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118
SÖNYA KOVALÉVSKY
consent to give such a promise, and as a result, they
did not speak to each other for days together, and my
sister did not even appear at dinner. My mother rau
from one to the other, reconciling and persuading.
At last father yielded. This first step toward yielding
consisted in his consenting to listen to Aniuta’s novel.
The reading took place in a very solemn manner.
All the family assembled. Fully conscious of the
importance of this moment, Aniuta read in a voice which
trembled with emotion. The situation of the heroine,
her breaking away from the family under the
persecution of the oppressions imposed upon her, all this
so closely resembled the situation of the author
herself, that it was patent to every one.
Father listened in silence, without uttering a word
during the whole time of the reading. But when
Aniuta reached the last pages, and hardly restraining
her own sobs, began to read how Lilenka on her
deathbed mourned for her wasted youth, large tears
suddenly started to his eyes. He rose, without saying a
word, and left the room. He did not speak to Aniuta
about her story either that evening or on the
following day; he only treated her with wonderful
gentleness and tenderness, and all the family understood
that her cause was won.
In fact, from that day an era of gentleness and
concessions dawned in our house. The first
manifestation of this new era was that the housekeeper, whom
father had dismissed in his first burst of passion,
received his gracious pardon and retained her place.
The second measure of gentleness was still more
surprising. Father permitted Aniuta to write to
Dos-toévsky on condition only that she should show him
the letters, and promised her to make Dostoévsky’s
personal acquaintance on his next visit to Petersburg.
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