![6
Note that the repeated multiplications continue until a product of 1.00 is reached,* since
any further multiplications result in all zeros. Notice here that the first carry is written in
the first position to the right of the binary point.
Finally, the complete conversion for 25.375 can be written as the combination of the
integer and fraction conversions.
25.375!0 = 1 0 0 1 . 0
The reader should apply this method to verify the following conversion:
632.85 10 = 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Octal Number System
The octal number system has a base ofeight, meaning that it has eight possible digits: 0, 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Thus, each digit of an octal number can have any value from Oto 7. The
digit positions in an octal number have weights that are powers of 8:
octal point .J
An octal number, then, can be easily converted to its decimal equivalent by multiplying
each octal digit by its positional weight. For example,
Another example:
372g = 3 x (82
) + 7 x (81
) + 2 x (8°)
=3X64+7X8+2X]
= 250!0
24.68 = 2 x (81
) + 4 x (8°) + 6 x (8- 1
)
= 20.75!0
Counting in Octal The largest octal digit is 7, so when counting in octal, a digit is in-
cremented upward from Oto 7. Once it reaches 7, it recycles to Oon the next count and
causes the next higher digit to be incremented. This is illustrated in the following se-
quences of octal counting: 64, 65, 66, 67, 70; 275, 276, 277, 300.
With N octal digits, we can count from zero up to 8N - 1, for a total of 8N different
counts. For example, with three octal digits we can count from 0008 to 7778, which is a to-
tal of 83
= 512w different octal numbers.
Conversion between Octal and Binary The primary advantage of the octal number
system is the ease with which conversions can be made between binary and octal num-
*Most of the time, 1.00 will not occur and the process is terminated after a suitable number of places
in the binary fractional number is reached.
CHAP. I](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/21959-250403071844-60160cd5/85/Microprocessors-and-Microcomputers-Hardware-and-Software-4th-Edition-Ronald-J-Tocci-19-320.jpg)
![wastrels and thieves. But my story is not about him, but about
Prince Andrey Lvovitch, with whom the direct line ended.
During his father’s lifetime—this was before the emancipation of the
serfs—Prince Andrey had a commission in the Guards, and was
looked upon as one of the most brilliant officers. He had plenty of
money, was handsome, and a favourite with the ladies, a good
dancer, a duellist—and what not besides? But when his father died,
Prince Andrey threw up his commission in spite of all entreaties from
his comrades to remain. “No,” said he, “I shall be lost among you,
and I’m curious to know all that fate has in store for me.”
He was a strange man, of peculiar and, one might say, fantastic
habits. He flattered himself that his every dream could at once be
realised. As soon as he had buried his father he took himself off
abroad. Astonishing to think of the places he went to! Money was
sent to him through every agency and banking house, now in Paris,
now in Calcutta, then in New York, then Algiers. I know all this on
unimpeachable authority, I must tell you, because my father was the
chief steward of his estate of two hundred thousand desiatines.[1]
[1] A desiatin is 2′7 acres.
After four years the prince returned, thin, his face overgrown with a
beard and brown from sunburn—it was difficult to recognise him. As
soon as he arrived he established himself on his estate at
Pneestcheva. He went about in his dressing-gown. He found it very
dull on the whole.
I was always welcome in his house at that time, for the prince liked
my cheerful disposition, and as I had received some sort of
education I could be somewhat of a companion to him. And then
again, I was a free person, for my father had been ransomed in the
old prince’s time.
The prince always greeted me affectionately, and made me sit down
with him. He even treated me to cigars. I soon got used to sitting
down in his presence, but I could never accustom myself to smoking
the cigars—they always gave me a kind of sea-sickness.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/21959-250403071844-60160cd5/85/Microprocessors-and-Microcomputers-Hardware-and-Software-4th-Edition-Ronald-J-Tocci-28-320.jpg)
![III
Prince Andrey had, however, a gift of his own, in my opinion, a very
great gift, for painting, which had been evident even in his
childhood. During his stay abroad he had lived for nearly a year in
Rome, and had there learnt to paint pictures. He had even thought
at one time, he told me, that he might become a real artist, but for
some reason he had given up the idea, or he had become idle. Now
he was living on his estate at Pneestcheva, he called to mind his
former occupation and took to painting pictures again. He painted
the river, the mill, an ikon of St. Nicholas for the church—and
painted them very well.
Besides this occupation the prince had one other diversion—bear
hunting. In our neighbourhood there were a fearful number of these
animals. He always went as a mouzhik, with hunting pole and knife,
and only took with him the village hunter Nikita Dranny. They called
him Dranny because on one occasion a bear had torn a portion of
his scalp from his skull, and his head had remained ragged ever
since.[1]
[1] “Dranny,” means torn or ragged.
With the peasants the prince was quite simple and friendly. He was
so easy to approach that if a man wanted wood for his cottage, or if
his horse had had an accident, all he had to do was to go straight to
the prince and ask for what he wanted. He knew that he would not
be refused. The only things the prince could not stand were servility
and lying. He never forgave a lie.
And, moreover, the serfs loved him because he made no scandals
with their women folk. The maids of our countryside had a name for
their good looks, and there were landowners in those days who lived
worse than Turks, with a harem for themselves and for their friends.
But with us, no—no, nothing of that sort. That is, of course, nothing
scandalous. There were occasions, as there always must be, man
being so weak, but these were quiet and gentle affairs of the heart,
and no one was offended.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/21959-250403071844-60160cd5/85/Microprocessors-and-Microcomputers-Hardware-and-Software-4th-Edition-Ronald-J-Tocci-30-320.jpg)
![“‘He spoke to me of love, but was so tender,
So timid, and so reverent.’[1]
Of course you didn’t. And I’ve been nearly thirty years on the stage,
and I tell you I’ve never heard anything like it. She’s got talent. You
mark my words, in the fourth act she’ll have such a success that
your Kostromsky will be in a fury. You see!”](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/21959-250403071844-60160cd5/85/Microprocessors-and-Microcomputers-Hardware-and-Software-4th-Edition-Ronald-J-Tocci-53-320.jpg)
![[1] Perhaps—“He hath, my lord, of late made many
tenders
Of his affection to me.”
The Russian lines do not clearly correspond to any of
Shakespeare’s.—ED.
V
The play went on. The old man’s prophecy was abundantly fulfilled.
The enthusiasm of Kostromsky only lasted out the first act. It could
not be roused again by repeated calls before the curtain, by
applause, or by the gaze of his enormous crowd of admirers, who
thronged into the wings to look at him with gentle reverence. There
now remained in him only the very smallest store of that energy and
feeling which he had expended with such royal generosity three
years ago on every act.
He had wasted his now insignificant store in the first act, when he
had been intoxicated by the loud cries of welcome and applause
from the public. His will was weakened, his nerves unbraced, and
not even increased doses of alcohol could revive him. The
imperceptible ties which had connected him with his audience at first
were gradually weakening, and, though the applause at the end of
the second act was as sincere as at the end of the first, yet it was
clear that the people were applauding, not him, but the charm of his
name and fame.
Meanwhile, each time she appeared on the stage, Ophelia—Yureva—
progressed in favour. This hitherto unnoticed girl, who had
previously played only very minor parts, was now, as it were,
working a miracle. She seemed a living impersonation of the real
daughter of Polonius, a gentle, tender, obedient daughter, with deep
hidden feeling and great love in her soul, empoisoned by the venom
of grief.
The audience did not yet applaud Yureva, but they watched her, and
whenever she came on the stage the whole theatre calmed down to
attention. She herself had no suspicion that she was in competition](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/21959-250403071844-60160cd5/85/Microprocessors-and-Microcomputers-Hardware-and-Software-4th-Edition-Ronald-J-Tocci-54-320.jpg)
Microprocessors and Microcomputers: Hardware and Software 4th Edition Ronald J. Tocci
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- 5. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Fourth Edition Microprocessors and Microcomputers Hardware and Software Ronald J. Tocci Monroe Community College Frank J. Ambrosio Monroe Community College Lester P. Laskowski University of Texas Medical Branch PRENTICE HALL Upper Saddle River; New Jersey Columbus, Ohio
- 6. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tocci, Ronald J. Microprocessors and microcomputers : hardware and software I Ronald J. Tocci, Frank Ambrosio, Lester P. Laskowski.-4th ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0--13-235946-4 I. Microprocessors. 2. Microcomputers. I. Ambrosio, Frank. II. Laskowski, Lester P. Ill. Title. QA76.5.T556 1997 004. I6-dc20 Editor: Charles E. Stewart, Jr. Production Editor: Mary Harlan 96-23742 CIP Production Coordination: WordCrafters Editorial Services, Inc. Designer: Linda Zuk Cover Designer: Rod Harris Production Manager: Patricia A. Tonneman Marketing Manager: Debbie Yarnell Illustrations: Diphrent Strokes Cover photo: Superstock This book was set in Times Roman by The Clarinda Company and was printed and bound by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company. The cover was printed by Phoenix Color Corp. © 1997, 1987, 1982, 1979 by Prentice-Hall, Inc. Simon & Schuster/A Viacom Company Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 ISBN 0-13-235946-4 Prentice-Hall International (UK) Limited, London Prentice-Hall of Australia Pty. Limited, Sydney Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., Toronto Prentice-Hall Hispanoamericana, S.A., Mexico Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi Prentice-Hall of Japan, Inc., Tokyo Simon & Schuster Asia Pte. Ltd., Singapore Editora Prentice-Hall do Brasil, Ltda., Rio de Janeiro
