MASLOVA'S EARLY LIFE.
The story of the prisoner Maslova's life was a very common one.
Maslova's mother was the unmarried daughter of a village woman, employed on a dairy farm, which belonged to two maiden ladies who were landowners. This unmarried woman had a baby every year, and, as often happens among the village people, each one of these undesired babies, after it had been carefully baptised, was neglected by its mother, whom it hindered at her work, and left to starve. Five children had died in this way. They had all been baptised and then not sufficiently fed, and just left to die. The sixth baby, whose father was a gipsy tramp, would have shared the same fate, had it not so happened that one of the maiden ladies came into the farmyard to scold the dairymaids for sending up cream that smelt of the cow. The young woman was lying in the cowshed with a fine, healthy, new-born baby. The old maiden lady scolded the maids again for allowing the woman (who had just been confined) to lie in the cowshed, and was about to go away, but seeing the baby her heart was touched, and she offered to stand godmother to the little girl, and pity for her little god-daughter induced her to give milk and a little money to the mother, so that she should feed the baby; and the little girl lived. The old ladies spoke of her as "the saved one." When the child was three years old, her mother fell ill and died, and the maiden ladies took the child from her old grandmother, to whom she was nothing but a burden.
The little black-eyed maiden grew to be extremely pretty, and so full of spirits that the ladies found her very entertaining.
The younger of the ladies, Sophia Ivanovna, who had stood godmother to the girl, had the kinder heart of the two sisters; Maria Ivanovna, the elder, was rather hard. Sophia Ivanovna dressed the little girl in nice clothes, and taught her to read and write, meaning to educate her like a lady. Maria Ivanovna thought the child should be brought up to work, and trained her to be a good servant. She was exacting; she punished, and, when in a bad temper, even struck the little girl. Growing up under these two different influences, the girl turned out half servant, half young lady. They called her Katusha, which sounds less refined than Katinka, but is not quite so common as Katka. She used to sew, tidy up the rooms, polish the metal cases of the icons and do other light work, and sometimes she sat and read to the ladies.
Though she had more than one offer, she would not marry. She felt that life as the wife of any of the working men who were courting her would be too hard; spoilt as she was by a life of case.
She lived in this manner till she was sixteen, when the nephew of the old ladies, a rich young prince, and a university student, came to stay with his aunts, and Katusha, not daring to acknowledge it even to herself, fell in love with him.
Then two years later this same nephew stayed four days with his aunts before proceeding to join his regiment, and the night before he left he betrayed Katusha, and, after giving her a 100-rouble note, went away. Five months later she knew for certain that she was to be a mother. After that everything seemed repugnant to her, her only thought being how to escape from the shame that awaited her. She began not only to serve the ladies in a half-hearted and negligent way, but once, without knowing how it happened, was very rude to them, and gave them notice, a thing she repented of later, and the ladies let her go, noticing something wrong and very dissatisfied with her. Then she got a housemaid's place in a police-officer's house, but stayed there only three months, for the police officer, a man of fifty, began to torment her, and once, when he was in a specially enterprising mood, she fired up, called him "a fool and old devil," and gave him such a knock in the chest that he fell. She was turned out for her rudeness. It was useless to look for another situation, for the time of her confinement was drawing near, so she went to the house of a village midwife, who also sold wine. The confinement was easy; but the midwife, who had a case of fever in the village, infected Katusha, and her baby boy had to be sent to the foundlings' hospital, where, according to the words of the old woman who took him there, he at once died. When Katusha went to the midwife she had 127 roubles in all, 27 which she had earned and 100 given her by her betrayer. When she left she had but six roubles; she did not know how to keep money, but spent it on herself, and gave to all who asked. The midwife took 40 roubles for two months' board and attendance, 25 went to get the baby into the foundlings' hospital, and 40 the midwife borrowed to buy a cow with. Twenty roubles went just for clothes and dainties. Having nothing left to live on, Katusha had to look out for a place again, and found one in the house of a forester. The forester was a married man, but he, too, began to annoy her from the first day. He disgusted her, and she tried to avoid him. But he, more experienced and cunning, besides being her master, who could send her wherever he liked, managed to accomplish his object. His wife found it out, and, catching Katusha and her husband in a room all by themselves, began beating her. Katusha defended herself, and they had a fight, and Katusha got turned out of the house without being paid her wages.
Then Katusha went to live with her aunt in town. The aunt's husband, a bookbinder, had once been comfortably off, but had lost all his customers, and had taken to drink, and spent all he could lay hands on at the public-house. The aunt kept a little laundry, and managed to support herself, her children, and her wretched husband. She offered Katusha the place of an assistant laundress; but seeing what a life of misery and hardship her aunt's assistants led, Katusha hesitated, and applied to a registry office for a place. One was found for her with a lady who lived with her two sons, pupils at a public day school. A week after Katusha had entered the house the elder, a big fellow with moustaches, threw up his studies and made love to her, continually following her about. His mother laid all the blame on Katusha, and gave her notice.
It so happened that, after many fruitless attempts to find a situation, Katusha again went to the registry office, and there met a woman with bracelets on her bare, plump arms and rings on most of her fingers. Hearing that Katusha was badly in want of a place, the woman gave her her address, and invited her to come to her house. Katusha went. The woman received her very kindly, set cake and sweet wine before her, then wrote a note and gave it to a servant to take to somebody. In the evening a tall man, with long, grey hair and a white beard, entered the room, and sat down at once near Katusha, smiling and gazing at her with glistening eyes. He began joking with her. The hostess called him away into the next room, and Katusha heard her say, "A fresh one from the country," Then the hostess called Katusha aside and told her that the man was an author, and that he had a great deal of money, and that if he liked her he would not grudge her anything. He did like her, and gave her 25 roubles, promising to see her often. The 25 roubles soon went; some she paid to her aunt for board and lodging; the rest was spent on a hat, ribbons, and such like. A few days later the author sent for her, and she went. He gave her another 25 roubles, and offered her a separate lodging.
