THE VICE-GOVERNOR OF THE PRISON.

Awaking early the next morning, Nekhludoff remembered what he had done the day before, and was seized with fear.

But in spite of this fear, he was more determined than ever to continue what he had begun.

Conscious of a sense of duty, he left the house and went to see Maslennikoff in order to obtain from him a permission to visit Maslova in prison, and also the Menshoffs--mother and son--about whom Maslova had spoken to him. Nekhludoff had known this Maslennikoff a long time; they had been in the regiment together. At that time Maslennikoff was treasurer to the regiment.

He was a kind-hearted and zealous officer, knowing and wishing to know nothing beyond the regiment and the Imperial family. Now Nekhludoff saw him as an administrator, who had exchanged the regiment for an administrative office in the government where he lived. He was married to a rich and energetic woman, who had forced him to exchange military for civil service. She laughed at him, and caressed him, as if he were her own pet animal. Nekhludoff had been to see them once during the winter, but the couple were so uninteresting to him that he had not gone again.

At the sight of Nekhludoff Maslennikoff's face beamed all over. He had the same fat red face, and was as corpulent and as well dressed as in his military days. Then, he used to be always dressed in a well-brushed uniform, made according to the latest fashion, tightly fitting his chest and shoulders; now, it was a civil service uniform he wore, and that, too, tightly fitted his well-fed body and showed off his broad chest, and was cut according to the latest fashion. In spite of the difference in age (Maslennikoff was 40), the two men were very familiar with one another.

"Halloo, old fellow! How good of you to come! Let us go and see my wife. I have just ten minutes to spare before the meeting. My chief is away, you know. I am at the head of the Government administration," he said, unable to disguise his satisfaction.

"I have come on business."

"What is it?" said Maslennikoff, in an anxious and severe tone, putting himself at once on his guard.

"There is a person, whom I am very much interested in, in prison" (at the word "prison" Maslennikoff's face grew stern); "and I should like to have an interview in the office, and not in the common visiting-room. I have been told it depended on you."

"Certainly, mon cher," said Maslennikoff, putting both hands on Nekhludoff's knees, as if to tone down his grandeur; "but remember, I am monarch only for an hour."

"Then will you give me an order that will enable me to see her?"

"It's a woman?"

"Yes."

"What is she there for?"

"Poisoning, but she has been unjustly condemned."

"Yes, there you have it, your justice administered by jury, ils n'en font point d'autres," he said, for some unknown reason, in French. "I know you do not agree with me, but it can't be helped, c'est mon opinion bien arretee," he added, giving utterance to an opinion he had for the last twelve months been reading in the retrograde Conservative paper. "I know you are a Liberal."

"I don't know whether I am a Liberal or something else," Nekhludoff said, smiling; it always surprised him to find himself ranked with a political party and called a Liberal, when he maintained that a man should be heard before he was judged, that before being tried all men were equal, that nobody at all ought to be ill-treated and beaten, but especially those who had not yet been condemned by law. "I don't know whether I am a Liberal or not; but I do know that however had the present way of conducting a trial is, it is better than the old."

"And whom have you for an advocate?"

"I have spoken to Fanarin."

"Dear me, Fanarin!" said Meslennikoff, with a grimace, recollecting how this Fanarin had examined him as a witness at a trial the year before and had, in the politest manner, held him up to ridicule for half an hour.

"I should not advise you to have anything to do with him. _Fanarin est un homme tare_."

"I have one more request to make," said Nekhludoff, without answering him. "There's a girl whom I knew long ago, a teacher; she is a very pitiable little thing, and is now also imprisoned, and would like to see me. Could you give me a permission to visit her?"

Meslennikoff bent his head on one side and considered.

"She's a political one?"

"Yes, I have been told so."

"Well, you see, only relatives get permission to visit political prisoners. Still, I'll give you an open order. _Je sais que vous n'abuserez pas_. What's the name of your protegee? Doukhova? _Elle est jolie?_"

"Hideuse."

Maslennikoff shook his head disapprovingly, went up to the table, and wrote on a sheet of paper, with a printed heading: "The bearer, Prince Dmitri Ivanovitch Nekhludoff, is to be allowed to interview in the prison office the meschanka Maslova, and also the medical assistant, Doukhova," and he finished with an elaborate flourish.