- 7. Preface This book was written to provide a comprehensible introduction to microprocessors and microcomputers for a broad range of readers. It can serve as a textbook in electronic tech- nology, computer technology, and computer science programs from the vocational school to four-year college level. It can also be used by computer hobbyists as well as practicing technicians and engineers. A significant portion of the text requires a basic knowledge of digital principles and circuits. For this reason, a comprehensive review of this material is presented in the first three chapters to help those readers who have only a minimal back- ground or who have been away from the field for a while. The major philosophy that has been followed in this book is that the principles and techniques of microprocessors and microprocessor-based systems are the most important concepts to understand, and it is not necessary to survey the whole field of available mi- croprocessors and microprocessor applications. We believe that the best pedagogical ap- proach is to use a currently popular, powerful, yet easy-to-understand microprocessor chip as the vehicle for teaching these concepts. We also believe that since 8-bit microprocessors are simple and easy to understand, this makes them an appropriate choice for an introduc- tory textbook. As such, for this new edition we have chosen to use the 68HC11 micro- processor as that vehicle (replacing the obsolete 6502 of the earlier editions). The 68HC1 l is one of the most powerful and flexible 8-bit microprocessors in general use, and it con- tains all of the elements and features that need to be part of an introduction to micro- processors and microprocessor applications. Everything the reader learns and understands using this representative device can be readily transferred to other microprocessors and ap- plications, including the more complex 16-bit and 32-bit devices. This fourth edition retains all of the valuable learning aids of the previous editions, including (l) extensive use of clearly explained illustrative examples to provide immediate reinforcement; (2) clear, uncluttered diagrams to enhance the understanding of the written material; (3) liberal use of flowcharts; (4) glossaries of important terms at the end of each chapter for easy review of chapter contents; (5) more than 400 end-of-chapter questions and problems of varied complexity; and (6) an extensive appendix containing a detailed description of each of the 68HC11 's available instructions. iii
- 8. iv This edition represents an extensive updating and revision of the last edition. The 68HC11 is used as the representative microprocessor in all presentations, discussions, ex- amples, and applications. In addition to this major change, there are other substantial im- provements. Here is the list by chapter. All Chapters. Addition of instructional objectives. Chapter 1. Addition of topics of negation and overflow. Chapter 2. Considerable expansion of data bus concepts and operation. Chapter 3. Expansion and updating of all memory types. Addition of flash memory. Increased coverage of DRAM operation and refreshing. Chapter 4. Addition of topics of microprogramming, microcontrollers, and assem- blers. Chapter 5. Addition of material on reset operation, on-chip memory and 1/0 ports, and 4K pages. Chapter 6. Expansion of two-operand ALU operations. Addition of material on MPU reset operation including Computer Operating Properly (COP) Re- set and Clock Monitor Reset. Chapter 7. Addition of multiplication and division instructions. Addition of on-chip timer system. Expansion of programmed time intervals. Chapter 8. Inclusion of on-chip AID converter system. Addition of wide range of on-chip control registers. Chapter 9. Expansion of material on Baud rate, synchronous communication, RS- 232-C standard, and modems. Addition of material on 68HC1 l's on- chip serial communication system, and on the Centronics printer inter- face. We wish to thank those who reviewed the manuscript for this edition: Howard Atwell, Fullerton College; Phillipe Cauvet, Bramson O RT Technical Institute; Donald C. Davis, ITT Technical Institute; James C. Graves, Jr., Indian River Community College; Shahram Latifi, University of Nevada; and Mohammad Dabbas, ITT Technical Institute. We are also grateful for the valuable comments and suggestions from users of previous editions. Many of these contributions have been incorporated into this revision. We hope that this new edition with its updating and improvements and its new microprocessor has retained the same style, approach, and clarity that has made previous editions so well ac- cepted by instructors, students, and other users. PREFACE
- 9. Contents ~ 1 NUMBER SYSTEMS AND CODES 1.1 Digital Number Systems, 2 1.2 Codes, 10 1.3 Binary Arithmetic, 14 1.4 Addition Using Signed Numbers, 18 1.5 Subtraction in the 2's-Complement System, 20 1.6 Multiplication of Binary Numbers, 21 1.7 Binary Division, 22 1.8 Hexadecimal Arithmetic, 23 ~ 2 DIGITAL CIRCUITS 28 2.1 Parallel and Serial Transmission, 29 2.2 Logic Gates, 30 2.3 Tri-State (Three-State) Logic, 32 2.4 Flip-Flops, 33 2.5 Clock Signals, 34 2.6 Clocked Flip-Flops, 36 2.7 Synchronous and Asynchronous FF Inputs, 38 2.8 Setup and Hold Times, 39 2.9 FF Registers, 40 2.10 IC Registers, 42 2.11 Data Busing, 45 2.12 Data Bus Operation, 46 2.13 Decoders, 54 2.14 Encoders, 56 2.15 Multiplexers (Data Selectors), 57 2.16 Arithmetic Circuits, 58 v
- 10. ~ 3 MEMORY DEVICES 63 3.1 Memory Terminology, 65 3.2 General Memory Operation, 67 3.3 Read Only Memories, 69 3.4 ROM Architecture, 71 3.5 ROM Timing, 73 3.6 Types of ROM, 74 3.7 Flash Memory, 82 3.8 ROM Applications, 86 3.9 Semiconductor RAMs, 89 3. IO RAM Architecture, 89 3.11 Static RAM, 92 3.12 Dynamic RAM, 95 3. I 3 Dynamic RAM Structure and Operation, 96 3.14 DRAM READ/WRITE Cycles, 101 3.15 DRAM Refreshing, 104 3.16 Expanding Word Size and Capacity, 105 ~ 4 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS 119 4.1 What Can Computers Do?, 120 4.2 How Do Computers Think?, 122 4.3 How Many Kinds of Computers Are There?, 124 4.4 Basic Computer Structure, 125 4.5 Microprocessors, 129 4.6 Computer Words, 129 4.7 Binary Data Words, 129 4.8 Coded Data Words, 131 4.9 Instruction Words, 132 4.10 The 68HC11 MPU-A Simplified Version, 137 4.11 Executing a Program, 141 4.12 Jump and Branch Instructions, 145 4.13 Hardware, Software, and Firmware, 148 4.14 Programming Languages-Machine Language, 148 4.15 Assembly Language, 150 4.16 High-Level Languages, 152 4.17 Flowcharts, 154 ~ 5 MICROCOMPUTER STRUCTURE AND OPERATION 164 5.1 Microcomputer Elements, 165 vi 5.2 Why µPs and µCs?, 166 5.3 Microcomputer Architecture, 168 5.4 READ and WRITE Timing, 174 5.5 Bus Activity During Program Execution, 178 5.6 MPU Address Space Allocation, 182 CONTENTS
- 11. 5.7 Memory Modules, 187 5.8 Address Decoding, 187 5.9 Complete Microcomputer Decoding Example, 189 5.10 Buffering the MPU Buses, 199 5.11 Memory-Mapped and Isolated VO, 200 ..... 6 THE MICROPROCESSOR: HEART OF THE MICROCOMPUTER 209 6.1 68HC11 MPU-More Complete Version, 210 6.2 Timing and Control Section, 212 6.3 Register Section, 215 6.4 Arithmetic/Logic Unit, 227 6.5 Microprocessors-Categorized by ALU Size, 233 6.6 Microprocessors-Two Directions, 234 ..... 7 PROGRAMMING THE 68HC 11 MPU 242 7.1 68HC1 l MPU Programming Model, 243 7.2 68HC11 MPU Address Modes, 247 CONTENTS 7.3 The 68HC11 MPU Instruction Set, 255 7.4 Instruction Descriptions, 257 7.5 Program Listing Format, 259 7.6 Instruction Classifications, 260 7.7 CCR Instructions, 262 7.8 Register-to-Memory Transfer Instructions, 262 7.9 Register-to-Register Transfer Instructions, 264 7.10 Arithmetic Instructions, 266 7.11 Logical Instructions, 276 7.12 Shift and Rotate Instructions, 280 7.13 Data-Altering Instructions, 285 7.14 Jump Instructions, 289 7.15 Conditional Branching, 290 7.16 68HC11 Conditional Branch Instructions, 295 7.17 Compare Instructions, 302 7.18 BIT and TST Instructions, 306 7.19 Subroutines, 308 7.20 Interrupt Handling Instructions, 311 7.21 Applications Using Indexed Addressing, 312 7.22 The No-Operation (NOP) and STOP Instructions, 316 7.23 Program-Controlled Timing Intervals (Delays), 318 7.24 Time-Delay Subroutines, 324 7.25 The Timer System of the 68HC11 MCU, 328 7.26 The Software Development Process, 333 vii
- 12. .... 8 INPUT/OUTPUT MODES 353 8.1 Some Basic Terms, 354 8.2 Some Examples of 1/0, 354 8.3 Input/Output Alternatives, 356 8.4 MPV-Initiated-Unconditional 1/0 Transfer, 357 8.5 MPV-Initiated-Conditional (Polled) 1/0 Transfer, 361 8.6 The 68HC11 MCU Block Diagram, 366 8.7 Port E of the 68HC11 MCU-A/D Converter, 368 8.8 Device-Initiated 1/0 Transfer-Interrupts, 374 8.9 Return Address, 375 8.10 Disabling the Interrupt, 377 8.11 Types of Interrupt Inputs, 378 8.12 Address of an JSR-Interrupt Vectors, 382 8.13 Interrupting an ISR, 384 8.14 Multiple Interrupts, 386 8.15 Port A of the 68HC11 MCU, 390 8.16 Direct Memory Access (DMA 1/0 Transfer, 403 .... 9 INPUT/OUTPUT INTERFACING 414 9.1 Practical Interface Considerations, 415 9.2 Asynchronous Serial Data Communication, 421 9.3 Parallel/Serial Interface-The UART, 425 9.4 Motorola 6850 UART (ACIA), 429 9.5 Interfacing the 6850 to the 68HC11 MPU, 434 9.6 Port D of the 68HC11 MCU-Serial Communications Interface (SCI), 441 9.7 Synchronous Serial Data Communication, 450 9.8 EIA RS-232-C Standard, 452 9.9 Introduction to Modems, 453 9.10 Parallel 1/0 Interface Chips, 458 9.11 Keyboard Input Devices, 463 9.12 Video Display Terminals (VDTs), 470 .... APPENDIX A COMPLETE 68HC 11 MCU INSTRUCTION SET 486 .... APPENDIX B THE 68HC 11 MCU BLOCK DIAGRAM 541 .... APPENDIX C THE 68HC 11 MCU REGISTER AND CONTROL BIT ASSIGNMENTS 543 .... ANSWERS TO SELECTED PROBLEMS 546 .... INDEX 551 Viii CONTENTS
- 13. Number Systems and Codes OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to: • Understand the binary, octal and hexadecimal number systems. • Convert between hexadecimal and decimal numbers. • Convert between hexadecimal and binary numbers. • Express decimal numbers using the BCD code. • Have a basic understanding of alphanumeric codes, especially the ASCII code. 1 • Use the parity method for error detection during the transfer of binary-coded informa- tion. • Perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on two binary numbers. • Add and subtract signed binary numbers by using the l's-complement system. • Add and subtract hexadecimal numbers. • Use negation to convert a positive binary number to its negative equivalent or a nega- tive binary number to its positive equivalent. • Understand the concept of an arithmetic overflow when adding two binary numbers. INTRODUCTION Computers of all sizes have one thing in common-they handle numbers. In digital com- puters, these numbers are represented by binary digits. A binary digit is a digit that can only take on the values of Oor 1, and no other value. The major reason why binary digits are used in computers is the simplicity with which electrical, magnetic, and mechanical devices can represent binary digits. Because the term "binary digit" is used so often in computer work, it is commonly abbreviated to bit. Henceforth, we shall use the latter form.
