บทที่ บทที่ 15 · 第15章

“My dear Borís,” said Princess Anna Mikháylovna to her son as

Countess Rostóva’s carriage in which they were seated drove over the

straw covered street and turned into the wide courtyard of Count Cyril

Vladímirovich Bezúkhov’s house. “My dear Borís,” said the

mother, drawing her hand from beneath her old mantle and laying

it timidly and tenderly on her son’s arm, “be affectionate and

attentive to him. Count Cyril Vladímirovich is your godfather after

all, and your future depends on him. Remember that, my dear, and be nice

to him, as you so well know how to be.”

“If only I knew that anything besides humiliation would come of

it...” answered her son coldly. “But I have promised and will do it

for your sake.”

Although the hall porter saw someone’s carriage standing at the

entrance, after scrutinizing the mother and son (who without asking to

be announced had passed straight through the glass porch between the

rows of statues in niches) and looking significantly at the lady’s old

cloak, he asked whether they wanted the count or the princesses, and,

hearing that they wished to see the count, said his excellency was worse

today, and that his excellency was not receiving anyone.

“We may as well go back,” said the son in French.

“My dear!” exclaimed his mother imploringly, again laying her hand

on his arm as if that touch might soothe or rouse him.

Borís said no more, but looked inquiringly at his mother without taking

off his cloak.

“My friend,” said Anna Mikháylovna in gentle tones, addressing

the hall porter, “I know Count Cyril Vladímirovich is very ill...

that’s why I have come... I am a relation. I shall not disturb him,

my friend... I only need see Prince Vasíli Sergéevich: he is staying

here, is he not? Please announce me.”

The hall porter sullenly pulled a bell that rang upstairs, and turned

away.

“Princess Drubetskáya to see Prince Vasíli Sergéevich,” he called

to a footman dressed in knee breeches, shoes, and a swallow-tail coat,

who ran downstairs and looked over from the halfway landing.

The mother smoothed the folds of her dyed silk dress before a large

Venetian mirror in the wall, and in her trodden-down shoes briskly

ascended the carpeted stairs.

“My dear,” she said to her son, once more stimulating him by a

touch, “you promised me!”

The son, lowering his eyes, followed her quietly.

They entered the large hall, from which one of the doors led to the

apartments assigned to Prince Vasíli.

Just as the mother and son, having reached the middle of the hall, were

about to ask their way of an elderly footman who had sprung up as they

entered, the bronze handle of one of the doors turned and Prince Vasíli

came out—wearing a velvet coat with a single star on his breast,

as was his custom when at home—taking leave of a good-looking,

dark-haired man. This was the celebrated Petersburg doctor, Lorrain.

“Then it is certain?” said the prince.

“Prince, humanum est errare, * but...” replied the doctor,

swallowing his r’s, and pronouncing the Latin words with a French

accent.

* To err is human.

“Very well, very well...”

Seeing Anna Mikháylovna and her son, Prince Vasíli dismissed the

doctor with a bow and approached them silently and with a look of

inquiry. The son noticed that an expression of profound sorrow suddenly

clouded his mother’s face, and he smiled slightly.

“Ah, Prince! In what sad circumstances we meet again! And how is our

dear invalid?” said she, as though unaware of the cold offensive look

fixed on her.

Prince Vasíli stared at her and at Borís questioningly and perplexed.

Borís bowed politely. Prince Vasíli without acknowledging the bow

turned to Anna Mikháylovna, answering her query by a movement of the

head and lips indicating very little hope for the patient.

“Is it possible?” exclaimed Anna Mikháylovna. “Oh, how awful!

It is terrible to think.... This is my son,” she added, indicating

Borís. “He wanted to thank you himself.”

Borís bowed again politely.

“Believe me, Prince, a mother’s heart will never forget what you

have done for us.”

“I am glad I was able to do you a service, my dear Anna

Mikháylovna,” said Prince Vasíli, arranging his lace frill, and in

tone and manner, here in Moscow to Anna Mikháylovna whom he had placed

under an obligation, assuming an air of much greater importance than he

had done in Petersburg at Anna Schérer’s reception.