"Now you'll be able to see what order we have got there. And it is very difficult to keep order, it is so crowded, especially with people condemned to exile; but I watch strictly, and love the work. You will see they are very comfortable and contented. But one must know how to deal with them. Only a few days ago we had a little trouble--insubordination; another would have called it mutiny, and would have made many miserable, but with us it all passed quietly. We must have solicitude on one hand, firmness and power on the other," and he clenched the fat, white, turquoise-ringed fist, which issued out of the starched cuff of his shirt sleeve, fastened with a gold stud. "Solicitude and firm power."

"Well, I don't know about that," said Nekhludoff. "I went there twice, and felt very much depressed."

"Do you know, you ought to get acquainted with the Countess Passek," continued Maslennikoff, growing talkative. "She has given herself up entirely to this sort of work. Elle fait beaucoup de bien. Thanks to her--and, perhaps I may add without false modesty, to me--everything has been changed, changed in such a way that the former horrors no longer exist, and they are really quite comfortable there. Well, you'll see. There's Fanarin. I do not know him personally; besides, my social position keeps our ways apart; but he is positively a bad man, and besides, he takes the liberty of saying such things in the court--such things!"

"Well, thank you," Nekhludoff said, taking the paper, and without listening further he bade good-day to his former comrade.

"And won't you go in to see my wife?"

"No, pray excuse me; I have no time now."

"Dear me, why she will never forgive me," said Maslennikoff, accompanying his old acquaintance down to the first landing, as he was in the habit of doing to persons of not the greatest, but the second greatest importance, with whom he classed Nekhludoff; "now do go in, if only for a moment."

But Nekhludoff remained firm; and while the footman and the door-keeper rushed to give him his stick and overcoat, and opened the door, outside of which there stood a policeman, Nekhludoff repeated that he really could not come in.

"Well, then; on Thursday, please. It is her 'at-home.' I will tell her you will come," shouted Maslennikoff from the stairs.

第二天早晨,聂赫留朵夫回想昨天的种种事情,心里不由得感到害怕.

不过,心里虽然害怕,他还是更坚强地下定决心,一定要把开了头的事做下去.

他怀着强烈的责任感,走出家门,乘车去找玛斯连尼科夫,要求准许他到牢房探望玛丝洛娃,以及玛丝洛娃要他去探望的明肖夫母子.此外他还想要求探望薇拉,因为她可能帮玛丝洛娃的忙.

聂赫留朵夫在一团一里服役的时候就认识玛斯连尼科夫.玛斯连尼科夫当时任一团一的司库,忠心耿耿,奉公守法,除了一团一里和皇室以外,天下什么事也不关心,什么事也不想过问.聂赫留朵夫发现,他现在已当上行政长官,他所管辖的已不是一个一团一,而是一个省和省政一府.他娶了一个既有钱又泼辣的女人,那女人一逼一得他脱离军队,改任文职.

她一会儿嘲弄他,一会儿又象对驯服的小猫小狗那样抚一爱一他.聂赫留朵夫去年冬天到他们家去过一次,但他觉得这对夫妻十分乏味,以后再也没去过.

玛斯连尼科夫一看见聂赫留朵夫,就满面笑容.他的脸还是那样又胖又红,身材还是那样高大,衣服还是象在军队里一样讲究.以前他总是穿一身款式新颖的军装或者制一服,干干净净,紧包着他的肩膀和胸部;如今他穿着时髦的文职服装,也是那样紧包着肥胖的身一子和宽阔的胸膛.今天他穿着一身文官制一服.他们两人虽然年龄悬殊(玛斯连尼科夫已近四十岁了),但彼此还是不拘礼节,你我相称.

"啊,你来了,真是太感谢了.到我太太那儿去吧.我此刻正好有十分钟空,过后要去开会.我们的上司出门了.省里的事现在我在管,"他说着,露出掩饰不住的得意神色.

"我有事找你."

"什么事啊?"玛斯连尼科夫仿佛一下子警惕起来,用惊恐而又有点严厉的音调说.

"监狱里有一个人我很关心(玛斯连尼科夫一听见'监狱'两个字,脸色变得更严厉了),我很想探望,但不要在普通探监室里,要在办公室里,并且不限于规定的日子,要多探望几次.听说这事要由你决定."

"行,老弟,我随时准备为你效劳,"玛斯连尼科夫说着,双手摸一摸聂赫留朵夫的膝盖,仿佛要表示自己平易近人,"这可以,不过你也看到,我只是个临时皇帝."

"那么你能给我开一张证明,让我同她见面吗?"