- 14. ..... 1.1 DIGITAL NUMBER SYSTEMS 2 Although actual computer operations use the binary number system, several other number systems are used to communicate with computers. The most common are the decimal, oc- tal, and hexadecimal systems. Decimal System The decimal system is composed of the 10 symbols or digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9; using these symbols, we can express any quantity. The decimal system, also called the base 10 system, because it has 10 digits, has evolved naturally as a result of the fact that hu- man beings have 10 fingers. In fact, the word "digit" is the Latin word for "finger." The decimal system is apositional-value system, in which the value of a digit depends on its position. For example, consider the decimal number 453. We know that the digit 4 ac- tually represents 4 hundreds, the 5 represents 5 tens, and the 3 represents 3 units. In essence, the 4 carries the most weight of the three digits; it is referred to as the most significant digit (MSD). The 3 carries the least weight and is called the least significantdigit (LSD). The various positions relative to the decimal point carry weights that can be ex- pressed as powers of 10. This is illustrated below, where the number 2745.214 is repre- sented. The decimal point separates the positive powers of 10 from the negative powers. The number 2745.214 is thus equal to (2 x 10+3 ) + (7 x 10+2 ) + (4 x 10+1 ) + (5 x 10+0) + (2 x 10- 1 ) + (1 x 10-2 ) + (4 x 10-3) In general, any number is simply the sum of the products of each digit value times its posi- tional value; see Fig. 1.1. Decimal Counting The number 9 is the largest digit value in the decimal system. Thus, as we are counting in decimal, a given digit will progress upward from Oto 9. After 9, it goes back to Oand the next higher digit position is incremented (goes up by 1). For exam- ple, note the digit changes in the following counting sequences: 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30; 196, 197, 198, 199, 200. For a given number of digits, N, we can count decimal numbers from zero up to 1ON - 1. In other words, with N digits we can have 1ON different numbers, including zero. FIGURE 1.1 Positional values !weights) l____ 103 102 101 100 b 1 b t t t t t i t 2J1!4Jsf2J 4 t t t MSD Decimal LSD point CHAP. I
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- 16. Positional values l__ 23 22 21 20 r 1 r 2 2-3 I I I I + i i • t t t I a 1 , 1 , ~ , I 0 I , I t t MSB Binary LSB FIGURE 1.2 point To illustrate, with three decimal digits, we can count from 000 to 999, a total of 1000 dif- ferent numbers. Binary System In the binary system there are only two symbols or possible digit values, 0 and 1. Even so, this base 2 system can be used to represent any quantity that can be represented in decimal or other number systems. In general, though, it will take a greater number of binary digits to express a given quantity. All the statements made earlier concerning the decimal system are equally applica- ble to the binary system. The binary system is also a positional-value system, wherein each bit has its own value or weight expressed as powers of 2, as shown in Fig. 1.2. In the number expressed above, the positions to the left of the binary point (counter- part of the decimal point) are positive powers of 2; the leftmost bit carries the most weight and is referred to as the most significant bit (MSB). The positions to the right of the binary point are negative powers of 2; the rightmost bit carries the least weight and is referred to as the least significant bit (LSB). The binary number 1011.101 is represented above, and its equivalent decimal value can be found by taking the sum of the products of each bit value (0 or 1) times its positional value. 1011.1012 = (1 x 23 ) + (0 x 22) + (1 xi)+ (1 x 2°) + (1 X T 1 ) + (0 X T 2 ) + (1 x T 3 ) = 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 + .5 + 0 + .125 = 11.62510 Notice in the preceding operation that subscripts (2 and 10) were used to indicate the base in which the particular number is expressed. This convention is used to avoid confu- sion whenever more than one number system is being employed. Binary Counting The largest digit value in the binary system is 1. Thus, when counting in binary, a given digit will progress from Oto 1. After it reaches 1, it recycles back to O and the next higher bit position is incremented. (See Fig. 1.3.) Note in this example that the least-significant-bit (LSB) position changes value at each step in the counting sequence. The next higher bit (21 ) changes value every NUMBER SYSTEMS AND CODES 3
- 17. 4 MSB LSB t Binary t Decimal equivalent Weights - 23 = a 22 = 4 21 =2 2° = 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 0 4 0 1 0 1 5 0 1 1 0 6 0 1 1 1 7 1 0 0 0 8 1 0 0 1 9 1 0 1 0 10 1 0 1 1 11 1 1 0 0 12 1 1 0 1 13 1 1 1 0 14 1 1 1 1 15 FIGURE 1.3 two counts, the 22 bit changes value every four counts, and 23 bit changes every eight counts. In the binary system, using Nbits, we can count through 2Ndifferent numbers, including zero. For example, with 2 bits, we can count 00, 01, 10, 11 for four different numbers. Simi- larly, with 4 bits, we can count from 0000 up to 1111, a total of 24 = 16 different numbers. The largest number that can be represented by Nbits is always equal to 2N - 1 in decimal. Thus, with 4 bits, the largest binary number is 11112, which is equivalent to 24 - 1 = 1510. Binary/Decimal Conversions As explained earlier, the binary number system is a posi- tional system where each bit carries a certain weight based on its position relative to the binary point. Any binary number can be converted to its decimal equivalent simply by summing to- gether the weights ofthe various positions in the binary number that contain a 1. To illustrate: 1 1 0 1 1 (binary) 2 4 + 2 3 + 0 + 2 1 + 2° = 16 + 8 + 2 + 1 = 2710 (decimal) The same method is used for binary numbers that contain a fractional part. 0 1 . 1 0 1 = 22 + 2° + T 1 + T 3 = 4 + 1 + .5 + .125 = 5.62510 The following conversions should be performed and verified by the reader: (1.) 1 0 0 (2.) 0. 1 (3.) 1 1 02 = 3810 1 1 0 0 0 12 = .76562510 0 0 1 1.0 1 0 12 = 243.312510 CHAP. I
- 18. There are several ways to convert a decimal number to its equivalent binary system rep- resentation. A method that is convenient for small numbers is just the reverse of the process described in the preceding section. The decimal number is simply expressed as a sum ofpow- ers of2 and then 1sand Os are written in the appropriate bit positions. To illustrate: 1310 = 8 + 4 + 1 = 23 + 22 + 0 + 2° = 1 1 Another example: 25.37510 = 16 + 8 + 1 + .25 + .125 = 24 + 23 + 0 + 0 + 2° + 0 + 2-2 + 2-3 = 1 0 0 . 0 For larger decimal numbers, the foregoing method is laborious. A more convenient method entails separate conversion of the integer and fractional parts. For example, take the decimal number 25.375, which was converted above. The first step is to convert the in- teger portion, 25. This conversion is accomplished by repeatedly dividing 25 by 2 and writ- ing down the remainders after each division until a quotient of zero is obtained. 25 - = 12 + remainder of 1 -----------, ~ 12 6 + remainder of O 2 I .[ 6 3 + remainder of O 2 I .[ 3 + ccmainde, of I ;-i 2 I .[ 1 - 0 + remainder of 1 ~ 2 MSB LSB 2510 = 11 0 0 12 I The desired binary conversion is obtained by writing down the remainders, as shown above. Note that the first remainder is the LSB and the last remainder is the MSB. The fractional part of the number (.375) is converted to binary by repeatedly multi- plying it by 2 and recording any carries into the integer position. NUMBER SYSTEMS AND CODES .375 X 2 = .75 = .75 with carry ofO ~ .75 X 2 = 1.50 = .50 with carry of 1 .50 X 2 = 1.00 = .00 with carry of 1 .37510 =1.o 1 121 5
- 19. 6 Note that the repeated multiplications continue until a product of 1.00 is reached,* since any further multiplications result in all zeros. Notice here that the first carry is written in the first position to the right of the binary point. Finally, the complete conversion for 25.375 can be written as the combination of the integer and fraction conversions. 25.375!0 = 1 0 0 1 . 0 The reader should apply this method to verify the following conversion: 632.85 10 = 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Octal Number System The octal number system has a base ofeight, meaning that it has eight possible digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Thus, each digit of an octal number can have any value from Oto 7. The digit positions in an octal number have weights that are powers of 8: octal point .J An octal number, then, can be easily converted to its decimal equivalent by multiplying each octal digit by its positional weight. For example, Another example: 372g = 3 x (82 ) + 7 x (81 ) + 2 x (8°) =3X64+7X8+2X] = 250!0 24.68 = 2 x (81 ) + 4 x (8°) + 6 x (8- 1 ) = 20.75!0 Counting in Octal The largest octal digit is 7, so when counting in octal, a digit is in- cremented upward from Oto 7. Once it reaches 7, it recycles to Oon the next count and causes the next higher digit to be incremented. This is illustrated in the following se- quences of octal counting: 64, 65, 66, 67, 70; 275, 276, 277, 300. With N octal digits, we can count from zero up to 8N - 1, for a total of 8N different counts. For example, with three octal digits we can count from 0008 to 7778, which is a to- tal of 83 = 512w different octal numbers. Conversion between Octal and Binary The primary advantage of the octal number system is the ease with which conversions can be made between binary and octal num- *Most of the time, 1.00 will not occur and the process is terminated after a suitable number of places in the binary fractional number is reached. CHAP. I
- 20. bers. The conversion from octal to binary is performed by converting each octal digit to its 3-bit binary equivalent. The eight possible digits are converted as follows: Octal Digit O 2 3 4 5 6 7 Binary Equivalent 000 00l 010 01 l 100 IOI 110 111 Using these conversions, any octal number is converted to binary by individually convert- ing each digit. For example, we can convert 4728 to binary as follows: 4 7 2 J, J, J, 100 111 010 Hence, octal 472 is equivalent to binary lOOl l lOIO. As another example, consider con- verting 54.318 to binary. 5 4 3 1 J, J, J, J, J, 101 100 . 011 001 Thus, 54.318 = lOl l00.0110012. Converting from binary to octal is simply the reverse of the foregoing process. The binary digits are grouped into groups of 3 on each side of the binary point, with zeros added on either side if needed to complete a group of 3 bits. Then, each group of 3 is converted to its octal equivalent. To illustrate, consider the conversion of l lOI0.10112 to octal: 0 J, 3 0 J, 2 0 . 1 0 J, 5 0 0 (binary) J, 4 (octal) Note that Os were added on each end to complete the groups of 3 bits. Here are two more examples: 111102 = 368, 10011.012 = 23.28 . Usefulness of Octal System The ease with which conversions can be made between oc- tal and binary make the octal system attractive as a shorthand means of expressing large binary numbers. In computer work, binary numbers with up to 36 bits are not uncommon. These binary numbers, as we shall see, do not always represent a numerical quantity but often are some type of code that conveys nonnumerical information. In computers, binary numbers might represent (1) actual numerical data, (2) numbers corresponding to a loca- tion (address) in memory, (3) an instruction code, (4) a code representing alphabetic and other nonnumerical characters, or (5) a group of bits representing the status of devices in- ternal or external to the computer. When dealing with a large quantity of binary numbers of many bits, it is convenient and more efficient for us to write the numbers in octal rather than binary. Keep in mind, however, that the digital system works strictly in binary and we are using octal only as a convenience for the operators of the system. NUMBER SYSTEMS AND CODES 7
