Book One: 1805 - Chapter X

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Prince Vasili kept the promise he had given to PrincessDrubetskaya who had spoken to him on behalf of her only son Boris onthe evening of Anna Pavlovna's soiree. The matter was mentioned to theEmperor, an exception made, and Boris transferred into the regiment ofSemenov Guards with the rank of cornet. He received, however, noappointment to Kutuzov's staff despite all Anna Mikhaylovna'sendeavors and entreaties. Soon after Anna Pavlovna's reception AnnaMikhaylovna returned to Moscow and went straight to her richrelations, the Rostovs, with whom she stayed when in the town andwhere and where her darling Bory, who had only just entered a regimentof the line and was being at once transferred to the Guards as acornet, had been educated from childhood and lived for years at atime. The Guards had already left Petersburg on the tenth of August,and her son, who had remained in Moscow for his equipment, was to jointhem on the march to Radzivilov.

　　It was St. Natalia's day and the name day of two of the Rostovs- themother and the youngest daughter- both named Nataly. Ever since themorning, carriages with six horses had been coming and goingcontinually, bringing visitors to the Countess Rostova's big houseon the Povarskaya, so well known to all Moscow. The countess herselfand her handsome eldest daughter were in the drawing-room with thevisitors who came to congratulate, and who constantly succeeded oneanother in relays.

　　The countess was a woman of about forty-five, with a thin Orientaltype of face, evidently worn out with childbearing- she had hadtwelve. A languor of motion and speech, resulting from weakness,gave her a distinguished air which inspired respect. Princess AnnaMikhaylovna Drubetskaya, who as a member of the household was alsoseated in the drawing room, helped to receive and entertain thevisitors. The young people were in one of the inner rooms, notconsidering it necessary to take part in receiving the visitors. Thecount met the guests and saw them off, inviting them all to dinner.

　　"I am very, very grateful to you, mon cher," or "ma chere"- hecalled everyone without exception and without the slightestvariation in his tone, "my dear," whether they were above or below himin rank- "I thank you for myself and for our two dear ones whosename day we are keeping. But mind you come to dinner or I shall beoffended, ma chere! On behalf of the whole family I beg you to come,mon cher!" These words he repeated to everyone without exception orvariation, and with the same expression on his full, cheerful,clean-shaven face, the same firm pressure of the hand and the samequick, repeated bows. As soon as he had seen a visitor off he returnedto one of those who were still in the drawing room, drew a chairtoward him or her, and jauntily spreading out his legs and putting hishands on his knees with the air of a man who enjoys life and knows howto live, he swayed to and fro with dignity, offered surmises about theweather, or touched on questions of health, sometimes in Russian andsometimes in very bad but self-confident French; then again, like aman weary but unflinching in the fulfillment of duty, he rose to seesome visitors off and, stroking his scanty gray hairs over his baldpatch, also asked them to dinner. Sometimes on his way back from theanteroom he would pass through the conservatory and pantry into thelarge marble dining hall, where tables were being set out for eightypeople; and looking at the footmen, who were bringing in silver andchina, moving tables, and unfolding damask table linen, he wouldcall Dmitri Vasilevich, a man of good family and the manager of allhis affairs, and while looking with pleasure at the enormous tablewould say: "Well, Dmitri, you'll see that things are all as theyshould be? That's right! The great thing is the serving, that's it."And with a complacent sigh he would return to the drawing room.

　　"Marya Lvovna Karagina and her daughter!" announced the countess'gigantic footman in his bass voice, entering the drawing room. Thecountess reflected a moment and took a pinch from a gold snuffbox withher husband's portrait on it.

　　"I'm quite worn out by these callers. However, I'll see her and nomore. She is so affected. Ask her in," she said to the footman in asad voice, as if saying: "Very well, finish me off."

　　A tall, stout, and proud-looking woman, with a round-faced smilingdaughter, entered the drawing room, their dresses rustling.

　　"Dear Countess, what an age... She has been laid up, poor child...at the Razumovski's ball... and Countess Apraksina... I was sodelighted..." came the sounds of animated feminine voices,interrupting one another and mingling with the rustling of dresses andthe scraping of chairs. Then one of those conversations began whichlast out until, at the first pause, the guests rise with a rustle ofdresses and say, "I am so delighted... Mamma's health... andCountess Apraksina... and then, again rustling, pass into theanteroom, put on cloaks or mantles, and drive away. The conversationwas on the chief topic of the day: the illness of the wealthy andcelebrated beau of Catherine's day, Count Bezukhov, and about hisillegitimate son Pierre, the one who had behaved so improperly at AnnaPavlovna's reception.

