Chapter 7 Chapter VII

Helen understands that things look very simple and easy from a religious point of view, and the directors are embarrassed only because they are afraid of what the secular regime will think of this matter. So, Helen decided, this should be matured in the social world.She aroused the great old fellow's jealousy, and said to him the same thing as she had said to the first suitor, namely, to make the matter clear: the only way to gain the right to possess her was to marry her.In the first minute the suggestion of marrying someone else while the husband was alive surprised the old dignitary, and the young man felt the same way; but Helen was convinced that it would be as easy as getting married at home. And, of course, this confidence also works on the VIPs.Had there been the slightest sign of wavering, shyness, or cover-up in Helen herself, the matter would have been lost; but there was more than one trace of cover-up or shyness.On the contrary, she simply and innocently told her close friends (and thus told all of Petersburg) that the prince and the dignitaries had proposed to her, and that she loved them both and feared that either one would be sad.

Rumors spread in Petersburg in an instant, not that Helen was about to part with her husband (if such rumors had spread, there would have been a mob against such unlawful intentions), but that the unfortunate and lovable Helen was caught in a dilemma whether to marry her husband or not. To whom of the two.The question now is not how likely it is, but which side is more advantageous to marry, and how the court views it.There are indeed some obsessives, who cannot rise to the height of the question, and see in this intention the profanation of the sacrament of marriage, but such are few, and they are silent; Happiness, interested in which option is better.As for whether it is good or bad for the husband to marry another man, he will not say anything, because this problem has obviously been solved by people who are smarter than you and me (as it is often said), whether it is right to stick to the problem solution, It means taking risks to expose one's own stupidity and inability to deal with the upper class weaknesses.

Only Marya Dmitrievna Ahrosimova, who had come to Petersburg that summer to see her son, dared to express a contrary opinion outright.Meeting Helen at the ball, Marya Dmitrievna stopped her in the middle of the ballroom, and in the midst of the silence, said to her in a rough voice: "Here, wives are starting to leave their husbands to marry. You probably think this is a new trick you came up with? Someone has already taken the lead, ma'am. This idea has been figured out a long time ago. Everything... is done in this way." After saying these words, Maria Dmitrievna put on her usual majestic posture, rolled up her wide cuffs, glanced sternly around, and then walked across the hall.

As for Marya Dmitrievna, the people of Petersburg, though they were also afraid of her, regarded her as a ridiculous person, so they only noticed the rough word she used in her speech, and they repeated it quietly to each other, thinking that Words contain the essence of the whole conversation. Prince Vasili, who has been especially forgetful of saying these days, repeats the same words a hundred times, and every time he happens to see his daughter, he says: "Helene, J'aiunmotavousdire," he said to her, leading her aside and pulling her hand down. "J'aieuventdecertainsprojetsrelatifsa...Voussavez. Ehbien, machereenfant, voussavezquemoncoeurde pereserejouitdevoussavoir...Vousaveztantsouffert...Mais, chereenfant...neconsultezquevotrecoeur. C'esttoutcequejevousdis." .

Bilibin, who has always maintained the reputation of being an extremely intelligent person, is Helen's selfless friend, one of the frequent guests of the lady's house, and one of the boyfriends who will never play the role of love. This Bilibin was once in petitcomite② He told his friend Helen what he thought of the whole thing. "Ecoutez, Bilibine" (Helen always calls friends like Bilibine by their surnames, not their first names), she touched the sleeve of his tuxedo with her white hand wearing a ring. "Ditesmoicommevous diriezaunesoeur, quedois-jefaire? Lequeldesdeux?"③

-------- ①French: Helen, I should talk to you.I heard you have some plans, about... you know.Well, my dear child, you know, your father's heart is always happy because you...you have suffered so much...but dear child...do as your heart dictates.That's all my advice. ②French: Intimate circle. ③ French: Listen to me, Bilibin: Tell me what to do like you tell your sister.Which of the two to choose? Bilibin frowned, the skin above his eyebrows, a smile on his lips, lost in thought. "Vousnemeprenezpasenpacnlox, voussavez," he said. “Commeveritableamijaipenseetrepenseavorteaffairee．Voyezvousepousezleprince（这是一位年轻人），”他弯曲一根指头，“Vousperdezpourtoujourslachanced'epouserl'autre，etpuisvousmecontentezlacour．（Commevoussavez，ilyauneespecedeparente）．Maissivouseposezlevieuxcomte，vousfaiteslebonBheurdesesderniersjours，etpuiscommeveuvedugrand…leprincenefaitplusdemesallianceenvousepousant．”①比利宾这才Relaxes the wrinkled skin on the forehead.