- 21. 8 TABLE I. I Hexadecimal (Hex) Decimal Binary 0 0 0000 1 0001 2 2 0010 3 3 0011 4 4 0100 5 5 0101 6 6 0110 7 7 Olli 8 8 1000 9 9 1001 A 10 1010 B 11 1011 c 12 1100 D 13 1101 E 14 1110 F 15 1111 Hexadecimal Number System The hexadecimal system uses base 16. Thus, it has 16 possible digit symbols. It uses the digits Othrough 9 plus the letters A, B, C, D, E, and Fas the 16 digit symbols. Table 1.1 shows the relationships among hexadecimal, decimal, and binary. Note that each hexadec- imal digit represents a group of four binary digits. It is important to remember that hex (ab- breviation for hexadecimal) digits A though F are equivalent to the decimal values 10 through 15. Hex-to-Decimal Conversion A hex number can be converted to its decimal equivalent by using the fact that each hex digit position has a weight that is a power of 16. The LSD has a weight of I6° = 1, the next higher digit has a weight of 161 = 16, the next higher digit has a weight of 162 = 256, and so on. The conversion process is demonstrated in the examples that follow. 35616 = 3 x 162 + 5 x 161 + 6 x 16° = 768 + 80 + 6 = 85410 2AF16 = 2 X 162 + 10 X 161 + 15 X 16° = 512 + 160 + 15 = 68710 CHAP. I
- 22. EXAMPLE I. I EXAMPLE 1.2 Note that in the second example, the value 10 was substituted for A and the value 15 for F in the conversion to decimal. Decimal-to-Hex Conversion Recall that decimal-to-binary was done using repeated division by 2, and decimal-to-octal can be done using repeated division by 8. Similarly, decimal-to-hex conversion can be done using repeated division by 16. The examples below will illustrate. Note how the re- mainders of the division process form the digits of the hex number. Also note that any re- mainders that are greater than 9 are represented by the letters A through F. Convert 423 w to hex. Solution Convert 214w to hex. Solution J 26 423 - - = 26 + remainder of 7 - - - 16 I µ + remainder of 10 1 1 = 0 + remainder of 1 -i 1 J 13 214 16 423 w = ir-1--A--7-1-,6I 13 + remainder of 6 ~ I 16 = 0 + remainder of 13 t 214w = D 616 Hex-to-Binary Conversion Like the octal number system, the hexadecimal number system is used primarily as a "shorthand" method for representing binary numbers. It is a relatively simple matter to convert a hex number to binary. Each hex digit is converted to its 4-bit binary equivalent (Table 1.1 ). This is illustrated on page 10 for 9F216. NUMBER SYSTEMS AND CODES 9
- 23. 9 F 216 = 9 F 2 ,-----"----, ,-----"----, ,-----"----, 1001 1111 0010 1001111100102 Binary-to-Hex Conversion This conversion is just the reverse of the process above. The binary number is grouped into groups of four bits and each group is converted to its equivalent hex digit. 1011101001102 = 1011 1010 0110 ..._,,__, ..._,,__, ..._,,__, B A 6 To perform these conversions between hex and binary, it is necessary to know the 4-bit bi- nary numbers (0000-1111) and their equivalent hex digits. Once these are mastered, the conversions can be performed quickly without the need for any calculations. This is why hex (and octal) are so useful in representing large binary numbers. Counting in Hexadecimal When counting in hex, each digit position can be incremented (increased by 1) from Oto F. Once a digit position reaches the value F, it is reset to Oand the next digit position is in- cremented. This is illustrated in the following hex counting sequences: 1. 38, 39, 3A, 38, 3C, 3D, 3E, 3F, 40, 41, 42 2. 6F8, 6F9, 6FA, 6FB, 6FC, 6FD, 6FE, 6FF, 700 Note that when there is a 9 in a digit position, it becomes an A when it is incre- mented. ~ 1.2 CODES 10 When numbers, letters, words, or other information is represented by a special group of symbols, the process is called encoding and the group of symbols is called a code. We have seen that any decimal number can be represented by an equivalent binary number. The group of Os and 1s in the binary number can be thought of as a code repre- senting the decimal number. When a decimal number is represented by its equivalent bi- nary number, we call it straight binary coding. If the decimal number is represented by its octal equivalent, we call it octal coding, and similarly for hex coding. Each of these types of coding is really just a different number system. In digital systems, many codes are used that do not fall into this classification. CHAP. I
- 24. EXAMPLE 1.3 EXAMPLE 1.4 BCD Code Digital systems all use some form of binary numbers for their internal operation, but the external world is decimal in nature. This means that conversions between the decimal and binary systems are being performed often. These conversions between decimal and binary can become long and complicated for large numbers. For this reason, another means of en- coding decimal numbers which combines some features of both the decimal and binary system is sometimes used. If each digit of a decimal number is represented by its binary equivalent, this pro- duces a code called binary-coded decimal (hereafter abbreviated BCD). Because a decimal digit can be as large as 9, 4 bits are required to code each digit (binary code for 9 is 1001). To illustrate the BCD code, take a decimal number such as 874. Each digit is changed to its binary equivalent as follows: 8 7 4 j, j, j, 1000 0111 0100 As another example, let us change 94.3 to its BCD-code representation. 9 j, 1001 4 j, j, 0100 3 j, 0011 Once again, each decimal digit is changed to its straight binary equivalent. The BCD code, then, represents each digit of the decimal number by a 4-bit binary number. Clearly, only the 4-bit binary numbers from 0000 through 1001 are used. The BCD code does not use the numbers 1010, 1011, 1100, 1101, 1110, and 1111. In other words, only 10 of the 16 possible 4-bit binary code groups are used. If any of these "for- bidden" 4-bit numbers ever occurs in a machine using the BCD code, it is usually an indi- cation that an error has occurred. Convert the BCD number 0110100000111001 to its decimal equivalent. Solution 0110 6 1000 0011 8 3 1001 9 Convert the BCD number 011111000001 to its decimal equivalent. Solution 0111 7 1100 0001 ~ I l forbidden code group indicates error in BCD number NUMBER SYSTEMS AND CODES 11
- 25. 12 Comparison of BCD with Straight Binary It is important to realize that a BCD number is not the same as a straight binary number. A straight binary code takes the complete dec- imal number and represents it in binary; the BCD code converts each decimal digit to bi- nary individually. To illustrate, take the number 137 and compare its straight binary and BCD codes: 3 710 = 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 (binary) 3 710 = 0001 0011 0111 (BCD) The BCD code requires 12 bits to represent 137, whereas the straight binary code requires only 8 bits. It is always true that the BCD code for a given decimal number requires more code bits than the straight code. This is because BCD does not use all possible 4-bit groups, as pointed out earlier. The main advantage of the BCD code is the relative ease of converting to and from decimal. Only the 4-bit code groups for the decimal digits O through 9 need be remem- bered. This ease of conversion is especially important from a hardware standpoint because in a digital system, it is the logic circuits that perform the conversions. BCD is used in digital machines whenever decimal information is either applied as inputs or displayed as outputs. Digital voltmeters, frequency counters, and digital clocks all use BCD because they display output information in decimal. Electronic calculators use BCD because the input numbers are entered in decimal via the keyboard and the output numbers are displayed in decimal. Alphanumeric Codes If it is to be very useful, a computer must be capable of handling nonnumeric information. In other words, a computer must be able to recognize codes that represent numbers, letters, and special characters. These codes are classified as alphanumeric codes. A complete and adequate set of necessary characters includes (1) 26 lowercase letters, (2) 26 upperecase letters, (3) 10 numeric digits, and (4) about 25 special characters, including +, /,#,and%. This totals up to 87 characters. To represent 87 characters with some type of binary code would require at least 7 bits. With 7 bits, there are 27 = 128 possible binary numbers; 87 of these arrangements of Oand 1 bits serve as the code groups representing the 87 dif- ferent characters. For example, the code group 1010101 might represent the letter U. The most common alphanumeric code is known as the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) and is used by most minicomputer and microcomputer manufacturers. Table 1.2 shows a partial listing of the 7-bit ASCII code. For each charac- ter, the octal and hex equivalents are also shown. The ASCII code is used in the transmis- sion of alphanumeric information between a computer and external input/output devices like a printer or video display terminal (VDT). Parity The process of transferring binary-coded information is subject to error, although modem equipment has been designed to reduce the probability of errors occurring. However, even relatively infrequent errors can cause useless results, so it is desirable to detect them when- CHAP. 1
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- 28. wastrels and thieves. But my story is not about him, but about Prince Andrey Lvovitch, with whom the direct line ended. During his father’s lifetime—this was before the emancipation of the serfs—Prince Andrey had a commission in the Guards, and was looked upon as one of the most brilliant officers. He had plenty of money, was handsome, and a favourite with the ladies, a good dancer, a duellist—and what not besides? But when his father died, Prince Andrey threw up his commission in spite of all entreaties from his comrades to remain. “No,” said he, “I shall be lost among you, and I’m curious to know all that fate has in store for me.” He was a strange man, of peculiar and, one might say, fantastic habits. He flattered himself that his every dream could at once be realised. As soon as he had buried his father he took himself off abroad. Astonishing to think of the places he went to! Money was sent to him through every agency and banking house, now in Paris, now in Calcutta, then in New York, then Algiers. I know all this on unimpeachable authority, I must tell you, because my father was the chief steward of his estate of two hundred thousand desiatines.[1] [1] A desiatin is 2′7 acres. After four years the prince returned, thin, his face overgrown with a beard and brown from sunburn—it was difficult to recognise him. As soon as he arrived he established himself on his estate at Pneestcheva. He went about in his dressing-gown. He found it very dull on the whole. I was always welcome in his house at that time, for the prince liked my cheerful disposition, and as I had received some sort of education I could be somewhat of a companion to him. And then again, I was a free person, for my father had been ransomed in the old prince’s time. The prince always greeted me affectionately, and made me sit down with him. He even treated me to cigars. I soon got used to sitting down in his presence, but I could never accustom myself to smoking the cigars—they always gave me a kind of sea-sickness.
