OFFICIALDOM.

Hardly had Nekhludoff finished dressing the next morning, just as he was about to go down, the footman brought him a card from the Moscow advocate. The advocate had come to St. Petersburg on business of his own, and was going to be present when Maslova's case was examined in the Senate, if that would be soon. The telegram sent by Nekhludoff crossed him on the way. Having found out from Nekhludoff when the case was going to be heard, and which senators were to be present, he smiled. "Exactly, all the three types of senators," he said. "Wolf is a Petersburg official; Skovorodnikoff is a theoretical, and Bay a practical lawyer, and therefore the most alive of them all," said the advocate. "There is most hope of him. Well, and how about the Petition Committee?"

"Oh, I'm going to Baron Vorobioff to-day. I could not get an audience with him yesterday."

"Do you know why he is _Baron_ Vorobioff?" said the advocate, noticing the slightly ironical stress that Nekhludoff put on this foreign title, followed by so very Russian a surname.

"That was because the Emperor Paul rewarded the grandfather--I think he was one of the Court footmen--by giving him this title. He managed to please him in some way, so he made him a baron. 'It's my wish, so don't gainsay me!' And so there's a _Baron_ Vorobioff, and very proud of the title. He is a dreadful old humbug."

"Well, I'm going to see him," said Nekhludoff.

"That's good; we can go together. I shall give you a lift."

As they were going to start, a footman met Nekhludoff in the ante-room, and handed him a note from Mariette:

_Pour vous faire plaisir, f'ai agi tout a fait contre mes principes et j'ai intercede aupres de mon mari pour votre protegee. Il se trouve que cette personne pout etre relaxee immediatement. Mon mari a ecrit au commandant. Venez donc disinterestedly. Je vous attends._

_M._

"Just fancy!" said Nekhludoff to the advocate. "Is this not dreadful? A woman whom they are keeping in solitary confinement for seven months turns out to be quite innocent, and only a word was needed to get her released."

"That's always so. Well, anyhow, you have succeeded in getting what you wanted."

"Yes, but this success grieves me. Just think what must be going on there. Why have they been keeping her?"

"Oh, it's best not to look too deeply into it. Well, then, I shall give you a lift, if I may," said the advocate, as they left the house, and a fine carriage that the advocate had hired drove up to the door. "It's Baron Vorobioff you are going to see?"

The advocate gave the driver his directions, and the two good horses quickly brought Nekhludoff to the house in which the Baron lived. The Baron was at home. A young official in uniform, with a long, thin neck, a much protruding Adam's apple, and an extremely light walk, and two ladies were in the first room.

"Your name, please?" the young man with the Adam's apple asked, stepping with extreme lightness and grace across from the ladies to Nekhludoff.

Nekhludoff gave his name.

"The Baron was just mentioning you," said the young man, the Baron's adjutant, and went out through an inner door. He returned, leading a weeping lady dressed in mourning. With her bony fingers the lady was trying to pull her tangled veil over her face in order to hide her tears.

"Come in, please," said the young man to Nekhludoff, lightly stepping up to the door of the study and holding it open. When Nekhludoff came in, he saw before him a thick-set man of medium height, with short hair, in a frock coat, who was sitting in an armchair opposite a large writing-table, and looking gaily in front of himself. The kindly, rosy red face, striking by its contrast with the white hair, moustaches, and beard, turned towards Nekhludoff with a friendly smile.

"Very glad to see you. Your mother and I were old acquaintances and friends. I have seen you as a boy, and later on as an officer. Sit down and tell me what I can do for you. Yes, yes," he said, shaking his cropped white head, while Nekhludoff was telling him Theodosia's story. "Go on, go on. I quite understand. It is certainly very touching. And have you handed in the petition?"

"I have got the petition ready," Nekhludoff said, getting it out of his pocket; "but I thought of speaking to you first in hopes that the case would then get special attention paid to it."

"You have done very well. I shall certainly report it myself," said the Baron, unsuccessfully trying to put an expression of pity on his merry face. "Very touching! It is clear she was but a child; the husband treated her roughly, this repelled her, but as time went on they fell in love with each other. Yes I will report the case."

"Count Ivan Michaelovitch was also going to speak about it."

Nekhludoff had hardly got these words out when the Baron's face changed.

"You had better hand in the petition into the office, after all, and I shall do what I can," he said.

At this moment the young official again entered the room, evidently showing off his elegant manner of walking.

"That lady is asking if she may say a few words more."

"Well, ask her in. Ah, mon cher, how many tears we have to see shed! If only we could dry them all. One does all that lies within one's power."

The lady entered.

"I forgot to ask you that he should not be allowed to give up the daughter, because he is ready . . ."

"But I have already told you that I should do all I can."

"Baron, for the love of God! You will save the mother?"

She seized his hand, and began kissing it.

"Everything shall be done."

When the lady went out Nekhludoff also began to take leave.

"We shall do what we can. I shall speak about it at the Ministry of Justice, and when we get their answer we shall do what we can."

Nekhludoff left the study, and went into the office again. Just as in the Senate office, he saw, in a splendid apartment, a number of very elegant officials, clean, polite, severely correct and distinguished in dress and in speech.

"How many there are of them; how very many and how well fed they all look! And what clean shirts and hands they all have, and how well all their boots are polished! Who does it for them? How comfortable they all are, as compared not only with the prisoners, but even with the peasants!" These thoughts again involuntarily came to Nekhludoff's mind.

第二天,聂赫留朵夫刚穿好衣服,准备下楼,听差就给他送来莫斯科律师的名片.律师是为自己的事来的,但玛丝洛娃一案枢密院如即将审理,他愿意出庭.聂赫留朵夫发出的电报,正好同他错开.聂赫留朵夫告诉他玛丝洛娃的案子什么时候开庭,由哪几个枢密官审理,他听了微微一笑.

