War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy [216]
With the fall of 1806, everyone again began talking about war with Napoleon,17 with still greater ardor than the previous year. A recruitment was announced, not only of ten recruits, but of another nine fighting men per thousand. Bonapartius was anathematized everywhere, and around Moscow the only talk was of the impending war. For the Rostov family, all the interest of these preparations for war consisted only in the fact that Nikolushka absolutely refused to remain in Moscow and was simply waiting for the end of Denisov’s leave in order to go with him to their regiment after the holidays. The impending departure not only did not hinder his merrymaking, but even encouraged it. He spent most of the time away from home, at dinners, evening parties, and balls.
XI
On the third day of Christmas, Nikolai dined at home, which had rarely happened with him recently. This was an official farewell dinner, because he and Denisov would be leaving for their regiment after Epiphany.18 There were some twenty guests at dinner, Dolokhov and Denisov among them.
Never had the amorous air in the Rostovs’ house, the atmosphere of being in love, manifested itself so strongly as during these festive days. “Seize the moments of happiness, make them love you, fall in love yourself! That is the only real thing in this world—the rest is all nonsense. And that is the one thing we’re taken up with here,” said this atmosphere.
Nikolai, as always, having exhausted two pairs of horses and still not having managed to get to all the places he had to go and to which he had been invited, came home just before dinner. As soon as he came in, he noticed and felt the intensity of the amorous atmosphere in the house; but besides that, he noticed a strange perplexity prevailing among certain members of the company. Sonya, Dolokhov, and the old countess were especially perplexed, and Natasha somewhat. Nikolai realized that something must have happened before dinner between Sonya and Dolokhov, and with a sensitivity of heart all his own, he treated them both very delicately and carefully during dinner. That same evening of the third day of the feast one of those balls was to take place that Iogel (a dancing master) gave during the holidays for all his pupils, boys and girls.
“Will you go to Iogel’s, Nikolenka? Please do,” Natasha said to him, “he has asked you specially, and Vassily Dmitrich (that is, Denisov) is going.”
“I’ll go anywhere the countess orders me to!” said Denisov, who had jokingly placed himself on the footing of Natasha’s knight in the Rostovs’ house. “I’m ready to dance the pas de châle.”*287
“If I have time! I promised to be at the Arkharovs’ soirée,” said Nikolai. “And you?…” he turned to Dolokhov. And as soon as he asked it, he noticed that he should not have asked.
“Yes, perhaps…” Dolokhov answered coldly and angrily, glancing at Sonya, and, frowning, he glanced at Nikolai exactly as he had looked at Pierre during the club dinner.
“There’s something here,” thought Nikolai and, still more convinced of his conjecture by Dolokhov’s departure right after dinner, he called Natasha out and asked what it was.
“And I’ve been looking for you,” said Natasha, running out to him. “I kept saying it, and you refused to believe me,” she said triumphantly. “He proposed to Sonya.”
Little as Nikolai had been occupied with Sonya during that time, it was as if something snapped in him when he heard it. Dolokhov was a decent and in some respects a brilliant match for the dowerless orphan Sonya. From the point of view of the old countess and of society, it was impossible to refuse him. And therefore Nikolai’s first feeling when he heard it was anger at Sonya. He was preparing to say: “Splendid, and of course she must forget her childish promises and accept the proposal” but before he had time to say it…
“Can you imagine! She refused him, refused him altogether!” said Natasha. “She said she loved another,” she added