Arina Petrovna remained at Golovliovo. This gave rise, of course, to
a domestic comedy. Yudushka shed tears and succeeded in inducing his
mother dear to manage his household without accountability to him, to
receive the income and to use it at her discretion. "And, dearest,
whatever portion of the income you give me," he added, "I shall be
satisfied with it." Pavel, on the other hand, thanked his mother coldly
("as if he wanted to bite me," were her words), immediately retired
from service ("just so, without his mother's blessing, like a madman,
he escaped to freedom") and settled down at Dubrovino.
From that time on, Arina Petrovna's judgment became somewhat dimmed.
The image of Porfishka the Bloodsucker, whom she had once sized up so
shrewdly, now went, as it were, behind a fog. She seemed no longer to
understand anything except that, despite the division of the estate and
the emancipation of the peasants, she still lived at Golovliovo and
still owed no account to anyone. Here, at her side, lived another son,
but what a difference! While Porfisha had entrusted both himself and
his household into his mother's care, Pavel not only never consulted
her about anything, but even spoke to her through his teeth.
And as her mind became more clouded, her heart warmed more to her
gentle son. Porfiry Vladimirych asked nothing of her. She herself
anticipated his desires. Little by little she became dissatisfied with
the shape of the Golovliovo property. At such and such a place, a
stranger's land jutted into it--it would be well to buy up that piece
of land. In such and such a place it would be fine to have a separate
farm, but there was too little meadow. And here, right next to it,
was a meadow for sale, ah, a fine bit of meadow. Arina Petrovna's
enthusiasm was that of a mother and a woman of affairs who wants her
affectionate son to view her capabilities in all their glory. But
Porfiry Vladimirych withdrew into his shell, impervious to all her
suggestions. In vain did Arina Petrovna tempt him with bargains. To all
her propositions for acquiring a piece of woodland or meadowland, he
invariably answered: "Dear mother, I am perfectly satisfied with what
you granted me in your kindness."
These answers only spurred Arina Petrovna on. Carried away by her
household zeal, and also by indignation against the "scoundrel
Pavlusha," who lived beside her but refused to have anything to do
with her, Arina Petrovna lost sight of her actual relationship to the
estate. Her former fever for acquiring possessed her with renewed
strength, though now it was no longer aggrandizement for her own sake
but for the sake of her beloved son. The Golovliovo estate grew,
rounded out, and flourished.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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