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第145章

战争与和平(上)-第145章

小说: 战争与和平(上) 字数: 每页3500字

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Dolohov stayed at the gate。 Anatole followed the maid into the courtyard; turned a corner; and ran up the steps。
He was met by Gavrilo; Marya Dmitryevna’s huge groom。
“Walk this way to the mistress;” said the groom in his bass; blocking up the doorway。
“What mistress? And who are you?” Anatole asked in a breathless whisper。
“Walk in; my orders are to show you in。”
“Kuragin! back!” shouted Dolohov。 “Treachery; back!”
Dolohov; at the little back gate where he had stopped; was struggling with the porter; who was trying to shut the gate after Anatole as he ran in。 With a desperate effort Dolohov shoved away the porter; and clutching at Anatole; pulled him through the gate; and ran back with him to the sledge。


Chapter 18
MARYA DMITRYEVNA coming upon Sonya weeping in the corridor had forced her to confess everything。 Snatching up Natasha’s letter and reading it; Marya Dmitryevna went in to Natasha; with the letter in her hand。
“Vile girl; shameless hussy!” she said to her。 “I won’t hear a word!” Pushing aside Natasha; who gazed at her with amazed but tearless eyes; she locked her into the room; and giving orders to her gate porter to admit the persons who would be coming that evening; but not to allow them to pass out again; and giving her grooms orders to show those persons up to her; she seated herself in the drawing…room awaiting the abductors。
When Gavrilo came to announce to Marya Dmitryevna that the persons who had come had run away; she got up frowning; and clasping her hands behind her; walked a long while up and down through her rooms; pondering what she was to do。 At midnight she walked towards Natasha’s room; feeling the key in her pocket。 Sonya was sitting sobbing in the corridor; “Marya Dmitryevna; do; for God’s sake; let me go in to her!” she said。
Marya Dmitryevna; making her no reply; opened the door and went in。 “Hateful; disgusting; in my house; the nasty hussy; only I’m sorry for her father!” Marya Dmitryevna was thinking; trying to allay her wrath。 “Hard as it may be; I will forbid any one to speak of it; and will conceal it from the count。” Marya Dmitryevna walked with resolute steps into the room。
Natasha was lying on the sofa; she had her head hidden in her hands and did not stir。 She was lying in exactly the same position in which Marya Dmitryevna had left her。
“You’re a nice girl; a very nice girl!” said Marya Dmitryevna。 “Encouraging meetings with lovers in my house! There’s no use in humbugging。 You listen when I speak to you。” Marya Dmitryevna touched her on the arm。 “You listen when I speak。 You’ve disgraced yourself like the lowest wench。 I don’t know what I couldn’t do to you; but I feel for your father。 I will hide it from him。”
Natasha did not change her position; only her whole body began to writhe with noiseless; convulsive sobs; which choked her。 Marya Dmitryevna looked round at Sonya; and sat down on the edge of the sofa beside Natasha。
“It’s lucky for him that he escaped me; but I’ll get hold of him;” she said in her coarse voice。 “Do you hear what I say; eh?” She put her big hand under Natasha’s face; and turned it towards her。 Both Marya Dmitryevna and Sonya were surprised when they saw Natasha’s face。 Her eyes were glittering and dry; her lips tightly compressed; her cheeks looked sunken。
“Let me be … what do I … I shall die。…” she articulated; with angry effort; tore herself away from Marya Dmitryevna; and fell back into the same attitude again。
“Natalya! …” said Marya Dmitryevna。 “I wish for your good。 Lie still; come; lie still like that then; I won’t touch you; and listen。… I’m not going to tell you how wrongly you have acted。 You know that yourself。 But now your father’s coming back to…morrow。 What am I to tell him? Eh?”
Again Natasha’s body heaved with sobs。
“Well; he will hear of it; your brother; your betrothed!”
“I have no betrothed; I have refused him;” cried Natasha。
“That makes no difference;” pursued Marya Dmitryevna。 “Well; they hear of it。 Do you suppose they will let the matter rest? Suppose he— your father; I know him—if he challenges him to a duel; will that be all right? Eh?”
“Oh; let me be; why did you hinder everything! Why? why? who asked you to?” cried Natasha; getting up from the sofa; and looking vindictively at Marya Dmitryevna。
“But what was it you wanted?” screamed Marya Dmitryevna; getting hot again。 “Why; you weren’t shut up; were you? Who hindered his coming to the house? Why carry you off; like some gypsy wench? … If he had carried you off; do you suppose they wouldn’t have caught him? Your father; or brother; or betrothed? He’s a wretch; a scoundrel; that’s what he is!”
“He’s better than any of you;” cried Natasha; getting up。 “If you hadn’t meddled … O my God; what does it mean? Sonya; why did you? Go away! …” And she sobbed with a despair with which people only bewail a trouble they feel they have brought on themselves。
Marya Dmitryevna was beginning to speak again; but Natasha cried; “Go away; go away; you all hate me and despise me!” And she flung herself again on the sofa。
Marya Dmitryevna went on for some time longer lecturing Natasha; and urging on her that it must all be kept from the count; that no one would know anything of it if Natasha would only undertake to forget it all; and not to show a sign to any one of anything having happened。 Natasha made no answer。 She did not sob any more; but she was taken with shivering fits and trembling。 Marya Dmitryevna put a pillow under her head; laid two quilts over her; and brought her some lime…flower water with her own hands; but Natasha made no response when she spoke to her。
“Well; let her sleep;” said Marya Dmitryevna; as she went out of the room; supposing her to be asleep。 But Natasha was not asleep; her wide…open eyes gazed straight before her out of her pale face。 All that night Natasha did not sleep; and did not weep; and said not a word to Sonya; who got up several times and went in to her。
Next day; at lunch time; as he had promised; Count Ilya Andreitch arrived from his estate in the environs。 He was in very good spirits: he had come to terms with the purchaser; and there was nothing now to detain him in Moscow away from his countess; for whom he was pining。 Marya Dmitryevna met him; and told him that Natasha had been very unwell on the previous day; that they had sent for a doctor; and that now she was better。 Natasha did not leave her room that morning。 With tightly shut; parched lips; and dry; staring eyes; she sat at the window uneasily watching the passers…by along the street; and hurriedly looking round at any one who entered her room。 She was obviously expecting news of him; expecting that he would come himself or would write to her。
When the count went in to her; she turned uneasily at the sound of his manly tread; and her face resumed its previous cold and even vindictive expression。 She did not even get up to meet him。
“What is it; my angel; are you ill?” asked the count。
Natasha was silent a moment。
“Yes; I am ill;” she answered。
In answer to the count’s inquiries why she was depressed and whether anything had happened with her betrothed; she assured him that nothing had; and begged him not to be uneasy。 Marya Dmitryevna confirmed Natasha’s assurances that nothing had happened。 From the pretence of illness; from his daughter’s agitated state; and the troubled faces of Sonya and Marya Dmitryevna; the count saw clearly that something had happened in his absence。 But it was so terrible to him to believe that anything disgraceful had happened to his beloved daughter; and he so prized his own cheerful serenity; that he avoided inquiries and tried to assure himself that it was nothing very out of the way; and only grieved that her indisposition would delay their return to the country。


