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Updated: June 26, 2025
The room was instantly filled with an odour of musk and of tobacco, quite overpowering the fresh scents of the garden. "Ah! how do you do, Pavel Lvovitsch!" cried Sarudine as he hastily rose. Volochine shook hands, sat down by the window and proceeded to light a cigar.
"Yes, you're right," said Sarudine, growing interested in his turn, as he twirled his moustache complacently. "Take off her corset, and the smartest Petersburg woman becomes Oh! by the way, have you heard the latest?" said Volochine, interrupting himself. "No, I dare say not," replied Sarudine, leaning forward, eagerly.
Sarudine turned hastily over on the sofa and lay motionless, without noticing that the compress, now grown warm, had slipped off his face. "Now all is at an end!" he murmured hysterically, "What is at an end? Everything! My whole life done for! Why? Because I've been insulted struck like a dog! My face struck with the fist! I can never remain in the regiment, never!"
Upon Volochine, her appearance produced an extraordinary effect, as his sharp little tongue darted out from his dry lips, and his eyes grew smaller and his whole frame vibrated from sheer physical excitement. "You haven't introduced us," said Lida, looking round at Sarudine. "Volochine ... Pavel Lvovitsch ..." stammered the officer. "And this beauty," he said to himself, "was my mistress."
Sarudine continued walking up and down obviously irritated, but gradually growing calmer. When the servant brought in the beer, he drank off a tumbler of the ice-cold foaming beverage with evident gusto. Then as he sucked the end of his moustache, he said, as if nothing had happened. "Lida came again to see me yesterday, A fine girl, I tell you! As hot as they make them."
What matters is that my whole life is ruined, and that I shall have to leave the regiment. And the duel? What about that? He won't fight. I shall have to leave the regiment." Sarudine recollected how a regimental committee had forced two brother- officers, married men, to resign because they had refused to fight a duel. "I shall be asked to resign in the same way.
"I have just been persuading Lidia Petrovna to study singing seriously. With such a voice, her career is assured." "A fine career, upon my word!" sullenly rejoined Novikoff, looking aside. "What is wrong with it?" asked Sarudine, in genuine amazement, removing the cigarette from his lips. "Why, what's an actress? Nothing else but a harlot!" replied Novikoff, with sudden heat.
Her eyes seemed to say: "What is that to you, since you are not going to marry her?" "I don't know. Probably in her room," she coldly replied. Volochine shot another glance at his companion. "Can't you manage to make Lida come down quickly?" it said. "This old woman's becoming a bore." Sarudine opened his mouth and feebly twisted his moustache.
"I only got here yesterday," said the gentleman in white, in a determined tone, though his voice sounded like the suppressed crowing of a cock. "My comrades," said Sarudine, introducing the others. "Gentlemen, this is Mr. Pavel Lvovitsch Volochine." Volochine bowed slightly. "We must make a note of that!" observed the tipsy Ivanoff, much to Sarudine's horror. "Pray sit down, Pavel Lvovitsch.
The orderly now entered the room, a little freckled fellow who in slow, clumsy fashion stood at attention, and, without looking at Sarudine, said, "If you please, sir, you asked for beer, but there isn't any more." Sarudine's face grew red, as involuntarily he glanced at Tanaroff. "Well, this is really a bit too much!" he thought. "He knows that I am hard up, yet beer has to be sent for."
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