LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1871, 21 February 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

KARATAEF. ( Concluded ) ' I was choklog with anger. 'As, to that, madame, we are beating around to no end. It is not a question of marriage. I simply wish to know Yes or No if you will Bell me the girl Matrena. your slave ?' ' On this old lady Number two rose with threatening looks and went with solicitude to Number one, who cried out "ohl " and "ah!" as if I were the devil in person. "Ah, this man has all upset me!_ Oh! there, there, send him away, put him out quick—oh! oh! " Number two scolded at me so loud and fast that I could not get in a word of explanation and fairly ran off. ' Perhaps you judge me severely for this attachment for a woman of the lower class. I do not pretend to justify my weakness, I only state the facts. From this moment I had no peace. I reproached myself with having ruined the poor girl. 1 imagined her in coarse clothes guarding getse and groaning under the fiightful insults of some brutal overseer. I could no longer restrain my impatience, eo I made enquiries and succeeded in finding out where Matrena had been sent. _ I mounted my horse and started off; but with

all my diligence I did not reach the place until the evening of the second day. It was easy to see that no such movement on my part had been expected, no measures taken to meet such an emergency. I went straight to the overseer's house, as any gentleman would have done. As I entered the courtyard the first thing that met my eyes was Matrena, sitting in the doorway, her head in her hands. After the first instant of stupor she was just about to utter a cry of joy, bat I made her a sign to be Bilent, and pointed to the fields on the west, out of sight of the huts. I entered the house and told the overseer some made-up story calculated to deceive him as to my real self, and when a favorable moment came I went to meet Matrena. I found her easily enough. She clnng to my neck and could not leave off kissing my hair and hands- Poor little dove. She was pale, and had grown so thin. 'There, there,'l said, 'have done with tears, do you hear ? ' I said this, but I was crying like a woman myself. However, I was ashamed, and went on—'Matrena, tears are no remedy for a great wrong. On the contrary you must Bhow resolution; you must run away from here, I will take you behind me on my horse; it is the only thing to be done.' ' But think of it ? If I should do this they would be so infuriated against me that they would tear me to pieces.' * Foolish child ! who would discover you !' ' Oh, they would find me out; they would find me out,'she said, in a terrified voice. Then recovering from this emotion to submit to another, she added : ' I thank you. Peotre Petrovitch. In all my life I shall not forget the love you have shown to me here, and here I will stay.' ' Matrena, I thought you full of character, and here yon are half dead and not showing the least courage.' She really had plenty of courage, and her heart was pure gold, I assure you, sir. ■ Great God ! why wish to stay here ? If your flight should bring yon suffering [you will have lost nothing, for you never can be more unhappy than in this savage hamlet; and, moreover, I am sure this brute of an overseer gives you kicks and cuffs simply for the pleasure of beating.' Matrena reddened and her teeth ohattered; then thinking of the consequences of so de< oided a movement—- ' My flight would be the undoing of all my people.' ' Do you think that your family would be persecuted 2' ' My brother would be sent here in my place, and how hard he would find that. My father would not be driven away, for he is the only good tailor in my lady's court.' •Ah, you see 1 and your brother would not be here long. Your father will remember every day that the young fellow is innocent, and will plead for him until they bring him back.' 'Perhaps bo, but you—you will be responsible, you will be disturbed; I would rather die than be the cause of all that will happen.' * As to that, that is my look out, and youra.' ' Matrena turned and returned all her objections, but she was already wavering, and finally I carried her oft—not this time, but at the end of another visit. I came by night, in a waggon. She had summoned up her courage and I carried her away. I got home the next day at dusk and installed her there. I employed but few servants, and my people, I say it without boasting, were so devoted to me that they would not have betrayed me for all the treasure of the world. I was wildly happy. Matrena, remembering her past sorrows only to drink deeper of her present joy, was not long in getting back her health and spirits. I, seeing her so beautiful, so happy, so grateful for my care grew more and more attached to her. How charming she was ! —explain it as you may, but she knew how so sing, dance, and play on the guitar. I took care that none of my neighbours should see her, for how was I to prevent them from gossiping ? But I had one friend, a very intimate friend, Gornosaaef. He was devoted to her, and kissed her hands as if she were a noble lady. He was very wise and learned and taught my little Matrena how to write. I gave her a wardrobe so that, as far as toilette went, she could outshine the wife of his Excellency the Governor. She had one coat in particular of crimson velvet with a collar of blaok fox fur. Ah, how lovely she looked in that—it was a "Madame" of Moscow who made it after the latest fashion. Sometimes it happened that Matrena would sit for hours together, dreamy and motionless, her eyes fixed on the floor, and I would stay there fairly devouring her with my eyes, as if I had never seen her so lovely before. If she smiled my heart would die within me for happinest. Sometimes she would rush at me, seize upon me, and press me to her with so much ardor that my senses swam. It was a delirium of bliss, and my one thought from morning to night was to give her some fresh pleasure. ' Thus we passed five months. You can believe that I should have liked it to have lasted forever, but I was born unluoky,' said Karataef with his familiar gesture of renouncement. ' It was I who ruined her and sent all my happiness to the devil.' Matrena delighted in a sleigh ride, and I used to give her pleasure toward the evening at an hour when there was small risk of any encounter. One day we planned a long excursion, and chose for it an afternoon of incomparable beauty. It was very cold, with a brilliant sunset and not a breath of wind. As we set off, Matrena took possession of the reins, and I, contented and absentminded, allowed her to keep them. When I looked around me to see where we were going, was she not taking the road to Soukouefka, her mistress' place, and we were very near the farm ? 'Foolish child,' I said, 'where are you going ?' She glanced back at me over her shoulder and laughed, and I thought she wanted to have the pleasure this once of showing herself with the dress and turn-cut of a great lady, and to pass in style the houses where once she .... ah, it is sweet to her! And I was weak enough to let her go on. We pushed forward rapidly ; my horses seemed to fly. Already the cros s and roof of the little church were in sight » but, just before us, on the narrow road, we saw an old green carriage, creeping along like a tortoise, and behind stood a tall lackey, in the livery of the great lady's house. It was the old mistress, who, by some extraordinary chance, was taking an evening airing. I was already intensely anxious about this meeting, but Matrena hurried on right in a line with the heavy vehicle whose coachman seemed uneasy about the unruly troika which seemed ready to fall like an avalanche upon hi 3 own horses, He wished to make way for us, pulled the bridle with too much zeal and—was upset in a turfy ditch. ' The glass of the window was broken, the lady cried out, her companion screamed to the coachman, but we —we fled like the wind. ' Can you believe it, Bir ? that everlasting old woman had recognized Matrena and me and lodged a complaint against us, in which she declared that her slave girl, a fugitive from her house, lived in secret with Mr Karataef, and was hidden on his property. In making this complaint she engaged the police to prosecute me. ' Of what vagaries are they not capable, these wealthy country ladies who die of ennui in their old manors ? This one gave me no end of trouble. I threw away my money madly, and gained only short reprieves. I had immense difficulties in keeping Matrena hidden. They spread twenty snares for me, in which it was a miracle I was not caught. I was tracked and haunted like a hare. The old lady grew more and more farious against me, and declared that, if it cost ten thousand roubles, she would have justice for those ' two turtle doves.' The secret of her anger was that when she first saw me she conceived the idea of marrying me to her companion, the person in green,' and my refusal, renewed later on, was the reason of this declaration of such bitter war against me. 'I fell into debt; I mortgaged all my land ; I lost my health as well as my place, and one night I was lying sleepless, I cried aloud, Great God! what crime have I committed that I should suffer thus! what shall I do ? I certainly cannot stop loving her ; that is beyond my strength ! 1 heard footsteps in my room, and saw Matrena. I had hidden her In a farm about two verstes from my house, and her appearance now alarmed me, for I thought she had been discovered there. •No,' she answered, to my eager question, ' no one oomes to Borebnova; but this can go no further, dear Peotro Petrovitch. Your