- 29. I was very curious to see all the things which the prince had brought back with him from his travels. Skins of lions and tigers, curved swords, idols, stuffed animals of all kinds, precious stones and rich stuffs. The prince used to lie on his enormous divan and smoke, and though he laughed at my curiosity he would explain everything I asked about. Then, if he could get himself into the mood, he would begin to talk of his adventures until, as you may well believe, cold shivers ran down my back. He would talk and talk, and then all at once would frown and become silent. I would be silent also. And then he would say, all of a sudden: “It’s dull for me, Afanasy. See, I’ve been all round the world and seen everything; I’ve caught wild horses in Mexico and hunted tigers in India; I’ve journeyed on the sea and been in danger of drowning; I’ve crossed deserts and been buried in sand—what more is there for me? Nothing, I say; there’s nothing new under the sun.” I said to him once, quite simply, “You might get married, prince.” But he only laughed. “I might marry if I could find the woman whom I could love and honour. I’ve seen all nations and all classes of women, and since I’m not ugly, not stupid, and I’m a rich man, they have all shown me special attention, but I’ve never seen the sort of woman that I need. All of them were either mercenary or depraved, or stupid or just a little too much given to good works. But the fact remains, that I feel bored with life. It would be another matter if I had any sort of talent or gift.” And to this I generally used to answer: “But what more talent do you want, prince? Thank God for your good looks, for your land— which, as you say yourself, is more than belongs to any German prince—and for the powers with which God has blessed you. I shouldn’t ask for any other talent.” The prince laughed at this, and said: “You’re a stupid, Afanasy, and much too young as yet. Live a little longer, and if you don’t become an utter scoundrel, you’ll remember these words of mine.”
- 30. III Prince Andrey had, however, a gift of his own, in my opinion, a very great gift, for painting, which had been evident even in his childhood. During his stay abroad he had lived for nearly a year in Rome, and had there learnt to paint pictures. He had even thought at one time, he told me, that he might become a real artist, but for some reason he had given up the idea, or he had become idle. Now he was living on his estate at Pneestcheva, he called to mind his former occupation and took to painting pictures again. He painted the river, the mill, an ikon of St. Nicholas for the church—and painted them very well. Besides this occupation the prince had one other diversion—bear hunting. In our neighbourhood there were a fearful number of these animals. He always went as a mouzhik, with hunting pole and knife, and only took with him the village hunter Nikita Dranny. They called him Dranny because on one occasion a bear had torn a portion of his scalp from his skull, and his head had remained ragged ever since.[1] [1] “Dranny,” means torn or ragged. With the peasants the prince was quite simple and friendly. He was so easy to approach that if a man wanted wood for his cottage, or if his horse had had an accident, all he had to do was to go straight to the prince and ask for what he wanted. He knew that he would not be refused. The only things the prince could not stand were servility and lying. He never forgave a lie. And, moreover, the serfs loved him because he made no scandals with their women folk. The maids of our countryside had a name for their good looks, and there were landowners in those days who lived worse than Turks, with a harem for themselves and for their friends. But with us, no—no, nothing of that sort. That is, of course, nothing scandalous. There were occasions, as there always must be, man being so weak, but these were quiet and gentle affairs of the heart, and no one was offended.
- 31. But though Prince Andrey was simple and friendly towards his inferiors, he was proud and insolent in his bearing towards his equals and to those in authority, even needlessly so. He especially disliked officials. Sometimes an official would come to our estate to see about the farming arrangements, or in connection with the police or with the excise department—at that time the nobility reckoned any kind of service, except military service, as a degradation—and he would act as a person new to office sometimes does: he would strut about with an air of importance, and ask “ Why aren’t things so and so?” The steward would inform him politely that everything was in accordance with the prince’s orders and mustn’t be altered. That meant, of course—You take your regulation bribe and be off with you. But the official would not be daunted. “And what’s your prince to me?” he would say. “I’m the representative of the law here.” And he would order the steward to take him at once to the prince. My father would warn him out of pity. “Our prince,” he would say, “has rather a heavy hand.” But the official would not listen. “Where is the prince?” he would cry. And he would rush into the prince’s presence exclaiming, “Mercy on us, what’s all this disorder on your estate! Where else can one see such a state of things? I ... we ...” The prince would let him go on, and say nothing, then suddenly his face would become purple and his eyes would flash—he was terrible to look at when he was angry. “Take the scoundrel to the stables!” he would cry. And then the official would naturally receive a flogging. At that time many landowners approved of this, and for some reason or other the floggings always took place in the stables, according to the custom of their ancestors. But after two or three days the prince would secretly send my father into the town with a packet of bank-notes for the official who had been chastised. I used to dare to say to him sometimes, “You know, prince, the official will complain about you, and you’ll have to answer for your doings.” And he would say: “Well, how can that be? Let me be brought to account before God and my Emperor, but I’m bound to punish impudence.”
- 32. But better than this, if you please, was his behaviour towards the Governor at one time. One day a workman from the ferry came running up to him to tell him that the Governor was on the other side of the river. “Well, what of it?” said the prince. “He wants the ferry-boat, your Excellency,” said the peasant. He was a sensible man, and knew the prince’s character. “How did he ask for it?” said the prince. “The captain of the police sent to say that the ferry-boat was wanted immediately.” The prince at once gave the order: “Don’t let him have it.” And he didn’t. Then the Governor guessed what had happened, and he wrote a little note and sent it, asking dear Andrey Lvovitch—they were really distant cousins—to be so kind as to let him use the ferry, and signing the note simply with his Christian and surname. On this the prince himself kindly went down to the river to meet the Governor, and gave him such a feast in welcome that he couldn’t get away from Pneestcheva for a whole week. To people of his own class, even to the most impoverished of them, the prince never refused to “give satisfaction” in cases where a misunderstanding had arisen. But people were generally on their guard, knowing his indomitable character and that he had fought in his time eighteen duels. Duels among the aristocracy were very common at that time. IV The prince lived in this way on his estate at Pneestcheva for more than two years. Then the Tsar sent out his manifesto granting freedom to the serfs, and there commenced a time of alarm and disturbance among the landowners. Many of them were not at all pleased about it, and sat at home on their far-away estates and took
- 33. to writing reports on the matter. Others, more avaricious and far- sighted, were on the watch with the freed peasants, trying to turn everything to their own advantage. And some were very much afraid of a rising of the peasants, and applied to the authorities for any kind of troops to defend their estates. When the manifesto arrived, Prince Andrey called his peasants together and explained the matter to them in very simple words, without any insinuations. “You,” he said, “are now free, as free as I am. And this is a good thing to have happened. But don’t use your freedom to do wrong, because the authorities will always keep an eye on you. And, remember, that as I have helped you in the past I shall continue to do so. And take as much land as you can cultivate for your ransom.” Then he suddenly left the place and went off to Petersburg. I think you know very well what happened at that time, gentlemen, both in Moscow and in Petersburg. The aristocracy turned up immediately, with piles of money, and went on the spree. The farmers and the holders of concessions and the bankers had amazed all Russia, but they were only as children or puppies in comparison with the landowners. It’s terrible to think what took place. Many a time a man’s whole fortune was thrown to the winds for one supper. Prince Andrey fell into this very whirlpool, and began to whirl about. Added to that, he fell in again with his old regimental friends, and then he let himself go altogether. However, he didn’t stay long in Petersburg, for he was quickly forced to leave the city against his will. It was all because of some horses. V He was having supper one evening with his officer friends in one of the most fashionable restaurants. They had had very much to drink, champagne above all. Suddenly the talk turned on horses—it’s well known to be an eternal subject of conversation with officers—as to who owned the most spirited team in Petersburg. One Cossack—I don’t remember his name, I only know that he was one of the
- 34. reigning princes in the Caucasus—said that at that time the most spirited horses were a pair of black stallions belonging to ——, and he named a lady in an extremely high position. “They are not horses,” said he, “but wild things. It’s only Ilya who can manage them, and they won’t allow themselves to be out- distanced.” But Prince Andrey laughed at this. “I’d pass them with my bays.” “No, you wouldn’t,” said the Cossack. “Yes, I would.” “You wouldn’t race them.” “Yes, I would.” “Well, in that case,” said the Cossack, “we’ll lay a wager about it at once.” And the wager was laid. It was agreed that if Prince Andrey were put to shame he should give the Cossack his pair of bay horses, and with them a sledge and a carriage with silver harness, and if the prince got in front of Ilya’s team, then the Cossack would buy up all the tickets in the theatre for an opera when Madame Barba was to sing, so that they could walk about in the gallery and not allow anyone else in the theatre. At that time Madame Barba had captivated all the beau-monde. Very well, then. On the next day, when the prince woke up, he ordered the bay horses to be put into the carriage. The horses were not very much to look at, hairy country horses, but they were sufficiently fast goers; the most important thing about them was that they liked to get in front of other horses, and they were exceptionally long-winded. As soon as his companions saw that the prince was really in earnest about the matter, they tried to dissuade him. “Give up this wager,” urged they, “you can’t escape getting into some trouble over it.” But
- 35. the prince would not listen, and ordered his coachman, Bartholomew, to be called. The coachman, Bartholomew, was a gloomy and, so to speak, absent-minded man. God had endowed him with such extraordinary strength that he could even stop a troika when the horses were going at full gallop. The horses would fall back on their hind legs. He drank terribly, had no liking for conversation with anyone, and, though he adored the prince with all his soul, he was rude and supercilious towards him, so that he sometimes had to receive a flogging. The prince called Bartholomew to him and said: “Do you think, Bartholomew, you could race another pair of horses with our bays?” “Which pair?” asked Bartholomew. The prince told him which horses they were. Bartholomew scratched the back of his head. “I know that pair,” he said, “and I know Ilya, their driver, pretty well. He’s a dangerous man. However, if your Excellency wishes it, we can race them. Only, if the bay horses are ruined, don’t be angry.” “Very well,” said the prince. “And now, how much vodka shall we pour down your throat?” But Bartholomew wouldn’t have any vodka. “I can’t manage the horses if I’m drunk,” said he. The prince got in the carriage, and they started. They took up their position at the end of the Nevsky Prospect, and waited. It was known beforehand that the important personage would drive out at midday. And so it happened. At twelve o’clock the pair of black horses were seen. Ilya was driving, and the lady was in the sledge. The prince let them just get in front, and then he said to the coachman: “Drive away!”
- 36. Bartholomew let the horses go. As soon as Ilya heard the tramping of the horses behind, he turned round; the lady looked round also. Ilya gave his horses the reins, and Bartholomew also whipped up his. But the owner of the blacks was a woman of an ardent and fearless temperament, and she had a passion for horses. She said to Ilya, “Don’t dare to let that scoundrel pass us!” What began to happen then I can’t describe. Both the coachmen and the horses were as if mad; the snow rose up above them in clouds as they raced along. At first the blacks seemed to be gaining, but they couldn’t last out for a long time, they got tired. The prince’s horses went ahead. Near the railway station, Prince Andrey jumped out of his carriage, and the personage threatened him angrily with her finger. Next day the governor of Petersburg—His Serene Highness Prince Suvorof—sent for the prince, and said to him: “You must leave Petersburg at once, prince. If you’re not punished and made an example of, it’s only because the lady whom you treated in such a daring fashion yesterday has a great partiality for bold and desperate characters. And she knows also about your wager. But don’t put your foot in Petersburg again, and thank the Lord that you’ve got off so cheaply.” But, gentlemen, I’ve been gossiping about Prince Andrey and I haven’t yet touched on what I promised to tell you. However, I’m soon coming to the end of my story. And, though it has been in rather a disjointed fashion, I have described the personality of the prince as best I can. VI After his famous race the prince went off to Moscow, and there continued to behave as he had done in Petersburg, only on a larger scale. At one time the whole town talked of nothing but his caprices. And it was there that something happened to him which caused all the folks at Pneestcheva to mock. A woman came into his life.
