The Petty Demon by Sologub Fyodor

Author:Sologub, Fyodor [Sologub, Fyodor]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: FIC019000/FIC040000
ISBN: 9781590209684
Publisher: Ardis Publishers
Published: 2009-01-16T05:00:00+00:00

XXIII

THE PREPOLOVENSKYS ASSUMED the responsibility for organizing the wedding. They decided to have the marriage in a village about six versts from the town—it was awkward for Varvara to appear before the altar in the town after they had been living together for so many years and pretending to be relatives. They concealed the date the wedding was set for. The Prepolovenskys circulated the rumor that the wedding was taking place on a Friday, but in actual fact the wedding was to be on a Wednesday afternoon. They did this so that the curious would not show up from town. More than once Varvara repeated to Peredonov:

“Ardalyon Borisych, don’t you go blabbing when the wedding’s to take place, otherwise people will get in the way.”

Peredonov unwillingly produced the money for the wedding expenses, making fun of Varvara. Sometimes he would bring his walking stick with the rude gesture on the knob and say to Varvara:

“Kiss my fig and I’ll give you the money, if you don’t, then I won’t.”

Varvara would kiss the fig.

“So what, my lips won’t split from it,” she would say.

They kept the date of the wedding secret even from the ushers right up until the very day so that they wouldn’t go blabbing it. First they invited Rutilov and Volodin to be ushers. Both agreed willingly: Rutilov was anticipating an amusing story; Volodin was flattered to play such an important part in such an outstanding event in the life of such a respected person. Then Peredonov got it into his head that he needed another usher. He said:

“You’ll have one, Varvara, but I need two, one isn’t enough. It’ll be difficult to hold the wreath over my head, I’m a tall person.”

And Peredonov invited Falastov to be his second usher. Varvara grumbled:

“Why the devil him, there are two already, why another one?”

“He’s got golden spectacles, it’ll look more important with him there,” Peredonov said.

The morning of the wedding day, Peredonov washed in warm water, as always, so that he wouldn’t catch cold and then he asked for some rouge, explaining:

“Now I have to do myself up every day, otherwise people will think that I’m decrepit and I won’t be appointed inspector.”

Varvara begrudged her rouge, but she had to give way. And Peredonov rouged his cheeks. He muttered:

“Veriga himself puts rouge on so that he’ll seem younger. I can’t get married with white cheeks.”

Afterwards, when he had locked himself in the bedroom, he determined to mark himself up so that Volodin couldn’t change places with him. He smeared the letter “P” in ink on his chest, his stomach, his elbows and on various other parts.

“I ought to have marked up Volodin as well, but how could I do it? If he saw it he’d wipe it off,” Peredonov thought with melancholy.

Then the thought entered his head that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put on a corset, otherwise he might be taken for an old man if by chance he had to bend over. He asked Varvara for a corset.

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