Book Eleven: 1812 - Chapter VII

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Helene understood that the question was very simple and easy fromthe ecclesiastical point of view, and that her directors were makingdifficulties only because they were apprehensive as to how thematter would be regarded by the secular authorities.

　　So she decided that it was necessary to prepare the opinion ofsociety. She provoked the jealousy of the elderly magnate and told himwhat she had told her other suitor; that is, she put the matter sothat the only way for him to obtain a right over her was to marry her.The elderly magnate was at first as much taken aback by thissuggestion of marriage with a woman whose husband was alive, as theyounger man had been, but Helene's imperturbable conviction that itwas as simple and natural as marrying a maiden had its effect on himtoo. Had Helene herself shown the least sign of hesitation, shame,or secrecy, her cause would certainly have been lost; but not only didshe show no signs of secrecy or shame, on the contrary, withgood-natured naivete she told her intimate friends (and these were allPetersburg) that both the prince and the magnate had proposed to herand that she loved both and was afraid of grieving either.

　　A rumor immediately spread in Petersburg, not that Helene wantedto be divorced from her husband (had such a report spread many wouldhave opposed so illegal an intention) but simply that theunfortunate and interesting Helene was in doubt which of the two menshe should marry. The question was no longer whether this waspossible, but only which was the better match and how the matter wouldbe regarded at court. There were, it is true, some rigid individualsunable to rise to the height of such a question, who saw in theproject a desecration of the sacrament of marriage, but there were notmany such and they remained silent, while the majority were interestedin Helene's good fortune and in the question which match would bethe more advantageous. Whether it was right or wrong to remarrywhile one had a husband living they did not discuss, for that questionhad evidently been settled by people "wiser than you or me," as theysaid, and to doubt the correctness of that decision would be to riskexposing one's stupidity and incapacity to live in society.

　　Only Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, had come to Petersburg thatsummer to see one of her sons, allowed herself plainly to express anopinion contrary to the general one. Meeting Helene at a ball shestopped her in the middle of the room and, amid general silence,said in her gruff voice: "So wives of living men have started marryingagain! Perhaps you think you have invented a novelty? You have beenforestalled, my dear! It was thought of long ago. It is done in allthe brothels," and with these words Marya Dmitrievna, turning up herwide sleeves with her usual threatening gesture and glancing sternlyround, moved across the room.

　　Though people were afraid of Marya Dmitrievna she was regarded inPetersburg as a buffoon, and so of what she had said they onlynoticed, and repeated in a whisper, the one coarse word she hadused, supposing the whole sting of her remark to lie in that word.

　　Prince Vasili, who of late very often forgot what he had said andrepeated one and the same thing a hundred times, remarked to hisdaughter whenever he chanced to see her:

　　"Helene, I have a word to say to you," and he would lead heraside, drawing her hand downward. "I have heard of certain projectsconcerning... you know. Well my dear child, you know how your father'sheart rejoices to know that you... You have suffered so much....But, my dear child, consult only your own heart. That is all I have tosay," and concealing his unvarying emotion he would press his cheekagainst his daughter's and move away.

　　Bilibin, who had not lost his reputation of an exceedingly cleverman, and who was one of one of the disinterested friends sobrilliant a woman as Helene always has- men friends who can neverchange into lovers- once gave her his view of the matter at a smalland intimate gathering.

　　"Listen, Bilibin," said Helene (she always called friends of thatsort by their surnames), and she touched his coat sleeve with herwhite, beringed fingers. "Tell me, as you would a sister, what I oughtto do. Which of the two?"

　　Bilibin wrinkled up the skin over his eyebrows and pondered, witha smile on his lips.

　　"You are not taking me unawares, you know," said he. "As a truefriend, I have thought and thought again about your affair. You see,if you marry the prince"- he meant the younger man- and he crooked onefinger, "you forever lose the chance of marrying the other, and youwill displease the court besides. (You know there is some kind ofconnection.) But if you marry the old count you will make his lastdays happy, and as widow of the Grand... the prince would no longer bemaking a mesalliance by marrying you," and Bilibin smoothed out hisforehead.

　　"That's a true friend!" said Helene beaming, and again touchingBilibin's sleeve. "But I love them, you know, and don't want todistress either of them. I would give my life for the happiness ofthem both."

　　Bilibin shrugged his shoulders, as much as to say that not even hecould help in that difficulty.

　　"Une maitresse-femme!* That's what is called putting thingssquarely. She would like to be married to all three at the same time,"thought he.

　　*A masterly woman.

　　"But tell me, how will your husband look at the matter?" Bilibinasked, his reputation being so well established that he did not fearto ask so naive a question. "Will he agree?"

　　"Oh, he loves me so!" said Helene, who for some reason imagined thatPierre too loved her. "He will do anything for me."

　　Bilibin puckered his skin in preparation for something witty.

　　"Even divorce you?" said he.

　　Helene laughed.

　　Among those who ventured to doubt the justifiability of the proposedmarriage was Helene's mother, Princess Kuragina. She was continuallytormented by jealousy of her daughter, and now that jealousy concerneda subject near to her own heart, she could not reconcile herself tothe idea. She consulted a Russian priest as to the possibility ofdivorce and remarriage during a husband's lifetime, and the priesttold her that it was impossible, and to her delight showed her atext in the Gospel which (as it seemed to him) plainly remarriagewhile the husband is alive.

　　Armed with these arguments, which appeared to her unanswerable,she drove to her daughter's early one morning so as to find her alone.

　　Having listened to her mother's objections, Helene smiled blandlyand ironically.

　　"But it says plainly: 'Whosoever shall marry her that isdivorced...'" said the old princess.

　　"Ah, Maman, ne dites pas de betises. Vous ne comprenez rein. Dans maposition j'ai des devoirs,"* said Helene changing from Russian, inwhich language she always felt that her case did not sound quiteclear, into French which suited it better.

　　*"Oh, Mamma, don't talk nonsense! You don't understand anything.In my position I have obligations.

　　"But, my dear...."

　　"Oh, Mamma, how is it you don't understand that the Holy Father, whohas the right to grant dispensations..."

　　Just then the lady companion who lived with Helene came in toannounce that His Highness was in the ballroom and wished to see her.

　　"Non, dites-lui que je ne veux pas le voir, que je suis furieusecontre lui, parce qu'il m' a manque parole."*

　　*"No, tell him I don't wish to see him, I am furious with him fornot keeping his word to me."

　　"Comtesse, a tout peche misericorde,"* said a fair-haired youngman with a long face and nose, as he entered the room.

　　*"Countess, there is mercy for every sin."

　　The old princess rose respectfully and curtsied. The young man whohad entered took no notice of her. The princess nodded to her daughterand sidled out of the room.

　　"Yes, she is right," thought the old princess, all her convictionsdissipated by the appearance of His Highness. "She is right, but howis it that we in our irrecoverable youth did not know it? Yet it is sosimple," she thought as she got into her carriage.

　　By the beginning of August Helene's affairs were clearly defined andshe wrote a letter to her husband- who, as she imagined, loved hervery much- informing him of her intention to marry N.N. and of herhaving embraced the one true faith, and asking him to carry out allthe formalities necessary for a divorce, which would be explained tohim by the bearer of the letter.

　　And so I pray God to have you, my friend, in His holy and powerfulkeeping- Your friend Helene.

　　This letter was brought to Pierre's house when he was on the fieldof Borodino.