Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

At the appointed hour, the old prince, powdered and shaved, went into the dining-room, where his daughter-in-law, Princess Maria, Mademoiselle Bourienne, and the prince's architect were waiting for him.By the prince's eccentricity, the architect was allowed to take a seat, an honor which this insignificant man, in his position, could never have expected.The Duke lived so firmly in the hierarchy that even provincial dignitaries were rarely allowed to sit at their seats.The architect Mikhail Ivanovich, who used to blow his nose with a checkered handkerchief in the corner, was suddenly allowed to take a seat. The prince used his custom to show that all people are equal, and more than once he enlightened his daughter. That said, Mikhail Ivanovich is in no way inferior to us.During the dinners, the prince often chatted happily with the taciturn Mikhail Ivanovich.

The dining-room was as high and as large as all the rooms in the residence, and the family and the waiter stood behind each chair, waiting for the duke to come out; He winked at the servants, and from time to time moved his agitated eyes from the wall clock to the door where the Duke was about to appear.Prince Andrei looked at a large golden frame he had seen for the first time, in which was the genealogical list of Prince Bolkonski's family, and opposite hung a similarly large frame in which was a poorly made pair (apparently a family painter) a crowned portrait of a hereditary ruling duke who must have come from the Rurik family, the ancestors of the Bolkonski family.Prince Andrew shook his head as he looked at the genealogy-table, and smiled to himself from time to time, as if he were amused by a portrait that looked like himself.

"I recognize him here!" he said to Princess Marya, who was approaching him. Princess Marya looked at her brother in amazement.She didn't understand what he was laughing at.What her father had done inspired in her an indescribable reverence. "Everyone has a fatal weakness," continued Prince Andrew, "and with his great intellect, donnersdansceridicule!" ①French: Surprisingly subject to such trivial matters. Princess Marya couldn't understand the bold statement made by her elder brother, and she was about to refute him, when suddenly there was the sound of footsteps that everyone expected in the study, and the prince entered the door cheerfully, with quick steps as usual. Come, as if deliberately using the appearance of coming and going in a hurry to contrast with the strict family order.In that instant the great clock struck twice, and another clock in the parlour answered with that shrill tone.The Duke paused.His bright, expressive and stern eyes looked around from under the heavy drooping eyebrows, and then fell on the young Duchess.The young Duchess felt at this moment a feeling like that of a courtier when he sees the emperor in court; that is, a feeling of awe that the old man inspired in his confidants.He stroked the Duchess's head with his hand, then patted her on the back of the head stupidly.

"I'm so happy, I'm so happy," he said, looking her intently in the eyes again, and walking away quickly, returning to his seat, "Please, please! Mikhail Ivanovich, please sit down. " He pointed to the seat next to his daughter-in-law.The waiter moved the chair for her. "Hey!" the old man looked at her round waist and said, "It's too hasty, no good!" He smiled with his mouth, not with his eyes, as usual, and he laughed dryly, coldly, and unhappily. "You should move around, try, move as much as you can," he said. The little Duchess did not hear or did not want to hear him.She was silent, perplexed and disturbed.The duke asked her about her father, and the duchess smiled and spoke.He asked her again about his acquaintances in general, and the princess began to tell with more excitement, sending her greetings to the prince and telling the gossip of the town.

"La comtesse Apraksine, lapauvre, aperduson mari, etellea pleure les sarmes deses yeux," she said, becoming more excited. ①French: Poor Countess Apraksina lost her husband and cried for a long time until her eyes were broken, poor woman. She seemed more and more animated, and the Duke watched her more and more seriously.The prince turned away suddenly; taking no notice of her, as if he had studied her enough and had a definite idea of ​​her, he then turned away from Mikhail Ivanovich . "Hey, Mikhail Ivanovich, disaster is coming to our Bonaparte. Prince Andrei (he always called his son in the third person) told me how great forces were gathered to defeat him. What a force! We have always thought him a little man."

