The Gambler | Page 9

view.
Consequently there became established between us relations which, to

a large extent, were incomprehensible to me, considering her general
pride and aloofness. For example, although she knew that I was madly
in love with her, she allowed me to speak to her of my passion (though
she could not well have showed her contempt for me more than by
permitting me, unhindered and unrebuked, to mention to her my love).
"You see," her attitude expressed, "how little I regard your feelings, as
well as how little I care for what you say to me, or for what you feel for
me." Likewise, though she spoke as before concerning her affairs, it
was never with complete frankness. In her contempt for me there were
refinements. Although she knew well that I was aware of a certain
circumstance in her life of something which might one day cause her
trouble, she would speak to me about her affairs (whenever she had
need of me for a given end) as though I were a slave or a passing
acquaintance--yet tell them me only in so far as one would need to
know them if one were going to be made temporary use of. Had I not
known the whole chain of events, or had she not seen how much I was
pained and disturbed by her teasing insistency, she would never have
thought it worthwhile to soothe me with this frankness--even though,
since she not infrequently used me to execute commissions that were
not only troublesome, but risky, she ought, in my opinion, to have been
frank in ANY case. But, forsooth, it was not worth her while to trouble
about MY feelings--about the fact that I was uneasy, and, perhaps,
thrice as put about by her cares and misfortunes as she was herself!
For three weeks I had known of her intention to take to roulette. She
had even warned me that she would like me to play on her behalf, since
it was unbecoming for her to play in person; and, from the tone of her
words I had gathered that there was something on her mind besides a
mere desire to win money. As if money could matter to HER! No, she
had some end in view, and there were circumstances at which I could
guess, but which I did not know for certain. True, the slavery and
abasement in which she held me might have given me (such things
often do so) the power to question her with abrupt directness (seeing
that,, inasmuch as I figured in her eyes as a mere slave and nonentity,
she could not very well have taken offence at any rude curiosity); but
the fact was that, though she let me question her, she never returned me
a single answer, and at times did not so much as notice me. That is how
matters stood.

Next day there was a good deal of talk about a telegram which, four
days ago, had been sent to St. Petersburg, but to which there had come
no answer. The General was visibly disturbed and moody, for the
matter concerned his mother. The Frenchman, too, was excited, and
after dinner the whole party talked long and seriously together--the
Frenchman's tone being extraordinarily presumptuous and offhand to
everybody. It almost reminded one of the proverb, "Invite a man to
your table, and soon he will place his feet upon it." Even to Polina he
was brusque almost to the point of rudeness. Yet still he seemed glad to
join us in our walks in the Casino, or in our rides and drives about the
town. I had long been aware of certain circumstances which bound the
General to him; I had long been aware that in Russia they had hatched
some scheme together although I did not know whether the plot had
come to anything, or whether it was still only in the stage of being
talked of. Likewise I was aware, in part, of a family secret--namely,
that, last year, the Frenchman had bailed the General out of debt, and
given him 30,000 roubles wherewith to pay his Treasury dues on
retiring from the service. And now, of course, the General was in a vice
-- although the chief part in the affair was being played by Mlle.
Blanche. Yes, of this last I had no doubt.
But WHO was this Mlle. Blanche? It was said of her that she was a
Frenchwoman of good birth who, living with her mother, possessed a
colossal fortune. It was also said that she was some relation to the
Marquis, but only a distant one a cousin, or cousin-german, or
something of the sort. Likewise I knew that, up to the time of my
journey to Paris, she and the Frenchman had