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CONVERSATION WITH A NAKED ENGINEER
Ostap's appearance in the editorial offices was preceded by a number of events of some importance. Not finding Ernest Pavlovich at home (the apartment was locked and the owner probably at work), the smooth operator decided to visit him later on, and in the meantime he wandered about the town. Tortured by a thirst for action, he crossed streets, stopped in squares, made eyes at militiamen, helped ladies into buses, and generally gave the impression by his manner that the whole of Moscow with its monuments, trams, vegetable vendors, churches, stations and hoardings had gathered at his home for a party. He walked among the guests, spoke courteously to them, and found something nice to say to each one. So many guests at one party somewhat tired the smooth operator. Furthermore, it was after six o'clock and time to visit engineer Shukin. But fate had decided that before seeing Ernest Pavlovich, Ostap had to be delayed a couple of hours in order to sign a statement for the militia. On Sverdlov Square the smooth operator was knocked down by a horse. A timid white animal descended on him out of the blue and gave him a shove with its bony chest. Bender fell down, breaking out in a sweat. It was very hot. The white horse loudly apologized and Ostap briskly jumped up. His powerful frame was undamaged. This was all the more reason for a scene. The hospitable and friendly host of Moscow was unrecognisable. He waddled up to the embarrassed old man driving the cab and punched him in his padded back. The old man took his punishment patiently. A militiaman came running up. "I insist you report the matter," cried Ostap with emotion. His voice had the metallic ring of a man whose most sacred feelings had been hurt. And, standing by the wall of the Maly Theatre, on the very spot where there was later to be a statue to the Russian dramatist Ostrovsky, Ostap signed a statement and granted a brief interview to Perdidsky, who had come hurrying over. Persidsky did not shirk his arduous duties. He carefully noted down the victim's name and sped on his way. Ostap majestically set off again. Still feeling the effects of the clash with the white horse, and experiencing a belated regret for not having been able to give the cab-driver a belt on the neck as well, Ostap reached Shukin's house and went up to the seventh floor, taking two stairs at a time. A heavy drop of liquid struck him on the head. He looked up and a thin trickle of dirty water caught him right in the eye. Someone needs his nose punching for tricks like that, decided Ostap. He hurried upward. A naked man covered with white fungus was sitting by the door of Shukin's apartment with his back to the stairs. He was sitting on the tiled floor, holding his head in his hands and rocking from side to side. The naked man was surrounded by water oozing from under the apartment door. "Oh-oh-oh," groaned the naked man. "Oh-oh-oh." "Is it you splashing water about?" asked Ostap irritably. "What a place to take a bath. You must be crazy!" The naked man looked at Ostap and burst into tears. "Listen, citizen, instead of crying, you ought to go to the bathroom. Just look at yourself. You look like a picador." "The key," moaned the engineer. "What key?" asked Ostap. "Of the ap-ap-apartment." "Where the money is?" The naked man was hiccupping at an incredible rate. Nothing could daunt Ostap. He began to see the light. And, finally, when he realized what had happened, he almost fell over the banister with laughter. "So you can't get into the apartment. But it's so simple." Trying not to dirty himself against the naked engineer, Ostap went up to the door, slid a long yellow fingernail into the Yale lock, and carefully began moving it up and down, and left and right. The door opened noiselessly and the naked man rushed into the flooded apartment with a howl of delight. The taps were gushing. In the dining-room the water had formed a whirlpool. In the bedroom it had made a calm lake, on which a pair of slippers floated about as serenely as swans. Some cigarette ends had collected together in a corner like a shoal of sleepy fish. Vorobyaninov's chair was standing in the dining-room, where the flood of water was greatest. Small white waves lapped against all four legs. The chair was rocking slightly and appeared to be about to float away from its pursuer. Ostap sat down on it and drew up his feet. Ernest Pavlovich, now himself again, turned off all the taps with a cry of "Pardon me! ! Pardon me!", rinsed himself, and appeared before Bender stripped to the waist in a pair of wet slacks rolled up to the knee. "You absolutely saved my life," he exclaimed with feeling. "I apologize for not shaking your hand, but I'm all wet. You know, I almost went crazy." "You seemed to be getting on that way." "I found myself in a horrible situation." And Ernest Pavlovich gave the smooth operator full details of the misfortune which had befallen him, first laughing nervously and then becoming more sober as he relived the awful experience. "Had you not come, I would have died," he said in conclusion. "Yes," said Ostap, "something similar once happened to me, too. Even a bit worse." The engineer was now so interested in anything concerned with such situations that he put down the pail in which he was collecting water, and began listening attentively. "It was just like what happened to you," began Bender, "only it was winter, and not in Moscow, but Mirgorod during one of those merry little periods of occupation, between Makhno and Tyunuynik in '19. I was living with a family. Terrible Ukrainians ! Typical property-owners. A one-storey house and loads of different junk. You should note that with regard to sewage and other facilities, they have only cesspools in Mirgorod. Well, one night I nipped out in my underclothes, right into the snow. I wasn't afraid of catching cold-it was only going to take a moment. I nipped out and automatically closed the door behind me. It was about twenty degrees below. I knocked, but got no answer. You can't stand in one spot or you freeze. I knocked, ran about, knocked, and ran around, but there was no answer. And the thing is that not one of those devils was