Next door to the lodging rented for her by the author there lived a jolly young shopman, with whom Katusha soon fell in love. She told the author, and moved to a little lodging of her own. The shopman, who promised to marry her, went to Nijni on business without mentioning it to her, having evidently thrown her up, and Katusha remained alone. She meant to continue living in the lodging by herself, but was informed by the police that in this case she would have to get a license. She returned to her aunt. Seeing her fine dress, her hat, and mantle, her aunt no longer offered her laundry work. As she understood things, her niece had risen above that sort of thing. The question as to whether she was to become a laundress or not did not occur to Katusha, either. She looked with pity at the thin, hard-worked laundresses, some already in consumption, who stood washing or ironing with their thin arms in the fearfully hot front room, which was always full of soapy steam and draughts from the windows, and thought with horror that she might have shared the same fate.
Katusha had begun to smoke some time before, and since the young shopman had thrown her up she was getting more and more into the habit of drinking. It was not so much the flavour of wine that tempted her as the fact that it gave her a chance of forgetting the misery she suffered, making her feel more unrestrained and more confident of her own worth, which she was not when quite sober; without wine she felt sad and ashamed. Just at this time a woman came along who offered to place her in one of the largest establishments in the city, explaining all the advantages and benefits of the situation. Katusha had the choice before her of either going into service or accepting this offer--and she chose the latter. Besides, it seemed to her as though, in this way, she could revenge herself on her betrayer and the shopman and all those who had injured her. One of the things that tempted her, and was the cause of her decision, was the woman telling her she might order her own dresses--velvet, silk, satin, low-necked ball dresses, anything she liked. A mental picture of herself in a bright yellow silk trimmed with black velvet with low neck and short sleeves conquered her, and she gave up her passport. On the same evening the procuress took an isvostchik and drove her to the notorious house kept by Carolina Albertovna Kitaeva.