Chapter 19
FROM THE DAY of his wife’s arrival in Moscow; Pierre had been intending to go away somewhere else; simply not to be with her。 Soon after the Rostovs’ arrival in Moscow; the impression made upon him by Natasha had impelled him to hasten in carrying out his intention。 He went to Tver to see the widow of Osip Alexyevitch; who had long before promised to give him papers of the deceased’s。
When Pierre came back to Moscow; he was handed a letter from Marya Dmitryevna; who summoned him to her on a matter of great importance; concerning Andrey Bolkonsky and his betrothed。 Pierre had been avoiding Natasha。 It seemed to him that he had for her a feeling stronger than a married man should have for a girl betrothed to his friend。 And some fate was continually throwing him into her company。
“What has happened? And what do they want with me?” he thought as he dressed to go to Marya Dmitryevna’s。 “If only Prince Andrey would make haste home and marry her;” thought Pierre on the way to the house。
In the Tverskoy Boulevard some one shouted his name。
“Pierre! Been back long?” a familiar voice called to him。 Pierre raised his head。 Anatole; with his everlasting companion Makarin; dashed by in a sledge with a pair of grey trotting…horses; who were kicking up the snow on to the forepart of the sledge。 Anatole was sitting in the classic pose of military dandies; the lower part of his face muffled in his beaver collar; and his head bent a little forward。 His face was fresh and rosy; his hat; with its white plume; was stuck on one side; showing his curled; pomaded hair; sprinkled with fine snow。
“Indeed; he is the real philosopher!” thought Pierre。 “He sees nothing beyond the present moment of pleasure; nothing worries him; and so he is always cheerful; satisfied; and serene。 What would I not give to be just like him!” Pierre mused with envy。
In Marya Dmitryevna’s entrance…hall the footman; as he took off Pierre’s fur coat; told him that his mistress begged him to come to her in her bedroom。
As he opened the door into the reception…room; Pierre caught sight of Natasha; sitting at the window with a thin; pale; and ill…tempered face。 She looked round at him; frowned; and with an expression of frigid dignity walked out of the room。
“What has happened?” asked Pierre; going in to Marya Dmitryevna。
“Fine doings;” answered Marya Dmitryevna。 “Fifty…eight years I have lived in the world—never have I seen anything so disgraceful。” And exacting from Pierre his word of honour not to say a word about all he was to hear; Marya Dmitryevna informed him that Natasha had broken off her engagement without the knowledge of her parents; that the cause of her doing so was Anatole Kuragin; with whom Pierre’s wife had thrown her; and with whom Natasha had attempted to elope in her father’s absence in order to be secretly married to him。
Pierre; with hunched shoulders and open mouth; listened to what Marya Dmitryevna was saying; hardly able to believe his ears。 That Prince Andrey’s fiancée; so passionately loved by him; Natasha Rostov; hitherto so charming; should give up Bolkonsky for that fool Anatole; who was married already (Pierre knew the secret of his marriage); and be so much in love with him as to consent to elope with him—that Pierre could not conceive and could not comprehend。 He could not reconcile the sweet impression he had in his soul of Natasha; whom he had known from childhoo

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