On the evening of the day when Jennie's corpse had been carried
away to an anatomical theatre; at an hour when not even a chance
guest appears on Yamskaya Street, all the girls, at the insistence
of Emma Edwardovna, assembled in the drawing room. Not one of them
dared murmur against the fact that on this distressing day, when
they had not yet recovered from the impression of Jennka's
horrible death, they would be compelled to dress up, as usual, in
wildly festive finery, and to go into the brightly illuminated
drawing room, in order to dance, sing, and to entice lecherous men
with their denuded bodies.
And at last into the drawing room walked Emma Edwardovna herself.
She was more majestic than she had ever been--clad in a black silk
gown, from which, just like battlements, her enormous breasts
jutted out, upon which descended two fat chins; in black silk
mittens; with an enormous gold chain wound thrice around her neck,
and terminating in a ponderous medallion hanging upon the very
abdomen.
"Ladies! ..." she began impressively, "I must ... Stand up!" she
suddenly called out commandingly.
Pages:
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558