“Try to serve well and show yourself worthy,” added he, addressing

Borís with severity. “I am glad.... Are you here on leave?” he went

on in his usual tone of indifference.

“I am awaiting orders to join my new regiment, your excellency,”

replied Borís, betraying neither annoyance at the prince’s brusque

manner nor a desire to enter into conversation, but speaking so quietly

and respectfully that the prince gave him a searching glance.

“Are you living with your mother?”

“I am living at Countess Rostóva’s,” replied Borís, again

adding, “your excellency.”

“That is, with Ilyá Rostóv who married Nataly Shinshiná,” said

Anna Mikháylovna.

“I know, I know,” answered Prince Vasíli in his monotonous voice.

“I never could understand how Nataly made up her mind to marry that

unlicked bear! A perfectly absurd and stupid fellow, and a gambler too,

I am told.”

“But a very kind man, Prince,” said Anna Mikháylovna with a

pathetic smile, as though she too knew that Count Rostóv deserved this

censure, but asked him not to be too hard on the poor old man. “What

do the doctors say?” asked the princess after a pause, her worn face

again expressing deep sorrow.

“They give little hope,” replied the prince.

“And I should so like to thank Uncle once for all his kindness to me

and Borís. He is his godson,” she added, her tone suggesting that

this fact ought to give Prince Vasíli much satisfaction.

Prince Vasíli became thoughtful and frowned. Anna Mikháylovna saw that

he was afraid of finding in her a rival for Count Bezúkhov’s fortune,

and hastened to reassure him.

“If it were not for my sincere affection and devotion to Uncle,”

said she, uttering the word with peculiar assurance and unconcern, “I

know his character: noble, upright ... but you see he has no one with

him except the young princesses.... They are still young....” She bent

her head and continued in a whisper: “Has he performed his final duty,

Prince? How priceless are those last moments! It can make things no

worse, and it is absolutely necessary to prepare him if he is so ill.

We women, Prince,” and she smiled tenderly, “always know how to say

these things. I absolutely must see him, however painful it may be for

me. I am used to suffering.”

Evidently the prince understood her, and also understood, as he had done

at Anna Pávlovna’s, that it would be difficult to get rid of Anna

Mikháylovna.

“Would not such a meeting be too trying for him, dear Anna

Mikháylovna?” said he. “Let us wait until evening. The doctors are

expecting a crisis.”

“But one cannot delay, Prince, at such a moment! Consider that the

welfare of his soul is at stake. Ah, it is awful: the duties of a

Christian...”

A door of one of the inner rooms opened and one of the princesses, the

count’s niece, entered with a cold, stern face. The length of her

body was strikingly out of proportion to her short legs. Prince Vasíli

turned to her.

“Well, how is he?”

“Still the same; but what can you expect, this noise...” said the

princess, looking at Anna Mikháylovna as at a stranger.

“Ah, my dear, I hardly knew you,” said Anna Mikháylovna with a

happy smile, ambling lightly up to the count’s niece. “I have come,

and am at your service to help you nurse my uncle. I imagine what you

have gone through,” and she sympathetically turned up her eyes.

The princess gave no reply and did not even smile, but left the room as

Anna Mikháylovna took off her gloves and, occupying the position she

had conquered, settled down in an armchair, inviting Prince Vasíli to

take a seat beside her.

“Borís,” she said to her son with a smile, “I shall go in to see

the count, my uncle; but you, my dear, had better go to Pierre meanwhile

and don’t forget to give him the Rostóvs’ invitation. They ask him

to dinner. I suppose he won’t go?” she continued, turning to the

prince.

“On the contrary,” replied the prince, who had plainly become

depressed, “I shall be only too glad if you relieve me of that young

man.... Here he is, and the count has not once asked for him.”

He shrugged his shoulders. A footman conducted Borís down one flight of

stairs and up another, to Pierre’s rooms.