"Voilaunveritableami!" Helen's face was radiant, and she touched Bilibin's sleeve with her hand again. "Maisc'estquejaimel'unetl'autre, jenevoudraispasleurfairedechagrin. Jedonneraismaviepourleurbonheuratousdeux," she said. -------- ①Your question doesn't surprise me, you know.As a true friend, I have thought about your matter for a long time.You see, if you marry a prince, you have absolutely no chance of being another man's wife, and besides, the court will be displeased. (You know, the genealogy is messed up.) If you marry the old earl, you are the happiness of his old age, and then... the prince does not lose his dignity by marrying a great widow.

②This is a real friend!But I love him and I love him, and I don't want to hurt either one.I am willing to sacrifice my life for their happiness. Bilibin shrugged that even he couldn't solve the problem. "Unemaitresse-femme! Voilacequis'appelleposercarrementlaquestion.Ellevoudraitepousertouslesalafois," thought Bilibin. "Tell me how your husband will view this matter?" he said, not afraid to belittle himself with such an innocent question, since his reputation was unassailable. "Will he agree?" "Ah! ilm'aimetant!" said Helene, feeling somehow that Pierre loved her too. "Ilfer at out pour moi."②

Bilibin tightened his scalp in order to deliver the mot he had thought up. "Memeledivorce," he said.Helen smiled. -------- ① What a powerful woman!This is what is called posing the question firmly.She wanted to be the wife of all three at the same time. ②Ah!How he loves me!He is ready to do anything for me. ③ wisecracks. ④ Even divorce is included. Among those who dared to cast doubt on the legality of the marriage in progress was Helene's mother, the Duchess Kuragina.She had often been troubled by jealousy of her daughter, and now that the object of jealousy was the Duchess's greatest concern, she could not tolerate the idea.She went to ask a Russian priest about the possibility of divorce and remarriage while her husband was alive, and the priest told her that it was impossible, and, to her delight, pointed her to a passage in the Gospel in which (the priest felt) decidedly Negatives can remarry while the husband is alive.

Armed with these arguments, which she considered irrefutable, the Duchess set out early in the morning to her daughter's house, in order to see her alone. After listening to her mother's objection, Helen smiled gently and mischievously. "That's quite plainly written: whoever marries a divorced wife..." said the old princess. "Ah, maman, neditespasdebetises. Vousnecomprenezrien. Dansmapositionj'aidesdeBvoirs." ① Helen translated her words from Russian into French, and she always seemed to be unable to understand her affairs in Russian. "But, my partner..."

"Ah, maman, commentest-cequevousnecomprenezpasquelesaintpere,quialedroitdedonnerdesdispenses..."② At this time, a female companion of a lady who lived under Helen's door came to report that His Highness was seeking an audience in the living room. "Non, dites-luique jeneve ux paslevoir, que je suis furieuse contrelui, parcequ'ilm'aman que parole."③ "Comtesse, atoutpechemisercorde." ④ said the blond young man with long face and long nose who came in. -------- ①Ah, Mommy, don't say stupid things.You don't understand anything.I am in a position where I have obligations. ②Ah, Mommy, why don't you understand that priests have the right to forgive... ③No, tell him, I don't want to see him, he is mad at me because he doesn't keep his promise. ④Countess, all sins shall be forgiven. The old princess rose respectfully and curtseyed.The young man who came in paid no attention to her.She nodded to her daughter and walked gently towards the door. "No, she is right," thought the old princess.All beliefs were swept away when His Highness appeared. "She's right; how did we not know this in our youth that is gone forever? And how simple it is," thought the old princess, and got into the carriage. At the beginning of August, when Helen's affairs were completely settled, she wrote a letter to her husband (who, she thought, loved her very much), informing him of her intention to marry so-and-so, and telling him that she had believed in At the same time, she asked him to perform the necessary divorce procedures that the messenger told him. "Surcejepriie Dieu, monami, devousavoirsoussasainteetpuisantegarde. VotreamieHelene."① -------- ①So, I pray to God, may you, my friend, be blessed with holiness and power.Your friend Helen. Pierre was on the battlefield of Borodino when this letter was delivered to his house.