condition is deplorable, and I can no longer endure to see yon in this state. * My dearest, you know that I am incapable of ever forgetting the fourteen months of happiness that I owe to your love, bat the moment has come when it is my duty to say farewell to you.' * What are you talking about V What do you mean by "farewell," and why should you bid me adieu ?' ' Don't be agitated; think only of your health, I have had a happiness unknown to my equals, and now I am going where duty calls me—to deliver myself up to the justice of my mistress.' ' You are mad! Do you know that I am going to lock you up in the garret ? Do you wish to finish my rnin, to kill me with grief ? Rpeak ! Lift up your eyes! What is this new idea ?—speak 1' ' I can no longer be the cauie of your misery. I know what you suffer ; I see it.' * Unhappy woman ! Your mistress ! your mistress ! What shall I say to you ? Oh, girl, you do not know —' Here Karatief sobbed aloud, but hurried to finish his story. ' Well, what will yon Bay to this?' he cried, as he struck the table with his fist and wrinkled his brows, in a vain effort to check the tears which iell in streams over his flaming cheeks—' the unhappy creature went and gave herself up—went that night, on foot, a suppliant, to her lady's door and gave herself up.' ' Gentlemen, your horses are ready,' announced the master of the station. We rose —my companion of the Samavar and I. ' And what did they do to poor Matrena ?' Mr Rarataef's only response was the gesture of which I have already spoken.