Book Eleven: 1812 - Chapter VI

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Helene, having returned with the court from Vilna to Petersburg,found herself in a difficult position.

　　In Petersburg she had enjoyed the special protection of a grandeewho occupied one of the highest posts in the Empire. In Vilna shehad formed an intimacy with a young foreign prince. When shereturned to Petersburg both the magnate and the prince were there, andboth claimed their rights. Helene was faced by a new problem- how topreserve her intimacy with both without offending either.

　　What would have seemed difficult or even impossible to another womandid not cause the least embarrassment to Countess Bezukhova, whoevidently deserved her reputation of being a very clever woman. Hadshe attempted concealment, or tried to extricate herself from herawkward position by cunning, she would have spoiled her case byacknowledging herself guilty. But Helene, like a really great manwho can do whatever he pleases, at once assumed her own position to becorrect, as she sincerely believed it to be, and that everyone elsewas to blame.

　　The first time the young foreigner allowed himself to reproachher, she lifted her beautiful head and, half turning to him, saidfirmly: "That's just like a man- selfish and cruel! I expected nothingelse. A woman sacrifices herself for you, she suffers, and this is herreward! What right have you, monseigneur, to demand an account of myattachments and friendships? He is a man who has been more than afather to me!" The prince was about to say something, but Heleneinterrupted him.

　　"Well, yes," said she, "it may be that he has other sentiments forme than those of a father, but that is not a reason for me to shutmy door on him. I am not a man, that I should repay kindness withingratitude! Know, monseigneur, that in all that relates to myintimate feelings I render account only to God and to myconscience," she concluded, laying her hand on her beautiful, fullyexpanded bosom and looking up to heaven.

　　"But for heaven's sake listen to me!"

　　"Marry me, and I will be your slave!"

　　"But that's impossible."

　　"You won't deign to demean yourself by marrying me, you..." saidHelene, beginning to cry.

　　The prince tried to comfort her, but Helene, as if quite distraught,said through her tears that there was nothing to prevent her marrying,that there were precedents (there were up to that time very few, butshe mentioned Napoleon and some other exalted personages), that shehad never been her husband's wife, and that she had been sacrificed.

　　"But the law, religion..." said the prince, already yielding.

　　"The law, religion... What have they been invented for if they can'tarrange that?" said Helene.

　　The prince was surprised that so simple an idea had not occurredto him, and he applied for advice to the holy brethren of theSociety of Jesus, with whom he was on intimate terms.

　　A few days later at one of those enchanting fetes which Helenegave at her country house on the Stone Island, the charming Monsieurde Jobert, a man no longer young, with snow white hair and brilliantblack eyes, a Jesuit a robe courte* was presented to her, and in thegarden by the light of the illuminations and to the sound of musictalked to her for a long time of the love of God, of Christ, of theSacred Heart, and of the consolations the one true Catholic religionaffords in this world and the next. Helene was touched, and morethan once tears rose to her eyes and to those of Monsieur de Jobertand their voices trembled. A dance, for which her partner came to seekher, put an end to her discourse with her future directeur deconscience, but the next evening Monsieur de Jobert came to see Helenewhen she was alone, and after that often came again.

　　*Lay member of the Society of Jesus.

　　One day he took the countess to a Roman Catholic church, where sheknelt down before the altar to which she was led. The enchanting,middle-aged Frenchman laid his hands on her head and, as she herselfafterward described it, she felt something like a fresh breezewafted into her soul. It was explained to her that this was la grace.

　　After that a long-frocked abbe was brought to her. She confessedto him, and he absolved her from her sins. Next day she received a boxcontaining the Sacred Host, which was left at her house for her topartake of. A few days later Helene learned with pleasure that she hadnow been admitted to the true Catholic Church and that in a few daysthe Pope himself would hear of her and would send her a certaindocument.

　　All that was done around her and to her at this time, all theattention devoted to her by so many clever men and expressed in suchpleasant, refined ways, and the state of dove-like purity she wasnow in (she wore only white dresses and white ribbons all that time)gave her pleasure, but her pleasure did not cause her for a momentto forget her aim. And as it always happens in contests of cunningthat a stupid person gets the better of cleverer ones, Helene-having realized that the main object of all these words and all thistrouble was, after converting her to Catholicism, to obtain money fromher for Jesuit institutions (as to which she received indications)-before parting with her money insisted that the various operationsnecessary to free her from her husband should be performed. In herview the aim of every religion was merely to preserve certainproprieties while affording satisfaction to human desires. And withthis aim, in one of her talks with her Father Confessor, sheinsisted on an answer to the question, in how far was she bound by hermarriage?

　　They were sitting in the twilight by a window in the drawing room.The scent of flowers came in at the window. Helene was wearing a whitedress, transparent over her shoulders and bosom. The abbe, awell-fed man with a plump, clean-shaven chin, a pleasant firm mouth,and white hands meekly folded on his knees, sat close to Helene and,with a subtle smile on his lips and a peaceful look of delight ather beauty, occasionally glanced at her face as he explained hisopinion on the subject. Helene with an uneasy smile looked at hiscurly hair and his plump, clean-shaven, blackish cheeks and everymoment expected the conversation to take a fresh turn. But the abbe,though he evidently enjoyed the beauty of his companion, wasabsorbed in his mastery of the matter.

　　The course of the Father Confessor's arguments ran as follows:"Ignorant of the import of what you were undertaking, you made a vowof conjugal fidelity to a man who on his part, by entering the marriedstate without faith in the religious significance of marriage,committed an act of sacrilege. That marriage lacked the dualsignificance it should have had. Yet in spite of this your vow wasbinding. You swerved from it. What did you commit by so acting? Avenial, or a mortal, sin? A venial sin, for you acted without evilintention. If now you married again with the object of bearingchildren, your sin might be forgiven. But the question is again atwofold one: firstly..."

　　But suddenly Helene, who was getting bored, said with one of herbewitching smiles: "But I think that having espoused the true religionI cannot be bound by what a false religion laid upon me."

　　The director of her conscience was astounded at having the casepresented to him thus with the simplicity of Columbus' egg. He wasdelighted at the unexpected rapidity of his pupil's progress, butcould not abandon the edifice of argument he had laboriouslyconstructed.

　　"Let us understand one another, Countess," said he with a smile, andbegan refuting his spiritual daughter's arguments.