Читать книгу A Man from the Future. 1856 - Евгений Платонов - Страница 25

Dmitry felt the ground give way beneath his feet. Not metaphorically – literally. His legs gave out, black circles swam before his eyes, his ears rang.

What’s happening to me? he managed to think. My heart? A stroke?

The last thing he saw was the face of Rodion Romanovich bending over him. A worried, frightened face. And someone’s hands catching him by the elbows.

Then – darkness.

He came to from a sharp smell. Something acute, pungent, hit his nostrils, making him cough and wince.

“Smelling salts,” he heard a woman’s voice. “You’ll feel better soon, dear, don’t worry.”

Dmitry opened his eyes. An elderly woman in a dark dress and white bonnet was leaning over him. A kind, round face with little wrinkles around the eyes.

“Well, you’ve come to,” she said with satisfaction. “We were worried something might happen. Gospodin Rodion Romanovich says you’re a foreigner, just arrived. And you fainted right away. Well, that’s understandable – it’s a long journey, you must be exhausted.”

Dmitry tried to sit up. His head was spinning, but not as badly as before. He looked around – he was lying on a narrow bed in a small room. The walls were painted yellow, peeling in places. The window was small, dirty, and through it he could see a courtyard-well and the walls of neighboring houses. The furniture – a bed, a chair, a dresser, a washstand with a pitcher.

A rented room, he understood. The very one Rodion mentioned.

“Where am I?” he asked in a hoarse voice.

“Well, at my place, dear. I’m Praskovia Pavlovna Zarnitskaya, I rent out rooms. And Gospodin Rodion Romanovich brought you here, said you needed lodgings. So I agreed, a room had just become available. A student moved out, left owing money, well, what can you do. Maybe you’ll be more honest?”

She thinks I’m going to rent a room from her, Dmitry understood. Rodion told her that. Why?

“And where… where is Gospodin Rodion Romanovich?” he asked.

“He left, dear. Said he had urgent business. But he said to tell you he’d come by tomorrow to see how you’re doing.”

Dmitry tried to get up. His legs were trembling, but they held.

“Easy now, easy,” Praskovia Pavlovna worried. “You’re still weak. Would you like some tea? Or soup?”

Tea, Dmitry thought. Yes, tea would be nice. But how will I pay? I don’t have a kopeck in local currency.

“Thank you,” he said carefully. “Only… I can’t pay right now. My money is… in the bank. I’ll get it tomorrow.”

In the bank. How stupid. What banks? But what else can I say?

Praskovia Pavlovna looked at him with distrust:

“In the bank, you say? Well, all right. But you’d better not deceive me. The last tenant promised the same thing – tomorrow, the day after tomorrow – and then just ran off. Never paid me for two months.”

“I won’t run off,” Dmitry said firmly.

Although where would I run to? I don’t even know where I am or what I’m supposed to do.

Praskovia Pavlovna left, promising to come check on him in the evening. Dmitry was alone with his thoughts.