asleep. It was a terrible night; the dogs were howling and there was a sound of shots somewhere nearby. And there's me running about the snowdrifts in my summer shorts. I kept knocking for almost an hour. I was nearly done. And why didn't they open the door- what do you think? They were busy hiding their property and sewing up their money in cushions. They thought it was a police raid. I nearly slaughtered them afterwards." This was all very close to the engineer's heart. "Yes," said Ostap, "so you are engineer Shukin." "Yes, but please don't tell anyone about this. It would be awkward." "Oh, sure! Entre nous and tete a tete, as the French say. But I came to see you for a reason, Comrade Shukin." "I'll be extremely pleased to help you." "Grand merci!. It's a piddling matter. Your wife asked me to stop by and collect this chair. She said she needed it to make a pair. And she intends sending you instead an armchair." "Certainly," exclaimed Ernest Pavlovich. "Only too happy. But why should you bother yourself? I can take it for you. I can do it today." "No, no. It's no bother at all for me. I live nearby." The engineer fussed about and saw the smooth operator as far as the door, beyond which he was afraid to go, despite the fact that the key had been carefully placed in the pocket of his wet slacks. Former student Ivanopulo was presented with another chair. The upholstery was admittedly somewhat the worse for wear, but it was nevertheless a splendid chair and exactly like the first one. Ostap was not worried by the failure of the chair, the fourth in line. He was familiar with all the tricks of fate. It was the chair that had vanished into the goods yard of October Station which cut like a huge dark mass through the well-knit pattern of his deductions. His thoughts about that chair were depressing and raised grave doubts. The smooth operator was in the position of a roulette player who only bets on numbers; one of that breed of people who want to win thirty-six times their stake all at once. The situation was even worse than that. The concessionaires were playing a kind of roulette in which zero could come up eleven out of twelve times. And, what was more, the twelfth number was out of sight, heaven knows where, and possibly contained a marvellous win. The chain of distressing thoughts was interrupted by the advent of the director-in-chief. His appearance alone aroused forebodings in Ostap. "Oho!" said the technical adviser. "I see you're making progress. Only don't joke with me. Why have you left the chair outside? To have a laugh at my expense? " "Comrade Bender," muttered the marshal. "Why are you trying to unnerve me? Bring it here at once. Don't you see that the new chair that I am sitting on has made your acquisition many times more valuable? " Ostap leaned his head to one side and squinted. "Don't torment the child," he said at length in his deep voice. "Where's the chair? Why haven't you brought it?" Ippolit Matveyevich's muddled report was interrupted by shouts from the floor, sarcastic applause and cunning questions. Vorobyaninov concluded his report to the unanimous laughter of his audience. "What about my instructions?" said Ostap menacingly. "How many times have I told you it's a sin to steal. Even back in Stargorod you wanted to rob my wife, Madame Gritsatsuyev; even then I realized you had the character of a petty criminal. The most this propensity will ever get you is six months inside. For a master-mind, and father of Russian democracy, your scale of operations isn't very grand. And here are the results. The chair has slipped through your fingers. Not only that, you've spoiled an easy job. Just try making another visit there. That Absalom will tear your head off. It's lucky for you that you were helped by that ridiculous fluke, or else you'd have been behind bars, misguidedly waiting for me to bring you things. I shan't bring you anything, so keep that in mind. What's Hecuba to me? After all, you're not my mother, sister, or lover." Ippolit Matveyevich stood looking at the ground in acknowledgment of his worthlessness. "The point is this, chum. I see the complete uselessness of our working together. At any rate, working with as uncultured a partner as you for forty per cent is absurd. Volens, nevolens, I must state new conditions." Ippolit Matveyevich began breathing. Up to that moment he had been trying not to breathe. "Yes, my ancient friend, you are suffering from organizational impotence and greensickness. Accordingly, your share is decreased. Honestly, do you want twenty per cent?" Ippolit Matveyevich shook his head firmly. "Why not? Too little for you?" "T-too little." "But after all, that's thirty thousand roubles. How much do you want?" "I'll accept forty." "Daylight robbery!" cried Ostap, imitating the marshal's intonation during their historic haggling in the caretaker's room. "Is thirty thousand too little for you? You want the key of the apartment as well?" "It's you who wants the key of the apartment," babbled Ippolit Matveyevich. "Take twenty before it's too late, or I might change my mind. Take advantage of my good mood." Vorobyaninov had long since lost the air of smugness with which he had begun the search for the jewels. The ice that had started moving in the caretaker's room, the ice that had crackled, cracked, and smashed against the granite embankment, had broken up and melted. It was no longer there. Instead there was a wide stretch of rushing water which bore Ippolit Matveyevich along with it, 'buffeting him from side to side, first knocking him against a beam, then tossing him against the chairs, then carrying him away from them. He felt inexpressible fear. Everything frightened him. Along the river floated refuse, patches of oil, broken hen-coops, dead fish, and a ghastly-looking cap. Perhaps it belonged to Father Theodore, a duck-bill cap blown off by the wind in Rostov. Who knows? The end of the path was not in sight. The former marshal of the nobility was not being washed ashore, nor had he the strength or wish to swim against the stream. He was being carried out into the open sea of adventure.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Date: 2015-01-02; view: 1115
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