The Collected Works of Anton Chekhov. Anton Chekhov
‘Must it be corrected?’
‘Yes, certain things must be omitted… By mutual consent…
We were silent for a quarter of a minute. I had terrible palpitations of the heart and my temples throbbed, but showed no outward sign of agitation.
‘By mutual consent,’ I repeated. ‘Last time you told me that you had taken the subject of your novel from real life.’
‘Yes, and I am ready to confirm it now. If you have read my novel, may I have the honour of introducing myself as Zinov’ev.’
‘So it was you who were best man at Olga Nikolaevna’s wedding.’
‘Both best man and friend of the house. Do I not come out of this story well?’ Kamyshev laughed, stroked his knees and got very red. ‘A fine fellow, eh? I ought to have been flogged, but there was nobody to do it.’
‘So, sir… I liked your story: it is better and more interesting than most crime novels. Only you and I must agree together on certain radical changes to be made.’
‘That’s possible. What do you want to change?’
‘The very habitus of the novel, its character. It has, as in all novels treating of crimes, everything: crime, evidence, an inquest, even fifteen years’ penal servitude as a climax, but the most essential thing is lacking.’
‘What is that?’
‘The real culprit does not appear….’
Kamyshev opened his eyes wide and rose.
‘To be frank, I don’t understand you,’ he said after a short pause. ‘If you do not consider the man who commits murder and strangles to be a real culprit, then I don’t know who can be considered so. Criminals are, of course, the product of society, and society is guilty, but… if one is to devote oneself to the higher considerations one must cease writing novels and write reports.’
‘Ach, what sort of higher considerations are there here! It was not Urbenin who committed the murder!’
‘How so?’ Kamyshev asked, approaching nearer to me.
‘Not Urbenin!’
‘Perhaps. Errare humanum est - and magistrates are not perfect: there are often errors of justice under the moon. You consider that we were mistaken?’
‘No, you did not make a mistake; you wished to make a mistake.’
‘Forgive me, I again do not understand,’ and Kamyshev smiled. ‘If you find that the inquest led to a mistake, and even, if I understand you right, to a premeditated mistake, it would be interesting to know your point of view. Who was the murderer in your opinion?’
‘You!’
Kamyshev looked at me with astonishment, almost with terror, grew very red and stepped back. Then turning away, he went to the window and began to laugh.
‘Here’s a nice go!’ he muttered, breathing on the glass and nervously drawing figures on it.
I watched his hand as he drew, and it appeared to me that I recognized in it the iron, muscular hand that, with a single effort, would have been able to strangle the sleeping Kuz’ma, or mangle Olga’s frail body. The thought that I saw before me a murderer filled my soul with unwonted feelings of horror and fear… not for myself — no! - but for him, for this handsome and graceful giant… and for mankind in general….
‘You murdered them!’ I repeated.
‘If you are not joking, allow me to congratulate you on the discovery,’ Kamyshev said laughing, but still not looking at me.
‘However, judging by your trembling voice, and your pallor, it is difficult to suppose that you are joking. What a nervous man you are!’
Kamyshev turned his flushed face towards me and, forcing himself to smile, he continued:
‘I should like to know how such an idea could have come into your head! Have I written something like that in my novel? By God, that’s interesting… Tell me, please! I should like, just once in a lifetime, to know what it feels like to be looked upon as a murderer.’
‘You are a murderer,’ I said, ‘and you are not able to hide it. In the novel you lied, and now you are proving yourself a poor actor.’
‘This is really quite interesting; upon my word, it would be curious to hear….’
‘If you are curious, then listen.’
I jumped up and began walking about the room in great agitation. Kamyshev looked out of the door and closed it tight. By this precaution he gave himself away.
‘What are you afraid of?’ I asked.
Kamyshev became confused, coughed and shrugged his shoulders.
‘I’m not afraid of anything, I only… only looked - looked out of the door. Well, now tell me!’
‘May I ask you some questions?’
‘As many as you like.’
‘I warn you that I am no magistrate, and no master in cross-examination; do not expect order or system, and so don’t try to disconcert or puzzle me. First tell me where you disappeared after you had left the clearing in which the shooting party was feasting?’
‘In the novel it is mentioned: I went home.’
‘In the novel the description of the way you went is carefully effaced. Did you not go through the forest?’
‘Yes.’
‘Consequently, you could have met Olga?’
‘Yes, I could,’ Kamyshev said smiling.
‘And you met her.’
‘No, I did not meet her.’
‘In your investigations you forgot to question one very important witness, and that was yourself… Did you hear the shriek of the victim?’
‘No… Well, baten’ka, you don’t know how to cross-examine at all.’
This familiar ‘baten’ka’ jarred on me; it accorded ill with the apologies and the embarrassment Kamyshev had shown when conversation began. Soon I noticed that he looked upon me with condescension, and almost with admiration of the determination I showed in questioning him.
‘Let us admit that you did not meet Olga in the forest,’ I continued, ‘though it was more difficult for Urbenin to meet her than for you, as Urbenin did not know she was in the forest, and therefore did not look for her, while you, being flushed with drink, would have been more likely to do so. You certainly did look for her, otherwise what would be your object in going home through the forest instead of by the road?… But let us admit that you did not meet her… How is your gloomy, your almost mad frame of mind, in the evening of the fatal day, to be explained? What induced you to kill the parrot as it cried out about the husband who killed his wife? I think he reminded you of your own evil deed. That night you were summoned to the Count’s house, and instead of beginning your investigations at once, you delayed until the police arrived almost twenty-four hours later. Perhaps you yourself did not notice this… But only a magistrate who already knew the criminal’s identity would have delayed… Further, Olga did not mention the name of the murderer because he was dear to her… If her husband had been the murderer she would have named him. Since she was capable of informing against him to her lover the Count, it would not have cost her anything to accuse him of murder: she did not love him, and he was not dear to her… She loved you, and you were the only person dear to her… she wanted to spare you… Allow me to ask, why did you delay asking her a straight question when she regained consciousness for a moment? Why did you ask her all sorts of questions that had nothing to do with the matter? I suggest that you did this only to mark time, in order to prevent her from naming you. Then Olga dies… In your novel you do not say a word about the impression that