第129章

第129章“whatareyoucryingabout,mamma？”saidvera.“fromallhewrites,weoughttorejoiceinsteadofcrying.”

thiswasperfectlytrue,butthecountandthecountessandnatashaalllookedatherreproachfully.“andwhoisitthatshetakesafter！”thoughtthecountess.

nikolushka’sletterwasreadoverhundredsoftimes,andthosewhowereconsideredworthyofhearingithadtocomeintothecountess,whodidnotletitgooutofherhands.thetutorswentin,thenurses,mitenka,andseveralacquaintances,andthecountessreadthelettereverytimewithfreshenjoymentandeverytimeshediscoveredfromitnewvirtuesinhernikolushka.howstrange,extraordinary,andjoyfulitwastohertothinkthatherson—thelittleson,whosetinylimbshadfaintlystirredwithinhertwentyyearsago,forwhosesakeshehadsooftenquarrelledwiththecount,whowouldspoilhim,thelittleson,whohadfirstlearnttosaygrusha,andthenhadlearnttosaybaba—thatthatsonwasnowinaforeignland,instrangesurroundings,amanlywarrior,alonewithouthelporguidance,doingtherehispropermanlywork.alltheworld-wideexperienceofages,provingthatchildrendoimperceptiblyfromthecradlegrowupintomen,didnotexistforthecountess.thegrowthofhersonhadbeenforherateverystageofhisgrowthjustasextraordinaryasthoughmillionsofmillionsofmenhadnotgrownupinthesameway.justas,twentyyearsbefore,shecouldnotbelievethatthelittlecreaturethatwaslyingsomewhereunderherheart,wouldonedaycryandsuckherbreastandlearntotalk,nowshecouldnotbelievethatthesamelittlecreaturecouldbethatstrong,braveman,thatparagonofsonsandofmenthat,judgingbythisletter,hewasnow.

“whatstyle,howcharminglyhedescribeseverything！”shesaid,readingoverthedescriptionsintheletter.“andwhatsoul！ofhimselfnotaword…notaword！agreatdealaboutamancalleddenisov,thoughhewashimself,idaresay,braverthananyone.hedoesn’twriteawordabouthissufferings.whataheart！howlikehimitis！howhethinksofeveryone！nooneforgotten.ialways,alwayssaid,whenhewasnomorethanthathigh,ialwaysusedtosay…”

foroveraweektheywerehardatworkpreparingalettertonikolushkafromallthehousehold,writingoutroughcopies,copyingoutfaircopies.withthewatchfulcareofthecountess,andthefussysolicitudeofthecount,allsortsofnecessarythingsweregottogether,andmoney,too,fortheequipmentandtheuniformoftheyoungofficer.annamihalovna,practicalwoman,hadeededinobtainingspecialpatronageforherselfandhersoninthearmy,thatevenextendedtotheircorrespondence.shehadopportunitiesofsendingherletterstothegranddukekonstantinpavlovitch,whowasincommandoftheguards.therostovsassumedthat“therussianguardsabroad,”wasquiteasufficientlydefiniteaddress,andthatifaletterreachedthegranddukeincommandoftheguards,therewasnoreasonwhyitshouldnotreachthepavlogradregiment,whowerepresumablysomewhereinthesamevicinity.andsoitwasdecidedtosendofftheirlettersandmoneybythespecialmessengerofthegrandduketoboris,andboriswouldhavetoforwardthemtonikolushka.therewerelettersfromthecount,thecountess,petya,vera,natasha,andsonya,asumofsixthousandroublesforhisequipment,andvariousotherthingswhichthecountwassendingtohisson.