Nikolai sergeich ikhmenev came of a good family which had long since been reduced to poverty. However, after his parents’ death he came into possession of a sizeable piece of property with some hundred and fifty souls.* At about the age of twenty he decided to enlist in the Hussars. Everything went well until one disastrous evening in the sixth year of his commission when he gambled away his whole fortune at cards. He didn’t sleep that night. The next evening he again turned up at the gaming table and staked his horse – his last possession – on one card. He won, then a second time, then a third, and half an hour later he had recouped one of his hamlets, Ikhmenevka, an estate which at the last census had numbered some fifty souls. He decided to cut his losses, and the very next day resigned his commission. He was irretrievably poorer by a hundred souls. Two months later he was discharged with the rank of lieutenant, and retired to his country seat. Never again in his life did he speak of his gambling loss and, despite his good humour – for which he was well known – he would undoubtedly have had a row with anyone who dared to remind him of it. Once in the country, he settled there to run his estate assiduously, and at the age of thirty-five married Anna Andreyevna Shumilova, a completely dowryless daughter of a titled but impoverished family, who had nevertheless managed to send her to a provincial finishing school for young ladies run by a French émigrée, Mme Mont-Revechet – something that Anna Andreyevna was proud of all her life, though no one could ascertain what she had actually learnt there. Nikolai Sergeich managed his estate with consummate skill. Other landowners in the neighbourhood learnt from his example. Some years had passed when quite unexpectedly the adjoining estate, Vasilevskoye, which numbered nine hundred souls, saw the arrival of its owner from St Petersburg, one Prince Pyotr Alexandrovich Valkovsky. This caused quite a stir in the neighbourhood. The Prince, though not in the first flush of youth, was still a comparatively young man, of significant rank in government service, well-connected, handsome, wealthy and, last but not least, a widower – something calculated to excite the interest of every lady in the district. Stories were told for a long time of the magnificent reception organized in the provincial capital on his behalf by the Governor, to whom he was distantly related; of how all the ladies in the district “simply swooned at his compliments”, and so on and so forth. In short, the newcomer was one of those brilliant representatives of St Petersburg high society who seldom venture into the provinces, but who create a stunning effect when they do. That said, he was anything but gracious, especially towards those who could be of no use to him, or those whom he considered to be even slightly beneath him. He did not deem it necessary to introduce himself to the neighbouring landowners, which at once made him numerous enemies. Consequently, it was a matter of no small surprise when he suddenly decided to pay a visit to Nikolai Sergeich, one of his closest neighbours. At the Ikhmenevs’ the Prince caused something of a sensation. He immediately charmed both husband and wife, Anna Andreyevna being especially taken with him. Very soon he was on intimate terms with them, paying a visit every day, inviting them to his home, bursting with witticisms, telling anecdotes, playing their rickety old piano and singing songs. The Ikhmenevs simply couldn’t imagine how such an agreeable and charming person could possibly have been described as a haughty, arrogant, callous egoist – the unanimous view of his other neighbours. One must assume that the Prince was genuinely fond of Nikolai Sergeich, who was as straightforward, honest, selfless and honourable a man as one could ever wish to meet. Soon all became clear. The Prince had come to Vasilevskoye in order to dismiss the steward of his estate, an ambitious German agronomist, greying handsomely at the temples, with an aquiline nose and spectacles, but despite these distinguished features a devious character and a shameless thief, who to cap it all had tortured several peasants to death. Ivan Karlovich was finally caught red-handed in some thievery or other and unmasked; he protested his innocence and spoke volubly of German honesty, but was dismissed all the same and, what’s more, with very little ceremony. The Prince was therefore now in need of a steward, and his choice fell on Nikolai Sergeich, an excellent administrator and an upright man – that was of course beyond dispute. It seemed that what the Prince really wanted was for Nikolai Sergeich to volunteer his services, but he didn’t do so, and one fine morning the Prince made him an offer of the post, couched in terms of the utmost friendship and civility. At first Ikhmenev turned it down, but the substantial salary proved to be a great temptation for Anna Andreyevna, and the Prince’s overwhelming graciousness overcame their last remaining scruples. The Prince had got what he wanted. One must suppose that he was a good judge of men. In the brief period of his acquaintance with Ikhmenev, he had studied his man thoroughly and realized that his heart had to be won, that money alone would achieve little. Above all he needed a person he could rely upon implicitly at all times, and someone who could run Vasilevskoye without his ever having to visit the place himself again. His charm and force of personality were such that Ikhmenev took his friendship at face value. Nikolai Sergeich was one of those kindly, naively romantic people who are one of the glories of Russia – whatever else anyone might say about them – and who, once they come to like someone (God only knows why at times), will surrender themselves heart and soul, occasionally taking their devotion to ridiculous lengths.
Many years passed. The Prince’s estate flourished. Communications between landowner and manager were carried on with complete friendliness on both sides, but were limited strictly to business matters. The Prince did not interfere at all in Nikolai Sergeich’s decision-making, but would occasionally offer advice which surprised Ikhmenev by its unusual business acumen and practical common sense. Evidently he not only disliked profligacy, but was also adept at accumulating wealth. About five years after his visit to Vasilevskoye he gave Nikolai Sergeich power of attorney to purchase another excellent estate of roughly four hundred souls in the same province. Nikolai Sergeich was in a transport of delight; he took to heart the Prince’s success, and the reports of his achievements and triumphs gladdened him as if his employer had been his own brother. His exultation reached its peak, however, when on one occasion the Prince truly demonstrated his complete and utter trust in him. This is what happened… but first I feel I should supply some personal details about this Prince Valkovsky, who in a way is one of the most important characters in my story.