"这三个枢密官正好是三种类型,"他说."沃尔夫是典型的彼得堡官僚,斯科沃罗德尼科夫是个有学问的法学家,贝则是一个实事求是的法学家,因此在三人中间他最有生气,"律师说."希望也在他身上.哪,那么上诉委员会那边的事进行得怎样了?"

"喏,今天我要到沃罗比约夫男爵那里去,昨天没有机会见到他."

"您知道沃罗比约夫是怎么当上男爵的吗?"律师说,回答聂赫留朵夫在说这个纯粹俄国姓和外国爵位时露出的滑稽口吻."这是保罗皇帝①因什么事赐给他祖父的,他祖父大概是个听差.他不知什么事博得了皇上的欢心.皇上说:'封他为男爵吧,这是我的旨意,谁也不准拦着.'这样就冒出一个沃罗比约夫男爵来了.他为此很得意.其实是个老滑头."

--------

①指俄皇保罗一世(1754-1801),在位期一七九六--一八○一年.

"那我现在就去找他一下,"聂赫留朵夫说.

"嗯,那太好了,咱们一块儿走吧.我用车子送您去."

临走以前,聂赫留朵夫在前厅里接到听差一交一给他的玛丽一爱一特的法文信.

"我不惜违反我的原则,遵嘱在丈夫面前替您所庇护的人求情.此人不久即可获释.丈夫已对该司令官发了手谕.那么,您就堂而皇之来看我吧.我等您.玛."

"这象什么话?"聂赫留朵夫对律师说."真是太可怕了!一个女人在单身牢房里被关了七个月,原来什么罪也没有.如今把她释放,也只需要一句话."

"这种事向来如此.嗯,至少您的愿望实现了."

"是的,但事情这样容易解决,反而使我觉得不是滋味.

请问:那里究竟在干些什么?究竟为什么把她关起来?"

"算了,这种事还是不要追根究底的好.我送您去吧,"律师说,这时他们已走到大门口的台阶上.律师所雇的那辆漂亮轿车来到门前."您现在要到沃罗比约夫男爵那儿去,是吗?"

律师告诉车夫到什么地方.几匹骏马就把聂赫留朵夫送到男爵家门口.男爵在家.进门第一间里有一个穿文官制一服的青年官员,他的脖子特别细长,喉结突出,步伐特别轻悄.

另外还有两位太太.

"贵姓?"喉结突出的青年官员异常洒脱地从两位太太那里走到聂赫留朵夫跟前,问.

聂赫留朵夫报了姓名.

"男爵谈到过您.请稍等一下!"

青年官员走进一个房门关着的房间,从那里领出一个身穿丧服,满脸泪痕的太太.这位太太用瘦削的手指放下随便卷起的面纱来掩饰泪痕.

"请进!"青年官员对聂赫留朵夫说,步态轻一盈地走到书房门口,推开门,自己在门口站住.

聂赫留朵夫走进书房,看见大写字台后面的圈椅上坐着一个中等身材的结实男子,头发剪得很短,身穿礼服,眼睛快活地瞧着前方.他一见聂赫留朵夫,那张双颊鲜红,一胡一子雪白的和蔼的脸就浮出亲切的微笑.

"看到您很高兴,我跟令堂早就认识,我们是老朋友.您小时候我就见到过,后来您当上军官,我又见到过.好吧,请坐,您说说,有什么事我能为您效劳.是的,是的,"他听着聂赫留朵夫讲费多霞的事,摇摇他那白发剪得很短的头说.

"您说吧,说吧,我全明白.是的,是的,这事确实很叫人感动.那么,您已经提出上诉了?"

"上诉书我已准备好了,"聂赫留朵夫说着从口袋里拿出诉状."但我要请您对这个案子多多关照."

"您做得很好.我一定亲自把这个案子向上奏明,"男爵说,他那张快乐的脸上想装出怜悯的样子,但装不象"这个案子很动人.看样子她还是个孩子,丈夫先是待她很粗一暴,使她嫌恶他,但过了一阵,他们又和好了......是的,我要把这个案子向上奏明."

"察尔斯基伯爵说,他打算去向皇后求情."

聂赫留朵夫话音未落,男爵的脸色顿时变了.

"不过,您把上诉书送到办公室去吧,我尽力而为,"他对聂赫留朵夫说.

这时候,青年官员又走了进来,显然有意卖弄他那种潇洒的步态.

"那位太太要求再说几句话."

"好,请她来吧!唉,老弟,你在这儿会看到多少眼泪,要是能把大家的眼泪都擦干就好了!但也只能尽力而为."

那位太太走了进来.

"我忘记求您,可不能让他把女儿抛弃,因为他已经横了心......"

"我不是说过我会尽力而为吗?"

"男爵,看在上帝份上,您救救我这个做母亲的吧!"

她抓住他的一只手,吻了起来.

"一切都会办到的."

等那位太太走了,聂赫留朵夫也起身告辞.

"我们一定尽力而为.我们要同司法部商量一下.他们会给我们答复的.到那时我们再尽力去办."

聂赫留朵夫走出房间,穿过办公室.象在枢密院那样,他在这个漂漂亮亮的房间里又看到许多漂漂亮亮的官员,个个整齐清洁,彬彬有礼,服装端庄大方,说话严肃清楚.

"这种人怎么这样多,真是多得要命!他们的身一子都保养得多么好,他们的衬衫和手都多么干净,他们的靴子又擦得多么亮.他们靠的是谁?别说同囚犯比,就是同乡下人比,他们也显得多么阔绰优裕呀!"聂赫留朵夫又情不自禁地想.