From that day a life of chronic sin against human and divine laws commenced for Katusha Maslova, a life which is led by hundreds of thousands of women, and which is not merely tolerated but sanctioned by the Government, anxious for the welfare of its subjects; a life which for nine women out of ten ends in painful disease, premature decrepitude, and death.
Katusha Maslova lived this life for seven years. During these years she twice changed houses, and had once been to the hospital. In the seventh year of this life, when she was twenty-six years old, happened that for which she was put in prison and for which she was now being taken to be tried, after more than three months of confinement with thieves and murderers in the stifling air of a prison.
女犯瑪絲洛娃的身世極其平幾。她是一個未婚的女農(nóng)奴的私生子。這女農(nóng)奴跟著飼養(yǎng)牲口的母親一起，在兩個地主老姑娘的莊院里干活。這個沒有結(jié)過婚的女人年年都生一個孩子，并且按照鄉(xiāng)下習慣，總是給孩子行洗禮，然后做母親的不再給這個違背她的心愿來到人間的孩子喂奶，因為這會影響她干活。于是，孩子不久就餓死了。
就這樣死了五個孩子。個個都行了洗禮，個個都沒有吃奶，個個都死掉了。第六個孩子是跟一個過路的吉卜賽人生的，是個女孩。她的命運本來也不會有什么兩樣，可是那兩個老姑娘中有一個湊巧來到牲口棚，斥責飼養(yǎng)員做的奶油有牛騷氣。當時產(chǎn)婦和她那個白白胖胖的娃娃正躺在牲口棚里。那老姑娘因為奶油做得不好吃，又因為把產(chǎn)婦放進牲口棚里，大罵了一通，罵完正要走，忽然看見那娃娃，覺得很惹人愛憐，就自愿做她的教母。她給女孩行了洗禮，又因憐憫這個教女，常給做母親的送點牛奶和錢。這樣，女孩就活了下來。
兩個老姑娘從此就叫她“再生兒”。
孩子三歲那年，她母親害病死了。飼養(yǎng)牲口的外婆覺得外孫女是個累贅，兩個老姑娘就把女孩領(lǐng)到身邊撫養(yǎng)。這個眼睛烏溜溜的小女孩長得非常活潑可愛，兩個老姑娘就常常拿她消遣解悶。
這兩個老姑娘中，妹妹索菲雅·伊凡諾夫娜心地比較善良，給女孩行洗禮的就是她；姐姐瑪麗雅·伊凡諾夫娜脾氣比較急躁。索菲雅把這娃娃打扮身漂漂亮亮，還教她念書，一心想把她培養(yǎng)成自己的養(yǎng)女?，旣愌艆s要把她訓練成一名出色的侍女，因此對她很嚴格，遇到自己情緒不好，就罰她甚至打她。由于兩個老姑娘持不同的態(tài)度，小姑娘長大成人后，便一半成了個侍女，一半成了個養(yǎng)女。她的名字也不上不下，叫卡秋莎，而不叫卡吉卡，也不叫卡金卡。①她縫補衣服，收拾房間，擦拭圣像，煮茶燒菜，磨咖啡豆，煮咖啡，洗零星衣物，有時還坐下來給兩個老姑娘讀書解悶。
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①她的本名叫卡吉琳娜，卡吉卡是粗俗的叫法，卡金卡是高雅的稱呼，而卡秋莎則是普通的小名。
有人來給她說媒，她一概謝絕，覺得嫁給賣力氣過活的男人，日子一定很苦。她已經(jīng)過慣地主家的舒適生活。
她就這樣一直生活到十六歲。在滿十六歲那年，兩個老姑娘的侄兒，一個在大學念書的闊綽的公爵少爺來到她們家。卡秋莎暗暗愛上了他，卻不敢向他表白，連自己都不敢承認產(chǎn)生了這種感情。兩年后，這位侄少爺出發(fā)遠征，途經(jīng)姑媽家，又待了四天。臨行前夜，他引誘了卡秋莎，動身那天塞給她一張百盧布鈔票。他走了五個月后，她才斷定自己懷孕了。
從那時起，她變得性情煩躁，一味想著怎樣才能避免即將臨頭的羞辱。她服侍兩個老姑娘，不僅敷衍塞責，而且連自己都沒想到，竟發(fā)起脾氣來。她頂撞老姑娘，對她們說了不少粗話，事后又覺得懊悔，就要求辭工。
兩個老姑娘對她也很不滿意，就放她走了。她從她們家里出來，到警察局長家做侍女，但只做了三個月，因為那局長雖然年已半百，還是對她糾纏不清。有，他逼得特別厲害，她發(fā)起火來，罵他混蛋和老鬼，狠狠地把他推開，他竟被推倒在地。她因此被解雇了。她再找工作已不可能，因為快要分娩，就寄居到鄉(xiāng)下一個給人接生兼販私酒的寡婦家里。分娩很順利，可是那接生婆剛給一個有病的鄉(xiāng)下女人接過生，便把產(chǎn)褥熱傳染給了卡秋莎。男孩一生下來就被送到育嬰堂。據(jù)送去的老太婆說，嬰兒一到那里就死了。
卡秋莎住到接生婆家里的時候，身上總共有一百二十七盧布：二十七盧布是她自己掙的，一百盧布是引誘她的公爵少爺送的。等她從接生婆家里出來，手頭只剩下六個盧布。她不懂得省吃儉用，很會花錢，待人又厚道，總是有求必應。接生婆向她要了四十盧布，作為兩個月的伙食費和茶點錢，又要了二十五盧布，算是把嬰兒送到育嬰堂的費用。另外，接生婆又向她借了四十盧布買牛。剩下的二十幾個盧布，卡秋莎自己買衣服，送禮，零星花掉了。這樣，當卡秋莎身體復元時，她已身無分文，不得不重新找工作。她到林務官家干活。林務官雖然已有老婆，但也跟警察局長一樣，從第一天起就纏住卡秋莎不放?？ㄇ锷憛捤?，竭力回避他。但他比卡秋莎狡猾老練，主要因為他是東家，可以任意支使她，終于找到了一個機會，把她占有了。做妻子的知道了這件事，有看到丈夫同卡秋莎單獨待在房間里，就撲過去打她?？ㄇ锷桓适救酰瑑扇藦P打起來。結(jié)果卡秋莎被攆了出來，連工資都沒有拿到。此后卡秋莎來到城里，住在姨媽家。姨父是個裝訂工，原先日子過得不錯，后來主顧越來越少，他就借酒解愁，把家里的東西都變賣喝掉了。
