Krotkaya Page #3

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Oh, I wouldn't go against

the sacred bonds of marriage.

Take her away.

For your information, although

a decent man shouldn't fight with you,

only out of respect

for your lady

I'm at your disposal.

If you dare, of course.

Hear that?

I've been a witness of

a long fight between

a noble generous woman

and a lecherous dumb society lion.

We walked in silence.

And, remembering what

has just happened,

I saw it more and more clearly,

that poor thing

was just hesitant,

eager to insult me.

Why did I decide to meet

my death calmly, you ask me?

I ask you, why would I

want to live,

when my dearest thing

raises a revolver on me?

Moreover, I realized that this

situation was a fight,

a matter of life and death.

A battle fought by a yesterday's

coward, despised by his comrades.

Only the knowledge

that I've seen her,

that I know everything and

that I'm waiting silently,

could prevent her from shooting.

By going through this,

this revolver,

I took vengeance on the whole

of my dark past.

I won! And she was defeated,

once and for all!

We've been looking after her

day and night during her illness.

I couldn't imagine,

I couldn't even assume that she would

die without knowing the whole truth.

What a nice day.

Lukeria, my dear, could

you bring me some water?

But keep quiet.

When she started feeling better,

I tried to keep myself out of sight,

secretly looking at her.

Strange, though, that all the time

I couldn't catch her eye.

I kept repeating to myself:

"Hold on, wait! She'll give up first."

That thought was irresistible.

A fatal, dreadful mist

in front of my eyes.

(folk song)

She's singing, while I'm

in the house?

Has she forgotten about

me, or what?

Cab!

To the Green bridge!

Stop.

That's for the trouble.

I saw it! I did see it clearly!

Let's talk.

You know...

I tormented you!

Enough, calm down.

I'll shut down this damned office!

I hated it all my life, I suffered

and made you suffer too!

Please don't, calm

down, I beg you!

I love you.

I love you.

I'm a criminal.

I know this. This crime has been

torturing me the whole winter.

- And it still does.

- Don't say that!

Let's forget about this.

I wanted to love you.

I was seeking love.

- But now we're strangers.

- Let's forget this nightmare.

We'll leave! To the seashore!

In Boulogne!

You'll feel much better, you'll

forget it all!

You are so generous.

I appreciate what you've

done for me so much.

I'll be your faithful wife.

I will respect you, you hear? Respect.

And I thought you'd

leave me be.

I won't ask you anything.

Pay no attention to me.

I'll take you to Boulogne.

Right now.

I'll leave you here for a

moment, I won't be long.

I'll only make arrangements about our

passports and departure.

And this happened today.

Some hours ago.

I don't get it,

how did she jump out?

If only I came back

five minutes earlier!

She was too pure, too honest,

too innocent.

"And I thought you'd leave me be"...

...that's what she said before.

She was scared of my

love, that's what.

She asked herself seriously:

accept it or not? -

she couldn't bear the question

and preferred to die.

Now I see it.

For ever,

with no return.

I see that she despised me.

Only recently...

she walked...

she talked...

What a pity.

Five minutes.

Only five minutes late.

And now again,

these empty rooms.

Why on earth...

did I leave her?

Our passports.

Nobody.

What a misfortune.

Again I'm alone.

With my pawnshop.

I no longer work here, Mister.

As soon as they

bury her, I'll leave.

You ruined her, for good.

Now I can't let Lukeria go.

She know everything.

She's going to tell me

all about her.

Look, the pendulum doesn't care.

It regrets nothing.

It just keeps on ticking:

too late... too late... too late...

I ruined her.

That's what.

Doesn't hear.

What for?

Why did she die?

Oh, I understand it.

And yet this question stays with me,

like a thorn in the head.

Question?

What question?

The answer is on the table, and

you talk about questions!

Madness... madness...

Madness.

"Love thy neighbor."

Who said it?

Whose precept is this?

To hell with your life!

With your faith!

Judge me any way you want!

I won't admit a thing!

The judge will say,

"Silence, officer!"

And I'll scream:
"What kind of powers

do you have to make me obey?!"

How come the inertness ruined

what was most precious?

That inertness!

Inertness.

They say, "Is anybody out there alive?

I scream:
"Is anybody out there alive?"

Noone answers.

People are alone on earth...

What a pity.

No, really.

What am I going to do,

after they carry her away?

What am I going to do?

The flow of his memories finally

led him to the truth.

This meek self-destructive soul

evokes different thoughts,

about past things being not

as simple as they seem,

and makes you wonder whether or not

you were the very cause of them.

Dark story that was.

One of those dark, painful stories,

which are so often lost and forgotten

in the streets of the enormous city

under heavy St. Petersburg sky.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The end.

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