Chapter 5 chapter Five

Everyone dispersed, and no one, except Anatole, who fell asleep as soon as he went to bed, did not fall asleep for a long time. "Is he—this strange, beautiful, charitable man—my husband? The main thing is, he's charitable," thought Princess Marya, overwhelmed by a fear she had hardly felt. up.She was afraid to look around, it seemed to her that someone was standing in a dark corner behind the curtain.And this man was he—the devil, and he was this man with a white forehead, black eyebrows, and red lips. She rang the bell for the maid, and told her to sleep in her room. That night Mademoiselle Bourienne walked back and forth in the conservatory for a long time, waiting in vain for someone, sometimes smiling at someone, and sometimes her eyes were moved by the words of the imaginary pauvremere (poor mother) who blamed her for her depravity. tears.

The little princess complained to her maid that she hadn't made the bed properly, that she found it impossible to sleep on her side or on her back, and that it was always uncomfortable and uncomfortable to sleep on.Her pregnant belly got in her way.Now more than ever, the presence of Anatole reminded her more vividly of the days when she was not pregnant and everything seemed so easy.She was wearing a jacket and a nightcap and was sitting in an easy chair.Katya, whose braids were disheveled, was drowsy, muttering as she fluffed and turned the heavy down mattress for the third time. "As I told you, there are lumps and bumps everywhere," repeated the little Duchess, "and I fell asleep happily, so it wasn't my fault." Like a child about to cry, she His voice trembled.

The old prince did not sleep either.In his sleep Tikhon heard him pacing angrily and snorting.The old prince felt that he had suffered humiliation for his daughter.This is the greatest humiliation, because it is not he who is humiliated, but someone else, his daughter who loves him more than himself.He said to himself that he was going to mull over the whole problem and if he found it to be right he should deal with it, but he didn't do that, he just made himself angrier. "As soon as she meets the first man, she forgets all about her father, and she runs, brushes her hair, wags her tail, out of shape! Happy to abandon my father! She knows it, and I'll see." Bah... bah... bah... can't I see that this idiot is just staring at Brianna (should be kicked out)! Lack of self-respect, how can you understand that! If you have no self-respect, you don't care about yourself , or at least take care of my dignity. I should explain to her that this fool is not thinking of her, but is only looking at Brian. She has no sense of self-respect, but I will explain it to her..."

The old prince told his daughter that she was going astray, that Anatole wanted to pursue Boriane, and that the old prince knew that he would hurt Princess Maria's self-esteem, and that his business (not willing to leave his daughter) could be done. It was done, so he was relieved.He called Tikhon and began to undress. "The devil brought them here!" thought Tikhon, as he put a pajamas on the thin, grizzled old man. "I didn't invite them. They came and ruined my life, and I don't have many days left." "Go to hell!" he said, with his head still in his pajamas.

Tikhon knew that the Duke sometimes had the habit of expressing his thoughts aloud, so when the Duke revealed his face from his pajamas, he remained unchanged and met his questioning and annoyed eyes. "Are they all asleep?" asked the Duke. Tikhon, like all good servants, knew the master's tendencies by smell alone.He had guessed that what the master wanted to ask was Prince Vasily and his son. "My lord, they are all asleep, and even the lights are out." "No, no..." said the prince quickly, putting his feet into his sandals, his hands into his gown, and walking towards the couch where he slept.

Although nothing was settled between Anatole and Miss Bourienne, before that Pauvremere arrived, they fully understood the meaning of the initial stage of love, and they also knew it in their hearts, and they wanted to talk a lot in private , so from early in the morning they went looking for opportunities for the two to meet alone.And when the princess went to see her father at the usual hour, Mademoiselle Bourienne and Anatole met in the conservatory. One day, Princess Marya, trembling uncommonly, went to the door of the study.It seemed to her that not only did everyone know that this day was about to decide her fate, but that everyone knew what she thought about it.She could see this expression on Tikhon's face, and on the face of Prince Vassily's valet, who met her in the corridor with hot water in his hand, and asked her deeply. He bowed deeply.