姨媽開了一家小洗衣店，借以養(yǎng)活兒女，供養(yǎng)潦倒的丈夫。姨媽要瑪絲洛娃進她的洗衣店干活。但瑪絲洛娃看到洗衣店里女工的艱苦生活，猶豫不決，就到薦頭行找工作，給人家當女仆。她找到了一戶人家，有一位太太和兩個念中學的男孩。進去才一星期，那個念中學六年級的留小胡子的大兒子就丟下功課，纏住瑪絲洛娃，不讓她安寧。做母親的卻一味責怪瑪絲洛娃，把她解雇了?，斀z洛娃沒有找到新的工作，但在薦頭行里無意中遇到一位手上戴滿戒指、肥胖的光胳膊上戴著手鐲的太太。這位太太知道了瑪絲洛娃的處境，就留下地址，請瑪絲洛娃到她家去?，斀z洛娃去找她。這位太太親熱地招待她，請她吃餡餅和甜酒，同時打發(fā)侍女送一封信到什么地方去。傍晚就有一個須發(fā)花白的高個子來到這屋里。這老頭子一來就挨著瑪絲洛娃坐下，眼睛閃閃發(fā)亮，笑嘻嘻地打量著她，同她說笑。女主人把他叫到另一個房間，瑪絲洛娃但聽得女主人說：“剛從鄉(xiāng)下來的，新鮮得很吶！”然后女主人把瑪絲洛娃叫去，對她說他是作家，錢多得要命，只要她能如他的意，他是不會舍不得花錢的。她果然如了他的意，他就給了她二十五盧布，還答應常常同她相會。她付清了姨媽家的生活費，買了新衣服、帽子和緞帶，很快就把錢花光了。過了幾天，作家又來請她去。她去了。他又給了她二十五盧布，叫她搬到一個獨門獨戶的寓所去住。
瑪絲洛娃住在作家替她租下的寓所里，卻愛上了同院一個快樂的店員。她主動把這事告訴作家，然后又搬到一個更小的獨戶寓所里去住。那個店員起初答應同她結(jié)婚，后來竟不辭而別，到下城去，顯然是把她拋棄了。這樣，瑪絲洛娃又剩下孤零零一個人。她本想獨個兒繼續(xù)住在那個寓所里，可是人家不答應。派出所長對她說，她要領(lǐng)到黃色執(zhí)照①，接受醫(yī)生檢查，才能單獨居住。于是她又回到姨媽家。姨媽見她穿戴著時式的衣服、披肩和帽子，客客氣氣接待她，再也不敢要她做洗衣婦，認為她現(xiàn)在的身價高了。而對瑪絲洛娃來說，她根本不考慮做洗衣婦的問題。她瞧著前面幾個屋子里的洗衣婦，對她們充滿憐憫。她們臉色蒼白，胳膊干瘦，有的己得了癆病，過著苦役犯一般的生活。那里不論冬夏，窗子一直敞開著，她們就在三十度②高溫的肥皂蒸汽里洗熨衣服?，斀z洛娃一想到她也可能服這樣的苦役，不禁感到恐懼。
就在瑪絲洛娃沒有任何依靠，生活無著的時候，一個為妓院物色姑娘的牙婆找到了她。
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①帝俄政府發(fā)的妓女執(zhí)照。
②指列氏溫度。列氏溫度計把冰點作0度，沸點作80度，列氏30度等于攝氏37．5度。
瑪絲洛娃早就抽上香煙，而在她同店員姘居的后期和被他拋棄以后，就越來越離不開酒瓶。她之所以離不開酒瓶，不僅因為酒味醇美，更因為酒能使她忘記身受的一切痛苦，暫時解脫煩悶，增強自尊心。而這樣的精神狀態(tài)不喝酒是無法維持的。她不喝酒就覺得意氣消沉，羞恥難當。
牙婆招待姨媽吃飯，把瑪絲洛娃灌醉，要她到城里一家高級的妓院去做生意，又向她列舉干這個營生的種種好處?，斀z洛娃面臨著一場選擇：或者低聲下氣去當女仆，但這樣就逃避不了男人的糾纏，不得不同人臨時秘密通*；或者取得生活安定而又合法的地位，就是進行法律所容許而又報酬豐厚的長期的公開通*。她選擇了后一條。此外，她想用這種方式來報復誘*她的年輕公爵、店員和一切欺侮過她的男人。同時還有一個條件誘惑她，使她后打定主意，那就是牙婆答應她，她喜愛什么衣服，就可以做什么衣服，絲絨的，法伊縐①的，綢緞的，袒胸露臂的舞衫，等等，任憑挑選。瑪絲洛娃想象著自己穿上一件袒胸黑絲絨滾邊的鵝黃連衣裙的情景，再也經(jīng)不住誘惑，就交出身份證去換取黃色執(zhí)照。當天晚上，牙婆雇來一輛馬車，把她帶到的基塔耶娃妓院里。
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①正反兩面都有橫條紋的絲織品或毛織品。
從此以后，瑪絲洛娃就經(jīng)常違背上帝的誡命和人類道德，過起犯罪的生活來。千百萬婦女過著這種生活，不僅獲得關(guān)心公民福利的政府的許可，而且受到它的保護。后，這類婦女十個倒有九個受著惡疾的折磨，未老先衰，過早夭折。
夜間縱酒作樂，白天昏睡不醒。下午兩三點鐘，她們才懶洋洋地從骯臟的床上爬起來，喝礦泉水醒酒，或者喝咖啡，身上穿著罩衫、短上衣或者長睡衣，沒精打采地在幾個房間里走來走去，隔著窗簾望望窗外，有氣無力地對罵幾句。接著是梳洗，擦油，往身上和頭發(fā)上灑香水，試衣服，為服飾同老鴇吵嘴，反復照鏡子，涂脂抹粉，畫眉毛，吃油膩的甜點心；后穿上袒露肉體的鮮艷綢衫，來到燈火輝煌的華麗大廳里?？腿岁懤m(xù)到來，奏樂，跳舞，吃糖，喝酒，吸煙，通*?？腿酥虚g有年輕的，有中年的，有半大孩子，有龍鐘的老頭，有單身的，有成家的，有商人，有店員，有亞美尼亞人，有*人，有韃靼人，有富裕的，有貧窮的，有強壯的，有病弱的，有喝醉的，有清醒的，有粗野的，有溫柔的，有軍人，有文官，有大學生，有中學生?？傊?，各種不同身分，不同年齡，不同性格的男人，應有盡有。又是喧鬧又是調(diào)笑，又是打架又是音樂，吸煙喝酒，喝酒吸煙，音樂從黃昏一直響到天明。直到早晨，她們才得脫身和睡覺。天天如此，個個星期都是這樣。每到周末，她們乘車去到政府機關(guān)——警察分局，那里坐著官員和醫(yī)生，都是男人。他們的態(tài)度有時嚴肅認真，有時輕浮粗野，蹂躪了不僅為人類所賦有、甚至連禽獸都具備的那種足以防止犯罪的羞恥心，給這些女人檢查身體，發(fā)給她們許可證，使她們可以和同謀者再干上一星期同類罪行。下一個星期還是這樣。天天如此，不分冬夏，沒有假期。
瑪絲洛娃就這樣過了七年。在這期間，她換過兩家妓院，住過醫(yī)院。在她進妓院的第七年，也是她初次失身后的第八年，那時她才二十六歲，不料出了一件事，使她進了監(jiān)獄。她在牢里同殺人犯和盜賊一起生活了六個月，今天被押解到法院受審。
The story of the prisoner Maslova's life was a very common one.
