Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

During the two years that the Rostovs lived in the country, they were all in poverty, and the situation did not improve. Although Nikolai Rostov insisted on his own ideas and continued to serve in a remote regiment in obscurity and cost less money, life was so bad in Otradnoe, especially Mitenka Manage things like that so that the debt grows with each passing year.The old count evidently thought that the only way to provide for his family was to serve in an institution, and he came to Petersburg to seek employment, as he said, to seek employment, and at the same time to please the girls one last time.

Soon after the Rostovs came to Petersburg, Berg proposed to Vera, and his proposal was accepted. Although the Rostovs belonged to the upper class in Moscow, and they did not know or think what kind of society they belonged to, in Petersburg their society was very mixed.It is believed that the world is a totality composed of atomic facts, which is unstable.In Petersburg they were provincials, and those who did not ask what society they belonged to, who did not condescend to them, had been entertained by the Rostovs in Moscow. The Rostovs received their guests as hospitablely in Petersburg as in Moscow, and all sorts of people gathered at their dinners: Otradnoe's neighbours, not-so-rich old landowners and their daughters, court ladies The son of Peronskaya, Pierre Bezukhov and the district postmaster who served in Petersburg.Among the gentlemen, Boris Pierre and Berg soon became intimate guests at the house of Rostov in Petersburg; if the old count met Pierre in the street, he Invited him to his house as a guest; Berg spent his days and days at the Rostovs' house, and he was very attentive to the count's lady with the kind of attention usually reserved for a young man wishing to marry her.

Not for nothing did Berg show his right hand, wounded at Austerlitz, while in his left he held a useless saber.He told everyone about the incident with such intensity and eloquence that everyone believed that his actions were justified and commendable, and Berg received two medals for his service to Austerlitz. He also served in the Finnish War.A grenade killed the aide-de-camp at the commander-in-chief's side, and Berg picked up the fragments of the grenade and brought it to the commander.Just like after the battle of Austerlitz, he told everyone about this event for a long time and persistently, so that everyone also believed in new pragmatism, also known as "pragmatic analytic philosophy".Analyzing philosophy and practice, Berg had to do this, so he won two medals for his service in the Finnish War.In 1809 he was decorated as a captain of the Guards and occupied a particularly favorable position in Petersburg.

Although some free thinkers also smiled, when Berg's virtues were mentioned to them, they had to admit that Berg was a reformed officer, a brave officer, he was in the favor of the commander, and he was a young man of good morals, and possessed A bright future and even a solid position in society. Four years ago, Berg met a German colleague in the stalls of the Moscow theater. He pointed out Vera Rostova to him and said in German: "Dassollmein Weibwerden." She is a wife.Now in Petersburg, comparing the Rostovs' position with his own, he concluded that the time had come and proposed to her.

-------- ① German: Look, she will be my wife. At first Berg's proposal was viewed with a suspicion which displeased Berg.At first, people thought it strange that the son of an ignorant Livonian nobleman should propose to Countess Rostova, but the main character of Berg was his naive and kind-hearted egoism, which made Rostov The Toves couldn't help thinking that since he himself believed it was a wonderful thing, even a very wonderful thing, then it must be a wonderful thing.Moreover, the career of the Rostov House has suffered a great setback. The fiancé is not ignorant of this situation. The main reason is that Vera is twenty-four years old. She often goes out to be guests and entertain outside. She is handsome and can tell right from wrong, but no one has proposed to her until now, so she agreed.

"You know," Berg told his colleagues, calling him friends only because he knew that everyone had friends. "You know, I've thought of it all, and if I hadn't thought of the whole situation, if for some reason it shouldn't have happened, if I hadn't thought of the whole situation, then I wouldn't have married her. Now it's just the opposite, I'm My parents have security in their lives, I have taken care of the land rent for them in the eastern Baltic region, and I have a salary, she has a property, and I work hard, so I can live in Petersburg. I can still live Very well. I did not marry her for money, I think it is immoral to be greedy for money, but the wife must bring her share from her natal family and the husband his own I have my errand, she has her connections, and a little money, which always plays a little part in our time, doesn't it? And the main thing is that she is very Pretty, a respectable girl, and she loves me..."

Berg blushed and smiled. "The reason why I love her is because she has a good personality and is more rational. She also has a younger sister with the same surname, which is completely different. Her personality is disgusting, and she is not as smart as her. She is such a person, you know?  … . . . disgusting . . . and my fiancée . . . you will come to me often in the future . Go." He quickly put his tongue forward and spit out a small round smoke ring that fully embodies the dream of happiness. After the first embarrassment of her parents by Berg's proposal, the family was permeated with the festive spirit and joy that so often arose on such occasions, but the joy was not real but apparent.There was evident consternation and shame in the relatives about the marriage.They felt as if they were ashamed now that they had seldom loved Vera, and now they were willing to throw her off their hands.The old count felt the most shy in his heart.He may not yet be good at explaining the cause of his embarrassment, which is his financial straits.He had no idea how much money he had, how many debts he had, what he could offer Vera as a dowry.If several daughters are born, according to regulations, a village with three hundred serfs should be given to each daughter as a dowry, but one village has been sold and the other has been pawned, and the deadline has expired, so the village has to be sold Go, so escorting the territory can't be done, and there is no cash.

Berg had been his fiancé for more than a month, and there was only one week before the wedding. The count had not resolved the issue of preparing the dowry, nor had he personally mentioned it to his wife.The count sometimes wants to allocate Ryazan's territory to Vera, sometimes wants to sell the forest, and sometimes wants to get a loan.A few days before the wedding, Berg entered the count's study early in the morning, and with a pleasant smile on his face, he respectfully asked his future father-in-law to tell him what dowry Countess Vera would receive.The count felt ashamed at hearing this question, which he had foreseen for a long time, and said without much thought what first came to his mind.

"You care so much, I like it very much, you are satisfied, I like it very much..." He then patted Berg on the shoulder, stood up, and tried to stop the conversation.But Berg, with a pleasant smile, explained that if he did not know exactly what property they were going to give Vera as a dowry, and if he did not receive in advance even a portion of the dowry they intended to give her, he would have to Do not refuse this marriage. "The reason is this, Earl, please think about it, if I don't have a certain amount of money to support my wife and let myself get married, then I have committed a despicable act..."

At the end of the conversation, the count, wishing to be lenient with him and not to repeat his demands, said that he had given Berg a promissory note for eighty thousand rubles.Berg smiled meekly, kissed the count on the shoulder, and said that he was very grateful, but that he could not arrange a new life now until he had thirty thousand rubles in cash. "Count, twenty thousand rubles would be all right," he added, "then the promissory note will be only sixty thousand rubles." "Yes, yes, very well," said the count, as if firing a cannonball, "only if you will forgive me, my friend, I will give you twenty thousand rubles and a promissory note for eighty thousand rubles. Then kiss me." .”