NEJDANOV awoke early and, without waiting for a servant, dressed and went out into the garden.It was very large and beautiful this garden, and well kept.Hired labourers were scraping the paths with their spades, through the bright green shrubs a glimpse of kerchiefs could be seen on the heads of the peasant girls armed with rakes.Nejdanov wandered down to the pond; the early morning mist had already lifted, only a few curves in its banks still remained in obscurity.The sun, not yet far above the horizon, threw a rosy light over the steely silkiness of its broad surface.Five carpenters were busy about the raft, a newly-painted boat was lightly rocking from side to side, creating a gentle ripple over the water.The men rarely spoke, and then in somewhat preoccupied tones.Everything was submerged in the morning stillness, and everyone was occupied with the morning work; the whole gave one a feeling of order and regularity of everyday life.Suddenly, at the other end of the avenue, Nejdanov got a vision of the very incarnation of order and regularity-- Sipiagin himself.
He wore a brown coat, something like a dressing gown, and a checkered cap; he was leaning on an English bamboo cane, and his newly-shaven face shone with satisfaction; he was on the round of inspecting his estate.Sipiagin greeted Nejdanov kindly.
"Ah!" he exclaimed, "I see you are one of the early birds!" (He evidently wanted to express his approval by this old saying, which was a little out of place, of the fact that Nejdanov, like himself, did not like lying in bed long.) "At eight o'clock we all take tea in the dining room, and we usually breakfast at twelve.I should like you to give Kolia his first lesson in Russian grammar at ten o'clock, and a lesson in history at two.Idon't want him to have any lessons tomorrow, as it will he his name-day, hut I would like you to begin today."Nejdanov bowed his head, and Sipiagin took leave of him in the French fashion, quickly lifting his hand several times to his lips and nose, and walked away, whistling and waving his cane energetically, not at all like an important official and state dignitary, but like a jolly Russian country gentleman.
Until eight o'clock Nejdanov stayed in the garden, enjoying the shadows cast by the old trees, the fresh air, the singing of the birds, until the sound of a gong called him to the house.On his entrance he found the whole company already assembled in the dining room.Valentina Mihailovna greeted him in a friendly manner; she seemed to him marvellously beautiful in her morning gown.Mariana looked stern and serious as usual.
Exactly at ten o'clock Nejdanov gave Kolia his first lesson before Valentina Mihailovna, who had asked him if she might he present, and sat very quietly the whole time.Kolia proved an intelligent boy; after the inevitable moments of incertitude and discomfort, the lesson went off very well, and Valentina Mihailovna was evidently satisfied with Nejdanov, and spoke to him several times kindly.He tried to hold aloof a little--but not too much so.Valentina Mihailovna was also present at the second lesson, this time on Russian history.She announced, with a smile, that in this subject she needed instruction almost as much as Kolia.She conducted herself just as quietly as she had done at the first lesson.
Between two and five o'clock Nejdanov stayed in his own room writing letters to his St.Petersburg friends.He was neither bored nor in despair; his overstrained nerves had calmed down somewhat.However, they were set on edge again at dinner, although Kollomietzev was not present, and the kind attention of host and hostess remained unchanged; but it was this very attention that made Nejdanov angry.To make matters worse, the old maiden lady, Anna Zaharovna, was obviously antagonistic, Mariana continued serious, and Kolia rather unceremoniously kicked him under the table.Sipiagin also seemed out of sorts.He was extremely dissatisfied with the manager of his paper mill, a German, to whom he paid a large salary.Sipiagin began by abusing Germans in general, then announced that he was somewhat of a Slavophil, though not a fanatic, and mentioned a certain young Russian, by the name of Solomin, who, it was said, had successfully established another mill belonging to a neighbouring merchant; he was very anxious to meet this Solomin.
Kollomietzev came in the evening; his own estate was only about ten miles away from "Arjanov," the name of Sipiagin's village.
There also came a certain justice of the peace, a squire, of the kind so admirably described in the two famous lines of Lermontov--Behind a cravat, frock coat to the heels Moustache, squeaky voice--and heavy glance.
Another guest arrived, with a dejected look, without a tooth in his head, but very accurately dressed.After him came the local doctor, a very bad doctor, who was fond of coming out with learned expressions.He assured everyone, for instance, that he liked Kukolnik better than Pushkin because there was a great deal of "protoplasm" about him.They all sat down to play cards.
Nejdanov retired to his own room, and read and wrote until midnight.
The following day, the 9th of May, was Kolia's patron-saint's day.
