Master of Petersburg (1994)
“When he sees the flowers Matryona is carrying, he is annoyed. They are small and white and modest. Whether Pavel has a favourite among flowers he does not know, but roses, whatever roses cost in October, roses scarlet as blood, are the least he deserves.
‘I thought we could plant it,’ says the woman, reading his thoughts. ‘I brought a trowel. Bird’s-foot: it flowers late.’ And now he sees: the roots are indeed wrapped in a damp cloth.
They take the little ferryboat to Yelagin Island, wh...ich he has not visited in years. But for two old women in black, they are the only passengers. It is a cold, misty day. As they approach, a dog, grey and emaciated, begins to lope up and down the jetty, whining eagerly. The ferryman swings a boathook at it; it retreats to a safe distance. Isle of dogs, he thinks: are there packs of them skulking among the trees, waiting for the mourners to leave before they begin their digging?
At the gatekeeper’s lodge it is Anna Sergeyevna, whom he still thinks of as the landlady, who goes to ask directions, while he waits outside.MoreLess
‘I thought we could plant it,’ says the woman, reading his thoughts. ‘I brought a trowel. Bird’s-foot: it flowers late.’ And now he sees: the roots are indeed wrapped in a damp cloth.
They take the little ferryboat to Yelagin Island, wh...ich he has not visited in years. But for two old women in black, they are the only passengers. It is a cold, misty day. As they approach, a dog, grey and emaciated, begins to lope up and down the jetty, whining eagerly. The ferryman swings a boathook at it; it retreats to a safe distance. Isle of dogs, he thinks: are there packs of them skulking among the trees, waiting for the mourners to leave before they begin their digging?
At the gatekeeper’s lodge it is Anna Sergeyevna, whom he still thinks of as the landlady, who goes to ask directions, while he waits outside.MoreLess
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