Mumu
伊凡·谢尔盖耶维奇·屠格涅夫/Ivan Sergeevich Turgeneve
天将黄昏，哑巴盖拉辛沿着河边慢慢走着。
突然，他发现靠近河岸的泥潭里有一只斑点狗在拼命挣扎，她用力想爬出来，幼小的身子已经湿透。
盖拉辛用手托起这只不幸的小狗，把她揣在怀里，急急忙忙地往回赶。
他回到自己住的顶楼，把小狗放在**，用自己的厚大衣把她盖好，先取了一些稻草，又到厨房拿来一杯牛奶。他小心翼翼地展开大衣，铺好稻草，最后把牛奶放在**。
这只可怜的小狗生下来才3个星期，眼睛刚刚能睁开——一只眼睛好像比另一只大好多，还不知道从杯子里舔牛奶，只是一个劲儿地发抖和眨眼。盖拉辛轻轻地抚摸着小狗的头，把她的嘴巴贴近牛奶。小狗突然嘴馋地舔起来，一面把鼻子伸入牛奶里，一面抖动着小小的身体，有时还被奶呛着了。
整个晚上，盖拉辛一直照顾着她，一次又一次地给她铺稻草，擦干身体，最后他紧挨着小狗睡着了，睡得安静、快活而又香甜。
可以说，世界上没有哪个母亲照顾婴儿，像盖拉辛照顾这个小狗那样仔细。开始她的身体软弱无力，模样也难看，但是她渐渐强壮起来，样子也好看多了。8个月之后，这只小狗就变成了一只非常漂亮的西班牙种狗。她长着一对长耳朵，一条毛茸茸、喇叭似的尾巴和一双晶莹的大眼睛。
这只小狗和盖拉辛结下了不解之缘，彼此相依为命，形影不离。她总是跟在盖拉辛后面，摇着尾巴。盖拉辛给她取了一个名字，叫木木。屋子里其他的仆人也都很喜欢她，叫她木木。
木木聪明伶俐，对谁都很友善，但是她最喜欢的还是盖拉辛。盖拉辛也是如此，如果别人逗木木玩，他就会不高兴，这其中既有替她担心的原因，也有嫉妒的成分——天知道！
每天早上，木木就会扯盖拉辛的衣服，把他弄醒。她和大院里的老马关系也不错，还常常用嘴衔着缰绳，把马带到盖拉辛的身边。
她总爱摆一副神气的派头，陪着盖拉辛到河边去。她还时常为他看护各种劳动工具，绝不允许任何人擅自闯入他的顶楼。
为了方便她出入，盖拉辛在门上开了一个小洞，她似乎感到唯有在顶楼上，才可以自由自在地当家做主，她一进来就会心满意足地跳到**。晚上，她似乎从来不睡觉，从来不会无故地乱叫，不像那些愚蠢的家狗一样，坐在自己的后腿上，眨着眼，响着鼻子，迟钝地至少要叫三下才停，不！木木从不神经质地乱叫，除非有什么生人走近围墙，或者听到有可疑的响动。她真是一只了不起的看家狗。
木木从来不进女主人的房间，盖拉辛送木柴到女主人的房中去时，她就会留在外面，在台阶上等着他，只要稍有一点开门的响动，她就会竖起耳朵，把头转来转去。
一个晴朗的夏天，老太太正和客人在客厅里走着。她的兴致很高，有说有笑。当她走到窗前时，一眼就看见木木正忙着啃一块骨头。
“哎呀呀，那是只什么狗呀？”女主人突然惊叫着，“这只小狗倒是怪好玩的，让人把她弄进来吧，让我看看。”
女仆立刻跑到外边大声说：“快来人，把木木弄进来。快点儿呀，斯杰班！”
这时，盖拉辛正在厨房里，敲打着一只水桶里面的污垢，就像儿童玩弄小鼓一样。斯杰班用手势告诉盖拉辛，女主人叫自己把这只狗抓住给她送去。盖拉辛未免有些吃惊，但还是把木木叫过来，亲热地抱起她，把她交给斯杰班。
斯杰班将木木抱到客厅里，轻轻地放在地板上。老太太开始用讨好的声音，叫小狗到她的面前去。
木木从来没有见过如此豪华的房间，因此十分害怕，她向门口冲，试图逃跑，但被想讨好主人的斯杰班站在门口挡住了去路，于是她只好颤抖着缩成一团。
“木木，木木，过来，宝贝，别担心。”女主人叫道，“过来，小傻瓜，别担心。”
