第528章

第528章rastoptchin,animpulsive,sanguineman,whohadalwaysmovedinthehighestspheresoftheadministration,wasapatriotinfeeling,buthadnotthefaintestnotionofthecharacterofthepeoplehesupposedhimselftobegoverning.fromthetimewhentheenemyfirstenteredsmolensk,rastoptchinhadinhisownimaginationbeenplayingthepartofleaderofpopularfeeling—oftheheartofrussia.hedidnotmerelyfancy—aseverygoverningofficialalwaysdoesfancy—thathewascontrollingtheexternalactsoftheinhabitantsofmoscow,butfanciedthathewasshapingtheirmentalattitudebymeansofhisappealsandplacards,writteninthatvulgar,slangyjargonwhichthepeopledespiseintheirownclass,andsimplyfailtounderstandwhentheyhearitfrompersonsofhigherstation.thepicturesquefigureofleaderofthepopularfeelingwassomuchtorastoptchin’staste,andhesolivedinit,thatthenecessityofabandoningit,thenecessityofsurrenderingmoscowwithnoheroiceffectofanykind,tookhimquiteunawares;theverygroundhewasstandingonseemedslippingfromunderhisfeet,andhewasutterlyatalosswhattodo.thoughheknewitwascoming,hecouldnottillthelastminutefullybelieveintheabandonmentofmoscow,anddidnothingtowardsit.theinhabitantsleftthecityagainsthiswishes.ifthecourtswereremoved,itwasonlyduetotheinsistenceoftheofficials,towhichrastoptchinreluctantlygaveway.hewashimselfentirelyabsorbedbytherolehehadassumed.asisoftenthecasewithpersonsofheatedimagination,hehadknownforalongwhilethatmoscowwouldbeabandoned;buthehadknownitonlywithhisintellect,andrefusedwithhiswholesoultobelieveinit,andcouldnotmentallyadapthimselftothenewpositionofaffairs.

thewholecourseofhispainstakingandvigorousactivity—howfaritwasbeneficialorhadinfluenceonthepeopleisanotherquestion—aimedsimplyatawakeninginthepeoplethefeelinghewashimselfpossessedby—hatredofthefrenchandconfidenceinhimself.

butwhenthecatastrophehadbeguntotakeitstruehistoricproportions;whentoexpresshatredofthefrenchinwordswasplainlyinsufficient;whenitwasimpossibletoexpressthathatredevenbyabattle;whenself-confidencewasofnoavailinregardtotheonequestionbeforemoscow;whenthewholepopulation,asoneman,abandoningtheirproperty,streamedoutofmoscow,inthisnegativefashiongivingproofofthestrengthoftheirpatriotism;—thenthepartrastoptchinhadbeenplayingsuddenlybecamemeaningless.hefeltsuddenlydeserted,weak,andabsurd,withnogroundtostandon.

onbeingwakedoutofhissleeptoreadkutuzov’scoldandperemptorynote,rastoptchinfeltthemoreirritatedthemorehefelthimselftoblame.therewasstillleftinmoscowallthatwasunderhischarge,allthegovernmentpropertywhichitwashisdutytohaveremovedtosafety.therewasnopossibilityofgettingitallaway.“whoisresponsibleforit？whohasletitcometosuchapass？”hewondered.“ofcourse,it’snotmydoing.ihadeverythinginreadiness;iheldmoscowinmyhand—likethis！andseewhattheyhavebroughtthingsto！scoundrels,traitors！”hethought,notexactlydefiningwhowerethesescoundrelsandtraitors,butfeelinganecessitytohatethesevaguelyimaginedtraitors,whoweretoblameforthefalseandludicrouspositioninwhichhefoundhimself.

allthatnightrastoptchinwasgivinginstructions,forwhichpeoplewerecontinuallycomingtohimfromeverypartofmoscow.hissubordinateshadneverseenthecountsogloomyandirascible.

“yourexcellency,theyhavecomefromtheestatesdepartment,fromthedirectorforinstructions.…fromtheconsistory,fromthesenate,fromtheuniversity,fromthefoundlinghospital,thevicarhassent…heisinquiring…whatordersaretobegivenaboutthefirebrigade？theoverseeroftheprison…thesuperintendentofthemad-house…”allnightlong,withoutpause,messageswerebeingbroughttothecount.

toalltheseinquirieshegavebriefandwrathfulreplies,thedriftofwhichwasthathisinstructionswerenownotneeded,thatallhiscarefulpreparationshadnowbeenruinedbysomebody,andthatthatsomebodywouldhavetotakeallresponsibilityforanythingthatmighthappennow.

“oh,tellthatblockhead,”herepliedtotheinquiryfromtheestatesdepartment,“tostayandkeepguardoverhisdeeds.well,whatnonsenseareyouaskingaboutthefirebrigade？therearehorses,letthemgoofftovladimir.don’tleavethemforthefrench.”

“yourexcellency,thesuperintendentofthemadhousehascome;whatareyourcommands？”

“mycommands？letthemallgo,that’sall.…andletthemadmenoutintothetown.whenwehavemadmenincommandofourarmies,itseemsit’sgod’swilltheyshouldbefree.”

totheinquiryabouttheconvictsintheprison,thecountshoutedangrilytotheoverseer：

“what,doyouwantmetogiveyoutwobattalionsforaconvoyforthem,whenwehaven’tanybattalionsatall？letthemallgo,andthatsettlesit！”

“yourexcellency,therearepoliticalprisoners—myeshkov,vereshtchagin…”

“vereshtchagin！heisnotyethanged？”criedrastoptchin.“sendhimtome.”