　　"I am so sorry for the poor count," said the visitor. "He is in suchbad health, and now this vexation about his son is enough to killhim!"

　　"What is that?" asked the countess as if she did not know what thevisitor alluded to, though she had already heard about the cause ofCount Bezukhov's distress some fifteen times.

　　"That's what comes of a modern education," exclaimed the visitor."It seems that while he was abroad this young man was allowed to do ashe liked, now in Petersburg I hear he has been doing such terriblethings that he has been expelled by the police."

　　"You don't say so!" replied the countess.

　　"He chose his friends badly," interposed Anna Mikhaylovna. "PrinceVasili's son, he, and a certain Dolokhov have, it is said, been upto heaven only knows what! And they have had to suffer for it.Dolokhov has been degraded to the ranks and Bezukhov's son sent backto Moscow. Anatole Kuragin's father managed somehow to get his son'saffair hushed up, but even he was ordered out of Petersburg."

　　"But what have they been up to?" asked the countess.

　　"They are regular brigands, especially Dolokhov," replied thevisitor. "He is a son of Marya Ivanovna Dolokhova, such a worthywoman, but there, just fancy! Those three got hold of a bearsomewhere, put it in a carriage, and set off with it to visit someactresses! The police tried to interfere, and what did the young mendo? They tied a policeman and the bear back to back and put the bearinto the Moyka Canal. And there was the bear swimming about with thepoliceman on his back!"

　　"What a nice figure the policeman must have cut, my dear!" shoutedthe count, dying with laughter.

　　"Oh, how dreadful! How can you laugh at it, Count?"

　　Yet the ladies themselves could not help laughing.

　　"It was all they could do to rescue the poor man," continued thevisitor. "And to think it is Cyril Vladimirovich Bezukhov's son whoamuses himself in this sensible manner! And he was said to be sowell educated and clever. This is all that his foreign education hasdone for him! I hope that here in Moscow no one will receive him, inspite of his money. They wanted to introduce him to me, but I quitedeclined: I have my daughters to consider."

　　"Why do you say this young man is so rich?" asked the countess,turning away from the girls, who at once assumed an air ofinattention. "His children are all illegitimate. I think Pierre alsois illegitimate."

　　The visitor made a gesture with her hand.

　　"I should think he has a score of them."

　　Princess Anna Mikhaylovna intervened in the conversation,evidently wishing to show her connections and knowledge of what wenton in society.

　　"The fact of the matter is," said she significantly, and also in ahalf whisper, "everyone knows Count Cyril's reputation.... He has lostcount of his children, but this Pierre was his favorite."

　　"How handsome the old man still was only a year ago!" remarked thecountess. "I have never seen a handsomer man."

　　"He is very much altered now," said Anna Mikhaylovna. "Well, as Iwas saying, Prince Vasili is the next heir through his wife, but thecount is very fond of Pierre, looked after his education, and wrote tothe Emperor about him; so that in the case of his death- and he isso ill that he may die at any moment, and Dr. Lorrain has come fromPetersburg- no one knows who will inherit his immense fortune,Pierre or Prince Vasili. Forty thousand serfs and millions ofrubles! I know it all very well for Prince Vasili told me himself.Besides, Cyril Vladimirovich is my mother's second cousin. He's alsomy Bory's godfather," she added, as if she attached no importance atall to the fact.

　　"Prince Vasili arrived in Moscow yesterday. I hear he has come onsome inspection business," remarked the visitor.

　　"Yes, but between ourselves," said the princess, that is apretext. The fact is he has come to see Count Cyril Vladimirovich,hearing how ill he is."

　　"But do you know, my dear, that was a capital joke," said the count;and seeing that the elder visitor was not listening, he turned tothe young ladies. "I can just imagine what a funny figure thatpoliceman cut!"

　　And as he waved his arms to impersonate the policeman, his portlyform again shook with a deep ringing laugh, the laugh of one whoalways eats well and, in particular, drinks well. "So do come and dinewith us!" he said.