War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy [15]
“Et Lise, votre femme?”§46
“She’ll go to the country.”
“Shame on you to deprive us of your lovely wife.”
“André,” said his wife, addressing her husband in the same coquettish tone in which she addressed others, “what a story the viscount told us about mademoiselle George and Bonaparte!”
Prince Andrei closed his eyes and turned away. Pierre, who had not taken his joyful, friendly eyes off Prince Andrei since he entered the drawing room, went up to him and took his arm. Prince Andrei, without turning around, wrinkled his face into a grimace, expressing vexation at whoever had taken his arm, but, seeing Pierre’s smiling face, suddenly smiled an unexpectedly kind and pleasant smile.
“Well, well!…So you, too, are in high society!” he said to Pierre.
“I knew you’d be here,” Pierre replied. “I’ll come to you for supper,” he added softly, so as not to interfere with the viscount, who was going on with his story. “May I?”
“No, you may not,” Prince Andrei said, laughing, letting Pierre know by the pressure of his hand that there was no need to ask. He was about to say more, but just then Prince Vassily and his daughter rose, and the men stood up to let them pass.
“You will excuse me, my dear viscount,” Prince Vassily said to the Frenchman, gently pulling him down on his chair by the sleeve, so that he would not stand up. “This unfortunate fête at the ambassador’s deprives me of my pleasure and interrupts you. I’m very sorry to leave your delightful soirée,” he said to Anna Pavlovna.
His daughter, Princess Hélène, lightly holding the folds of her gown, walked between the chairs, and the smile shone still more brightly on her beautiful face. Pierre looked with enraptured, almost frightened eyes at this beauty as she walked past him.
“Very good-looking,” said Prince Andrei.
“Very,” said Pierre.
Passing by, Prince Vassily seized Pierre by the hand and turned to Anna Pavlovna.
“Educate this bear for me,” he said. “He’s been living with me for a month, and this is the first time I’ve seen him in society. Nothing is so necessary for a young man as the company of intelligent women.”
IV
Anna Pavlovna smiled and promised to occupy herself with Pierre, who she knew was related to Prince Vassily through his father. The elderly lady who had so far been sitting with ma tante hastily got up and overtook Prince Vassily in the front hall. All the former sham interest disappeared from her face. Her kind, weepy face expressed only anxiety and fear.
“What can you tell me, Prince, about my Boris?” she said, overtaking him in the front hall. (She pronounced the name Boris with a special emphasis on the o.) “I cannot remain in Petersburg any longer. Tell me, what news can I bring my poor boy?”
Though Prince Vassily listened to the elderly lady reluctantly and almost impolitely, and even showed impatience, she smiled at him gently and touchingly, and even took him by the arm to keep him from walking away.
“It won’t cost you anything to say a word to the sovereign, and he’ll be transferred straight away to the guards,” she pleaded.
“Believe me, Princess, I’ll do all I can,” replied Prince Vassily, “but it’s hard for me to ask the sovereign. I’d advise you to turn to Rumyantsev through Prince Golitsyn—that would be smarter.”
The elderly lady bore the name of Princess Drubetskoy, one of the best families of Russia, but she was poor, had long since left society, and had lost her former connections. She had come now to solicit an appointment to the guards for her only son. She had invited herself and come to Anna Pavlovna’s soirée only in order to see Prince Vassily, only for that had she listened to the viscount’s story. Prince Vassily’s words frightened her; her once beautiful face showed spite, but that lasted no more than a moment. She smiled again and took a slightly stronger grip on Prince Vassily’s arm.
“Listen, Prince,” she said, “I’ve never asked you for anything, and never will, I’ve never reminded you of my father’s friendship for you. But now, I adjure you in God’s name, do this for