Chapter 15 - The Gambler

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Chapter fifteen. I remember too,how without moving from her place or changing
her attitude, she gazed into myface. I have won two hundred thousand
francs, cried I. As Ipulled out my last sheaf of bank notes.
The pile of paper currency occupied thewhole table. I could not withdraw

(00:20):
my eyes from it. Consequently,for a moment or two, Polina escaped
my mind. Then I set myselfto arrange the pile in order, and
to sort the notes, and tomass the gold in a separate heap.
That done, I left everything whereit lay and proceeded to pace the room
with rapid strides as I lost myselfin thought. Then I darted to the

(00:42):
table once more and began to recountthe money, until all of a sudden,
as though I had remembered something,I rushed to the door and closed
and double locked it. Finally,I came to a meditative halt before my
little trunk. Shall I put themoney there until tomorrow? I asked,
turning sharply round to Polina. Asthe recollection of her returned to me.

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She was still in her old place, still making not a sound. Yet
her eyes had followed every one ofmy movements somehow in her face there was
a strange expression, an expression whichI did not like. I think that
I shall not be wrong if Isay that it indicated sheer hatred. Impulsively,

(01:23):
I approached her, Paulina, Isaid, here our twenty five thousand
florins fifty thousand francs or more.Take them and tomorrow throw them in de
Grie's face. She returned no answer, or if you should prefer, I
continued, let me take them tohim myself tomorrow, Yes, early tomorrow

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morning. Shall I then? Allat once? She burst out laughing,
and laughed for a long while.With astonishment and a feeling of offense,
I gazed at her. Her laughterwas too like the derisive merriment which she
had so often indulged in of lateMaria, which had broken forth always at
the time of my most passionate explanations. At length, she ceased and frowned

(02:06):
at me from under her eyebrows.I am not going to take your money,
she said, contemptuously. Why not, I cried, why not,
Paulina, Because I am not inthe habit of receiving money for nothing.
But I am offering her to youas a friend. In the same way
I would offer you my very life. Upon this, she threw me a

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long, questioning glance, as thoughshe were seeking to probe me to the
depths. You are giving too muchfor me, she remarked, with a
smile. The beloved of de Grieyis not worth fifty thousand francs. Oh,
Paulina, how can you speak?So? I exclaimed, reproachfully.
Am I de griey you? Shecried, with her eyes suddenly flashing.

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Why I hate you? Yes,yes, I hate you. I love
you no more than I do deGriey. Then she buried her face in
her hands and relapsed to hysterics.I darted to her side. Somehow I
had an intuition of something having happenedto her which had nothing to do with
myself. She was like a persontemporarily insane. Buy me, would you?

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Would you? Would you buy mefor fifty thousand francs? As de
grie did. She gasped between herconvulsive sobs. I clasped her in my
arms, kissed her hands and feet, and fell upon my knees before her.
Presently the hysterical fit passed away,and laying her hands upon my shoulders,
she gazed for a while into myface, as though trying to read

(03:35):
it something I said to her,but it was clear that she did not
hear it. Her face looked sodark and despondent that I began to fear
for her reason. At length,she drew me towards herself, a trustful
smile playing over her features, andthen, as suddenly she pushed me away
again as she eyed me dimly.Finally she threw herself upon me in an
embrace. Do you love me?She said? Do you you who were

(04:00):
willing even to quarrel with the baronat my bidding? Then she laughed,
laughed, as though something dear butlaughable had recurred to her memory. Yes,
she laughed and wept at the sametime. What was I to do?
I was like a man in afever. I remember that she began
to say something to me, thoughwhat I do not know, since she

(04:21):
spoke with a feverish lisp, asthough she were trying to tell me something
very quickly. At intervals, too, she would break off into the smile,
which I was beginning to dread.No, No, she kept repeating,
you are my dear one, youare the man I trust. Again,
she laid her hands upon my shoulders, and again she gazed at me

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as she reiterated, you love me, you love me, will you always
love me? I could not takemy eyes off her. Never before had
I seen her in this mood ofhumility and affection. True, the mood
was the outcome of hysteria. Butall of a sudden she noticed my ardent
gaze and smiled slightly. The nextmoment, for no apparent reason, she

(05:03):
began to talk of Astley. Shecontinued talking and talking about him, but
I could not make out all shesaid, more, particularly when she was
endeavoring to tell me of something orother which had happened recently. On the
whole, she appeared to be laughingat Astley, for she kept repeating that
he was waiting for her. Anddid I know whether even at that moment

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he was not standing beneath the window. Yes, yes, he is there,
she said, Open the window andsee if he is not. She
pushed me in that direction. Yetno sooner did I make a movement to
obey her behest than she burst intolaughter, and I remained beside her,
and she embraced me. Shall wego away tomorrow? Presently, she asked,

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as though some disturbing thought had recurredto her recollection. How would it
be if we were to try andovertake Grandmamma. I think we should do
so at Berlin? And what thinkyou? She would have to say to
us when we caught her up andher eyes first lit upon us, What
two about mister Astley? He wouldnot leap from the Schlangenberg for my sake?