- 37. But I must tell you what sort of a woman she was. A queen of women! There are none like her in these days. Of a most marvellous beauty.... She had formerly been an actress, then she had married a merchant millionaire, and when he died—she didn’t want to marry anyone else—she said that she preferred to be free. What specially attracted the prince to her was her carelessness. She didn’t wish to know anyone, neither rich nor illustrious people, and she seemed to think nothing of her own great wealth. As soon as Prince Andrey saw her he fell in love with her. He was used to having women run after him, and so he had very little respect for them. But in this case the lady paid him no special attention at all. She was gay and affable, she accepted his bouquets and his presents, but directly he spoke of his feelings she laughed at him. The prince was stung by this treatment. He nearly went out of his mind. Once the prince went with Marya Gavrilovna—that was the lady’s name—to the Yar, to hear some gipsy singers. The party numbered fifteen. At that time the prince was surrounded and fawned upon by a whole crowd of hangers-on—his Belonogof company, as he called them—his own name was Belonogof. They were all seated at a table drinking wine, and the gipsies were singing and dancing. Suddenly, Marya Gavrilovna wanted to smoke. She took a packetoska—the sort of twisted straw cigarette they used to smoke in those days—and looked round for a light. The prince noticed this, and in a moment he pulled out a bank-note for a thousand roubles, lighted it at a candle and handed it to her. Everybody in the company exclaimed; the gipsies even stopped singing, and their eyes gleamed with greed. And then someone at a neighbouring table said, not very loudly, but with sufficient distinctness, “Fool!” The prince jumped up as if he had been shot. At the other table sat a small sickly-looking man, who looked straight at the prince in the calmest manner possible. The prince went over to him at once. “How dare you call me a fool? Who are you?” The little man regarded him very coolly.
- 38. “I,” said he, “am the artist Rozanof. And I called you a fool because, with that money you burnt just to show off, you might have paid for the support of four sick people in the hospital for a whole year.” Everybody sat and waited for what would happen. The unrestrained character of the prince was well known. Would he at once chastise the little man, or call him out to a duel, or simply order him to be whipped? But, after a little silence, the prince suddenly turned to the artist with these unexpected words: “You’re quite right, Mr. Rozanof. I did indeed act as a fool before this crowd. But now if you don’t at once give me your hand, and accept five thousand roubles for the Marinskaya Hospital, I shall be deeply offended.” And Rozanof answered: “I’ll take the money, and I’ll give you my hand with equal pleasure.” Then Marya Gavrilovna whispered to the prince, “Ask the artist to come and talk to us, and send away these friends of yours.” The prince turned politely to Rozanof and begged him to join them, and then he turned to the officers and said, “Be off with you!” VII From that time the prince and Rozanof were bound together in a close friendship. They couldn’t spend a day without seeing one another. Either the artist came to visit the prince or Prince Andrey went to see the artist. Rozanof was living then in two rooms on the fourth floor of a house in Mestchanskaya Street—one he used as a studio, the other was his bedroom. The prince invited the artist to come and live with him, but Rozanof refused. “You are very dear to me,” said he, “but in wealthy surroundings I might be idle and forget my art.” So he wouldn’t make any change. They were interested in everything that concerned one another. Rozanof would begin to talk of painting, of various pictures, of the lives of great artists—and the prince would listen and not utter a
- 39. word. Then afterwards he would tell about his adventures in wild countries, and the artist’s eyes would glisten. “Wait a little,” he would say. “I think I shall soon paint a great picture. Then I shall have plenty of money, and we’ll go abroad together.” “But why do you want money?” asked the prince. “If you like, we can go to-morrow. Everything I have I will share with you.” But the artist remained firm. “No, wait a little,” said he. “I’ll paint the picture and then we can talk about it.” There was a real friendship between them. It was even marvellous— for Rozanof had such an influence over the prince that he restrained him from many of the impetuous and thoughtless actions to which, with his fiery temperament, he was specially prone. VIII The prince’s love for Marya Gavrilovna did not become less, it even increased in fervency, but he had no success with the lady. He pressed his hands to his heart, and went down on his knees to her many times, but she had only one answer for him: “But what can I do if I don’t love you?” “Well, don’t love me,” said the prince; “perhaps you will love me by and by, but I can’t be happy without you.” Then she would say, “I’m very sorry for you, but I can’t help your unhappiness.” “You love someone else, perhaps,” said the prince. “Perhaps I love someone else,” said she, and she laughed. The prince grew very sad about it. He would lie at home on the sofa, gloomy and silent, turn his face to the wall, and even refuse to take any food. Everybody in the house went about on tip-toe.... One day Rozanof called when the prince was in this state, and he too looked out of sorts. He came into the prince’s room, said “Good morning,” and nothing more. They were both silent. At length the artist pulled himself together and said to the prince, “Listen, Andrey Lvovitch. I’m very sorry that with my friendly hand I have got to deal you a blow.”
- 40. The prince, who was lying with his face to the wall, said, “Please come straight to the point without any introduction.” Then the artist explained what he meant. “Marya Gavrilovna is going to live with me as my wife,” said he. “You’re going out of your mind,” said the prince. “No,” said the artist, “I’m not going out of my mind. I have loved Marya Gavrilovna for a long time, but I never dared tell her so. But to-day she said to me: ‘Why do we hide things from one another? I’ve seen for a long time that you love me, and I also love you. I won’t marry you, but we can live together....’” The artist told the whole story, and the prince lay on the sofa neither moving nor saying a word. Rozanof sat there and looked at him, and presently he went quietly away. IX However, after a week, the prince overcame his feelings, though it cost him a good deal, for his hair had begun to turn grey. He went to Rozanof and said: “I see love can’t be forced, but I don’t want to lose my only friend for the sake of a woman.” Rozanof put his arms about his friend and wept. And Marya Gavrilovna gave him her hand—she was there at the time—and said: “I admire you very much, Andrey Lvovitch, and I also want to be your friend.” Then the prince was quite cheered up, and his face brightened. “Confess now,” said he, “if Rozanof hadn’t called me a fool that time in the Yar, you wouldn’t have fallen in love with him?” She only smiled. “That’s very probable,” said she. Then, in another week, something else happened. Prince Andrey came in one day, dull and absent-minded. He spoke of one thing and
- 41. another, but always as if he had some persistent idea in the background. The artist, who knew his character, asked what was the matter. “Oh, nothing,” said the prince. “Well, but all the same, what is it?” “Oh, it’s nothing, I tell you. The stupid bank in which my money is....” “Well?” “It’s failed. And now I’ve nothing of all my property except what I have here with me.” “Oh, that’s really nothing,” said Rozanof, and he at once called Marya Gavrilovna, and they had the upper part of their house put in order so that the prince might come and live with them. X So the prince settled down to live with Rozanof. He used to lie on the sofa all day, read French novels and polish his nails. But he soon got tired of this, and one day he said to his friend: “Do you know, I once learnt to paint!” Rozanof was surprised. “No, did you?” “Yes, I did. I can even show you some of my pictures.” Rozanof looked at them, and then he said: “You have very good capabilities, but you have been taught in a stupid school.” The prince was delighted. “Well,” he asked, “if I began to study now, do you think I should ever paint anything good?” “I think it’s very probable indeed.” “Even if I’ve been an idler up till now?”
- 42. “Oh, that’s nothing. You can overcome it by work.” “When my hair is grey?” “That doesn’t matter either. Other people have begun later than you. If you like, I’ll give you lessons myself.” So they began to work together. Rozanof could only marvel at the great gift for painting which the prince displayed. And the prince was so taken up by his work that he never wanted to leave it, and had to be dragged away by force. Five months passed. Then, one day, Rozanof came to the prince and said: “Well, my colleague, you are ripening in your art, and you already understand what a drawing is and the school. Formerly you were a savage, but now you have developed a refined taste. Come with me and I will show you the picture I once gave you a hint about. Until now I’ve kept it a secret from everybody, but now I’ll show you, and you can tell me your opinion of it.” He led the prince into his studio, placed him in a corner from whence he could get a good view, and drew a curtain which hung in front of the picture. It represented St. Barbara washing the sores on the feet of lepers. The prince stood for a long time and looked at the picture, and his face became gloomy as if it had been darkened. “Well, what do you think of it?” asked Rozanof. “This——” answered the prince, with rancour, “that I shall never touch a paint-brush again.” XI Rozanof’s picture was the outcome of the highest inspiration and art. It showed St. Barbara kneeling before the lepers and bathing their terrible feet, her face radiant and joyful, and of an unearthly beauty. The lepers looked at her in prayerful ecstasy and inexpressible gratitude. The picture was a marvel. Rozanof had designed it for an
- 43. exhibition, but the newspapers proclaimed its fame beforehand. The public flocked to the artist’s studio. People came, looked at St. Barbara and the lepers, and stood there for an hour or more. And even those who knew nothing about art were moved to tears. An English-man, who was in Moscow at the time, a Mr. Bradley, offered fifteen thousand roubles for the picture as soon as he looked at it. Rozanof, however, would not agree to sell it. But something strange was happening to the prince at that time. He went about with a sullen look, seemed to get thinner, and talked to no one. He took to drink. Rozanof tried to get him to talk, but he only got rude answers, and when the public had left the studio, the prince would seat himself before the easel and remain there for hours, immovable, gazing at the holy Barbara, gazing.... So it went on for more than a fortnight, and then something unexpected happened—to tell the truth, something dreadful. Rozanof came home one day and asked if Prince Andrey were in. The servant said that the prince had gone out very early that morning, and had left a note. The artist took the note and read it. And this was what was written. “Forgive my terrible action. I was mad, and in a moment I have repented of my deed. I am going away, never to return, because I haven’t strength to kill myself.” The note was signed with his name. Then the artist understood it all. He rushed into his studio and found his divine work lying on the floor, torn to pieces, trampled upon, cut into shreds with a knife.... Then he began to weep, and said: “I’m not sorry for the picture, but for him. Why couldn’t he tell me what was in his mind? I would have sold the picture at once, or given it away to someone.” But nothing more was ever heard of Prince Andrey, and no one knew how he lived after his mad deed.
