War and Peace

Chapter 18

After hearing the password "three", Binair hurried forward. He was a little unsteady, with his right hand holding the gun stretched forward, as if he was afraid that the gun would kill him.After walking six or seven steps, Bin-Air took a quick glance at Reukot, and pulled the trigger as he was taught. He didn't expect the sound of the gun to be so loud, and he was taken aback.Due to the fog and gunpowder smoke affecting his vision, he couldn't see anything clearly at the first moment, but the gunshot he was expecting from the opponent did not sound, only the creaking sound of Rukot's feet on the snow, through the In the smoke, his figure gradually appeared. He was covering the left side of his body with one hand, and the other hand was holding the gun with the muzzle down. His face was pale, and Rustaf ran over to help him .

"No...no," Rucourt said through gritted teeth, "No, it's not over yet." He staggered a few steps and fell on the snow next to the saber. He wiped the blood on his clothes With his left hand, he supported his body with his left hand, his face was pale and trembling constantly.

"Please..." Rucourt wanted to say something, but couldn't finish it all at once, "Please..." he said with difficulty.Bin-Air seemed about to cry aloud, he ran towards Rukot, he had already crossed the line, and Rukot yelled, "Don't cross the line!" Bin-Air realized it then, and stood beside the saber.They were only ten steps apart.Rucourt bent his head on the snow, licked the snow greedily, shook his spirits, retracted his legs, and sat up with difficulty.He chewed the cold snow, his lips trembling, but still with a sneer.Gathering his last strength, his eyes shot out with anger, and he began to aim his gun.

"Turn around and avoid it," Amici shouted. "Cover yourself!" Jackoff couldn't help shouting to the other party.But Bin-Air stood there defenseless with a guilty and ashamed smile, his big chest facing Rukot.Jackoff, Rostaff and Amici all closed their eyes.Just then, they heard a gunshot.

"Missed!" Rucourt yelled, and then fell powerlessly on the snow.Bin Air put his head in his hands again, turned around, and ran towards the forest stepping on the snow.

"Absurd...absurd! Death...lie..." he muttered, frowning.Amici intercepted him and sent him home.Rostaff and Jackoff also dragged the injured Ruko back.

[six]

Bin-Air has rarely seen alone with his wife lately.On the night after the duel, he did not go back to his bedroom as usual, but went to his father's large study.He lay on the sofa, trying to get a good night's sleep and forget about the duel, but he couldn't, and couldn't fall asleep because of tossing and turning.

"For what?" he asked himself, "I killed the adulterer, yes, I killed my wife's lover. Yes, that's it. Why? Why did it come to this? Because, She married you." A voice inside answered.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked, "that I married her against my will, that you hurt yourself and her." He recalled that he could not help speaking in French Saying "I love you". "This is the culprit! I felt it then," he thought, "I felt it right then, and I'm not qualified to say it. And then it came out of my mouth." He blushed when he thought of his honeymoon . "I never liked her at all," Bin-Air said to himself. "I know she's a slut, but I dare not admit it."

In the evening, calling the servant to pack his luggage, he decided to go to Petersburg, live apart from her, and leave immediately, and to leave her a letter explaining his permanent separation from her.

In the morning, when the servants brought the coffee, Bin-Air was lying on the Turkish sofa with a book in his hand.After being woken up, he was still in shock and didn't know where he was.

"The countess asked me to see if your lord has come home," the servant said.Before Bin-Air could figure out how to answer, the countess had already broken into the study.

"What's the matter? What good things have you done, I ask you?" She asked sharply.

"Me?... Nothing? I..." "You are a hero now! Why did you fight? What do you want to prove? You proved that you are a coward and made me a laughing stock in Moscow. A challenge from someone you are unreasonably jealous of." Hanli's voice became louder and louder.

"Um...um..." Bin-Air muttered, without moving. "He is better than you in every way. If you were a little more understanding and sensible, I would like to be with you." "Stop it...please." Bin-Air whispered hoarsely. "Why didn't I say it! I'm going to say it, and I have to say it boldly. With a dead man like you, there are very few people who don't want to find a lover, but I didn't do such a thing." Hanli said.

Bin-air remained silent, still lying there, with a strange look in Hanli's eyes that Hanli couldn't understand.He felt an unexplainable pain, a tightness in his chest, and shortness of breath.

"Let's separate," he said intermittently. "Separate, that's good, but you want to give me a piece of property," Hanli said, "Separate, do you want to blackmail me with this?" Binair stood up from the sofa and staggered towards her. "I'm going to smash you to death!" He shouted, picked up the marble top from the table, raised the top with a strength that he didn't have usually, and smashed the stone slab towards Hanli's head.

Hanli trembled all over, screamed and dodged away.The father's character is fully represented in Bin Air, and he feels the joy and charm of rage.He threw the slate, and the slate was smashed to pieces. He threw his arms at Hanli and shouted: "Get out!" The sound was like thunder, and the whole family heard the roar outside.It's not clear what would have happened if Hanli hadn't escaped the room in time.

A week later, Bin-Air distributed more than half of the property to Hanli, and went to Petersburg alone.

[seven]

It has been almost two months since Bald Mountain Manor received the news of the death of Duke Andrele. Although the embassy sent a letter to inquire and searched in many ways, the body of Duke Andrele has not been found so far, and he is not included in the list of captured persons.The old prince first learned of the defeat at Austerlitz from the newspapers, and a week later he received a letter from the commander.

