第427章

第427章untilprinceandrey’sstayatbogutcharovo,theestatehadneverhadanownerinresidence,andthebogutcharovopeasantswereofquiteadifferentcharacterfromthepeasantsofbleakhills.theydifferedfromtheminspeech,indress,andinmanners.theysaidtheycamefromthesteppes.theoldprincepraisedthemfortheirindustrywhentheycametobleakhillsforharvesting,oringpondsandditches;buthedidnotlikethembecauseoftheirsavagemanners.

princeandrey’sresidenceatbogutcharovo,andhisinnovations—hishospitalsandschoolsandtheloweringoftheirrent—hadnotsoftenedtheirmanners,but,onthecontrary,hadintensifiedtheirtraitsofcharacter,whichtheoldprincecalledtheirsavagery.

obscurerumourswerealwayscurrentamongthem：atonetimeabeliefthattheywerealltobecarriedofftobemadecossacks,thenthattheyweretobeconvertedtosomenewreligion,thenrumoursofsomesupposedproclamationsofthetsar,oroftheoathtothetsarpavelpetrovitchin1797（whichwassaidtohavegrantedfreedomtothepeasants,andtohavebeenwithdrawnbythegentrylater）;thenoftheexpectedreturnofthetsarpeterfedorovitch,whowastoriseagainfromthedeadinsevenyears,andtobringperfectfreedom,andtomakeanendoftheexistingorderofthings.rumoursofthewar,andbonaparteandhisinvasion,wereconnectedintheirmindswithvagueconceptionsofantichrist,oftheendoftheworld,andperfectfreedom.

inthevicinityofbogutcharovowerelargevillagesinhabitedbycrownserfs,orpeasantswhopaidrenttoabsenteeowners.therewereveryfewresidentlandownersintheneighbourhood,andconsequentlyveryfewhouse-serfsorpeasantsabletoreadandwrite.andamongthepeasantsofthatpartofthecountrytherecouldbeseenmoredistinctlyandstronglymarkedthanamongothersthosemysteriousundercurrentsinthelifeoftherussianpeasantry,whicharesobafflingtocontemporaries.twentyyearsbefore,therehadbeenamovementamongthepeasantsofthedistricttoemigratetocertainsupposedlywarmrivers.hundredsofpeasants,amongthemthoseofbogutcharovo,hadsuddenlybegunsellingtheircattleandmovingawaywiththeirfamiliestowardsthesouth-west.likebirdsflyingtounknownrealmsovertheocean,thesemenwiththeirwivesandchildrenturnedtowardsthesouth-west,wherenooneofthemhadbeen.theysetoffincaravans,redeemedtheirfreedomonebyone,rananddroveandwalkedtotheunknownregionofthewarmsprings.manywerepunished;somesenttosiberia;manydiedofcoldandhungerontheroad;manycamebackoftheirownaccord;andthemovementdieddownasithadbegunwithoutobviouscause.buttheundercurrentsstillflowedamongthepeople,andweregatheringforceforsomenewmanifestation,destinedtoappearasstrangely,unexpectedly,andatthesametimesimply,naturally,andforcibly.in1812anyonelivingincloserelationswiththepeasantsmighthaveobservedthattherewasaviolentfermentworkingbelowthesurface,andanoutbreakofsomekindwasathand.

alpatitch,whocametobogutcharovoalittlewhilebeforetheoldprince’sdeath,noticedthattherewassomeexcitementamongthepeasants;andnoticedthat,unlikebleakhillsdistrict,wherewithinaradiusofsixtyverstsallthepeasantshadmovedaway,abandoningtheirvillagestobewastedbythecossacks,inthebogutcharovosteppecountrythepeasantshadentered,itwassaid,intocommunicationwiththefrench,andwereremainingintheirhomes,andthereweresomemysteriousdocumentscirculatingamongthem.helearnedthroughserfswhowereattachedtohimthatthepeasantkarp,amanofgreatinfluenceinthevillage,hadafewdayspreviouslyaccompaniedagovernmenttransport,andhadreturnedwiththenewsthatthecossacksweredestroyingthedesertedvillages,whilethefrenchwouldnottouchthem.heknewthatanotherpeasanthadonthepreviousdayevenbroughtfromthehamletofvislouhovo,wherethefrenchwereencamped,aproclamationfromthefrenchgeneralthatnoharmwouldbedonetotheinhabitants,andthateverythingtakenfromthemwouldbepaidfor,iftheywouldremain.intokenofgoodfaith,thepeasantbroughtfromvislouhovoahundred-roublenote（hedidnotknowitwasfalse）,paidhiminadvanceforhay.

andlast,andmostimportantofall,alpatitchlearnedthatonthedayonwhichhehadgiventhevillageelderorderstocollectcartstomovetheprincess’sagefrombogutcharovo,therehadbeenameetinginthevillageatwhichitwasresolvedtowaitandnottomove.meanwhile,timewaspressing.onthedayoftheprince’sdeath,the15thofaugust,themarshalurgedprincessmaryatomovethesameday,asitwasbecomingdangerous.hesaidthathecouldnotanswerforwhatmighthappenafterthe16th.hedroveawaythatevening,promisingtoreturnnextmorningforthefuneral.butnextdayhecouldnotcome,ashereceivedinformationofanexpectedadvanceofthefrench,andwasonlyjustintimetogethisfamilyandvaluablesmovedawayfromhisownestate.

fornearlythirtyyearsbogutcharovohadbeenunderthedirectionofthevillageelder,dron,calledbytheoldprince,dronushka.

dronwasoneofthosephysicallyandmorallyvigorouspeasants,whogrowathickbeardassoonastheyaregrownup,andgoonalmostunchangedtillsixtyorseventy,withoutagreyhairorthelossofatooth,asuprightandvigorousatsixtyasatthirty.