This morning the old prince had shown a special kindness and concern for his daughter.Princess Mary knew this very well.Whenever Princess Marya did not understand a arithmetic problem, the prince was so annoyed that he clenched his thin hands into fists, stood up, walked away from her, and repeated the same sentence several times in his low voice. Only then did he have this look on his face. He immediately got down to business, addressing himself with "you". "You were proposed in front of me," he said, smiling unnaturally. "I think you guessed it," he went on, "Prince Vasili has come here, bringing with him a man of his training (Prince Nikolai Andreitch somehow managed to take Anato They are not intended to feast my eyes. They proposed to you in front of me yesterday. Because you know my rules, I have come to discuss with you."

"Monpeve (Father), how can I understand you?" said the princess, blushing and turning pale. "How can I understand!" my father shouted angrily. "Prince Vasili asked you to be his daughter-in-law according to his own taste, and the man he trained proposed to you. That's how to understand it. How do you understand it?! Let me ask you." "Monpeve, I don't know what you want," said the princess softly. "Me? Me? What about me? Leave me alone. It's not that I want to marry. What about you, that's what you want to know." The princess saw her father look on the matter with malice, but at that same moment it occurred to her that the fate of her life was either now to be decided or never to be.She lowered her eyes, trying not to meet her father's gaze. Under the influence of his gaze, he felt that she could not think, and could only be obedient. She said:

"I only hope for one thing—your will be done," she said. "If you want me to express my wish..." Before she could finish, the Duke interrupted her. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed. "He's taking you with your dowry, and Mademoiselle Bourienne by the way. She's going to be a wife, and you—" The Duke stopped.He found out the effect the words had had on his daughter.She lowered her head, trying to cry out. "Never mind, whatever, I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he said. "Remember, princess, I live by the principle that a girl has the full right to choose her partner. I give you freedom. Remember this: Your happiness in life depends on the decisions you make. About me is There is nothing to say."

"Monpeve, but I don't know..." "There is nothing to say! He is at their command. He can marry not only you, but anyone he wants, and you are free to choose who you want... You go back to your room and carefully Think it over, and come to me in an hour, and tell him in his face, to marry or not to marry. I know you're going to pray, well, you pray. Just think about it. Go." "To marry or not to marry, to marry or not to marry, to marry or not to marry!" the princess staggered out of the study as if in a fog, while he was still shouting. Her fate was sealed, and she was blessed with good fortune.But what my father said about Mademoiselle Bourienne was a forbidding allusion.Supposedly, it wasn't true, but it was daunting, and she couldn't think about it.She walked straight on through the conservatory, seeing nothing and hearing nothing, when suddenly she was awakened by the familiar whisper of Mademoiselle Bourienne.She raised her eyes and, two steps away from her, saw Anatole, who was embracing the French girl and whispering something to her.Anatole's delicate face was filled with terror. He looked back at Princess Marya, but for a moment he did not let go of his arms around Mademoiselle Bourienne's waist, and she did not see Princess Marya.

