War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy [612]
“Aurait-on livré mon ancienne capitale sans se battre?”‡651 the sovereign said quickly, suddenly flushing.
Michaud respectfully conveyed what he had been ordered to convey from Kutuzov—namely, that it had been impossible to fight near Moscow, and that, as one choice remained, to lose both the army and Moscow or Moscow alone, the field marshal had to choose the latter.
The sovereign listened silently, without looking at Michaud.
“L’ennemi est-il en ville?”§652 he asked.
“Oui, Sire, et elle est en cendres à l’heure qu’il est. Je l’ai laissée toute en flammes,”#653 Michaud said resolutely, but, glancing at the sovereign, Michaud was horrified at what he had done. The sovereign began to breathe heavily and quickly, his lower lip trembled, and his beautiful blue eyes instantly became moist with tears.
But this lasted only a moment. The sovereign suddenly frowned, as if disapproving of himself for his weakness. And, raising his head, he addressed Michaud in a firm voice:
“Je vois, colonel, par tout ce qui nous arrive,” he said, “que la providence exige de grands sacrifices de nous…Je suis prêt à me soumettre à toutes ses volontés; mais dites-moi, Michaud, comment avez-vous laissé l’armée, en voyant ainsi, sans coup férir, abandonner mon ancienne capitale? N’avez-vous pas aperçu du découragement?…”**654
Seeing that his très gracieux souverain had calmed down, Michaud also calmed down, but he had not yet had time to prepare an answer to the direct and essential question of the sovereign, which also required a direct answer.
“Sire, me permettrez-vous de vous parler franchement en loyal militaire?”††655 he said, to gain time.
“Colonel, je l’exige toujours,” said the sovereign. “Ne me cachez rien, je veux savoir absolument ce qu’il en est.”*656
“Sire!” said Michaud, with a fine, barely perceptible smile on his lips, having had time to prepare his answer in the form of a light and respectful jeu de mots. “Sire! j’ai laissé toute l’armée depuis les chefs jusqu’au dernier soldat, sans exception, dans une crainte épouvantable, effrayante…”†657
“Comment ça?” the sovereign interrupted with a stern frown. “Mes Russes se laisseront-ils abattre par le malheur…Jamais!…”‡658
Michaud was only waiting for that in order to put in his play on words.
“Sire,” he said with a respectful playfulness of expression, “ils craignent seulement que Votre Majesté par bonté de coeur ne se laisse persuader de faire la paix. Ils brûlent de combattre,” said the plenipotentiary of the Russian people, “et de prouver à Votre Majesté par le sacrifice de leur vie, combien ils lui sont dévoués…”§659
“Ah!” the sovereign said calmly now and with a benign twinkle in his eyes, slapping Michaud on the shoulder. “Vous me tranquillisez, colonel.”#660
The sovereign lowered his head and was silent for a time.
“Eh bien, retournez à l’armée,” he said, drawing himself up to his full height and addressing Michaud with a benign and majestic gesture, “et dites à nos braves, dites à tous mes bons sujets partout où vous passerez, que quand je n’aurais plus aucun soldat, je me mettrai moi-même à la tête de ma chère noblesse, de mes bons paysans, et j’userai ainsi jusqu’à la dernière ressource de mon empire. Il m’en offre encore plus que mes ennemis ne pensent,” the sovereign spoke with ever increasing animation. “Mais si jamais il fut écrit dans les decrets de la divine providence,” he said, raising to heaven his beautiful, meek eyes, shining with emotion, “que ma dynastie dût cesser de régner sur le trône de mes ancêtres, alors, après avoir épuisé tous les moyens qui sont en mon pouvoir, je me laisserai croître la barbe jusqu’ici” (the sovereign put his hand to the middle of his chest), “et j’irai manger des pommes de terre avec le dernier de mes paysans plutôt que de signer la honte de ma patrie et de ma chère nation, dont je sais apprécier les sacrifices!…”**661 Having spoken these words in an agitated voice, the sovereign suddenly turned away, as if wishing to conceal from Michaud the tears that had come to his eyes, and went further into his office. Having stood