但是木木还是局促不安地四处张望，一动也不敢动。斯杰班拿来一碟牛奶，放在木木的面前，但是她不敢靠近，仍然恐惧地四处张望。
“你这个小傻瓜！”女主人伸出手来想摸她的头，没想到，木木突然回过头来，还露出了牙齿。女主人慌忙把手缩了回去。
她发怒了：“把这只不知好歹的狗轰出去，她真是太讨厌了。”
第二天早晨，女主人一反常态地提前一个小时把管家叫了过来。“那只狗整夜汪汪乱叫，还让我睡觉吗？我们不是有一只狗看院子吗？怎么还要这么多的狗呢？哑巴养只狗干吗？谁允许他在院子里养狗的？我昨天就看见那条肮脏的狗，在那里啃什么脏东西，我的玫瑰花就栽在那里啊！今天就把那条狗弄走，听见了吗？”
“是，太太。”于是管家对斯杰班吩咐了几句，斯杰班笑着走了。
一会儿，盖拉辛肩扛一大捆木柴过来了，身边还是跟着形影不离的木木。他走到门口，侧侧身子，走了进去。木木照常在外等候主人。斯杰班就是趁这个机会，突然向木木扑去，像老鹰抓小鸡似的把她按在草地上，双手抱了起来，一溜烟地跑向家禽市场。在那里，他很快就将木木以一个先令的价钱卖了出去，并叮嘱买主一定将木木看管好，或者把她弄到远的地方去。
而可怜的盖拉辛从屋中出来，马上就发现木木不见了。在他的印象中，木木从来都是在屋外等着他的，怎么这次却不见了！于是他四处乱找，那种神情就如同自己的孩子丢了一样。他冲到楼顶，又跑到放干草的地方，还到街上四处张望……
木木不见了！
他向别的仆人打听木木的消息，非常沮丧地用手比画着木木的身高、模样……最后他跑了出去。当他回来的时候，天已经黑了。从他那踉跄的脚步、疲惫不堪的神态和满身的灰尘来看，他可能已经跑遍了半个莫斯科了。
人们望着他的背影，没有人说一句话，也没有人发出笑声。第二天，与他毗邻而居的马车夫安季普卡告诉大家：“哑巴整整一夜都在唉声叹气啊！”
盖拉辛从顶楼出来，已经是第三天早晨了。吃饭的时候，他没和任何人打招呼，本来毫无生气的脸，现在更像一块冷峻的石头了。吃完饭，他又出去了一次，但很快就回到了顶楼。
夜晚，皎洁的月光洒下来，盖拉辛哀伤地躺在草堆上叹气，还不时地翻身。
突然，他感觉有什么东西在扯他的衣服，他吃了一惊，但并没起来看，而是把眼睛闭得更紧了，但是那个东西又扯了他一下，而且比上一次的劲头更大了，盖拉辛惊愕地跳了起来。他清楚地看到，木木在他面前打着转，脖子上还留着一段绳子，面对木木，他那不能说话的胸膛里，长长地发出了一声深沉的欢呼。他万分激动地将木木紧紧搂在怀里，并亲吻她的鼻子和眼睛。之后，他站在那里想了一会儿，又向四处张望了一阵，当确信没有人看见后，才抱起木木回到顶楼上。
其实，盖拉辛也已经猜到，木木不是因为迷路而失踪，一定是女主人让人把木木送走了，因为仆人们用手势告诉他木木咬伤了她。盖拉辛打定主意，要想尽办法来对付这个麻烦。他先拿了一块面包喂了木木，又抚爱了她一阵，才把她放在**睡觉。盖拉辛自己则陷入了深思，整整一夜，他都在考虑如何将木木隐藏起来。
后来他决定白天就让木木待在顶楼上，自己偶尔去看看她，到了晚上再带她出去。
天还没亮，他就起来了，用旧大衣把门上的洞塞得紧紧的，然后像什么事情也没发生似的走到院子里去了。
木木回来之后，盖拉辛干起活来更卖力了，他把院子打扫得干干净净，并亲手将杂草一根根拔光，甚至把花园篱笆上的树桩一个个拖走了。就连女主人也夸奖他能干，是个好人。
就这样，他白天偷偷地到顶楼上去看木木，到了晚上，就和她一起在阁楼里，而不是在干草棚里睡觉。只有到了深夜，他才带着她出去，在新鲜的空气里散步。
