“Lascivious brute!” Arina agreed. “And so he was. I washed for him and cooked for him, and in bed I tried with all my young girl’s might! But every month he went to the whorehouse, or seduced some society lady . . . I wept and wailed and hammered at him with my fists, but he just spread his arms and said: ‘Meine liebe Arina—you must understand that man is by his nature a licentious beast, disposed to seek conquests in the field of love. I sleep with you because it is useful for your instruction and training, but you have neither the body nor the experience to lay claim to my full attention.’ Of course, I realized that he was right. Only I thought I’d filled out really well on my pupil’s rations, with my breasts way out here, and a backside like that! And I already knew how to satisfy a man in any way at all. But he still kept going off to others on the side! It was my birthday, I was thirteen, and he spent the day in the brothel! Well . . . I just couldn’t stand it. I challenged him to a duel, all fair and square. I hoped he would surrender and ask for forgiveness—I would have forgiven him. But he obviously couldn’t believe that I’d grown stronger than him, he fought to the death . . . and so . . .”

Arina sighed.

“You’re not making fun of me, are you?” I asked.

“No, why would I?” Arina replied. “You have to understand, Light One, that life is complicated, it’s not black-and-white, but colored, in fine speckles. Of course, there are some who are villains to the depths of their souls, and some who are righteous through and through. But their kind don’t live long. And most are a mixture. Everything’s jumbled up together in people, and we came from people, and there’s no getting away from that . . .” Arina turned to a hostess who was passing by and said, smiling: “Dearie, bring us something to eat, will you? Champagne for me and cognac for my beau.”

“I don’t want it,” I muttered.

“Then champagne for him too,” Arina said imperturbably.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7