The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous ManGorky, Maksim
History
The Spy: The Story of a Superfluous Man
Gorky, Maksim
Russia -- History -- Revolution, 1905-1907 -- Fiction; Russian fiction -- Translations into English; Spy stories
In the morning Rayisa half dressed, with a kneaded face and dim eyes,
gave Yevsey his coffee without speaking to him. Dorimedont coughed and
spat in her room. Now his dull voice began to sound even louder and more
authoritative than ever. At dinner and supper he munched noisily, licked
his lips, thrust his thick tongue far out, bellowed, and looked at the
food greedily before he began to eat. His red pimply face grew glossy,
and his little grey eyes glided over Yevsey's face like two cold bugs,
unpleasantly tickling his skin.
"I know how hard life is, brother," he said. "I know what's what. I know
what a pound of good and what a pound of bad is worth to a man, yes,
siree. And you had good luck to come to me at once. Here I have placed
you in a position, and I am going to push you farther and farther to the
highest point possible--if you aren't a fool, of course."
He swung his bulky body as he spoke, and the chair under him groaned.
Yevsey as he listened to his talk felt that this man could force him to
do everything he wanted.
Sometimes the spy announced boastfully in self-applause:
"I received thanks again to-day from my chief Filip Filippovich. He even
gave me his hand."
Once at supper Dorimedont pulled Yevsey's ear and began a recital.
"About two months ago I was sitting in a restaurant near a railroad
station, and I saw a man eating cutlets. He kept looking around and
consulting his watch. You must know, Yevsey, that an honest man with an
easy mind doesn't glance around in all directions. People do not
interest him, and he always knows the time. The only persons who look
about for people are the agents of the Department of Safety and
criminals. Of course, I kept my eye on the gentleman. The suburban train
pulled in, another little gentleman comes into the restaurant, a dark
fellow with a little beard, apparently a Jew. He wore two flowers in his
buttonhole, a red and a white one--a sign. I see them greet each other
with their eyes. 'Aha!' thinks I. The dark man ordered something to eat,
drank a glass of Selters, and walked out. The one who had been in the
restaurant first followed him leisurely, and I after them."
Dorimedont puffed up his cheeks, and then blew a stream of air steeped
with the odor of meat and beer into Yevsey's face. Yevsey ducked his
head, and the spy burst out laughing. Then he belched noisily, and
continued raising his thick finger.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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