The Precipice

blazed one moment with intelligence, emotion or gaiety, a moment later they wore a meditative, dreamy expression, then again they looked young, even childlike. At other times they evidenced kn

here silver threads about the temples. His complexion had kept the tints of y

had passed the early stages of life's journey and that sorrow and sickness had left their marks on him. O

some time his indifferent, bachelor guardian ha

re of woods and gardens, in the environment of the family and the estate, Boris had passed several years. When he grew older his guard

had lived for about ten years in St. Petersburg; that is to say he rented three pleasant rooms from a German landlord,

the conclusion that the service is not an aim in itself, but merely a means to bring together a number of men who would otherwise h

other ordinary arrival from the interior of Russia, for he was neither an officer nor an official, nor did he seek a car

able man in existence. Others, on the contrary, who came across him at an unfortunate moment, when the yellow patches on his face were most marked, when his lips were drawn in a sinister, nervous quiver, and he returned kindness and sympathy with cold looks and sharp words, were repelled by him and even pursued him with their dislike. Some called him egotistic a

nt, and later, after his school-days had begun, he

his memory the details of his appearance, his speech, how he took snuff; he looked at his eyebrows, his beard, then at his clothes, at the cornelian seal suspended across his waistcoat, and

nterrupted the master, notic

rd, "And what is the meaning of this?" He had listen

is voice, noticing that sometimes he spoke shortly, staccato-sometimes dra

el

rspired with anxie

Raisky only noticed with what rapidity and certainty he wrote the figures, how the waistcoat with the cornelian

he grew weary with the effort required. Sometimes the teacher lost patience w

were a game, and had recourse neither to his book nor to the blackboard, then the

owards the world of reality. In the geography lesson he could not understand how any boy could answer in class, but once out of class he could talk about foreign countries and citi

cal listener would say. "Vass

ant enemies. One week he would attach himself to one boy, seek his society, sit with him, read to him, talk to him and give him his

ng after the original cause was forgotten. Then suddenly he would have a friendly, magnanimous impul

o look out on the woods, or made his way along the river to the thicket to watch the insects at work, or to observe the birds, to see how they alighted, how they sharpened their beaks. He caught a hedgehog and made a playmate of it, went out fishing all day long with the vil

nd folk-lore, skimmed Ossian, Tasso, Homer, or wandered with Cook in strange lands. If he found nothing to read he lay motionless all day long, as if he were exhausted with hard work;

over it in secret, though he was convinced that he was no idle

ers came at stated times and that Boris did not avoid school; on the other, his aunt contented herself with seeing that he was in

father's library in the old house, where he shut himself in, now t

ls to draw eyes, but Raisky grew tired of that, and proceeded to add a nose and a moustache. The master surprised him,

," was t

t on leads to; the forehead and nose are good enough, but the ea

is well done; the forehead and nose are go

a passion for drawing, and during the month that followed drew a curly-headed boy, then the head of Fingal. His fancy was caught by a woman's head which hung in the master's room; it leaned a little t

er and drew. At night he took the drawing to his bedroom, and as he looked into its gracious eyes, followed the lines of the delicately bent neck, he shivered, his heart stood still, there was a catch

the top class, the teacher had made few corrections, had only here and there put broad strokes in the shadi

s master, and more especially at the points in the eyes, which had so suddenly given them

avern with her bust in the shade, and the light on her wild hair; he had not the patience nor the skill to finish bust, hands and feet. How

n a round dance, a drunken old man, the rapid passage of a tro?ka. For two days he was taken up with this picture, which stood

d forgotten thi

d," but Raisky stood by him, because Vassyvkov, inattentive, sleepy, idle, who never did his work even for the universally beloved Russian master, would every afternoon after dinner take his violin, and as he playe

and deeper; his glance was proud and intelligent; his breath came long and deep. Over his face stole an expressio

re notes ... and a wide space opened before him. A world in motion arose. He heard the murmur of running streams, saw ships, men, woods, and

sed to play; the moving, musical waves vanished, and there were only the boys, benches and tables. Vassyvkov laid aside his violin,

. A cloud of recollection hovers before him, shaping the figure of a woman who holds him to her breast. He gropes in his consciousness-it was th

his teeth on edge. He caught two strings at once, and his hand trembled with weakness. It was clearly no use. When Vassyvkov

er on the pianof

ter, but took the opportunity of

preparing yourself? I have been in

stand the question,

what faculty you will follow in the University, and to which branch of the service you will devote yourself. You cannot well go int

ow the hens strutted about, how the pigs wallowed

you stare out of the window. For wh

to be an

a-a

arti

ve got into your head. Who would agree to

made no

ey, clothes, shoes, and all the time they dream of wealth. Artists live on this earth like the birds of heaven. I have seen enough of them in St. Petersburg: bold rascals who meet one a

d in high esteem. You are thinking of the past

a public place, then people begin to seek him out. But artists begin in poverty, with a crust of bread. You will find they are for the most part freed serfs, small tradespeople or foreigners, or Jews. Poverty drives them to art. But you-a Raisky! You have land of your own, and bread to eat. It's pleasant enough to have grace

He was a courtier,

advocate, and your connexions will help you to a place at court. And if you keep your eyes open, with your name and your connexions, you will be a Governor in thirty years' time. That is the career for you. But there seem to

guardian's lecture

As it was he succeeded in a few months, after much trouble, in completing the first stages of his instruction. Very soon he surpassed and surprised

ve to artists. He had been told too that a man who has talent should n