那天，他领着木木走了很久，正打算回去的时候，身后传来一阵沙沙声。木木竖起耳朵，咆哮着，跑到篱笆前，嗅了嗅，接着发出了尖利的吠声。也就在这时，女主人刚刚睡着，突然的狗叫声把她惊醒了，她吓得心怦怦直跳，几乎昏过去了：“又是那只狗，你们听听，那狗还在叫呢。”
管家大吃一惊，他恼羞成怒，立即吩咐把整个院子的人都叫起来，来处理这件事情。
这时，不幸的木木还在继续叫着，盖拉辛一直叫她离开，可她就是不听。盖拉辛回过头，看见屋里有灯光和人影晃动，感到出了大事，大祸临头了。于是他抱起木木跑到顶楼上，把自己和木木反锁在屋里。
在通往盖拉辛顶楼的狭窄楼梯上，坐着一个守卫，门口还有两个，手中拿着棍子。他们用拳头砸门，并叫嚷道：“开门！”
突然，门开了，盖拉辛站在那里，一动不动地望着他们。管家开始用手解释说是女主人坚持要把那狗弄走，叫哑巴立刻把狗交出来，否则他就要倒霉。盖拉辛用手指了指小狗，用手比画着，在自己的脖子上绕了一圈，好像是把一根绳索勒紧似的。这是声明他愿意自己担负处死木木的任务。
“好吧，行，”管家一面看，一面点着头，“就这样吧。”
盖拉辛轻蔑地笑了笑，又拍了拍胸膛，然后“砰”地一声把门关上了。木木一直都在他身边站着，天真地摇着尾巴，露出一种询问的表情。
过了一个钟头，盖拉辛出来了，他穿上了最好的衣服，用一根绳子牵着木木。院子里所有的人，都默默地看着他。
盖拉辛带着木木，走进了一个小饭馆，要了一份带肉的菜汤，支着胳膊在桌子跟前坐下。木木在他的椅子旁边站着，用她那双机灵的眼睛，默默地望着自己的主人。她身上的毛是光溜溜的，谁都能看出，盖拉辛刚给她梳过。他捏了一点面包放在汤里，把肉弄碎，然后将盘子放在地上。
木木还是用她往常的那种姿势开始吃东西，她的嘴刚好只挨到食物。盖拉辛深情地望着她，望了很久，突然，他的眼泪滑落下来，一颗掉在木木的额头上，一颗掉在汤里，他痛苦地用手挡住了脸。
盖拉辛仍用绳子牵着木木，不慌不忙地走着。在半路上，他捡了两块砖头挟在腋下。
盖辛拉沿着河边走着，然后在两只绑在树桩的船前停了下来，他带着木木跳到一条船上，然后就开始拼命地划，一会儿就划出了几百米远，将莫斯科远远地甩在了后边。
他丢下桨，低头去靠近木木，木木也面对着他，坐在一块横板上。
最后，盖拉辛站了起来，脸上露出一种痛苦而愤怒的神色，将两块砖用绳子拴上，又打了一个活结，套在木木的脖子上，然后抱起木木，举到河面上，最后望了她一眼。木木信任地望着自己最亲近的主人，不但没有畏惧，还轻轻地摇着尾巴。
他把脸转过去，痛苦地皱着眉头，放开了手……
他既听不见木木掉入水中时那短促的惨叫，也听不见河水溅起的声音，对于他，所有的一切都是寂静无声的。
当他把眼睛睁开时，只见小小的浪花在河面上奔腾，碰在船弦上，飞溅开来，只有在船后面很远的地方，才有一个大圆圈，快速地向岸边扩散。
监视盖拉辛的园丁跑回家，向管家报告了所看到的一切。“他果然把她淹死了，太好了，现在可以放心了。”管家说。
深夜，一个高大的人影，背上扛着一个包袱，手里拿着一根棍子，匆匆往城外走去，他就是哑巴盖拉辛。
他义无反顾地，急急忙忙地走着，走向家的方向，走向自己的村庄，自己的祖国。
他挺起胸膛迈着大步，一双眼睛幽怨地注视着前方……
It was getting towards evening. He walked slowly， watching the water.