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No of that, I am verysure, And she laughed. Do
you know where he is going nextyear? He says he intends to go
to the North Pole for scientific investigationsand has invited me to go with him.
He also says that we Russians knownothing, can do nothing without European
help, but he is a goodfellow all the same. For instance,

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he does not blame the General inthe matter, but declares that Mademoiselle Blanche
that love, But no, Ido not know. I do not know.
She stopped suddenly, as though shehad set her say, and was
feeling bewildered. What poor creatures thesepeople are. How sorry I am for
them and for Grandmamma. But whenare you going to kill de Griers?

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Surely you do not intend actually tomurder him, you fool do you suppose
that I should allow you to fightto Rie? Nor shall you kill the
baron? Here? She burst out, laughing, how absurd you looked when
you were talking to the Burmahelms.I was watching you all the time,
watching you from where I was sitting. And how unwilling you were to go

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when I sent you. Oh,how I laughed and laughed. Then she
kissed and embraced me again. Again. She pressed her face to mine with
tender passion. Yet I neither sawnor heard her, for my head was
in a whirl. It must havebeen about seven o'clock in the morning when
I awoke. Daylight had come,and Polina was sitting by my side,
a strange expression on her face,as though she had seen a vision and

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was unable to collect her thoughts.She too had just awoken and was now
staring at the money on the table. My head ached, it felt heavy.
I attempted to take Polina's hand,but she pushed me from her and
leaped from the sofa. The dawnwas full of mist, for rain had
fallen. Yet she moved to thewindow, opened it, and, leaning

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her elbows upon the window sill,thrust out her head and shoulder to take
the air. In this position didshe remain for several minutes, without ever
looking round at me or listening towhat I was saying. Into my head,
there came the uneasy thought, whatis to happen now? How is
it all to end? Suddenly Paulinarose from the window, approached the table,

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and, looking at me with anexpression of infinite aversion, said with
lips which quivered with anger, wellare you going to hand me over my
fifty thousand francs? Paulina, yousay that again again, I exclaimed,
you have changed your mind to thenyou are sorry you ever promised them.

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On the table where the previous nightI had counted the money, there still
was lying the packet of twenty fivethousand florins. I handed it to her.
The francs are mine? Then arethey? They are mine? She
inquired viciously, as she balanced themoney in her hands. Yes, they
have always been yours. I said, Then take your fifty thousand francs,

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and she hurled them full in myface. The packet burst as she did
so, and the floor became strewedwith bank notes. The instant that the
deed was done, she rushed fromthe room at that moment, she cannot
have been in her right mind.Yet what was the cause of her temporary
aberration? I cannot say. Fora month past she had been unwell.

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Yet what had brought about this presentcondition of mind? Above all things?
This outburst? Had it come ofwounded pride? Had it come of despair
over her decision to come to me? Had it come of the fact that,
presuming too much of my good fortune, I had seemed to be intending
to desert her, even as deGriers had done when once I had given
her the fifty thousand francs. Buton my honor I had never cherished any

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such intention. What was it fault? I think was her own pride which
kept urging her not to trust me, but rather to insult me, even
though she had not realized the factin her eyes I corresponded to de Grie
and therefore had been condemned for afault not wholly my own. Her mood
of late had been a sort ofdelirium, a sort of lightheadedness that I

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knew full well, yet never hadI sufficiently taken it into consideration. Perhaps
she would not pardon me now,ah, But this was the present.
What about the future. Her deliriumand sickness were not likely to make her
forget what she had done in bringingme Degriey's letter. No, she must
have known what she was doing whenshe brought it. Somehow I contrived to

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stuff the pile of notes and goldunder the bed to cover them over,
and then to leave the room.Some ten minutes after Paulina I felt sure
that she had returned to her ownroom, wherefore I intended quietly to follow
her and to ask the nursemaid aidewho opened the door how her mistress was
judge. Therefore, of my surprise, when meeting the domestic on the stairs,

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she informed me that Polina had notyet returned, and that she,
the domestic, was at that momenton her way to my room in quest
of her. Mademoiselle left me butten minutes ago, I said, what
can have become of her? Thenursemaid looked at me reproachfully. Already sundry
rumors were flying about the hotel,both in the office of the Commissionaire and

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in that of the landlord. Itwas whispered that at seven o'clock that morning,
the Fraeulein had left the hotel andset off despite the rain, in
the direction of the Hotel D'angletaere.From words and hints let fall, I
could see that the fact of Polinahaving spent the night in my room was
now public property. Also, sundryrumors were circulating concerning the general's family affairs.