Maslova's mother was the unmarried daughter of a village woman, employed on a dairy farm, which belonged to two maiden ladies who were landowners. This unmarried woman had a baby every year, and, as often happens among the village people, each one of these undesired babies, after it had been carefully baptised, was neglected by its mother, whom it hindered at her work, and left to starve. Five children had died in this way. They had all been baptised and then not sufficiently fed, and just left to die. The sixth baby, whose father was a gipsy tramp, would have shared the same fate, had it not so happened that one of the maiden ladies came into the farmyard to scold the dairymaids for sending up cream that smelt of the cow. The young woman was lying in the cowshed with a fine, healthy, new-born baby. The old maiden lady scolded the maids again for allowing the woman (who had just been confined) to lie in the cowshed, and was about to go away, but seeing the baby her heart was touched, and she offered to stand godmother to the little girl, and pity for her little god-daughter induced her to give milk and a little money to the mother, so that she should feed the baby; and the little girl lived. The old ladies spoke of her as "the saved one." When the child was three years old, her mother fell ill and died, and the maiden ladies took the child from her old grandmother, to whom she was nothing but a burden.
The little black-eyed maiden grew to be extremely pretty, and so full of spirits that the ladies found her very entertaining.
The younger of the ladies, Sophia Ivanovna, who had stood godmother to the girl, had the kinder heart of the two sisters; Maria Ivanovna, the elder, was rather hard. Sophia Ivanovna dressed the little girl in nice clothes, and taught her to read and write, meaning to educate her like a lady. Maria Ivanovna thought the child should be brought up to work, and trained her to be a good servant. She was exacting; she punished, and, when in a bad temper, even struck the little girl. Growing up under these two different influences, the girl turned out half servant, half young lady. They called her Katusha, which sounds less refined than Katinka, but is not quite so common as Katka. She used to sew, tidy up the rooms, polish the metal cases of the icons and do other light work, and sometimes she sat and read to the ladies.
Though she had more than one offer, she would not marry. She felt that life as the wife of any of the working men who were courting her would be too hard; spoilt as she was by a life of case.
She lived in this manner till she was sixteen, when the nephew of the old ladies, a rich young prince, and a university student, came to stay with his aunts, and Katusha, not daring to acknowledge it even to herself, fell in love with him.
Then two years later this same nephew stayed four days with his aunts before proceeding to join his regiment, and the night before he left he betrayed Katusha, and, after giving her a 100-rouble note, went away. Five months later she knew for certain that she was to be a mother. After that everything seemed repugnant to her, her only thought being how to escape from the shame that awaited her. She began not only to serve the ladies in a half-hearted and negligent way, but once, without knowing how it happened, was very rude to them, and gave them notice, a thing she repented of later, and the ladies let her go, noticing something wrong and very dissatisfied with her. Then she got a housemaid's place in a police-officer's house, but stayed there only three months, for the police officer, a man of fifty, began to torment her, and once, when he was in a specially enterprising mood, she fired up, called him "a fool and old devil," and gave him such a knock in the chest that he fell. She was turned out for her rudeness. It was useless to look for another situation, for the time of her confinement was drawing near, so she went to the house of a village midwife, who also sold wine. The confinement was easy; but the midwife, who had a case of fever in the village, infected Katusha, and her baby boy had to be sent to the foundlings' hospital, where, according to the words of the old woman who took him there, he at once died. When Katusha went to the midwife she had 127 roubles in all, 27 which she had earned and 100 given her by her betrayer. When she left she had but six roubles; she did not know how to keep money, but spent it on herself, and gave to all who asked. The midwife took 40 roubles for two months' board and attendance, 25 went to get the baby into the foundlings' hospital, and 40 the midwife borrowed to buy a cow with. Twenty roubles went just for clothes and dainties. Having nothing left to live on, Katusha had to look out for a place again, and found one in the house of a forester. The forester was a married man, but he, too, began to annoy her from the first day. He disgusted her, and she tried to avoid him. But he, more experienced and cunning, besides being her master, who could send her wherever he liked, managed to accomplish his object. His wife found it out, and, catching Katusha and her husband in a room all by themselves, began beating her. Katusha defended herself, and they had a fight, and Katusha got turned out of the house without being paid her wages.
Then Katusha went to live with her aunt in town. The aunt's husband, a bookbinder, had once been comfortably off, but had lost all his customers, and had taken to drink, and spent all he could lay hands on at the public-house. The aunt kept a little laundry, and managed to support herself, her children, and her wretched husband. She offered Katusha the place of an assistant laundress; but seeing what a life of misery and hardship her aunt's assistants led, Katusha hesitated, and applied to a registry office for a place. One was found for her with a lady who lived with her two sons, pupils at a public day school. A week after Katusha had entered the house the elder, a big fellow with moustaches, threw up his studies and made love to her, continually following her about. His mother laid all the blame on Katusha, and gave her notice.
It so happened that, after many fruitless attempts to find a situation, Katusha again went to the registry office, and there met a woman with bracelets on her bare, plump arms and rings on most of her fingers. Hearing that Katusha was badly in want of a place, the woman gave her her address, and invited her to come to her house. Katusha went. The woman received her very kindly, set cake and sweet wine before her, then wrote a note and gave it to a servant to take to somebody. In the evening a tall man, with long, grey hair and a white beard, entered the room, and sat down at once near Katusha, smiling and gazing at her with glistening eyes. He began joking with her. The hostess called him away into the next room, and Katusha heard her say, "A fresh one from the country," Then the hostess called Katusha aside and told her that the man was an author, and that he had a great deal of money, and that if he liked her he would not grudge her anything. He did like her, and gave her 25 roubles, promising to see her often. The 25 roubles soon went; some she paid to her aunt for board and lodging; the rest was spent on a hat, ribbons, and such like. A few days later the author sent for her, and she went. He gave her another 25 roubles, and offered her a separate lodging.