All of a sudden he fancied something was floundering in the mud close to the bank. He stooped over， and saw a little white-and-black puppy， who， in spite of all its efforts， could not get out of the water； it was struggling， slipping back， and trembling all over its thin wet little body.
Gerasim picked up the unlucky little dog with one hand， put it into the bosom of his coat， and hurried with long steps homewards.
He went into his garret， put the rescued puppy on his bed， covered it with his thick overcoat， ran first to the stable for straw， and then to the kitchen for a cup of milk. Carefully folding back the overcoat， and spreading out the straw， he set the milk on the bedstead.
The poor little puppy was not more than three weeks old， its eyes were just open—one eye still seemed rather larger than the other； it did not know how to lap out of a cup， and did nothing but shiver and blink. Gerasim took hold of its head softly with two fingers， and dipped its little nose into the milk. The pup suddenly began lapping greedily， sniffing， shaking itself， and choking.
All night long he was waiting on it， keeping it covered， and rubbing it dry. He fell asleep himself at last， and slept quietly and happily by its side.
No mother could have looked after her baby as Gerasim looked after his little nursling. At first she—for the pup turned out to be a bitch—was very weak， feeble， and ugly， but by degrees she grew stronger and improved in looks， and， thanks to the unflagging care of her preserver， in eight months' time she was transformed into a very pretty dog of the spaniel breed， with long ears， a bushy spiral tail， and large， expressive eyes.
She was devotedly attached to Gerasim， and was never a yard from his side； she always followed him about wagging her tail. He called her Mumu. All the servants in the house liked her， and called her Mumu， too.
She was very intelligent， she was friendly with everyone， but was only fond of Gerasim. Gerasim， on his side， loved her passionately， and he did not like it when other people stroked her； whether he was afraid for her， or jealous—God knows？
She used to wake him in the morning， pulling at his coat； she used to take the reins in her mouth， and bring him up the old horse that carried the water， with whom she was on very friendly terms.
With a face of great importance， she used to go with him to the river； she used to watch his brooms and spades， and never allowed any one to go into his garret.
He cut a little hole in his door on purpose for her， and she seemed to feel that only in Gerasim's garret she was completely mistress and at home； and directly she went in， she used to jump with a satisfied air upon the bed. At night she did not sleep at all， but she never barked without sufficient cause， like some stupid house-dog， who， sitting on its hind-legs， blinking， with its nose in the air， barks simply from dullness， at the stars， usually three times in succession. No？ Mumu's delicate little voice was never raised without good reason； either some stranger was passing close to the fence， or there was some suspicious sound or rustle somewhere… In fact， she was an excellent watch-dog.
Mumu never went into the mistress's house； and when Gerasim carried wood into the rooms， she always stayed behind， impatiently waiting for him at the steps， pricking up her ears and turning her head to right and to left at the slightest creak of the door…
One fine summer day the old lady was walking up and down the drawing-room with her dependants. She was in high spirits； she laughed and made jokes. When she came to the window， the lady caught sight of her busily gnawing a bone.
"Mercy on us？" she cried suddenly， "what dog is that？ But it's a charming little dog？ Order it to be brought in. Order it to be brought in."
The companion flew at once into the hall. "Boy， boy？" she shouted， "bring Mumu in at once？ Make haste， Stepan？"
Gerasim， who was at that instant in the kitchen， knocking out and cleaning a barrel， turning it upside down in his hands like a child's drum. Stepan hurriedly explained to him by signs that the mistress wanted the dog brought in to her. Gerasim was a little astonished； he called Mumu， however， picked her up， and handed her over to Stepan.
Stepan carried her into the drawingroom， and put her down on the parquet floor. The old lady began calling the dog to her in a coaxing voice.