"你说的是一个女人?"

"是的."

"那么她为什么事坐牢哇?"

"毒死人命罪.但她是被错判的."

"你瞧,这就是所谓公正审判,不可能有别的结果,"他不知怎的夹一着法语说."我知道你不会同意我的意见,可是有什么办法呢,我是坚定不移地这样相信的,"他补充说,把他一年来从顽固的保守派报上看到的各种文章的同一观点说了出来."我知道你是个自一由派."

"我不知道我是自一由派还是什么派,"聂赫留朵夫笑嘻嘻地说.他常常感到惊讶,为什么人家总是把他归到什么派,并且说他是个自一由派,无非因为他主张在审判的时候,先要听完人家的话,在法庭面前人人平等,并且主张不该折磨人,拷打人,特别是对那些还没有判刑的人."我不知道我是不是自一由派,我只知道现在的审判制度再糟也比以前的好."

"那么,你请的律师是哪一个?"

"我找过法纳林."

"嗨,法纳林!"玛斯连尼科夫皱着眉头说,回想到去年他在法庭上作证,法纳林曾经客客气气地捉弄他足足半小时,引得法庭上哄堂大笑."我劝你别去跟他打一交一道.法纳林是个名誉扫地的人."

"我还有一件事要求你,"聂赫留朵夫不理他的话,径自说."有一个当教员的姑一娘一,是我老早就认识的.她这人很可怜,如今也在坐牢,她很想同我见面.你能不能再开一张条子,让我也去探望探望她?"

玛斯连尼科夫稍稍侧着头,考虑着.

"她是个政治犯吗?"

"是的,据说是个政治犯."

"不瞒你说,凡是政治犯,只能同他们的家属见面,不过我可以给你开一张特别通行证,哪儿都可以通用.我知道你是不会随意滥用的.你关心的那个女人叫什么名字?......薇拉?她长得美吗?"

"长得很丑."

玛斯连尼科夫不以为然地摇摇头,走到桌子跟前,在一张印有头衔的信纸上写道:"准许来人聂赫留朵夫公爵在监狱办公室会见在押小市民玛丝洛娃及医士薇拉,请洽办."他写完信,又以潦草的字迹签了名.

"你将会看到那边的秩序是个什么样子.那边的秩序很难维持,因为关的人太多,特别是解犯太多,但我还是对他们严加管理.我喜一爱一这工作.你将会看到他们在那边过得很好,大家都很满意.就是要善于对付他们.前几天发生过一次麻烦,有人违抗命令.换了别人就会把它作为暴动来对待,好多人就会遭殃.可我们这里解决得很顺利.一方面得关心他们,另一方面又要对他们严加管理,"他说着,从衬衫的浆得笔挺,扣着金钮扣的白袖子里伸出一只又白又胖的拳头,手指上戴着绿松石戒指,"要做到恩威兼施."

"嗯,这一套我确实不知道,"聂赫留朵夫说,"我到那边去过两次,感到难受极了."

"我老实告诉你,你得跟巴赛克伯爵夫人见一次面,"玛斯连尼科夫谈得上了劲,继续说,"她把全部心血都花在这工作上.她做了许多好事.亏得她,恕我不客气地说一句,也亏得我,这儿才面目一新,消灭了以前种种可怕的现象,他们在那边确实过得挺好.是的,你会看见的.至于法纳林,我同他没有私一交一,但就我的社会地位来说,我同他走的不是一条路,但他确实是个坏人,他在法庭上竟然说得出那样的话来,竟然说得出那样的话来......"

"好,谢谢你,"聂赫留朵夫接过通行证说.他没有听完这位老同事的话,就向他告辞了.

"那你不到我太太那儿去了?"

"不,对不起,我现在没空."

"嗯,那也没有办法,可她不会原谅我的,"玛斯连尼科夫说,把老同事送到楼梯第一个平台上.凡不是头等重要而是二等重要的客人,他总是送到这里为止.他把聂赫留朵夫也归到这一类客人里面."不,还是请你去一下,哪怕只待一分钟也行."

但聂赫留朵夫主意已定.当男仆和门房走到他跟前,把大衣和手杖递给他,推开外面有警察站岗的大门时,他回答玛斯连尼科夫说,他今天实在没有空.

"嗯,那么星期四请您务必来.她每逢星期四招待客人.

我去告诉她!"玛斯连尼科夫站在楼梯上,对他大声说.