Trifon

Research Status: Moderate Diary Coverage: 1873-05-16 to 1882-10-23

Identity

Russian domestic servant, valet de chambre of Marie's grandfather (Grand-papa Babanine, whom Marie calls "papa" in the Nice years): «Trifon (valet de chambre de papa)» (012/1873-11-01). Son of a servant who had served the family forty years. Mon Journal t.8 index: «Trifon, domestique»; t.9 index: «Trifon» with his wife «Marfa… dont une fille: Pauline».

Diary References

• 1873-05-16 (004, marginal note): Trifon says he wants to go to Russia because he loves the maid who was with the Pattons; Papa promises to send for her.
• 1873-07-26 (007): arrives with Georges («Georges arriva avec Trifon qui fut envoyé ce matin»).
• 1873-10 to 1874-01 (010, 011, 016): loads the gun for Marie, Paul and Walitsky when they shoot; bets about killing a bat (010/1873-10-03); drinks a quarter of Marie's chemical solution by mistake, «le sot Trifon» (016/1874-01-31).
• 1874-04-29 (019): 1,200 roubles vanish «de la cassette de papa»; Marie's grief is «le devoir accuser Trifon, dont le père nous servit quarante ans et lui-même Trifon est en calèche depuis qu'il sait marcher» (the phrase was written in Russian in the manuscript). «Trifon lui-même est très excité.» The tag here is Grand_papa, so «papa» is the grandfather, not Marie's father.
• 1874-09/10 (024): lodged in the Villa Baquis pavilion, to the annoyance of Marie, because he is «nécessaire» to the almost blind grandfather (024/1874-10-02).
• 1875-05-01 (032): writes begging Walitsky to come because grand-papa has had an apoplectic stroke («Trifon écrit… grand-papa a un coup d'apoplexie»).
• 1875-07-08 (035): «Trifon par ordre de monsieur mon grand-père a tué Mops», Marie's dog; he answers her insolently.
• 1876-03-28 (056): his four-line letter to Walitsky (kind: letter); Marie's judgement: «Trifon est un domestique amusant, vif, curieux, intelligent, voleur, dépravé, dévoué, tripoteur et honnête dans son genre.»
• 1876-05-06 (059): in charge of the fireworks in the garden.
• 1876-10-25 (067): Marie meets Marfa, his wife, and their six-year-old daughter Pauline: after eight months of marriage he left his wife «pour suivre Monsieur».
• 1882-10-23 (096): fire at the Russian estate: «Trifon qui est entré à son service» (probably Alexandre Babanine, Marie's uncle, who is named just before; 096.0441).