Mumu， who had never in her life been in such magnificent apartments， was very much frightened， and made a rush for the door， but， being driven back by the obsequious Stepan， she began trembling， and huddled close up against the wall.
"Mumu， Mumu， come to me， come to your mistress，" said the lady， "come， silly thing… don't be afraid."
But Mumu looked round her uneasily， and did not stir. Stepan brought in a saucer of milk， and set it down before Mumu， but Mumu would not even sniff at the milk， and still shivered， and looked round as before.
"Ah， what a silly you are？" said the lady， and going up to her， she stooped down， and was about to stroke her， but Mumu turned her head abruptly， and showed her teeth. The lady hurriedly drew back her hand.
"Take her away，" said the old lady in a changed voice. "Wretched little dog？ What a spiteful creature？"
Next morning she ordered steward to be summoned an hour earlier than usual. "Tell me， please，" she said， "what dog was that barking all night in our yard？ It wouldn't let me sleep？ We have a yard dog， haven't we？ Well， why more？ what do we want more dogs for？ And what does the dumb man want with a dog？ Who gave him leave to keep dogs in my yard？ Yesterday I went to the window， and there it was lying in the flower-garden； it had dragged in nastiness it was gnawing， and my roses are planted there…"
"Yes， Mistress." The steward whispered some instructions to Stepan， to which Stepan responded with something between a yawn and a laugh.
Five minutes had not passed before Gerasim made his appearance with a huge bundle of hewn logs on his back， accompanied by the inseparable Mumu. Gerasim turned sideways before the door， shoved it open with his shoulder， and staggered into the house with his load. Mumu， as usual， stayed behind to wait for him. Then Stepan， seizing his chance， suddenly pounced on her， like a kite on a chicken， held her down to the ground， gathered her up in his arms， and without even putting on his cap， ran out of the yard with her， got into the first fly he met， and galloped off to a market-place. There he soon found a purchaser， to whom he sold her for a shilling， on condition that he would keep her for at least a week tied up； then he returned at once.
On coming out of the house Gerasim had at once missed Mumu. He never remembered her failing to wait for his return， and began running up and down， looking for her， and calling her in his own way… He rushed up to his garret， up to the hay-loft， ran out into the street， this way and that…
She was lost？
He turned to the other serfs， with the most despairing signs， questioned them about her， pointing to her height from the ground， describing her with his hands… Then Gerasim ran right away out of the yard. It was dark by the time he came back. From his worn-out look， his unsteady walk， and his dusty clothes， it might be surmised that he had been running over half Moscow.
Everyone looked after him， but no one smiled or said a word， and the inquisitive postilion Antipka reported next morning in the kitchen that the dumb man had been groaning all night.
It was the third morning when Gerasim came out of his garret. He came in to his dinner， ate it， and went out again， without a greeting to anyone. His face， which had always been lifeless， as with all deafmutes， seemed now to be turned to stone. After dinner he went out of the yard again， but not for long； he came back， and went straight up to the hay-loft.
Night came on， a clear moonlight night. Gerasim lay breathing heavily， and incessantly turning from side to side.
Suddenly he felt something pull at the skirt of his coat. He started， but did not raise his head， and even shut his eyes tighter. But again there was a pull， stronger than before； he jumped up before him， with an end of string round her neck， was Mumu， twisting and turning. A prolonged cry of delight broke from his speechless breast； he caught up Mumu， and hugged her tight in his arms， she licked his nose and eyes， and beard and moustache， all in one instant… He stood a little， thought a minute， crept cautiously down from the hay-loft， looked round， and having satisfied himself that no one could see him， made his way successfully to his garret.
Gerasim had guessed before that his dog had not got lost by her own doing， that she must have been taken away by the mistress's orders； the servants had explained to him by signs that his Mumu had snapped at her， and he determined to take his own measures. First he fed Mumu with a bit of bread， fondled her， and put her to bed， then he fell to meditating， and spent the whole night long in meditating how he could best conceal her.
At last he decided to leave her all day in the garret， and only to come in now and then to see her， and to take her out at night.