Next door to the lodging rented for her by the author there lived a jolly young shopman, with whom Katusha soon fell in love. She told the author, and moved to a little lodging of her own. The shopman, who promised to marry her, went to Nijni on business without mentioning it to her, having evidently thrown her up, and Katusha remained alone. She meant to continue living in the lodging by herself, but was informed by the police that in this case she would have to get a license. She returned to her aunt. Seeing her fine dress, her hat, and mantle, her aunt no longer offered her laundry work. As she understood things, her niece had risen above that sort of thing. The question as to whether she was to become a laundress or not did not occur to Katusha, either. She looked with pity at the thin, hard-worked laundresses, some already in consumption, who stood washing or ironing with their thin arms in the fearfully hot front room, which was always full of soapy steam and draughts from the windows, and thought with horror that she might have shared the same fate.
Katusha had begun to smoke some time before, and since the young shopman had thrown her up she was getting more and more into the habit of drinking. It was not so much the flavour of wine that tempted her as the fact that it gave her a chance of forgetting the misery she suffered, making her feel more unrestrained and more confident of her own worth, which she was not when quite sober; without wine she felt sad and ashamed. Just at this time a woman came along who offered to place her in one of the largest establishments in the city, explaining all the advantages and benefits of the situation. Katusha had the choice before her of either going into service or accepting this offer--and she chose the latter. Besides, it seemed to her as though, in this way, she could revenge herself on her betrayer and the shopman and all those who had injured her. One of the things that tempted her, and was the cause of her decision, was the woman telling her she might order her own dresses--velvet, silk, satin, low-necked ball dresses, anything she liked. A mental picture of herself in a bright yellow silk trimmed with black velvet with low neck and short sleeves conquered her, and she gave up her passport. On the same evening the procuress took an isvostchik and drove her to the notorious house kept by Carolina Albertovna Kitaeva.