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It was known that last night hehad gone out of his mind and
paraded the hotel in tears. Alsothat the old lady who had arrived was
his mother, and that she hadcome from Russia on purpose to forbid her
son's marriage with Mademoiselle de Comige,as well as to cut him out of
her will if he should disobey her. Also that because he had disobeyed her,

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she had squandered all her money atRoulette in order to have nothing more
to leave to him. Oh,these Russians, exclaimed the landlord with an
angry toss of the head, whilethe bystanders laughed, and the clerk betook
himself to his accounts. Also everyonehad learnt about my winnings. Carl the
Corridor Lackey was the first to congratulateme. But with these folk I had

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nothing to do. My business wasto set off at full speed to the
Hotel Angltaire. As yet it wasearly for mister Astley to receive visitors.
But as soon as he learnt thatit was I who had arrived, he
came out into the corridor to meetme and stood looking at me in silence
with his steel gray eyes as hewaited to hear what I had to say.

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I inquired, after Paulina, sheis ill, he replied, still
looking at me with his direct,unwavering gaze. And she is in your
rooms, Yes, she is inmy rooms. Then you are minded to
keep her there? Yes, Iam minded to keep her there. But
mister Astley, that will raise ascandal. It ought not to be allowed.

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Besides, she is very ill.Perhaps you had not remarked that,
yes I have. It was Iwho told you about it. Had she
not been ill, she would nothave gone and spent the night with you.
Then you know all about it.Yes, for last night she was
to have accompanied me to the houseof a relative of mine. Unfortunately,

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being ill, she made a mistakeand went to your rooms instead. Indeed,
then I wish you joy, misterAstley apropos, you have reminded me
of something. Were you beneath mywindow last night? Every moment, Mademoiselle
Paulina kept telling me to open thewindow and see if you were there,
after which she always smiled. Indeed, no, I was not there,

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but I was waiting in the corridorand walking about the hotel. She ought
to see a doctor, you know, mister Astley, Yes, she ought.
I have sent for one, andif she dies, I shall hold
you responsible. This surprised me.Pardon me, I replied, but what
do you mean? Never mind?Tell me if it is true that last

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night you won two hundred thousand dollars, no, I want a hundred thousand
florins. Good heavens. Then Isuppose you will be off to Paris this
morning. Why because all Russians whohave grown rich go to Paris, explained
Astley, as though he had readthe fact in a book. But what
could I do in Paris in summertime? I love her, mister Astley,

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Surely you know that. Indeed,I am sure that you do not.
Moreover, if you were to stayhere, you would lose everything that
you possess and have nothing left withwhich to pay your expenses in Paris.
Well, goodbye. Now, Ifeel sure that today will see you gone
from here. Goodbye, But Iam not going to Paris. Likewise,

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pardon me, what is to becomeof this family? I mean that the
affair of the General and Mademoiselle Polinawill soon be all over the town.
I dare say, yet, Ihardly suppose that it will break the General's
heart. Moreover, Mademoiselle Polina hasa perfect right to live where she chooses.
In short, we may say thatas a family, this family has

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ceased to exist. I departed andfound myself smiling at the Englishman's strange assurance
that I should soon be leaving forParis. I suppose he means to shoot
me in a duel should Polina die. Yes, that is what he intends
to do. Now. Although Iwas honestly sorry for Polina, it is
a fact that from the moment whenthe previous night I had approached the gaming

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table and begun to rake in thepackets of bank notes, my love for
her had entered upon a new plane. Yes, I can say that now,
although at the time I was barelyconscious of it, was I then,
at heart a gambler? Did I, after all, love Paulina?
Not so very much? No?No, as God is my witness,
I loved her even when I wasreturning home from mister Astley's. My suffering

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was genuine, and my self reproached. Sincere but presently I was to go
through an exceedingly strange and ugly experience. I was proceeding to the General's rooms
when I heard a door near meopen and a voice call me by name.
It was Mademoiselle's mother, the widowde Comige, who was inviting me
in her daughter's name, to enter. I did so, whereupon I heard

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a laugh and a little cry proceedfrom the bedroom. The pair occupied a
suite of two apartments, where MademoiselleBlanche was just arising. Ah, say,
Louis viian tonque bet, is ittrue that you have one a mountain
of gold and silver? Jemeres mieuxlois, yes, I replied, with
a smile, how much a hundredthousand florins? B be coumtu a bet?

