第419章

第419章amongtheinnumerablecategoriesintowhichitispossibletoclassifythephenomenaoflife,onemayclassifythemallintosuchasaredominatedbymatterandsuchasaredominatedbyform.tothelatterclassonemayreferthelifeofpetersburg,especiallyinitsdrawing-rooms,asdistinguishedfromthelifeofthecountry,ofthedistrict,oftheprovince,orevenofmoscow.thatlifeofthedrawing-roomsisunchanging.

betweentheyears1805and1812wehadmadepeacewithbonaparteandquarrelledwithhimagain;wehadmadenewconstitutionsandunmadethemagain,butthesalonsofannapavlovnaandofellenwerepreciselyastheyhadbeen—theformerseven,thelatterfiveyears—before.annapavlovna’scirclewerestillspeakingwithincredulouswonderofbonaparte’sesses;andsawinhisesses,andinthesubmissiveattitudeofthesovereignsofeurope,amaliciousconspiracy,thesoleaimofwhichwastogiveannoyanceandanxietytothecourtcircleofwhichannapavlovnawastherepresentative.thesetthatgatheredaboutellen,whomnolessapersonthanrumyantsevcondescendedtovisit,andlookedonasaremarkablyintelligentwoman,talkedin1812withthesameenthusiasmasin1808,ofthe“greatnation,”andthe“greatman,”andregrettedthebreachwithfrance,whichmust,theybelieved,shortlyendinpeace.

oflateafterthetsar’sreturnfromthearmy,someincreaseofexcitementwasperceptibleintheseantagonisticsalons,andtheymadesomethinglikedemonstrationsofhostilitytooneanother,butthebiasofeachcircleremainedunaffected.annapavlovna’ssetrefusedtoadmitanyfrenchpeoplebutthemostunimpeachablelegitimists;andinherdrawing-roomthepatrioticviewfoundexpressionthatthefrenchtheatreoughtnottobepatronised,andthatthemaintenanceofthefrenchcompanytherecostasmuchasthemaintenanceofawholearmycorps.theprogressofthewarwaseagerlyfollowed,andrumoursgreatlytotheadvantageofourarmywerecirculated.inthecircleofellen,ofrumyantsev,thefrenchcircle,thereportsoftheenemy’scrueltyandbarbarousmethodsofwarfarewerediscredited;andallsortsofconciliatoryeffortsonthepartofnapoleonwerediscussed.thissetdiscountenancedtheprematurecounselsofthosewhoadvisedpreparationsfortheremovaltokazanofthecourtandthegirls’schools,thatwereundertheprotectionoftheempressmother.thewholewarwasinfactregardedinellen’ssalonasaseriesofmerelyformaldemonstrations,veryshortlytobeterminatedbypeace;andtheviewprevailed,expressedbybilibin,whowasnowinpetersburgandconstantlyseenatellen’s,aseverymanofwitwassuretobe,thatthewarwouldbeendednotbygunpowderbutbythosewhohadinventedit.thepatrioticfervourofmoscow,ofwhichtidingsreachedpetersburgwiththetsar,wasinellen’ssalonasubjectofironical,andverywitty,thoughcircumspect,raillery.

inannapavlovna’scircle,onthecontrary,thesepatrioticdemonstrationsrousedthegreatestenthusiasm,andwerespokenofasplutarchspeaksofhisancientromans.princevassily,whostillfilledthesameimportantpositions,constitutedtheconnectinglinkbetweenthetwocircles.heusedtovisit“mygoodfriendannapavlovna,”andwasalsoseeninthe“diplomaticsalonofmydaughter”;andoftenwasledintoblundersfromhisfrequenttransitionsfromonetotheother,andsaidinonedrawing-roomwhatshouldhavebeenreservedfortheother.

soonafterthetsar’sarrival,princevassily,inconversationabouttheprogressofthewaratannapavlovna’s,severelycriticisedbarclaydetolly,andexpressedhimselfunabletodecidewhoshouldbeappointedcommander-in-chief.oneoftheguests,usuallyspokenofasa“manofgreatabilities,”describedhowhehadthatdayseenthenewlyelectedcommanderofthepetersburgmilitia,kutuzov,presidingovertheenrolmentofmilitiameninthecourtofexchequer,andventureddiscreetlytoestthatkutuzovwouldbethemanwhomightsatisfyallrequirements.

annapavlovnasmiledmournfully,andobservedthatkutuzovhaddonenothingbutcausethetsarannoyance.