War And Peace: Book 11 - CHAPTER XIV

作者: Leo Tolstoy

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Author: Leo Tolstoy

MADAME SCHOSS, who had gone out to visit her daughter, increased the

countess's terrors by describing the scenes she had witnessed at a spirit

dealer's in Myasnitsky Street. She entered that street on her way home, but

could not pass through it owing to the drunken mob raging round the spirit

dealer's. She had taken a cab and driven home by a circuitous route, and the

driver had told her that the mob had broken open the casks of spirit, that

orders had been given to that effect.

After dinner all the Rostov household set to work packing and preparing for

their departure with eager haste. The old count, suddenly rousing himself to the

task, spent the rest of the day continually trotting from the courtyard into the

house and back again, shouting confused instructions to the hurrying servants,

and trying to spur them on to even greater haste. Petya looked after things in

the yard. Sonya was quite bewildered by the count's contradictory orders, and

did not know what to do. The servants raced about the rooms, shouting,

quarrelling, and making a noise. Natasha, too, suddenly set to work with the

ardour that was characteristic of her in all she did. At first her intervention

was sceptically received. No one expected anything serious from her or would

obey her instructions. But with heat and perseverance she insisted on being

obeyed, got angry and almost shed tears that they did not heed her, and did at

last succeed in impressing them. Her first achievement, which cost her immense

effort, and established her authority, was the packing of the rugs. There were a

number of costly Gobelin tapestries and Persian rugs in the house. When Natasha

set to work, she found two boxes standing open in the hall: one packed almost

full of china, the other full of rugs. There was a great deal more china left

standing on the tables and there was more still to come from the storeroom.

Another third box was needed, and the men had gone to get one.

“Sonya, wait a little, and we'll pack it all without that,” said

Natasha.

“You cannot, miss; we have tried already,” said the footman.

“No, wait a minute, please.” And Natasha began taking out the plates and

dishes, packed up in paper

“The dishes would go better in here with the rugs,” she said.

“Why, there are rugs enough left that we shall hardly get into three boxes,”

said the footman.

“But do wait a little, please.” And Natasha began rapidly and deftly sorting

out the things. “These we don't want,” she said of the plates of Kiev ware;

“this and this we can pack in the rugs,” she decided, fishing out the Saxony

dishes.

“Come, let it alone, Natasha; come, that's enough, we'll pack them,” said

Sonya reproachfully.

“What a young lady!” protested the footman.

But Natasha would not give in. She pulled everything out, and began rapidly

packing them again, deciding that the commoner rugs and crockery should not be

taken at all. When she had taken everything out, she began repacking what was to

go; and by sorting out almost all the cheaper goods which were not worth taking,

all that was of value was got into two boxes. Only the lid of the box full of

rugs would not shut. A few things might have been taken out, but Natasha wanted

to manage it in her own way. She unpacked, repacked, squeezed the things in,

made the footman and Petya, whom she had drawn into assisting in the work, press

on the lid, and herself tried desperately to do the same.

“That will do, Natasha,” Sonya said to her. “I see you are quite right, but

take out just the top one.”

“I won't,” cried Natasha, with one hand holding her disordered hair off her

perspiring face, while with the other she squeezed down the rugs. “Press it,

Petya, press it! Vassilitch, press hard!” she cried. The rugs yielded, and the

lid closed. Natasha, clapping her hands, shrieked with delight, and tears

started into her eyes. But that lasted only a second. She set to work at once on

a fresh job; and now the servants put complete faith in her, and the count did

not take it amiss when they told him that Natalya Ilyinitshna had given some

direction superseding his orders; and the servants came to Natasha to ask

whether a cart was packed full enough and whether the loads were to be tied on.

The packing went on fast now, thanks to Natasha's supervision; everything

useless was left behind, and the most valuable goods were packed as compactly as

possible.

But with all their exertions, even late at night everything was not ready.

The countess had fallen asleep, and the count put off their departure till

morning and went to bed.

Sonya and Natasha slept in the divan-room, without undressing.

That night another wounded officer was driven along Povarsky Street, and

Mavra Kuzminishna, who was standing at the gate, had him brought into the

Rostovs' yard. The wounded officer must, Mavra Kuzminishna thought, be a man of

very great consequence. He was in a coach with the hood let down and a carriage

apron completely covering it. An old man, a most respectable-looking valet, was

sitting on the box with the driver. A doctor and two soldiers followed the

carriage in another conveyance.

“Come into our house, come in. The masters are going away, the whole house is

empty,” said the old woman, addressing the old servant.

“Well,” answered the valet, sighing, “and indeed we have no hope of getting

him home alive! We have a house of our own in Moscow, but it is a long way

further, and there's no one living in it either.”

“Pray come in, our masters have plenty of everything, and you are welcome,”

said Mavra Kuzminishna. “Is the gentleman very bad, then?” she asked.

“There's no hope! I must ask the doctor.” And the valet got down and went to

the vehicle behind.

“Very good,” said the doctor.

The valet went up to the coach again, peeped into it, shook his head, told

the coachman to turn into the yard, and stood still beside Mavra

Kuzminishna.

“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy!” she murmured.

Mavra Kuzminishna suggested the wounded man being carried into the

house.

“The masters won't say anything …” said she.

But they had to avoid lifting him up the steps, and so they carried the

wounded man to the lodge, and put him in the room that had been Madame Schoss's.

This wounded officer was Prince Andrey Bolkonsky.

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