"Who's here? Why? Please wait!" Anatole's face seemed to speak.Princess Marya looked at them in silence.She cannot understand this.At last Mademoiselle Bourienne gave a cry of alarm and ran away.Anatole smiled cheerfully, bowed to Princess Marya, as if asking her to laugh at the strange incident, shrugged his shoulders, and went to the door leading to his bedroom. An hour later Tikhon called for Princess Marya.He called her to the prince, and added that Prince Vasily Sergeitch was also there.Just as Tikhon approached, the princess was sitting on the sofa in her room, embracing the weeping Mademoiselle Bourienne.Princess Maria gently stroked her head.The princess's beautiful eyes, shining brightly, looked at Mademoiselle Bourienne's pretty little face with tender caresses and regrets as quietly as ever. "Non, Privcesse, jesuisperduepourtoujoursdansvotrecoeur," said Mademoiselle Bourienne. "pourquoi? Jevousaimeplus, quejamais," said Princess Marya, "etjetacheraidefairetoutcequiestenmonpouvoirpourvotrebonheur."② "Maisvousmemeprisez, voussipure, vousnecomprendrezjamaiscete'garementdelapassionAh, cenestquemapauvremere..."③ "Jecomprendstout," replied Princess Marya, smiling sadly, "my friend, don't worry. I'm going to my father." Having said this, she went out. -------- ① French: Princess, I have lost your favor forever. ②French: Why?I love you more than ever, and I will do everything that depends on me for your happiness. ③ French: But you will despise me, you are so pure, you will never understand the temptation of this strong lust.Ah, my poor mother... ④I understand everything. When Princess Marya came into the room, Prince Vasily sat with a deeply moved smile on his face, crossed his legs and held a snuff-box in his hand, as if he was deeply moved. , as if he regretted his sentimentality and laughed it off.He quickly grabbed a pinch of cigarettes and put them in his nostrils. "Ah, mabonne, mabonne," he said, getting up, and grasping both her hands.He sighed and added: "Lesortdemonfilsestenvosmains. Decidez, mabonne, machere, madouceMarie, quej'aitoujoursaimee, commema fille． "② -------- ① French: Ah, dear, dear. ②French: You hold the fate of my son.My sweet, dear, tender Mary, make up your mind that I will always love you as my own daughter. He walks away.Wang Wang's tears really flowed from his eyes. "Bah... bah..." Prince Nikolai Andreitch snorted. "The prince proposes to you, my son, on behalf of the people he has brought up. Will you or will you be the wife of Prince Anatole Kuragin? Say it: to marry or not to marry!" he cried aloud, " Then I reserve the right to express my opinion. Yes, my opinion is only mine,' added Prince Nikolai Andreitch, turning to Prince Vasily, in answer to his entreaty. Emoji, "To marry or not to marry?" "Monpeve, my wish is—never leave you, live with you forever, regardless of family. I don't want to get married." She looked at Prince Vasily and his father with a pair of beautiful eyes, and said firmly. "Nonsense, nonsense! Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense!" cried Prince Nikolai Andreitch, frowning.He grabbed her hand and pulled it towards him without kissing it, but just brought his forehead close to hers and touched her, he squeezed the hand he was holding tightly, she frowned and pointed call out. Prince Vasili rose to his feet. "Machere, jevousdirai, quec'estunmonentquejen'oublieraijamais, jamais, mais, mabonne, est-cequevousnenousdonnerezpasunpeud'esperancedetouchercecoeursibon, sigenereux.Dites, quepeut-etre... L'avenirestsigrand.Ditespeut-etre."① -------- ①French: My dear, I tell you, I will never forget this moment, but, my dearest, let us touch this kind and generous heart even with a glimmer of hope.You tell me, maybe... the future is endless.You tell me maybe. "Duke, what I say is what I have in my heart. I thank you for your sincerity and the honor you have bestowed on me, but I will never be your son's wife." "Come on, my dear, that's all I have to say. I'm glad to see you, I'm glad to see you. Go to your rooms, princess, go," said the old prince. "I'm--very glad to see you," he repeated, hugging Prince Vasily. "My mission is another mission," thought Princess Marya, "my mission is to make myself happy by means of another kind of happiness, the happiness of love and self-sacrifice. Whatever it may cost me, I will To make poor Amelie happy. She loves him so much. She regrets so bitterly. I will do my best to arrange their marriage. If he is not rich, I will give her money. I will beg my father, Begging Andrei. How happy I am if she will be his wife. She is so unfortunate, so far away, so alone! My God, how much she loves him now that she will forget herself. Maybe , I would do the same! . . . ” thought Princess Marya.