The hole in the door he stopped up effectually with his old overcoat， and almost before it was light he was already in the yard， as though nothing had happened， even—innocent guile？
The dumb man had never shown such energy as on that day； he cleaned and scraped the whole courtyard， pulled up every single weed with his own hand， tugged up every stake in the fence of the flower-garden. In fact， he toiled and labored so that even the old lady noticed his zeal.
Twice in the course of the day Gerasim went stealthily in to see his prisoner； when night came on， he lay down to sleep with her in the garret， not in the hay-loft， and only at two o'clock in the night he went out to take her a turn in the fresh air.
On that day， after walking about the courtyard a good while with her， he was just turning back， when suddenly a rustle was heard behind the fence on the side of the back street. Mumu pricked up her ears， growled—went up to the fence， sniffed， and gave vent to a loud shrill bark. At that very time the old lady had just fallen asleep， the sudden bark waked her up， her heart palpitated， and she felt faint. "Again， that dog， again？ The dog， the dog again？ Oh？"
Steward in a fury ordered the whole household to get up.
Meanwhile the luckless Mumu had gone on barking， while Gerasim tried in vain to call her away， from the fence. Gerasim turned round， saw lights and shadows moving in the windows， and with an instinct of coming trouble in his heart， put Mumu under his arm， ran into his garret， and locked himself in.
On the narrow staircase leading to the garret sat one guard； at the door were standing two more with sticks. They went up to the door， knocked with his fist， shouting， "Open the door？"
Gerasim stood without stirring in his doorway. Steward took a step forward. And he began to explain to him by signs that the mistress insists on having his dog； that he must hand it over at once， or it would be the worse for him. Gerasim looked at him， pointed to the dog， made a motion with his hand round his neck， as though announcing he would take upon himself the task of killing Mumu.
"Yes， yes，" the latter assented， nodding，"yes， just so."
Mumu， who was all the while standing beside him， innocently wagging her tail and pricking up her ears inquisitively. Gerasim looked at him， smiled scornfully， struck himself again on the breast， and slammed to the door.
An hour after all this hubbub the garret door opened， and Gerasim showed himself. He had on his best coat； he was leading Mumu by a string. All the small boys in the yard stared at him in silence.
He asked for cabbage soup with meat in the cookshop， and sat down with his arms on the table. Mumu stood beside his chair， looking calmly at him with her intelligent eyes. Her coat was glossy； one could see she had just been combed down. He crumbled some bread into it， cut the meat up small， and put the plate on the ground.
Mumu began eating in her usual refined way， her little muzzle daintily held so as scarcely to touch her food. Gerasim gazed a long while at her； two big tears suddenly rolled from his eyes； one fell on the dog's brow， the other into the soup. He shaded his face with his hand.
Gerasim walked without haste， still holding Mumu by a string. On the half-way he carried away two bricks under his arm.
He turned along the bank， went to a place where there were two little rowing-boats fastened to stakes， and jumped into one of them with Mumu. Gerasim rowed on and on. Moscow was soon left behind.
He threw down his oars， bent his head down to Mumu， who was sitting facing him on a dry cross seat.
At last Gerasim drew himself up hurriedly， with a sort of sick anger in his face， he tied up the bricks he had taken with string， made a running noose， put it round Mumu's neck， lifted her up over the river， and for the last time looked at her. She watched him confidingly and without any fear， faintly wagging her tail.
He turned away， frowned， and wrung his hands…
Gerasim heard nothing， neither the quick shrill whine of Mumu as she fell， nor the heavy splash of the water； for him the noisiest day was soundless and silent as even the stillest night is not silent to us.
When he opened his eyes again， little wavelets were hurrying over the river， chasing one another； as before they broke against the boat's side， and only far away behind wide circles moved widening to the bank.
Directly Gerasim had vanished from Eroshka's sight， the latter returned home and reported what he had seen. "Well， then，" observed Stepan， "he'll drown her. Now we can feel easy about it. If he once promises a thing…"
Meanwhile， at that very time， a gigantic figure with a bag on his shoulders and a stick in his hand， was eagerly and persistently stepping out along the road. It was Gerasim.
He was hurrying on without looking round； hurrying homewards， to his own village， to his own country.
He walked， his shoulders thrown back and his chest expanded； his eyes were fixed greedily straight before him.