. Vassily Ivanovitch liked to enjoy life; he could not but be bored in the country; his brothers were good-natured fellows, but extremely limited people: he had nothing in common with them.
His father confided him to the care of a distant kinsman, a man no longer young, a bachelor, and a terrible Voltairean. Vassily grew up and went into the army. He was not tall, but was well-built and exceedingly elegant; he spoke French excellently, and was renowned for his skilful swordsmanship. He was considered one of the most brilliant young men of the beginning of the reign of Catherine.
He fills up his place, and without the least remorse like a tradesman behind his counter he sells his influence as if it were merchandise. It happens now and then that he is caught. 'Served him right, say his comrades then; 'take bribes, but take them prudently, so as not to be caught." "But they are not all as you describe them," remarked Vassily Ivanovitsch. "Certainly not.
'Akulinushka, he faltered, with a heavy sigh, 'our sins, sins ... 'Vassily Nikititch, let us go at once! Do you hear, at once, at once, she said, pulling her kerchief on to her forehead with one hand, while with the other she supported the pilgrim under the elbow; 'let us go, Vassily Nikititch: there is danger here.
At home, too, Vassily managed, in the course of a few days, to turn every one's head just as before.
Look you where I sowed last spring. How I did work at it! I do my best, Konstantin Dmitrievitch, d'ye see, as I would for my own father. I don't like bad work myself, nor would I let another man do it. What's good for the master's good for us too. To look out yonder now," said Vassily, pointing, "it does one's heart good." "It's a lovely spring, Vassily."
Meanwhile Vassily Lukitch had not at first understood who this lady was, and had learned from their conversation that it was no other person than the mother who had left her husband, and whom he had not seen, as he had entered the house after her departure. He was in doubt whether to go in or not, or whether to communicate with Alexey Alexandrovitch.
An iron railing enclosed a large slab with a detailed and enthusiastically laudatory epitaph on the deceased woman; and there, beside it, as it were at her feet, could be seen a little mound with a slanting cross on it; the servant of God, the brigadier and cavalier, Vassily Guskov, lay under this mound.... His ashes found rest at last beside the ashes of the creature he had loved with such unbounded, almost undying, love.
The peasants, alarmed at such an unheard-of occurrence, ran up and saw their master and mistress and all their young ones, except the eldest, Vassily, who was left behind in Petersburg. From that memorable day down to the very day of his death, Ivan Andreevitch never left Lutchinovka. He built himself a house, the very house in which I have the pleasure of conversing with you at this moment.
Previous to the incident of the forged coupon, Vassily could not actually believe that rich people lived without any moral law.
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