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Come in here, for I can'thear you where you are now,
neu feron bon bance nespa. Enteringher room, I found her lolling under
a pink satin coverlet and revealing apair of swarthy, wonderfully healthy shoulders,
shoulders such as one sees in dreams. Shoulders covered over with a white cambric
nightgown which trimmed with lace, stoodout in striking relief against the darkness of

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her skin. Moan these artu decoeur, she cried when she saw me,
and then giggled. Her laugh hadalways been a very cheerful one,
and at times it even sounded sinceretoo tortre. I began paraphrasing Cornelia.
See here, she prattled on,Please search for my stockings and help me

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to dress. Hosie s too,nepa trollebet gutapanapari, I am just off.
Let me tell you this moment inhalf an hour, true enough,
everything stood ready packed trunks, portmanteau, and all coffee had long been served.
E bienne tu verra paris di doncaquesqueese con ucci tell to ete bienne,

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bete con to ete ucci tele whereare my stockings? Please help me
to dress? And she lifted upa really ravishing foot, small swarthy and
not misshapenlike the majority of feet,which looked dainty only in Batten's. I
laughed and started to draw on tothe foot a silk stocking, while Mademoiselle

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Blanche sat on the edge of thebed and chattered. E bienne coue ferratu
sigo pranz of ecnois. First ofall, I must have fifty thousand francs,
and you shall give them to meat Frankfurt. Then we will go
on to Paris, where we willlive together. Eijit de ferrey boir deze
TUIs en planjeour. Yes, youshall see such women as your eyes have

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never lit upon. Stop a moment. If I were to give you those
fifty thousand francs, what should Ihave left for myself another hundred thousand francs?
Pleased to remember? Besides, Icould live with you in your rooms
for a month, or even fortwo, or even for longer, but
it would not take us more thantwo months to get through fifty thousand francs.

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For loook you gesuis bonamfante e twovera de ze tuila. You may
be sure what you mean to say, that we should spend the whole in
two months. Certainly does that surpriseyou very much, ah vile slave?
Why one month of that life wouldbe better than all your previous existence?

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One month eh apre le de lugiamatiuni pe comprandre vah away away you are
not worth it, ah coufetu,For while drawing on the other stocking,
I had felt constrained to kiss her. Immediately, she shrunk back, kicked

(20:21):
me in the face with her toes, and turned me neck and prop out
of the room. Ebbim munuccitele.She called after me, jutaton situve i
start in a quarter of an hour'stime. I returned to my own room
with my head in a whirl.It was not my fault that Paulina had
thrown a packet in my face andpreferred mister Astley to myself. A few

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bank notes were still fluttering about thefloor, and I picked them up.
At that moment, the door openedand the landlord appeared, a person who
until now had never bestowed upon meso much as a glance. He had
come to know if I would preferto move to a lower floor, to
a suite which had just been tenantedby Count V. For a moment,

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I reflected no, I shouted myaccount pleased, for in ten minutes I
shall be gone to Paris. ToParis, I added to myself. Every
man of birth must make her acquaintance. Within a quarter of an hour,
all three of us were seated ina family compartment, Mademoiselle Blanche, the

(21:27):
widow de Commange, and myself.Mademoiselle kept laughing hysterically as she looked at
me, and Madame re echoed her. But I did not feel so cheerful.
My life had broken in two andyesterday had infected me with a habit
of staking my all upon a card. Although it might be that I had
failed to win my stake, thatI had lost my senses, that I

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desired nothing better, I felt thatthe scene was to be changed only for
a time, within a month fromnow. I kept thinking to myself,
I shall be back again and Lettenburg, and then I mean to have it
out with you, mister Astley.Yes, as now I look back at
things, I remember that I feltgreatly depressed despite the absurd gigglings of the

(22:10):
egregious Blanche. What is the matterwith you? How dull you are?
She cried at length, as sheinterrupted her laughter. To take me seriously
to task. Come, come,we are going to spend your two hundred
thousand francs for you ay to surrassura Komen purtirois, I myself will tie
your tie for you and introduce youto Hortense. And when we have spent

(22:33):
your money, you shall return hereand break the bank again. What did
those two Jews tell you that thething most needed is daring and that you
possess it? Consequently, this isnot the first time that you will be
hurrying to Paris with money in yourpocket. Come, moi, je vais
saint quante mille franc durranta e alorBut what about the General? I interrupted

(22:56):
the General. You know well enoughthat about this hour every day he goes
to buy me a bouquet. Onthis occasion I took care to tell him
that he must hunt for the choicestof flowers. And when he returns home,
the poor fellow will find the birdflown. Possibly he may take wing
in pursuit. Ha ha ha ha. And if so, I shall not

(23:17):
be sorry, for he could beuseful to me in Paris, and mister
Astley will pay his debts here inthis manner did I depart for the gay
city. End of chapter fifteen,