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Updated: May 20, 2025
It ended by Kupfer taking him next day to spend an evening at the princess's. But Aratov did not remain there long. To begin with, he found there some twenty visitors, men and women, sympathetic people possibly, but still strangers, and this oppressed him, even though he had to do very little talking; and that, he feared above all things.
Foolish Clara!" resounded in his soul. Nevertheless, Arátoff passed the following day in a fairly tranquil manner. He was even able to devote himself to his customary occupations. There was only one thing: both during his busy time and in his leisure moments he thought incessantly of Clara, of what Kupfer had told him the day before.
Agitation, surprise, expectation had been depicted on his face when he went to Kupfer.... Now he advanced with an even gait, downcast eyes, and hat pulled low down over his brows; almost every one he met followed him with a searching gaze ... but he paid no heed to the passers-by ... it was quite different from what it had been on the boulevard!... "Unhappy Clara!
Strange to say, that solitary friend of Arátoff's, Kupfer by name, a German who was Russified to the extent of not knowing a single word of German, and even used the epithet "German" as a term of opprobrium, that friend had, to all appearance, nothing in common with him.
Arátoff went about his customary avocations, busying himself now with one, now with another; but his work did not make progress, was not a success. Suddenly he noticed that he was waiting for Kupfer, that he wanted to interrogate him, or even communicate something to him.... But Kupfer did not make his appearance.
"Thou hast been to Kazán? Why so?" "Why, because I wished to collect information about that ... Clara Mílitch." "The girl who poisoned herself?" "Yes." Kupfer shook his head. "What a fellow thou art! And such a sly one! Thou hast travelled a thousand versts there and back ... and all for what? Hey? If there had only been some feminine interest there!
'Well, do you see, pursued Kupfer, getting more and more heated: 'there is a society here of amateurs, artistic people, who from time to time get up readings, concerts, even theatrical performances for some charitable object. 'And the princess has a hand in it? interposed Aratov. 'The princess has a hand in all good deeds, but that's not the point.
"I'll restore him to thee in all his pristine purity!" cried Kupfer, at whom Platonída Ivánovna, in spite of her confidence, kept casting uneasy glances; Arátoff blushed to his very ears but he ceased to object. It ended in Kupfer taking him, on the following day, to the Princess's evening assembly. But Arátoff did not remain there long.
Kupfer, in his quality of a manager, with a white ribbon on the lapel of his dress-coat, bustled and fussed about with all his might; the Princess was visibly excited, kept looking about her, launching smiles in all directions, and chatting with her neighbours ... there were only men in her immediate vicinity.
She was proud as Satan himself and unapproachable! A headstrong creature! Hard as rock! You'll hardly believe it though I knew her so well I never saw a tear in her eyes! 'But I have, Aratov thought to himself. 'But there's one thing, continued Kupfer, 'of late I noticed a great change in her: she grew so dull, so silent, for hours together there was no getting a word out of her.
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