登陆注册
14908100000116

第116章

IN THE DECEMBER of 1805, the old Prince Nikolay Andreitch Bolkonsky received a letter from Prince Vassily, announcing that he intended to visit him with his son. (“I am going on an inspection tour, and of course a hundred versts is only a step out of the way for me to visit you, my deeply-honoured benefactor,” he wrote. “My Anatole is accompanying me on his way to the army, and I hope you will permit him to express to you in person the profound veneration that, following his father’s example, he entertains for you.”)

“Well, there’s no need to bring Marie out, it seems; suitors come to us of themselves,” the little princess said heedlessly on hearing of this. Prince Nikolay Andreitch scowled and said nothing.

A fortnight after receiving the letter, Prince Vassily’s servants arrived one evening in advance of him, and the following day he came himself with his son.

Old Bolkonsky had always had a poor opinion of Prince Vassily’s character, and this opinion had grown stronger of late since Prince Vassily had, under the new reigns of Paul and Alexander, advanced to high rank and honours. Now from the letter and the little princess’s hints, he saw what the object of the visit was, and his poor opinion of Prince Vassily passed into a feeling of ill-will and contempt in the old prince’s heart. He snorted indignantly whenever he spoke of him. On the day of Prince Vassily’s arrival, the old prince was particularly discontented and out of humour. Whether he was out of humour because Prince Vassily was coming, or whether he was particularly displeased at Prince Vassily’s coming because he was out of humour, no one can say. But he was out of humour, and early in the morning Tihon had dissuaded the architect from going to the prince with his report.

“Listen how he’s walking,” said Tihon, calling the attention of the architect to the sound of the prince’s footsteps. “Stepping flat on his heels … then we know …”

At nine o’clock, however, the old prince went out for a walk, as usual, wearing his short, velvet, fur-lined cloak with a sable collar and a sable cap. There had been a fall of snow on the previous evening. The path along which Prince Nikolay Andreitch walked to the conservatory had been cleared; there were marks of a broom in the swept snow, and a spade had been left sticking in the crisp bank of snow that bordered the path on both sides. The prince walked through the conservatories, the servants’ quarters, and the out-buildings, frowning and silent.

“Could a sledge drive up?” he asked the respectful steward, who was escorting him to the house, with a countenance and manners like his own.

“The snow is deep, your excellency. I gave orders for the avenue to be swept too.”

The prince nodded, and was approaching the steps. “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” thought the steward, “the storm has passed over!”

“It would have been hard to drive up, your excellency,” added the steward. “So I hear, your excellency, there’s a minister coming to visit your excellency?” The prince turned to the steward and stared with scowling eyes at him.

“Eh? A minister? What minister? Who gave you orders?” he began in his shrill, cruel voice. “For the princess my daughter, you do not clear the way, but for the minister you do! For me there are no ministers!”

“Your excellency, I supposed …”

“You supposed,” shouted the prince, articulating with greater and greater haste and incoherence. “You supposed … Brigands! blackguards! … I’ll teach you to suppose,” and raising his stick he waved it at Alpatitch, and would have hit him, had not the steward instinctively shrunk back and escaped the blow. “You supposed … Blackguards! …” he still cried hurriedly. But although Alpatitch, shocked at his own insolence in dodging the blow, went closer to the prince, with his bald head bent humbly before him, or perhaps just because of this, the prince did not lift the stick again, and still shouting, “Blackguards! … fill up the road …” he ran to his room.

Princess Marya and Mademoiselle Bourienne stood, waiting for the old prince before dinner, well aware that he was out of temper. Mademoiselle Bourienne’s beaming countenance seemed to say, “I know nothing about it, I am just the same as usual,” while Princess Marya stood pale and terrified with downcast eyes. What made it harder for Princess Marya was that she knew that she ought to act like Mademoiselle Bourienne at such times, but she could not do it. She felt, “If I behave as if I did not notice it, he’ll think I have no sympathy with him. If I behave as if I were depressed and out of humour myself, he’ll say (as indeed often happened) that I’m sulky …” and so on.

The prince glanced at his daughter’s scared face and snorted.

“Stuff!” or perhaps “stupid!” he muttered. “And the other is not here! they’ve been telling tales to her already,” he thought, noticing that the little princess was not in the dining-room.

“Where’s Princess Liza?” he asked. “In hiding?”

“She’s not quite well,” said Mademoiselle Bourienne with a bright smile; “she is not coming down. In her condition it is only to be expected.”

“H’m! h’m! kh! kh!” growled the prince, and he sat down to the table. He thought his plate was not clean: he pointed to a mark on it and threw it away. Tihon caught it and handed it to a footman. The little princess was quite well, but she was in such overwhelming terror of the prince, that on hearing he was in a bad temper, she had decided not to come in.

“I am afraid for my baby,” she said to Mademoiselle Bourienne; “God knows what might not be the result of a fright.”

