Book Ten: 1812 - Chapter XIII

by Leo Tolstoy

　　On the seventeenth of August Rostov and Ilyin, accompanied byLavrushka who had just returned from captivity and by an hussarorderly, left their quarters at Yankovo, ten miles from Bogucharovo,and went for a ride- to try a new horse Ilyin had bought and to findout whether there was any hay to be had in the villages.

　　For the last three days Bogucharovo had lain between the two hostilearmies, so that it was as easy for the Russian rearguard to get toit as for the French vanguard; Rostov, as a careful squadroncommander, wished to take such provisions as remained at Bogucharovobefore the French could get them.

　　Rostov and Ilyin were in the merriest of moods. On the way toBogucharovo, a princely estate with a dwelling house and farm wherethey hoped to find many domestic serfs and pretty girls, theyquestioned Lavrushka about Napoleon and laughed at his stories, andraced one another to try Ilyin's horse.

　　Rostov had no idea that the village he was entering was the propertyof that very Bolkonski who had been engaged to his sister.

　　Rostov and Ilyin gave rein to their horses for a last race along theincline before reaching Bogucharovo, and Rostov, outstripping Ilyin,was the first to gallop into the village street.

　　"You're first!" cried Ilyin, flushed.

　　"Yes, always first both on the grassland and here," answered Rostov,stroking his heated Donets horse.

　　"And I'd have won on my Frenchy, your excellency," said Lavrushkafrom behind, alluding to his shabby cart horse, "only I didn't wish tomortify you.

　　They rode at a footpace to the barn, where a large crowd of peasantswas standing.

　　Some of the men bared their heads, others stared at the new arrivalswithout doffing their caps. Two tall old peasants with wrinkledfaces and scanty beards emerged from the tavern, smiling,staggering, and singing some incoherent song, and approached theofficers.

　　"Fine fellows!" said Rostov laughing. "Is there any hay here?"

　　"And how like one another," said Ilyin.

　　"A mo-o-st me-r-r-y co-o-m-pa...!" sang one of the peasants with ablissful smile.

　　One of the men came out of the crowd and went up to Rostov.

　　"Who do you belong to?" he asked.

　　"The French," replied Ilyin jestingly, "and here is Napoleonhimself"- and he pointed to Lavrushka.

　　"Then you are Russians?" the peasant asked again.

　　"And is there a large force of you here?" said another, a short man,coming up.

　　"Very large," answered Rostov. "But why have you collected here?" headded. "Is it a holiday?"

　　"The old men have met to talk over the business of the commune,"replied the peasant, moving away.

　　At that moment, on the road leading from the big house, two womenand a man in a white hat were seen coming toward the officers.

　　"The one in pink is mine, so keep off!" said Ilyin on seeingDunyasha running resolutely toward him.

　　"She'll be ours!" said Lavrushka to Ilyin, winking.

　　"What do you want, my pretty?" said Ilyin with a smile.

　　"The princess ordered me to ask your regiment and your name."

　　"This is Count Rostov, squadron commander, and I am your humbleservant."

　　"Co-o-om-pa-ny!" roared the tipsy peasant with a beatific smile ashe looked at Ilyin talking to the girl. Following Dunyasha, Alpatychadvanced to Rostov, having bared his head while still at a distance.

　　"May I make bold to trouble your honor?" said he respectfully, butwith a shade of contempt for the youthfulness of this officer and witha hand thrust into his bosom. "My mistress, daughter of General inChief Prince Nicholas Bolkonski who died on the fifteenth of thismonth, finding herself in difficulties owing to the boorishness ofthese people"- he pointed to the peasants- "asks you to come up to thehouse.... Won't you, please, ride on a little farther," saidAlpatych with a melancholy smile, "as it is not convenient in thepresence of...?" He pointed to the two peasants who kept as close tohim as horseflies to a horse.

　　"Ah!... Alpatych... Ah, Yakov Alpatych... Grand! Forgive us forChrist's sake, eh?" said the peasants, smiling joyfully at him.

　　Rostov looked at the tipsy peasants and smiled.

　　"Or perhaps they amuse your honor?" remarked Alpatych with a staidair, as he pointed at the old men with his free hand.

　　"No, there's not much to be amused at here," said Rostov, and rodeon a little way. "What's the matter?" he asked.

　　"I make bold to inform your honor that the rude peasants heredon't wish to let the mistress leave the estate, and threaten tounharness her horses, so that though everything has been packed upsince morning, her excellency cannot get away."

　　"Impossible!" exclaimed Rostov.

　　"I have the honor to report to you the actual truth," said Alpatych.

　　Rostov dismounted, gave his horse to the orderly, and followedAlpatych to the house, questioning him as to the state of affairs.It appeared that the princess' offer of corn to the peasants theprevious day, and her talk with Dron and at the meeting, hadactually had so bad an effect that Dron had finally given up thekeys and joined the peasants and had not appeared when Alpatych sentfor him; and that in the morning when the princess gave orders toharness for her journey, the peasants had come in a large crowd to thebarn and sent word that they would not let her leave the village: thatthere was an order not to move, and that they would unharness thehorses. Alpatych had gone out to admonish them, but was told (it waschiefly Karp who did the talking, Dron not showing himself in thecrowd) that they could not let the princess go, that there was anorder to the contrary, but that if she stayed they would serve heras before and obey her in everything.

　　At the moment when Rostov and Ilyin were galloping along the road,Princess Mary, despite the dissuasions of Alpatych, her nurse, and themaids, had given orders to harness and intended to start, but when thecavalrymen were espied they were taken for Frenchmen, the coachman ranaway, and the women in the house began to wail.

　　"Father! Benefactor! God has sent you!" exclaimed deeply movedvoices as Rostov passed through the anteroom.

　　Princess Mary was sitting helpless and bewildered in the largesitting room, when Rostov was shown in. She could not grasp who he wasand why he had come, or what was happening to her. When she saw hisRussian face, and by his walk and the first words he utteredrecognized him as a man of her own class, she glanced at him withher deep radiant look and began speaking in a voice that falteredand trembled with emotion. This meeting immediately struck Rostov as aromantic event. "A helpless girl overwhelmed with grief, left to themercy of coarse, rioting peasants! And what a strange fate sent mehere! What gentleness and nobility there are in her features andexpression!" thought he as he looked at her and listened to hertimid story.

　　When she began to tell him that all this had happened the dayafter her father's funeral, her voiced trembled. She turned away,and then, as if fearing he might take her words as meant to move himto pity, looked at him with an apprehensive glance of inquiry. Therewere tears in Rostov's eyes. Princess Mary noticed this and glancedgratefully at him with that radiant look which caused the plainness ofher face to be forgotten.

　　"I cannot express, Princess, how glad I am that I happened to ridehere and am able to show my readiness to serve you," said Rostov,rising. "Go when you please, and I give you my word of honor that noone shall dare to cause you annoyance if only you will allow me to actas your escort." And bowing respectfully, as if to a lady of royalblood, he moved toward the door.

　　Rostov's deferential tone seemed to indicate that though he wouldconsider himself happy to be acquainted with her, he did not wish totake advantage of her misfortunes to intrude upon her.

　　Princess Mary understood this and appreciated his delicacy.

　　"I am very, very grateful to you," she said in French, "but I hopeit was all a misunderstanding and that no one is to blame for it." Shesuddenly began to cry.

　　"Excuse me!" she said.

　　Rostov, knitting his brows, left the room with another low bow.