War And Peace: Book 8 - CHAPTER VI

Description

COUNT ILYA ANDREITCH ROSTOV arrived in Moscow towards the end of January with

Natasha and Sonya. The countess was still unwell, and unable to travel, but they

could not put off coming till she recovered, for Prince Andrey was expected in

Moscow every day. They had, besides, to order the trousseau, to sell the estate

in the suburbs of Moscow, and to take advantage of old Prince Bolkonsky's

presence in Moscow to present his future daughter-in-law to him. The Rostovs'

house in Moscow had not been heated all the winter; and as they were coming only

for a short time, and the countess was not with them, Count Ilya Andreitch made

up his mind to stay with Marya Dmitryevna Ahrostimov, who had long been pressing

her hospitality upon the count.

Late in the evening the four loaded sledges of the Rostovs drove into the

courtyard of Marya Dmitryevna in Old Equerrys' Place. Marya Dmitryevna lived

alone. She had by now married off her daughter. Her sons were all in the

service.

She still held herself as erect; still gave every one her opinions in the

same loud, outspoken, decided fashion; and her whole bearing seemed a reproof to

other people for every sort of weakness, passion, and temptation, of which she

would not admit the bare possibility. In the early morning, in a house-jacket,

she looked after the management of her household. Then she drove on saints' days

to Mass, and from Mass to the gaols and prisons; and of what she did there, she

never spoke to any one.

On ordinary days she dressed and received petitioners of various classes, of

whom some sought her aid every day. Then she had dinner, an abundant and

appetising meal, at which some three or four guests were always present. After

dinner she played a game of boston; and at night had the newspapers and new

books read aloud to her while she knitted. It was only as a rare exception that

she went out in the evening; if she did so, it was only to visit the most

important people in the town.

She had not gone to bed when the Rostovs arrived, and the door in the

vestibule squeaked on the block, as the Rostovs and their servants came in from

the cold outside. Marya Dmitryevna stood in the doorway of the hall, with her

spectacles slipping down on her nose, and her head flung back, looking with a

stern and irate face at the new-comers. It might have been supposed that she was

irritated at their arrival, and would pack them off again at once, had she not

at the very time been giving careful instructions to her servants where to

install her guests and their belongings.

“The count's things? Bring them here,” she said, pointing to the trunks, and

not bestowing a greeting on any one. “The young ladies', this way to the left.

Well, what are we pottering about for?” she called to her maids. “Warm the

samovar! She's plumper, prettier,” she pronounced of Natasha, flushed from the

frosty air, as she drew her closer by her hood. “Foo! she is cold! You make

haste and get your wraps off,” she shouted to the count, who would have kissed

her hand. “You're frozen, I warrant. Rum for the tea! Sonyushka,

bonjour,” she said to Sonya, indicating by this French phrase the

slightly contemptuous affectionateness of her attitude to Sonya.

When they had all taken off their outdoor things, set themselves straight

after the journey, and come in to tea, Marya Dmitryevna kissed them all in due

course.

“Heartily glad you have come, and are staying with me,” she said. “It's long

been time you were here,” she said, with a significant glance at Natasha.… “The

old fellow's here, and his son's expected from day to day. You must, you must

make their acquaintance. Oh, well, we shall talk of that later on,” she added,

with a glance at Sonya, showing that she did not care to talk of it before her.

“Now, listen,” she turned to the count, “what do you want to do to-morrow? Whom

will you send for? Shinshin?”—she crooked one finger. “The tearful Anna

Mihalovna— two. She's here with her son. The son's to be married too! Then

Bezuhov. He's here, too, with his wife. He ran away from her, and she has come

trotting after him. He dined with me last Wednesday. Well, and I'll take

them”—she indicated the young ladies—“to-morrow to Iversky chapel, and then we

shall go to Aubert-Chalmey. You'll be getting everything now, I expect! Don't

judge by me—the sleeves nowadays are like this! The other day the young

princess, Irina Vassilyevna, came to see me, just as though she had put two

barrels on her arms, a dreadful fright. Every day there's a new fashion. And

what sort of business is it you have come for yourself?” she said severely,

addressing the count.

“Everything has come together,” answered the count. “There's the girl's rags

to buy; and now there's a purchaser turned up for the Moscow estate and the

house. If you'll graciously permit it, I'll choose an opportunity and drive over

to Maryinskoe for a day, leaving my girls on your hands.”

“Very good, very good, they'll be safe enough with me. I'm as safe as the

Mortgage Bank. I'll take them where they must go, and scold them and pet them

too,” said Marya Dmitryevna, putting her big hand on the cheek of her favourite

and god-daughter Natasha.

Next morning Marya Dmitryevna bore the young ladies off to Iversky chapel and

to Madame Aubert-Chalmey, who was so frightened of Marya Dmitryevna that she

always sold her dresses at a loss simply to get rid of her as soon as possible.

Marya Dmitryevna ordered almost the whole trousseau. On their return, she sent

every one out of the room but Natasha, and called her favourite to sit beside

her arm-chair.

“Well, now we can have a chat. I congratulate you on your betrothed. A fine

fellow you have hooked! I'm glad of it for your sake, and I have known him since

he was that high”—she held her hand a yard from the floor. Natasha flushed

joyfully. “I like him and all his family. Now, listen! You know, of course, that

old Prince Nikolay was very much against his son's marrying. He's a whimsical

old fellow! Of course, Prince Andrey is not a child, he can get on without him,

but to enter a family against the father's will is not a nice thing to do. One

wants peace and love in a family. You're a clever girl, you'll know how to

manage things. You must use your wits and your kind heart. And every thing will

come right.”

Natasha was silent, not as Marya Dmitryevna supposed from shyness. In reality

Natasha disliked any one's interfering in what touched her love for Prince

Andrey, which seemed to her something so apart from all human affairs, that no

one, as she imagined, could understand it. She loved Prince Andrey, and only

him, and knew only him; he loved her, and was to arrive in a day or two and

carry her off. She did not care about anything else.

“I have known him a long while, do you see; and Masha, your sister-in-law, I

love. Sisters-in-law are said to be mischief-makers, but she— well, she wouldn't

hurt a fly. She has begged me to bring you two together. You must go to see her

to-morrow with your father, and be as nice as possible; you are younger than she

is. By the time your young man comes back, you'll be friends with his sister and

his father, and they will have learned to love you. Yes or no? It will be better

so, eh?”

“Oh yes!” Natasha responded reluctantly.

$$ Buy "War And Peace: Book 8 - CHAPTER VI" on Amazon $$

Please check the description for download links if any or do a search to find alternative books.

Can't Download?
Please search mirrors if you can't find download links for "War And Peace: Book 8 - CHAPTER VI" in "Description" and someone else may update the links. Check the comments when back to find any updates.

Search Mirrors
Maybe some mirror pages will be helpful, search this book at top of this page or click here to find more info.

1. Ebooks list page : 83
2. War And Peace: Book 4 - CHAPTER V
3. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER III
4. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER II
5. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER I
6. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER IV
7. War And Peace: Book 3 - CHAPTER XIX
8. War And Peace: Book 3 - CHAPTER XVI
9. War And Peace: Book 3 - CHAPTER XV
10. War And Peace: Book 3 - CHAPTER XIV
11. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER V
12. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER VI
13. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER XIX
14. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER XVI
15. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER XIV
16. War And Peace: Book 2 - CHAPTER XV