From that day a life of chronic sin against human and divine laws commenced for Katusha Maslova, a life which is led by hundreds of thousands of women, and which is not merely tolerated but sanctioned by the Government, anxious for the welfare of its subjects; a life which for nine women out of ten ends in painful disease, premature decrepitude, and death.
Katusha Maslova lived this life for seven years. During these years she twice changed houses, and had once been to the hospital. In the seventh year of this life, when she was twenty-six years old, happened that for which she was put in prison and for which she was now being taken to be tried, after more than three months of confinement with thieves and murderers in the stifling air of a prison.
女犯瑪絲洛娃的身世極其平幾。她是一個未婚的女農(nóng)奴的私生子。這女農(nóng)奴跟著飼養(yǎng)牲口的母親一起，在兩個地主老姑娘的莊院里干活。這個沒有結(jié)過婚的女人年年都生一個孩子，并且按照鄉(xiāng)下習慣，總是給孩子行洗禮，然后做母親的不再給這個違背她的心愿來到人間的孩子喂奶，因為這會影響她干活。于是，孩子不久就餓死了。
就這樣死了五個孩子。個個都行了洗禮，個個都沒有吃奶，個個都死掉了。第六個孩子是跟一個過路的吉卜賽人生的，是個女孩。她的命運本來也不會有什么兩樣，可是那兩個老姑娘中有一個湊巧來到牲口棚，斥責飼養(yǎng)員做的奶油有牛騷氣。當時產(chǎn)婦和她那個白白胖胖的娃娃正躺在牲口棚里。那老姑娘因為奶油做得不好吃，又因為把產(chǎn)婦放進牲口棚里，大罵了一通，罵完正要走，忽然看見那娃娃，覺得很惹人愛憐，就自愿做她的教母。她給女孩行了洗禮，又因憐憫這個教女，常給做母親的送點牛奶和錢。這樣，女孩就活了下來。
兩個老姑娘從此就叫她“再生兒”。
孩子三歲那年，她母親害病死了。飼養(yǎng)牲口的外婆覺得外孫女是個累贅，兩個老姑娘就把女孩領(lǐng)到身邊撫養(yǎng)。這個眼睛烏溜溜的小女孩長得非常活潑可愛，兩個老姑娘就常常拿她消遣解悶。
這兩個老姑娘中，妹妹索菲雅·伊凡諾夫娜心地比較善良，給女孩行洗禮的就是她；姐姐瑪麗雅·伊凡諾夫娜脾氣比較急躁。索菲雅把這娃娃打扮身漂漂亮亮，還教她念書，一心想把她培養(yǎng)成自己的養(yǎng)女?，旣愌艆s要把她訓練成一名出色的侍女，因此對她很嚴格，遇到自己情緒不好，就罰她甚至打她。由于兩個老姑娘持不同的態(tài)度，小姑娘長大成人后，便一半成了個侍女，一半成了個養(yǎng)女。她的名字也不上不下，叫卡秋莎，而不叫卡吉卡，也不叫卡金卡。①她縫補衣服，收拾房間，擦拭圣像，煮茶燒菜，磨咖啡豆，煮咖啡，洗零星衣物，有時還坐下來給兩個老姑娘讀書解悶。
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①她的本名叫卡吉琳娜，卡吉卡是粗俗的叫法，卡金卡是高雅的稱呼，而卡秋莎則是普通的小名。
有人來給她說媒，她一概謝絕，覺得嫁給賣力氣過活的男人，日子一定很苦。她已經(jīng)過慣地主家的舒適生活。
她就這樣一直生活到十六歲。在滿十六歲那年，兩個老姑娘的侄兒，一個在大學念書的闊綽的公爵少爺來到她們家。卡秋莎暗暗愛上了他，卻不敢向他表白，連自己都不敢承認產(chǎn)生了這種感情。兩年后，這位侄少爺出發(fā)遠征，途經(jīng)姑媽家，又待了四天。臨行前夜，他引誘了卡秋莎，動身那天塞給她一張百盧布鈔票。他走了五個月后，她才斷定自己懷孕了。
從那時起，她變得性情煩躁，一味想著怎樣才能避免即將臨頭的羞辱。她服侍兩個老姑娘，不僅敷衍塞責，而且連自己都沒想到，竟發(fā)起脾氣來。她頂撞老姑娘，對她們說了不少粗話，事后又覺得懊悔，就要求辭工。
兩個老姑娘對她也很不滿意，就放她走了。她從她們家里出來，到警察局長家做侍女，但只做了三個月，因為那局長雖然年已半百，還是對她糾纏不清。有，他逼得特別厲害，她發(fā)起火來，罵他混蛋和老鬼，狠狠地把他推開，他竟被推倒在地。她因此被解雇了。她再找工作已不可能，因為快要分娩，就寄居到鄉(xiāng)下一個給人接生兼販私酒的寡婦家里。分娩很順利，可是那接生婆剛給一個有病的鄉(xiāng)下女人接過生，便把產(chǎn)褥熱傳染給了卡秋莎。男孩一生下來就被送到育嬰堂。據(jù)送去的老太婆說，嬰兒一到那里就死了。
卡秋莎住到接生婆家里的時候，身上總共有一百二十七盧布：二十七盧布是她自己掙的，一百盧布是引誘她的公爵少爺送的。等她從接生婆家里出來，手頭只剩下六個盧布。她不懂得省吃儉用，很會花錢，待人又厚道，總是有求必應。接生婆向她要了四十盧布，作為兩個月的伙食費和茶點錢，又要了二十五盧布，算是把嬰兒送到育嬰堂的費用。另外，接生婆又向她借了四十盧布買牛。剩下的二十幾個盧布，卡秋莎自己買衣服，送禮，零星花掉了。這樣，當卡秋莎身體復元時，她已身無分文，不得不重新找工作。她到林務官家干活。林務官雖然已有老婆，但也跟警察局長一樣，從第一天起就纏住卡秋莎不放?？ㄇ锷憛捤?，竭力回避他。但他比卡秋莎狡猾老練，主要因為他是東家，可以任意支使她，終于找到了一個機會，把她占有了。做妻子的知道了這件事，有看到丈夫同卡秋莎單獨待在房間里，就撲過去打她?？ㄇ锷桓适救酰瑑扇藦P打起來。結(jié)果卡秋莎被攆了出來，連工資都沒有拿到。此后卡秋莎來到城里，住在姨媽家。姨父是個裝訂工，原先日子過得不錯，后來主顧越來越少，他就借酒解愁，把家里的東西都變賣喝掉了。
