War And Peace: Book 12 - CHAPTER II

作者: Leo Tolstoy

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Author: Leo Tolstoy

ANNA PAVLOVNA'S PRESENTIMENT was in fact fulfilled. Next day, during the

special service at court in honour of the Tsar's birthday, Prince Volkonsky was

called out of church and received a despatch from Prince Kutuzov. This was the

despatch Kutuzov had sent off on the day of the battle from Tatarinovo. Kutuzov

wrote that the Russians had not retreated a single step, that the French had

lost far more than our troops, that he was writing off in haste from the field

of battle before he had time to collect the latest intelligence. So it had been

a victory, it appeared. And at once, without leaving church, the assembled court

offered up thanks to the Creator for His succour, and for the victory.

Anna Pavlovna's presentiment had been fulfilled, and the whole morning a mood

of joyous festivity prevailed in the town. Every one accepted the victory as a

conclusive one, and some people were already beginning to talk of Napoleon's

having been taken prisoner, of his disposition, and the selection of a new

sovereign for France

At a distance from the scene of action and amid the conditions of court life,

it is very difficult for events to be reflected in their true force and

dimensions. Public events are involuntarily grouped about some private incident.

So in this case, the courtiers' rejoicing was as much due to the fact of the

news of this victory having arrived precisely on the Tsar's birthday as to the

fact of the victory itself. It was like a successfully arranged surprise.

Kutuzov's despatches had spoken, too, of the Russian losses, and among them had

mentioned the names of Tutchkov, Bagration, and Kutaissov. The melancholy side,

too, of the event was unconsciously in this Petersburg world concentrated about

a single incident—the death of Kutaissov. Every one knew him, the Tsar liked

him, he was young and interesting. All met that day with the words:

“How wonderful it should have happened so! Just in the Te Deum. But what a

loss—Kutaissov! Ah, what a pity!”

“What did I tell you about Kutuzov?” Prince Vassily said now with the pride

of a prophet. “I always said he was the only man capable of conquering

Napoleon.”

But next day no news came from the army, and the public voice began to waver.

The courtiers suffered agonies over the agonies of suspense which the Tsar was

suffering.

“Think of the Emperor's position!” the courtiers said; and they no longer

sang the praises of Kutuzov as two days before, but upbraided him as the cause

of the Tsar's uneasiness that day. Prince Vassily no longer boasted of his

protégé Kutuzov, but was mute when the commander-in-chief was the subject of

conversation. Moreover, on the evening of that day everything seemed to conspire

to throw the Peters-burg world into agitation and uneasiness: a terrible piece

of news came to add to their alarms. Countess Elena Bezuhov died quite suddenly

of the terrible illness which had been so amusing to talk about. At larger

gatherings every one repeated the official story that Countess Bezuhov had died

of a terrible attack of angina pectoris, but in intimate circles people told in

detail how the Queen of Spain's own medical attendant had prescribed to Ellen

small doses of a certain drug to bring about certain desired results; but that

Ellen, tortured by the old count's suspecting her, and by her husband's not

having answered her letter (that unfortunate, dissipated Pierre), had suddenly

taken an enormous dose of the drug prescribed, and had died in agonies before

assistance could be given. The story ran that Prince Vassily and the old count

had been going to take proceedings against the Italian; but the latter had

produced notes in his possession from the unhappy deceased of such a character

that they had promptly let him go.

Conversation centred round three melancholy facts—the Tsar's state of

suspense, the loss of Kutaissov, and the death of Ellen.

On the third day after Kutuzov's despatch, a country gentleman arrived in

Petersburg from Moscow, and the news of the surrender of Moscow to the French

was all over the town. This was awful! Think of the position of the Emperor!

Kutuzov was a traitor, and during the “visits of condolence” paid to Prince

Vassily on the occasion of his daughter's death, when he spoke of Kutuzov, whose

praises he had once sung so loudly—it was pardonable in his grief to forget what

he had said before—he said that nothing else was to be expected from a blind and

dissolute old man.

“I only wonder how such a man could possibly be trusted with the fate of

Russia.”

So long as the news was not official, it was still possible to doubt its

truth; but next day the following communication arrived from Count

Rastoptchin:

“Prince Kutuzov's adjutant has brought me a letter in which he asks me to

furnish police-officers to escort the army to the Ryazan road. He says that he

is regretfully abandoning Moscow. Sire! Kutuzov's action decides the fate of

that capital and of your empire. Russia will shudder to learn of the abandonment

of the city, where the greatness of Russia is centred, where are the ashes of

our forefathers. I am following the army. I have had everything carried away;

all that is left me is to weep over the fate of my country.”

On receiving this communication, the Tsar sent Prince Volkonsky with the

following rescript to Kutuzov:

“Prince Mihail Ilarionovitch! I have received no communication from you since

the 29th of August. Meanwhile I have received, by way of Yaroslavl, from the

governor of Moscow the melancholy intelligence that you have decided with the

army to abandon Moscow. You can imagine the effect this news has had upon me,

and your silence redoubles my astonishment. I am sending herewith Staff-General

Prince Volkonsky, to ascertain from you the position of the army and of the

causes that have led you to so melancholy a decision.”

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