同类推荐
  • 无准和尚奏对语录

    无准和尚奏对语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 周易正义

    周易正义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 物势篇

    物势篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 太一救苦护身妙经

    太一救苦护身妙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 情梦柝

    情梦柝

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 天逆破晓

    天逆破晓

    人者,其天地之德,阴阳之交,鬼神之会,五行之气。凡人试图仰观苍天,无明日月潜息,四时更替,幽冥之间,万物已循因缘,则为修者。修者,自幼灵根之体,引天地灵气入体,以无上之法凝体,破碎,涅槃,创世,天道,无上。以求长生不死逆天改命超脱轮回。
  • 校草霸爱:别对我冷漠

    校草霸爱:别对我冷漠

    两个豪门世家通过联姻强强联手,女强人的她遇到青梅竹马的他又会发生怎样的故事。
  • 朝阳如歌

    朝阳如歌

    她是出身豪门的大小姐,心地善良,清纯简单。他是因伤退役的缉毒警察,原本以为灰暗的人生,因为她的出现慢慢变得清晰明亮。他是一直默默守候的忠心保镖,视小姐的幸福为他的幸福。当单纯的爱恋卷入血腥黑暗的家族斗争,她从纯情小百合成长为带刺红玫瑰,而那份无处安放的感情,究竟何去何从……
  • 商门重生之纨绔邪妻

    商门重生之纨绔邪妻

    孟水心,最强异能家族少主,为了一个男人放弃家族,甘为废柴!一场深情换来惊天骗局,一切全毁!重生!神秘的“魔阴异能”!元素操控;百兽之语;读心之法;还有更多惊人能力慢慢浮现!本准备一个人打这场仗,可是这身边与她狼狈为奸的男人又是为哪般?本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。
  • 大神嫁到:落花时节又逢君

    大神嫁到:落花时节又逢君

    『网游文体』菲菲红素轻,肃肃花絮晚,花落月夕下,待君胡不来。人生有三大幸事,金榜题名日,花好月圆时,洞房花烛夜,然后,关门,杀Boss。一日,某花姑娘手抄大学毕业证书,马不停蹄赶到某栋居民住房,敲响某人家门,大开河东狮子吼,说:“开门!徒儿今儿已经长大了,今晚就来应约睡师傅!”左右邻居见之,皆退避三舍,塞耳不闻。不对!情节应该是这样的:落落桃花影,溪溪流水轻,黑衣斗篷破,红袍法师扛。本故事纯属纪念青春的尾巴,情节若有雷同,不胜荣幸。
  • 神医才女:皇后吉祥

    神医才女:皇后吉祥

    梦汐莲原本只是一个现代的神医,但却因为吃错药而魂穿异世,成为了将军府上的独女,备受恩宠。但就因为父亲位高权重,梦汐莲不得不嫁给当今圣上——林珝齐。幸好林珝齐是个美男子,不然梦汐莲绝对会跑路的。原本想安安稳稳过一辈子就算了,但这个皇上每天往她被窝里钻是什么意思?“娘子,亲一个!”片段一:“皇上,皇后她把邻国郡主揍了!”“随她。”片段二:“皇上,皇后她把您养在后山的小凤凰全烤了!"“她高兴就好。”片段三:“皇上,皇后开了个小倌,说是您满足不了她!”这下皇上不淡定了。“把小倌封了,把皇后绑我床上去!”
  • 火爆妖师

    火爆妖师

    差点杀了沈岩的霸道女人竟然要跟他同居。天啦,这下还不天天被欺负……
  • 武神之破天

    武神之破天

    一个身怀特殊灵根的少年,却由于身处小门派,没有合适自己的功法,修为不前,修炼两年只淬体二层;在一次偶然的冒险中,得莫大机缘,从此踏上一条属于自己的强者之路,登顶巅峰,破天而出!
  • 无赖医道

    无赖医道

    “朗朗乾坤,本少玉树临风…………嗯?唔!”疑问从心生?什么东东?只觉耳旁一震,似万千大道在耳边聆音。“惧动矣,谓中也,可悲可叹啊!”轮回梵音,似道似灵声在耳畔回荡,似琴弦之音,遨游前世今生,一梦去,一梦回,似穿越时空,一梦百万年。“咦?”轻咦之声漂离一方净土,化千万之像,终不过一镜。“啊…………”惊恐吼音威震八方,透穿一切事物,直达九霄,镜流碎,白光奕。春秋落雁,花开花落,送君归西,一剑西来,断生绝,魂游冥。芸芸众生,神魔为始,无量为祖,云烟为帝,吾一生敛三大神术,却得不到真情!
  • 冷魅十二殿

    冷魅十二殿

    “默儿,你知不知道你这是在玩火自焚哦!”他冷魅地一笑,美若妖孽的脸颊上梨涡微漾,左手抵着墙,一双红眸对上一双蓝眸。“那么,你愿不愿意和我去一个地方?”她一双含情脉脉的水眸仿佛夺走了世人的心魂。“只要宝贝你说,我就一定会去!”他宠溺地看着她,右手托起她完美的下巴,罂粟般的薄唇慢慢接近她。“地狱,你敢么?”她轻轻按住他殷勤的唇,勾了勾嘴角,冷冷地道,美艳地就像黑暗里的妖精,令人窒息,既爱又恨。“敢!”带着几抹醉意,他血色氤氲的眸子愈发见得迷离……【你是恶魔,且为我所有】如若没有那曾经的邂逅,他们是否就不会走进这个上苍精心设计的局,是否就不会是她顶着白发三千,两地相隔,徒有思念。。。