- 44. VI HAMLET I “HAMLET” was being played. All tickets had been sold out before the morning of the performance. The play was more than usually attractive to the public because the principal part was to be taken by the famous Kostromsky, who, ten years before, had begun his artistic career with a simple walking-on part in this very theatre, and since then had played in all parts of Russia, and gained a resounding fame such as no other actor visiting the provinces had ever obtained. It was true that, during the last year, people had gossiped about him, and there had even appeared in the Press certain vague and only half-believed rumours about him. It was said that continual drunkenness and debauch had unsettled and ruined Kostromsky’s gigantic talent, that only by being “on tour” had he continued to enjoy the fruit of his past successes, that impresarios of the great metropolitan theatres had begun to show less of their former slavish eagerness to agree to his terms. Who knows, there may have been a certain amount of truth in these rumours? But the name of Kostromsky was still great enough to draw the public. For three days in succession, in spite of the increased prices of seats, there had been a long line of people waiting at the box office. Speculative buyers had resold tickets at three, four, and even five times their original value. The first scene was omitted, and the stage was being prepared for the second. The footlights had not yet been turned up. The scenery of the queen’s palace was hanging in strange, rough, variegated cardboard. The stage carpenters were hastily driving in the last nails. The theatre had gradually filled with people. From behind the curtain could be heard a dull and monotonous murmur.
- 45. Kostromsky was seated in front of the mirror in his dressing-room. He had only just arrived, but was already dressed in the traditional costume of the Danish prince; black-cloth buckled shoes, short black velvet jacket with wide lace collar. The theatrical barber stood beside him in a servile attitude, holding a wig of long fair hair. “He is fat and pants for breath,” declaimed Kostromsky, rubbing some cold cream on his palm and beginning to smear his face with it. The barber suddenly began to laugh. “What’s the matter with you, fool?” asked the actor, not taking his eyes from the mirror. “Oh, I ... er ... nothing ... er....” “Well, it’s evident you’re a fool. They say that I’m too fat and flabby. And Shakspeare himself said that Hamlet was fat and panted for breath. They’re all good-for-nothings, these newspaper fellows. They just bark at the wind.” Having finished with the cold cream, Kostromsky put the flesh tints on to his face in the same manner, but looking more attentively into the mirror. “Yes, make-up is a great thing; but all the same, my face is not what it used to be. Look at the bags under my eyes, and the deep folds round my mouth ... cheeks all puffed out ... nose lost its fine shape. Ah, well, we’ll struggle on a bit longer.... Kean drank, Mochalof drank ... hang it all. Let them talk about Kostromsky and say that he’s a bloated drunkard. Kostromsky will show them in a moment ... these youngsters ... these water-people ... he’ll show them what real talent can do.” “You, Ethiop, have you ever seen me act?” he asked, turning suddenly on the barber. The man trembled all over with pleasure.
- 46. “Mercy on us, Alexander Yevgrafitch.... Yes, I ... O Lord!... is it possible for me not to have seen the greatest, one may say, of Russian artists? Why, in Kazan I made a wig for you with my own hands.” “The devil may know you. I don’t remember,” said Kostromsky, continuing to make long and narrow lines of white down the length of his nose, “there are so many of you.... Pour out something to drink!” The barber poured out half a tumblerful of vodka from the decanter on the marble dressing-table, and handed it to Kostromsky. The actor drank it off, screwed up his face, and spat on the floor. “You’d better have a little something to eat, Alexander Yevgrafitch,” urged the barber persuasively. “If you take it neat ... it goes to your head....” Kostromsky had almost finished his make-up; he had only to put on a few streaks of brown colouring, and the “clouds of grief” overshadowed his changed and ennobled countenance. “Give me my cloak!” said he imperiously to the barber, getting up from his chair. From the theatre there could already be heard, in the dressing-room, the sounds of the tuning of the instruments in the orchestra. The crowds of people had all arrived. The living stream could be heard pouring into the theatre and flowing into the boxes stalls and galleries with the noise and the same kind of peculiar rumble as of a far-off sea. “It’s a long time since the place has been so full,” remarked the barber in servile ecstasy; “there’s n-not an empty seat!” Kostromsky sighed. He was still confident in his great talent, still full of a frank self- adoration and the illimitable pride of an artist, but, although he hardly dared to allow himself to be conscious of it, he had an uneasy
- 47. feeling that his laurels had begun to fade. Formerly he had never consented to come to the theatre until the director had brought to his hotel the stipulated five hundred roubles, his night’s pay, and he had sometimes taken offence in the middle of a play and gone home, swearing with all his might at the director, the manager, and the whole company. The barber’s remark was a vivid and painful reminder of these years of his extraordinary and colossal successes. Nowadays no director would bring him payment in advance, and he could not bring himself to contrive to demand it. “Pour out some more vodka,” said he to the barber. There was no more vodka left in the decanter. But the actor had received sufficient stimulus. His eyes, encircled by fine sharp lines of black drawn along both eyelids, were larger and more full of life, his bent body straightened itself, his swollen legs, in their tight-fitting black, looked lithe and strong. He finished his toilet by dusting powder over his face, with an accustomed hand, then slightly screwing up his eyes he regarded himself in the mirror for the last time, and went out of the dressing- room. When he descended the staircase, with his slow self-reliant step, his head held high, every movement of his was marked by that easy gracious simplicity which had so impressed the actors of the French company, who had seen him when he, a former draper’s assistant, had first appeared in Moscow. II The stage manager had already rushed forward to greet Kostromsky. The lights in the theatre blazed high. The chaotic disharmony of the orchestra tuning their instruments suddenly died down. The noise of the crowd grew louder, and then, as it were, suddenly subsided a little.
- 48. Out broke the sounds of a loud triumphal march. Kostromsky went up to the curtain and looked through a little round hole made in it at about a man’s height. The theatre was crowded with people. He could only see distinctly the faces of those in the first three rows, but beyond, wherever his eye turned, to left, to right, above, below, there moved, in a sort of bluish haze, an immense number of many- coloured human blobs. Only the side boxes, with their white and gold arabesques and their crimson barriers, stood out against all this agitated obscurity. But as he looked through the little hole in the curtain, Kostromsky did not experience in his soul that feeling—once so familiar and always singularly fresh and powerful—of a joyous, instantaneous uplifting of his whole moral being. It was just a year since he had ceased to feel so, and he explained his indifference by thinking he had grown accustomed to the stage, and did not suspect that this was the beginning of paralysis of his tired and worn-out soul. The manager rushed on to the stage behind him, all red and perspiring, with dishevelled hair. “Devil! Idiocy! All’s gone to the devil! One might as well cut one’s throat,” he burst out in a voice of fury, running up to Kostromsky. “Here you, devils, let me come to the curtain! I must go out and tell the people at once that there will be no performance. There’s no Ophelia. Understand! There’s no Ophelia.” “How do you mean there’s no Ophelia?” said the astonished Kostromsky, knitting his brows. “You’re joking, aren’t you, my friend?” “There’s no joking in me,” snarled the manager. “Only just this moment, five minutes before she’s wanted, I receive this little billet- doux from Milevskaya. Just look, look, what this idiot writes! ‘I’m in bed with a feverish cold and can’t play my part.’ Well? Don’t you understand what it means? This is not a pound of raisins, old man, pardon the expression, it means we can’t produce the play.”
- 49. “Someone else must take her place,” Kostromsky flashed out. “What have her tricks to do with me?” “Who can take her place, do you think? Bobrova is Gertrude, Markovitch and Smolenskaya have a holiday and they’ve gone off to the town with some officers. It would be ridiculous to make an old woman take the part of Ophelia. Don’t you think so? Or there’s someone else if you like, a young girl student. Shall we ask her?” He pointed straight in front of him to a young girl who was just walking on to the stage; a girl in a modest coat and fur cap, with gentle pale face and large dark eyes. The young girl, astonished at such unexpected attention, stood still. “Who is she?” asked Kostromsky in a low voice, looking with curiosity at the girl’s face. “Her name’s Yureva. She’s here as a student. She’s smitten with a passion for dramatic art, you see,” answered the manager, speaking loudly and without any embarrassment. “Listen to me, Yureva. Have you ever read ‘Hamlet’?” asked Kostromsky, going nearer to the girl. “Of course I have,” answered she in a low confused voice. “Could you play Ophelia here this evening?” “I know the part by heart, but I don’t know if I could play it.” Kostromsky went close up to her and took her by the hand. “You see ... Milevskaya has refused to play, and the theatre’s full. Make up your mind, my dear! You can be the saving of us all!” Yureva hesitated and was silent, though she would have liked to say much, very much, to the famous actor. It was he who, three years ago, by his marvellous acting, had unconsciously drawn her young heart, with an irresistible attraction, to the stage. She had never missed a performance in which he had taken part, and she had often wept at nights after seeing him act in “Cain,” in “The Criminal’s
- 50. Home,” or in “Uriel da Costa.” She would have accounted it her greatest happiness, and one apparently never to be attained ... not to speak to Kostromsky; no, of that she had never dared to dream, but only to see him nearer in ordinary surroundings. She had never lost her admiration of him, and only an actor like Kostromsky, spoilt by fame and satiated by the attentions of women, could have failed to notice at rehearsals the two large dark eyes which followed him constantly with a frank and persistent adoration. “Well, what is it? Can we take your silence for consent?” insisted Kostromsky, looking into her face with a searching, kindly glance, and putting into the somewhat nasal tones of his voice that irresistible tone of friendliness which he well knew no woman could withstand. Yureva’s hand trembled in his, her eyelids drooped, and she answered submissively: “Very well. I’ll go and dress at once.” III The curtain rose, and no sooner did the public see their favourite than the theatre shook with sounds of applause and cries of ecstasy. Kostromsky standing near the king’s throne, bowed many times, pressed his hand to his heart, and sent his gaze over the whole assembly. At length, after several unsuccessful attempts, the king, taking advantage of a moment when the noise had subsided a little, raised his voice and began his speech: “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe; Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature That we with wisest sorrow think on him....”
- 51. The enthusiasm of the crowd had affected Kostromsky, and when the king turned to him, and addressed him as “brother and beloved son,” the words of Hamlet’s answer: “A little more than kin and less than kind,” sounded so gloomily ironical and sad that an involuntary thrill ran through the audience. And when the queen, with hypocritical words of consolation, said: “Thou knowst ’tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity,” he slowly raised his long eyelashes, which he had kept lowered until that moment, looked reproachfully at her, and then answered with a slight shake of the head: “Ay, madam, it is common.” After these words, expressing so fully his grief for his dead father, his own aversion from life and submission to fate, and his bitter scorn of his mother’s light-mindedness, Kostromsky, with the special, delicate, inexplicable sensitiveness of an experienced actor, felt that now he had entirely gripped his audience and bound them to him with an inviolable chain. It seemed as if no one had ever before spoken with such marvellous force that despairing speech of Hamlet at the exit of the king and queen: “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!” The nasal tones of Kostromsky’s voice were clear and flexible. Now it rang out with a mighty clang, then sank to a gentle velvety whisper or burst into hardly restrained sobs. And when, with a simple yet elegant gesture, Kostromsky pronounced the last words: “But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue!”
