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'Fie, fie! cried Darya Mihailovna, 'I wonder you're not ashamed to say so, you old sinner! No truth? What is there to live for in the world after that? 'Well, I go so far as to think, Darya Mihailovna, retorted Pigasov, in a tone of annoyance, 'that it would be much easier for you, in any case, to live without truth than without your cook, Stepan, who is such a master hand at soups!
Rudin seemed uncertain at first, and not disposed to speak out freely; his words did not come readily, but at last he grew warm and began to speak. In a quarter of an hour his voice was the only sound in the room, All were crowding in a circle round him. Only Pigasov remained aloof, in a corner by the fireplace.
'I don't like that prig, Pigasov used to say, 'he expresses himself so affectedly like a hero of a romance. If he says "I," he stops in rapt admiration, "I, yes, I!" and the phrases he uses are all so drawn-out; if you sneeze, he will begin at once to explain to you exactly why you sneezed and did not cough. If he praises you, it's just as if he were creating you a prince.
Once a horse had bolted with one of Darya Mihailovna's maids, thrown her into a ditch and almost killed her. From that time Pigasov never spoke of that horse except as the 'good, good horse, and he even came to regard the hill and the ditch as specially picturesque spots. Pigasov had failed in life and had adopted this whimsical craze. He came of poor parents.
In discussions he always first bantered his opponent, then grew cross, and finally sulked and was silent. 'Here it is, continued Rudin. 'I cannot help, I own, feeling sincere regret when I hear sensible people attack 'Systems? interposed Pigasov. 'Yes, with your leave, even systems. What frightens you so much in that word?
And in those days I was afraid he was turning your head. 'No, replied Alexandra Pavlovna naively, 'he always seemed too learned for me. I was afraid of him, and never knew what to say in his presence. But wasn't Pigasov nasty in his ridicule of him to-day? 'Pigasov? responded Lezhnyov. 'That was just why I stood up for Rudin so warmly, because Pigasov was here.
While you gratify your vanity, you are deprived of the true consolations of thought; life the essence of life evades your petty and jaundiced criticism, and you end by scolding and becoming ridiculous. Only one who loves has the right to censure and find fault. 'Voila, Monsieur Pigasov enterre, observed Darya Mihailovna. 'What a genius you have for defining a man!
'Not a bit harshly, replied Pigasov; 'but perfectly fairly. In my opinion, he is simply nothing else than a sponge. I forgot to tell you, he continued, turning to Lezhnyov, 'that I have made the acquaintance of that Terlahov, with whom Rudin travelled abroad. Yes! Yes! What he told me of him, you cannot imagine it's simply screaming!
He came last winter to Moscow for a short time, and then went with a family to Simbirsk. I corresponded with him for some time; in his last letter he informed me he was leaving Simbirsk he did not say where he was going and since then I have heard nothing of him. 'He is all right! put in Pigasov. 'He is staying somewhere sermonising.
Having taken his degree as candidate, Pigasov decided to devote himself to the scholastic profession; he understood that in any other career he could not possibly be the equal of his associates. He tried to select them from a higher rank and knew how to gain their good graces; even by flattery, though he was always abusing them. But to do this he had not, to speak plainly, enough raw material.
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