姨媽開了一家小洗衣店，借以養(yǎng)活兒女，供養(yǎng)潦倒的丈夫。姨媽要瑪絲洛娃進她的洗衣店干活。但瑪絲洛娃看到洗衣店里女工的艱苦生活，猶豫不決，就到薦頭行找工作，給人家當女仆。她找到了一戶人家，有一位太太和兩個念中學的男孩。進去才一星期，那個念中學六年級的留小胡子的大兒子就丟下功課，纏住瑪絲洛娃，不讓她安寧。做母親的卻一味責怪瑪絲洛娃，把她解雇了?，斀z洛娃沒有找到新的工作，但在薦頭行里無意中遇到一位手上戴滿戒指、肥胖的光胳膊上戴著手鐲的太太。這位太太知道了瑪絲洛娃的處境，就留下地址，請瑪絲洛娃到她家去?，斀z洛娃去找她。這位太太親熱地招待她，請她吃餡餅和甜酒，同時打發(fā)侍女送一封信到什么地方去。傍晚就有一個須發(fā)花白的高個子來到這屋里。這老頭子一來就挨著瑪絲洛娃坐下，眼睛閃閃發(fā)亮，笑嘻嘻地打量著她，同她說笑。女主人把他叫到另一個房間，瑪絲洛娃但聽得女主人說：“剛從鄉(xiāng)下來的，新鮮得很吶！”然后女主人把瑪絲洛娃叫去，對她說他是作家，錢多得要命，只要她能如他的意，他是不會舍不得花錢的。她果然如了他的意，他就給了她二十五盧布，還答應常常同她相會。她付清了姨媽家的生活費，買了新衣服、帽子和緞帶，很快就把錢花光了。過了幾天，作家又來請她去。她去了。他又給了她二十五盧布，叫她搬到一個獨門獨戶的寓所去住。
瑪絲洛娃住在作家替她租下的寓所里，卻愛上了同院一個快樂的店員。她主動把這事告訴作家，然后又搬到一個更小的獨戶寓所里去住。那個店員起初答應同她結(jié)婚，后來竟不辭而別，到下城去，顯然是把她拋棄了。這樣，瑪絲洛娃又剩下孤零零一個人。她本想獨個兒繼續(xù)住在那個寓所里，可是人家不答應。派出所長對她說，她要領(lǐng)到黃色執(zhí)照①，接受醫(yī)生檢查，才能單獨居住。于是她又回到姨媽家。姨媽見她穿戴著時式的衣服、披肩和帽子，客客氣氣接待她，再也不敢要她做洗衣婦，認為她現(xiàn)在的身價高了。而對瑪絲洛娃來說，她根本不考慮做洗衣婦的問題。她瞧著前面幾個屋子里的洗衣婦，對她們充滿憐憫。她們臉色蒼白，胳膊干瘦，有的己得了癆病，過著苦役犯一般的生活。那里不論冬夏，窗子一直敞開著，她們就在三十度②高溫的肥皂蒸汽里洗熨衣服?，斀z洛娃一想到她也可能服這樣的苦役，不禁感到恐懼。
就在瑪絲洛娃沒有任何依靠，生活無著的時候，一個為妓院物色姑娘的牙婆找到了她。
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①帝俄政府發(fā)的妓女執(zhí)照。
②指列氏溫度。列氏溫度計把冰點作0度，沸點作80度，列氏30度等于攝氏37．5度。
瑪絲洛娃早就抽上香煙，而在她同店員姘居的后期和被他拋棄以后，就越來越離不開酒瓶。她之所以離不開酒瓶，不僅因為酒味醇美，更因為酒能使她忘記身受的一切痛苦，暫時解脫煩悶，增強自尊心。而這樣的精神狀態(tài)不喝酒是無法維持的。她不喝酒就覺得意氣消沉，羞恥難當。
牙婆招待姨媽吃飯，把瑪絲洛娃灌醉，要她到城里一家高級的妓院去做生意，又向她列舉干這個營生的種種好處?，斀z洛娃面臨著一場選擇：或者低聲下氣去當女仆，但這樣就逃避不了男人的糾纏，不得不同人臨時秘密通*；或者取得生活安定而又合法的地位，就是進行法律所容許而又報酬豐厚的長期的公開通*。她選擇了后一條。此外，她想用這種方式來報復誘*她的年輕公爵、店員和一切欺侮過她的男人。同時還有一個條件誘惑她，使她后打定主意，那就是牙婆答應她，她喜愛什么衣服，就可以做什么衣服，絲絨的，法伊縐①的，綢緞的，袒胸露臂的舞衫，等等，任憑挑選。瑪絲洛娃想象著自己穿上一件袒胸黑絲絨滾邊的鵝黃連衣裙的情景，再也經(jīng)不住誘惑，就交出身份證去換取黃色執(zhí)照。當天晚上，牙婆雇來一輛馬車，把她帶到的基塔耶娃妓院里。
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①正反兩面都有橫條紋的絲織品或毛織品。
從此以后，瑪絲洛娃就經(jīng)常違背上帝的誡命和人類道德，過起犯罪的生活來。千百萬婦女過著這種生活，不僅獲得關(guān)心公民福利的政府的許可，而且受到它的保護。后，這類婦女十個倒有九個受著惡疾的折磨，未老先衰，過早夭折。
夜間縱酒作樂，白天昏睡不醒。下午兩三點鐘，她們才懶洋洋地從骯臟的床上爬起來，喝礦泉水醒酒，或者喝咖啡，身上穿著罩衫、短上衣或者長睡衣，沒精打采地在幾個房間里走來走去，隔著窗簾望望窗外，有氣無力地對罵幾句。接著是梳洗，擦油，往身上和頭發(fā)上灑香水，試衣服，為服飾同老鴇吵嘴，反復照鏡子，涂脂抹粉，畫眉毛，吃油膩的甜點心；后穿上袒露肉體的鮮艷綢衫，來到燈火輝煌的華麗大廳里?？腿岁懤m(xù)到來，奏樂，跳舞，吃糖，喝酒，吸煙，通*?？腿酥虚g有年輕的，有中年的，有半大孩子，有龍鐘的老頭，有單身的，有成家的，有商人，有店員，有亞美尼亞人，有*人，有韃靼人，有富裕的，有貧窮的，有強壯的，有病弱的，有喝醉的，有清醒的，有粗野的，有溫柔的，有軍人，有文官，有大學生，有中學生?？傊?，各種不同身分，不同年齡，不同性格的男人，應有盡有。又是喧鬧又是調(diào)笑，又是打架又是音樂，吸煙喝酒，喝酒吸煙，音樂從黃昏一直響到天明。直到早晨，她們才得脫身和睡覺。天天如此，個個星期都是這樣。每到周末，她們乘車去到政府機關(guān)——警察分局，那里坐著官員和醫(yī)生，都是男人。他們的態(tài)度有時嚴肅認真，有時輕浮粗野，蹂躪了不僅為人類所賦有、甚至連禽獸都具備的那種足以防止犯罪的羞恥心，給這些女人檢查身體，發(fā)給她們許可證，使她們可以和同謀者再干上一星期同類罪行。下一個星期還是這樣。天天如此，不分冬夏，沒有假期。
瑪絲洛娃就這樣過了七年。在這期間，她換過兩家妓院，住過醫(yī)院。在她進妓院的第七年，也是她初次失身后的第八年，那時她才二十六歲，不料出了一件事，使她進了監(jiān)獄。她在牢里同殺人犯和盜賊一起生活了六個月，今天被押解到法院受審。