- 52. the audience roared out its applause. “Yes, the public and I understand one another,” said the actor as he went off the stage into the wings after the first act. “Here, you crocodile, give me some vodka!” he shouted at once to the barber who was coming to meet him. IV “Well, little father, don’t you think he’s fine?” said a young actor- student to Yakovlef, the patriarch of provincial actors, who was taking the part of the king. The two were standing together on the staircase which led from the dressing-rooms to the stage. Yakovlef pursed and bit his full thick lips. “Fine! Fine! But all the same, he acts as a boy. Those who saw Mochalof play Hamlet wouldn’t marvel at this. I, brother, was just such a little chap as you are when I had the happiness of seeing him first. And when I come to die, I shall look back on that as the most blessed moment of my life. When he got up from the floor of the stage and said: “‘Let the stricken deer go weep’ the audience rose as one man, hardly daring to breathe. And now watch carefully how Kostromsky takes that very scene.” “You’re very hard to please, Valerie Nikolaitch.” “Not at all. But you watch him; to tell you the truth, I can’t. Do you think I am watching him?” “Well, who then?” “Ah, brother, look at Ophelia. There’s an actress for you!” “But Valerie Nikolaitch, she’s only a student.” “Idiot! Don’t mind that. You didn’t notice how she said the words:
- 53. “‘He spoke to me of love, but was so tender, So timid, and so reverent.’[1] Of course you didn’t. And I’ve been nearly thirty years on the stage, and I tell you I’ve never heard anything like it. She’s got talent. You mark my words, in the fourth act she’ll have such a success that your Kostromsky will be in a fury. You see!”
- 54. [1] Perhaps—“He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders Of his affection to me.” The Russian lines do not clearly correspond to any of Shakespeare’s.—ED. V The play went on. The old man’s prophecy was abundantly fulfilled. The enthusiasm of Kostromsky only lasted out the first act. It could not be roused again by repeated calls before the curtain, by applause, or by the gaze of his enormous crowd of admirers, who thronged into the wings to look at him with gentle reverence. There now remained in him only the very smallest store of that energy and feeling which he had expended with such royal generosity three years ago on every act. He had wasted his now insignificant store in the first act, when he had been intoxicated by the loud cries of welcome and applause from the public. His will was weakened, his nerves unbraced, and not even increased doses of alcohol could revive him. The imperceptible ties which had connected him with his audience at first were gradually weakening, and, though the applause at the end of the second act was as sincere as at the end of the first, yet it was clear that the people were applauding, not him, but the charm of his name and fame. Meanwhile, each time she appeared on the stage, Ophelia—Yureva— progressed in favour. This hitherto unnoticed girl, who had previously played only very minor parts, was now, as it were, working a miracle. She seemed a living impersonation of the real daughter of Polonius, a gentle, tender, obedient daughter, with deep hidden feeling and great love in her soul, empoisoned by the venom of grief. The audience did not yet applaud Yureva, but they watched her, and whenever she came on the stage the whole theatre calmed down to attention. She herself had no suspicion that she was in competition
- 55. with the great actor, and taking from him attention and success, and even the spectators themselves were unconscious of the struggle. The third act was fatal for Kostromsky. His appearance in it was preceded by the short scene in which the king and Polonius agree to hide themselves and listen to the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia, in order to judge of the real reason of the prince’s madness. Kostromsky came out from the wings with slow steps, his hands crossed upon his breast, his head bent low, his stockings unfastened and the right one coming down. “To be or not to be--that is the question.” He spoke almost inaudibly, all overborne by serious thought, and did not notice Ophelia, who sat at the back of the stage with an open book on her knee. This famous soliloquy had always been one of Kostromsky’s show places. Some years ago, in this very town and this very theatre, after he had finished this speech by his invocation to Ophelia, there had been for a moment that strange and marvellous silence which speaks more eloquently than the noisiest applause. And then everyone in the theatre had gone into an ecstasy of applause, from the humblest person in the back row of the gallery to the exquisites in the private boxes. Alas, now both Kostromsky himself and his audience remained cold and unmoved, though he was not yet conscious of it. “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution, Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought And enterprises of great pith and moment, With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action,” he went on, gesticulating and changing his intonation from old memory. And he thought to himself that when he saw Ophelia he would go down on his knees in front of her and say the final words
- 56. of his speech, and that the audience would weep and cry out with a sweet foolishness. And there was Ophelia. He turned to the audience with a cautious warning “Soft you, now!” and then walking swiftly across the stage he knelt down and exclaimed: “—Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remember’d,” and then got up immediately, expecting a burst of applause. But there was no applause. The public were puzzled, quite unmoved, and all their attention was turned on Ophelia. For some seconds he could think of nothing; it was only when he heard at his side a gentle girl’s voice asking, “Prince, are you well?”—a voice which trembled with the tears of sorrow for a love destroyed—that, in a momentary flash, he understood all. It was a moment of awful enlightenment. Kostromsky recognised it clearly and mercilessly—the indifference of the public; his own irrevocable past; the certainty of the near approach of the end to his noisy but short-lived fame. Oh, with what hatred did he look upon this girl, so graceful, beautiful, innocent, and—tormenting thought—so full of talent. He would have liked to throw himself upon her, beat her, throw her on the ground and stamp with his feet upon that delicate face, with its large dark eyes looking up at him with love and pity. But he restrained himself, and answered in lowered tones: “I humbly thank you; well, well, well.” After this scene Kostromsky was recalled, but he heard, much louder than his own name, the shouts from the gallery, full with students, for Yureva, who, however, refused to appear. VI The strolling players were playing “The Murder of Gonzago.” Kostromsky was half sitting, half lying on the floor opposite to the
- 57. court, his head on Ophelia’s knees. Suddenly he turned his face upward to her, and giving forth an overwhelming odour of spirit, whispered in drunken tones: “Listen, madam. What’s your name? Listen!” She bent down a little towards him, and said in an answering whisper: “What is it?” “What pretty feet you have!” said he. “Listen! You must be pretty ... everywhere.” Yureva turned away her face in silence. “I mean it, by heaven!” Kostromsky went on, nothing daunted. “No doubt you have a lover here, haven’t you?” She made no reply. Kostromsky wanted to insult her still more, to hurt her, and her silence was a new irritation to him. “You have? Oh, that’s very very foolish of you. Such a face as yours is ... is your whole capital.... You will pardon my frankness, but you’re no actress. What are you doing on the stage?” Fortunately, it was necessary for him to take part in the acting. Yureva was left in peace, and she moved a little away from him. Her eyes filled with tears. In Kostromsky’s face she had seen a spiteful and merciless enemy. But Kostromsky became less powerful in each scene, and when the act was finished there was very slight applause to gratify him. But no one else was clapped. VII The fourth act commenced. As soon as Ophelia came on to the stage in her white dress, adorned with flowers and straw, her eyes wide open and staring, a confused murmur ran through the audience, and was followed by an almost painful silence.
- 58. And when Ophelia sang her little songs about her dear love, in gentle, naïve tones, there was a strange breathing among the audience as if a deep and general sigh had burst from a thousand breasts: “How should I your true love know, From another one? By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon.” “Oh, poor Ophelia! What are you singing?” asked the queen sympathetically. The witless eyes of Ophelia were turned on the queen in wonder, as if she had not noticed her before. “What am I singing?” she asked in astonishment. “Listen to my song: “‘He is dead and gone, lady, He is dead and gone; At his head a grass-green turf, At his heels a stone.’” No one in the theatre could look on with indifference, all were in the grip of a common feeling, all sat as if enchanted, never moving their eyes from the stage. But more persistently, and more eagerly than anyone else, Kostromsky stood in the wings and watched her every movement. In his soul, his sick and proud soul, which had never known restraint or limit to its own desires and passions, there now blazed a terrible and intolerable hatred. He felt that this poor and modest girl-student had definitely snatched from his hands the evening’s success. His drunkenness had, as it were, quite gone out of his head. He did not yet know how this envious spite which boiled in him could expend itself, but he awaited impatiently the time when Ophelia would come off the stage.
- 59. “I hope all will be well. We must be patient; but I cannot choose but weep to think they should lay him in the cold ground,” he heard Ophelia say, in a voice choked with the madness of grief. “My brother shall know of it, and so I thank you for your good counsel. Come, my coach! Good-night, ladies; good-night, sweet ladies; good-night, good-night.” Yureva came out in the wings, agitated, breathing deeply, pale even under her make-up. She was followed by deafening cries from the audience. In the doorway she stumbled up against Kostromsky. He purposely made no way for her, but she, even when her shoulder brushed against his, did not notice him, so excited was she by her acting and the rapturous applause of the public. “Yureva! Yureva! Brav-o-o!” She went back and bowed. As she returned again to the wings she again stumbled against Kostromsky, who would not allow her to pass. Yureva looked at him with a terrified glance, and said timidly: “Please allow me to pass!” “Be more careful please, young person!” answered he, with malicious haughtiness. “If you are applauded by a crowd of such idiots, it doesn’t mean you can push into people with impunity.” And seeing her silent and frightened, he became still more infuriated, and taking her roughly by the arm he pushed her on one side and cried out: “Yes, you can pass, devil take you, blockhead that you are!” VIII When Kostromsky had quieted down a little after this rude outburst of temper, he at once became weaker, slacker and more drunken than before; he even forgot that the play had not yet finished. He
- 60. went into his dressing-room, slowly undressed, and began lazily to rub the paint from his face with vaseline. The manager, puzzled by his long absence, ran into his room at last and stared in amazement. “Alexander Yevgrafitch! Please! What are you doing? It’s time for you to go on!” “Go away, go away!” muttered Kostromsky tearfully, speaking through his nose, and wiping his face with the towel. “I’ve finished everything ... go away and leave me in peace!” “What d’you mean, go away? Have you gone out of your mind? The audience is waiting!” “Leave me alone!” cried Kostromsky. The manager shrugged his shoulders and went out. In a few moments the curtain was raised, and the public, having been informed of Kostromsky’s sudden illness, began to disperse slowly and silently as if they were going away from a funeral. They had indeed been present at the funeral of a great and original talent, and Kostromsky was right when he said that he had “finished.” He had locked the door, and sat by himself in front of the mirror in his dressing-room between two gas burners, the flames of which flared with a slight noise. From old habit he was carefully wiping his face, all smeared over with drunken but bitter tears. His mind recalled, as through a mist, the long line of splendid triumphs which had accompanied the first years of his career. Wreaths ... bouquets ... thousands of presents ... the eternal raptures of the crowd ... the flattery of newspapers ... the envy of his companions ... the fabulous benefits ... the adoration of the most beautiful of women.... Was it possible that all this was past? Could his talent really have gone—vanished? Perhaps it had left him long ago, two or three years back! And he, Kostromsky, what was he now? A theme for dirty theatrical gossip; an object of general mockery and ill-will; a man who had alienated all his friends by his unfeeling narrow-
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