Part Two: Chapter 20

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Vronsky was staying in a roomy, clean, Finnish hut, divided intotwo by a partition. Petritsky lived with him in camp too.Petritsky was asleep when Vronsky and Yashvin came into the hut.

　　"Get up, don't go on sleeping," said Yashvin, going behind thepartition and giving Petritsky, who was lying with ruffled hairand with his nose in the pillow, a prod on the shoulder.

　　Petritsky jumped up suddenly onto his knees and looked round.

　　"Your brother's been here," he said to Vronsky. "He waked me up,damn him, and said he'd look in again." And pulling up the rughe flung himself back on the pillow. "Oh, do shut up, Yashvin!"he said, getting furious with Yashvin, who was pulling the rugoff him. "Shut up!" He turned over and opened his eyes. "You'dbetter tell me what to drink; such a nasty taste in my mouth,that..."

　　"Brandy's better than anything," boomed Yashvin. "Tereshtchenko!brandy for your master and cucumbers," he shouted, obviouslytaking pleasure in the sound of his own voice.

　　"Brandy, do you think? Eh?" queried Petritsky, blinking andrubbing his eyes. "And you'll drink something? All right then,we'll have a drink together! Vronsky, have a drink?" saidPetritsky, getting up and wrapping the tiger-skin rug round him.He went to the door of the partition wall, raised his hands, andhummed in French, "There was a king in Thule." "Vronsky, willyou have a drink?"

　　"Go along," said Vronsky, putting on the coat his valet handed tohim.

　　"Where are you off to?" asked Yashvin. "Oh, here are your threehorses," he added, seeing the carriage drive up.

　　"To the stables, and I've got to see Bryansky, too, about thehorses," said Vronsky.

　　Vronsky had as a fact promised to call at Bryansky's, some eightmiles from Peterhof, and to bring him some money owing for somehorses; and he hoped to have time to get that in too. But hiscomrades were at once aware that he was not only going there.

　　Petritsky, still humming, winked and made a pout with his lips,as though he would say: "Oh, yes, we know your Bryansky."

　　"Mind you're not late!" was Yashvin's only comment; and to changethe conversation: "How's my roan? is he doing all right?" heinquired, looking out of the window at the middle one of thethree horses, which he had sold Vronsky.

　　"Stop!" cried Petritsky to Vronsky as he was just going out."Your brother left a letter and a note for you. Wait a bit;where are they?"

　　Vronsky stopped.

　　"Well, where are they?"

　　"Where are they? That's just the question!" said Petritskysolemnly, moving his forefinger upwards from his nose.

　　"Come, tell me; this is silly!" said Vronsky smiling.

　　"I have not lighted the fire. Here somewhere about."

　　"Come, enough fooling! Where is the letter?"

　　"No, I've forgotten really. Or was it a dream? Wait a bit, waita bit! But what's the use of getting in a rage. If you'd drunkfour bottles yesterday as I did you'd forget where you werelying. Wait a bit, I'll remember!"

　　Petritsky went behind the partition and lay down on his bed.

　　"Wait a bit! This was how I was lying, and this was how he wasstanding. Yes--yes--yes.... Here it is!"--and Petritsky pulleda letter out from under the mattress, where he had hidden it.

　　Vronsky took the letter and his brother's note. It was theletter he was expecting--from his mother, reproaching him fornot having been to see her--and the note was from his brother tosay that he must have a little talk with him. Vronsky knew thatit was all about the same thing. "What business is it oftheirs!" thought Vronsky, and crumpling up the letters he thrustthem between the buttons of his coat so as to read them carefullyon the road. In the porch of the hut he was met by two officers;one of his regiment and one of another.

　　Vronsky's quarters were always a meeting place for all theofficers.

　　"Where are you off to?"

　　"I must go to Peterhof."

　　"Has the mare come from Tsarskoe?"

　　"Yes, but I've not seen her yet."

　　"They say Mahotin's Gladiator's lame."

　　"Nonsense! But however are you going to race in this mud?" saidthe other.

　　"Here are my saviors!" cried Petritsky, seeing them come in.Before him stood the orderly with a tray of brandy and saltedcucumbers. "Here's Yashvin ordering me a drink a pick-me-up."

　　"Well, you did give it to us yesterday," said one of those whohad come in; "you didn't let us get a wink of sleep all night."

　　"Oh, didn't we make a pretty finish!" said Petritsky. "Volkovclimbed onto the roof and began telling us how sad he was. Isaid: 'Let's have music, the funeral march!' He fairly droppedasleep on the roof over the funeral march."

　　"Drink it up; you positively must drink the brandy, and thenseltzer water and a lot of lemon," said Yashvin, standing overPetritsky like a mother making a child take medicine, "and then alittle champagne--just a small bottle."

　　"Come, there's some sense in that. Stop a bit, Vronsky. We'llall have a drink."

　　"No; good-bye all of you. I'm not going to drink today."

　　"Why, are you gaining weight? All right, then we must have italone. Give us the seltzer water and lemon."

　　"Vronsky!" shouted someone when he was already outside.

　　"Well?"

　　"You'd better get your hair cut, it'll weigh you down, especiallyat the top."

　　Vronsky was in fact beginning, prematurely, to get a little bald.He laughed gaily, showing his even teeth, and puling his cap overthe thin place, went out and got into his carriage.

　　"To the stables!" he said, and was just pulling out the lettersto read them through, but he thought better of it, and put offreading them so as not to distract his attention before lookingat the mare. "Later!"