The Daughter of the Commandant

My mother tearfully begged me not to neglect my health, and bade

Saveliitch take great care of the darling. I was dressed in a short

"touloup"[10] of hareskin, and over it a thick pelisse of foxskin. I

seated myself in the kibitka with Saveliitch, and started for my

destination, crying bitterly.

I arrived at Simbirsk during the night, where I was to stay twenty-four

hours, that Saveliitch might do sundry commissions entrusted to him. I

remained at an inn, while Saveliitch went out to get what he wanted.

Tired of looking out at the windows upon a dirty lane, I began wandering

about the rooms of the inn. I went into the billiard room. I found there

a tall gentleman, about forty years of age, with long, black

moustachios, in a dressing-gown, a cue in his hand, and a pipe in his

mouth. He was playing with the marker, who was to have a glass of brandy

if he won, and, if he lost, was to crawl under the table on all fours. I

stayed to watch them; the longer their games lasted, the more frequent

became the all-fours performance, till at last the marker remained

entirely under the table. The gentleman addressed to him some strong

remarks, as a funeral sermon, and proposed that I should play a game

with him. I replied that I did not know how to play billiards. Probably

it seemed to him very odd. He looked at me with a sort of pity.

Nevertheless, he continued talking to me. I learnt that his name was

Ivan Ivanovitch[11] Zourine, that he commanded a troop in the ----th

Hussars, that he was recruiting just now at Simbirsk, and that he had

established himself at the same inn as myself. Zourine asked me to lunch

with him, soldier fashion, and, as we say, on what Heaven provides. I

accepted with pleasure; we sat down to table; Zourine drank a great

deal, and pressed me to drink, telling me I must get accustomed to the

service. He told good stories, which made me roar with laughter, and we

got up from table the best of friends. Then he proposed to teach me

billiards.

"It is," said he, "a necessity for soldiers like us. Suppose, for

instance, you come to a little town; what are you to do? One cannot

always find a Jew to afford one sport. In short, you must go to the inn

and play billiards, and to play you must know how to play."

These reasons completely convinced me, and with great ardour I began

taking my lesson. Zourine encouraged me loudly; he was surprised at my

rapid progress, and after a few lessons he proposed that we should play

for money, were it only for a "groch" (two kopeks),[12] not for the

profit, but that we might not play for nothing, which, according to him,

was a very bad habit.