Mikhail Ivanovitch had no idea when "we" had talked about Bonaparte, but he knew that he was being asked of him in order to open up his favorite chatter.He looked at the young Duke in surprise, not knowing what the outcome of this conversation would be. "He's one of our great tacticians here!" said the Duke to his son, pointing to the architect. The conversation again turned to war, to Bonaparte and the present generals and state men.It seems that not only did the old prince believe that the current political figures were all brats ignorant of military and state knowledge, but that Bonaparte was also an insignificant Frenchman who was popular only because there was no Potemkin or The Suvorovian figure is against him.He even believes that there are no political obstacles or wars in Europe, but that some current activists pretend to be doing things and put on a puppet show.Prince Andrei happily endured his father's jeers at modern people, and, with visibly pleased expression, called his father to talk, while he himself listened.

"Everything looks good in the past," he said. "Didn't that Suvorov fall into the trap set by Morob, and he couldn't get out of it?" "Who told you? Who told you?" cried the prince. "Suvorov!" He threw away a plate, and Tikhon caught it hastily. "Suvorov! . . . Prince Andrei, think about it. I know two people: one is Frederick, the other is Suvorov . . . Morrow! If Suvorov had the power , Moro should be captured, but he is subject to the Military Senate. He is unlucky, the ghosts hate him. You can taste the sausage schnapps when you get there! Suvorov can't subdue them, Micha How can Il Kutuzov cope? It won't work, my friends," he went on, "you and our generals won't be able to subdue Bonaparte, we'll have to hire a bunch of Frenchmen so that they won't recognize Our own people, our own people slaughtering our own people. The German Palen was sent to New York, USA, to find the Frenchman Moreau,” he said, alluding to the fact that Moreau was hired to serve in the Russian army. "How strange! Why, are those Potemkin, Suvorov, and Orlov figures all Germans? No, friends, or you are all crazy, or I have lost my mind .God bless you, let's see. Bonaparte has become a great commander with them! Huh! . . . "

"I'm not saying at all that his instructions are advisable," said Prince Andrew, "but I can't understand how you can say that about Bonaparte. You can laugh at him all you want, And Bonaparte is still a great commander!" "Mikhail Ivanovich!" shouted the old prince to the architect, who had begun to eat roasted vegetables, hoping that he would be forgotten, "I told you before that Bonaparte was a great tactician, yes. Is it? You see, he said the same thing." "No, my lord duke," replied the architect. The Duke sneered again. "Bonaparte was born blessed. His soldiers were good, and he attacked the Germans first, and only lazy people don't fight the Germans. Everyone has fought the Germans since the universe existed. They can't beat anyone. They only Know how to kill each other. That's what he's famous for."

The Duke then began to analyze Bonaparte's faults in war and even state affairs in his opinion. The son did not express any objection, but it could be seen that no matter what arguments were presented to him, he was as difficult as the old prince to change his views.Prince Andrei listened attentively, refraining from refuting, and could not help feeling disbelief that this old man, who had lived alone in the countryside for many years, had known and commented so thoroughly on the military and political situation in Europe in recent years. incisive. "You don't think I, an old man, understand what's going on?" he concluded. "I'm obsessed with current events! I can't sleep all night. Hey, where's your great commander-in-chief?"

"That's a long story," replied the son. "Go to your own Bonaparte, M—lle Bourienne, voila encore unadmirateur deuotregoujatdempereur!" he exclaimed, in very fine French: "Voussavez, quejenesuispasbonapartiste, mon prince． "② "Oieu Saitquandneviendva . . . " sang the prince unnaturally, laughing even more unnaturally, and came out from behind the table. During the rest of the debated and non-disputed lunch, the little princess was silent, looking now in dismay at Princess Marya, now at the old father-in-law, who grabbed her sister-in-law's hand as she came out from behind the table. Arm, shouted her into another room.

"Commecestunhommedespritvotre," she said, "Cestacaus de celapeut—etrequilme faitpeur." "Oh, he is too charitable!" said Princess Marya. ①French: Mademoiselle Bourienne, your slavish emperor has another admirer. ②French: Duke, you know, I am not a Bonapartist. ③ French: God knows when he will come back. ④French: Your father is a very smart man, maybe that's why I'm afraid of him.