Another Man's Wife Page #3

"Another Man's Wife" is a lesser-known short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky, exploring themes of love, infidelity, and the complexities of human relationships. The narrative revolves around a man who becomes infatuated with another man's wife, delving into the emotional turmoil and moral dilemmas that arise from his desires. Dostoevsky's characteristic psychological depth is evident as he examines the conflict between passion and societal norms, ultimately revealing the profound impacts of jealousy and betrayal on the lives of those involved.

• Novel

								

come here!"

"Where is she, then--your lady?"

"You want to know that? What is it to you?"

"I must own, I am still...."

"Tfoo! Mercy on us! Why, you have no sense of decency, none at all. Well,
my lady has friends here, on the third storey looking into the street. Why,
do you want me to tell you their names?"

"My goodness, I have friends too, who live on the third storey, and their
windows look on to the street.... General...."

"General!"

"A general. If you like I will tell you what general: well, then ...
General Polovitsyn."

"You don't say so! No, that is not the same! (Oh, damnation, damnation!)."

"Not the same?"

"No, not the same."

Both were silent, looking at each other in perplexity.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" exclaimed the young man, shaking off
his stupefaction and air of uncertainty with vexation.

The gentleman was in a fluster.

"I ... I must own...."

"Come, allow me, allow me; let us talk more sensibly now. It concerns us
both. Explain to me ... whom do you know there?"

"You mean, who are my friends?"

"Yes, your friends...."

"Well, you see ... you see!... I see from your eyes that I have guessed
right!"

"Hang it all! No, no, hang it all! Are you blind? Why, I am standing here
before you, I am not with her. Oh, well! I don't care, whether you say so
or not!"

Twice in his fury the young man turned on his heel with a contemptuous wave
of his hand.

"Oh, I meant nothing, I assure you. As an honourable man I will tell you
all about it. At first my wife used to come here alone. They are relatives
of hers; I had no suspicions; yesterday I met his Excellency: he told me
that he had moved three weeks ago from here to another flat, and my wi ...
that is, not mine, but somebody else's (the husband's on the Voznesensky
Bridge) ... that lady had told me that she was with them the day before
yesterday, in this flat I mean ... and the cook told me that his
Excellency's flat had been taken by a young man called Bobynitsyn...."

"Oh, damn it all, damn it all!..."

"My dear sir, I am in terror, I am in alarm!"

"Oh, hang it! What is it to me that you are in terror and in alarm? Ah!
Over there ... some one flitted by ... over there...."

"Where, where? You just shout, 'Ivan Andreyitch,' and I will run...."

"All right, all right. Oh, confound it! Ivan Andreyitch!"

"Here I am," cried Ivan Andreyitch, returning, utterly breathless. "What is
it, what is it? Where?"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean anything ... I wanted to know what this lady's name
is."

"Glaf...."

"Glafira?"

"No, not Glafira.... Excuse me, I cannot tell you her name."

As he said this the worthy man was as white as a sheet.

"Oh, of course it is not Glafira, I know it is not Glafira, and mine's not
Glafira; but with whom can she be?"

"Where?"

"There! Oh, damn it, damn it!" (The young man was in such a fury that he
could not stand still.)

"There, you see! How did you know that her name was Glafira?"

"Oh, damn it all, really! To have a bother with you, too! Why, you
say--that yours is not called Glafira!..."

"My dear sir, what a way to speak!"

"Oh, the devil! As though that mattered now! What is she? Your wife?"

"No--that is, I am not married.... But I would not keep flinging the devil
at a respectable man in trouble, a man, I will not say worthy of esteem,
but at any rate a man of education. You keep saying, 'The devil, the
devil!'"

"To be sure, the devil take it; so there you are, do you understand?"

"You are blinded by anger, and I say nothing. Oh, dear, who is that?"

"Where?"

There was a noise and a sound of laughter; two pretty girls ran down the
steps; both the men rushed up to them.

"Oh, what manners! What do you want?"

"Where are you shoving?"

"They are not the right ones!"

"Aha, so you've pitched on the wrong ones! Cab!"

"Where do you want to go, mademoiselle?"

"To Pokrov. Get in, Annushka; I'll take you."

"Oh, I'll sit on the other side; off! Now, mind you drive quickly."

The cab drove off.

"Where did they come from?"

"Oh, dear, oh, dear! Hadn't we better go there?"

"Where?"

"Why, to Bobynitsyn's...."

"No, that's out of the question."

"Why?"

"I would go there, of course, but then she would tell me some other story;
she would ... get out of it. She would say that she had come on purpose to
catch me with some one, and I should get into trouble."

"And, you know, she may be there! But you--I don't know for what
reason--why, you might go to the general's...."

"But, you know, he has moved!"

"That doesn't matter, you know. She has gone there; so you go, too--don't
you understand? Behave as though you didn't know the general had gone away.
Go as though you had come to fetch your wife, and so on."

"And then?"

"Well, and then find the person you want at Bobynitsyn's. Tfoo, damnation
take you, what a senseless...."

"Well, and what is it to you, my finding? You see, you see!"

"What, what, my good man? What? You are on the same old tack again. Oh,
Lord have mercy on us! You ought to be ashamed, you absurd person, you
senseless person!"

"Yes, but why are you so interested? Do you want to find out...."

"Find out what? What? Oh, well, damnation take you! I have no thoughts for
you now; I'll go alone. Go away; get along; look out; be off!"

"My dear sir, you are almost forgetting yourself!" cried the gentleman in
raccoon in despair.

"Well, what of it? What if I am forgetting myself?" said the young man,
setting his teeth and stepping up to the gentleman in raccoon in a fury.
"What of it? Forgetting myself before whom?" he thundered, clenching his
fists.

"But allow me, sir...."

"Well, who are you, before whom I am forgetting myself? What is your name?"

"I don't know about that, young man; why do you want my name?... I cannot
tell it you.... I better come with you. Let us go; I won't hang back; I am
ready for anything.... But I assure you I deserve greater politeness and
respect! You ought never to lose your self-possession, and if you are upset
about something--I can guess what about--at any rate there is no need to
forget yourself.... You are still a very, very young man!..."

"What is it to me that you are old? There's nothing wonderful in that! Go
away. Why are you dancing about here?"

"How am I old? Of course, in position; but I am not dancing about...."
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