"I saw with my own eyes your son," wrote the commander, "holding the flag and falling heroically in front of the regiment. He lived up to your expectations and the entrustment of the motherland. It is a pity for me and the entire army that the I don't know whether he is alive or dead. To my relief and to you, there is a possibility that your son is still alive, or how could his body not be found?"

The old prince was heartbroken, though he looked as busy as ever.Princess Molière was even more distressed.Her father asked her to tell Linse the bad news, but when Moliye saw her sister-in-law who was about to give birth, she didn't say anything out of her mouth several times.She decided not to tell her for the time being, and advised her father not to disclose either.Princess Molière and the old prince each concealed their grief in their hearts every day.The old prince felt that there was no possibility of his son surviving. He concluded that his son had died in battle, but he still entrusted an acquaintance to go to Austria to find out the whereabouts of his son. He ordered a luxurious tombstone for his son in Moscow and planned to stand it at his home In his garden, he told everyone that his son had died a heroic death.He tried his best to live as usual, but he felt powerless. He didn't want to move around, didn't want to eat, often suffered from insomnia, and his physical strength gradually weakened.Princess Molière still had hope.She didn't think her brother was dead, she was praying for him, and she was looking forward to his return every minute.

[eight]

Lynce is about to give birth.The midwife Molya Bogdanovna was called (she had been on Bald Mountain for more than a week).After a period of commotion at home, it calmed down again. According to superstition, the fewer people who understand the pain of a pregnant woman, the less pain she will suffer. Therefore, everyone pretended to be deaf and dumb, and no one mentioned it.

It was a night in March, warm and cold, with howling winds and snow all over the sky.A group of people galloped out of the manor to meet the obstetrician invited from Moscow.The nervous Princess Molier hid in her room and prayed for Linsi. Seeing her anxious expression, the nanny also came in to accompany her.Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the window open, and the nurse went to close the window, but saw the lights in the distance.

"Princess, my goodness, someone is coming on the road!" she said, holding the window frame with her hand, and leaving the window open, "there must be a doctor coming by the lantern." "Oh, my God! Thank you God!" said Princess Molier, "you have to meet him, the doctor doesn't understand Russian." Princess Molier threw on her shawl and ran to the door.As she walked through the hall, she saw a carriage parked at the gate outside the window, and a lantern was lit by the steps.She went out to the stairs.Candles were burning on the railing, and the wind blew the wax from the candles.Philip, the servant, with a frightened face and a candle in his hand, was standing on the first little landing of the stairs below.Somewhere lower, at the corner of the stairs, there was a sound of footsteps going upstairs.Princess Molière felt very familiar when she heard it.

"But we're home!" said the voice, "where's Papa?"

Then, the very familiar voice spoke again, and Demyan answered again, and then I heard the feet in thick felt boots walking up the stairs. "This is Andrelet!" Princess Molière thought, "No, it's unlikely, it's too unusual." While she was thinking and guessing wildly, she was on the landing where the servant was standing holding a candle. On the road, the familiar face and figure of Duke Andrele appeared. He was wearing a blue woolen coat covered with snowflakes.Yes, this is him, but he is pale and thin, and his expression is different from before, strangely softened, but also a little disturbed.He went up the stairs and hugged his sister.

"Didn't you get my letter?" he asked, and without waiting for an answer, he turned and grabbed the obstetrician who was following him (the Duke d'André had met him on the road), and together they faced Walking upstairs, he hugged his sister again.

"What a wonderful fate!" said he, "my dear wife!" He took off his coat and boots, and went to the Duchess' room.

[Nine]

Wearing a white nightcap, the petite Duchess rested on the covers (she had just had labor pains).Strands of black hair clung to her sweaty face, and her small mouth with black down on the upper lip was slightly open.When the Duke d'Andrew came to her bedside, she looked at him with childlike amazement, but did not change the expression on her face, which seemed to say: "I like you all, I am not at fault, why But you have to endure this torment? Help me!"

"My darling," Duke Andrele said, kissing her on the forehead, and addressing her with a title he had never used before: "God be merciful..."

The labor pains began again, and the midwife told Duke Andrée to stand outside the door.The obstetrician walked in.Duke Andrele sat outside the door and waited anxiously. There were bursts of painful cries from the room, and people who entered and left the room would show panic when they saw Duke Andrele.After another time, a terrible scream came from the room, which did not seem to be her cry.Duke Andrele approached the door.The screaming stopped, and there was a cry of a baby.He suddenly understood the joyful meaning of the crying, and tears filled his eyes, and with his elbows on the window-sill, he sobbed like a child.The door opened, and the doctor came out. He was not wearing his overalls, his cuffs were rolled up, his face was pale, and his jaw was trembling.Duke Andrei turned to the doctor, but the doctor gave him a bewildered look, and walked over without saying a word.A woman came out and froze at the door as soon as she saw Duke Andrele.He went into his wife's room.He was stunned, and he was still lying peacefully like when he saw her just now, her eyes were motionless, her cheeks were pale, but her lovely childlike face and lips with black fuzz were still exactly the same as before .

After another two hours, Duke Andrele came quietly to his father's study.The old man already knew everything.He stood at the door, and as soon as the door opened, the old man silently put his thin, stiff arms around his son's neck, and sobbed like a child.

Three days later, the petite Duchess was buried.The Duke Andrei climbed up the little ladder by the coffin, and said goodbye to his wife.Although the eyes of the duchess in the coffin were closed tightly, the expression on her face seemed to say: "Oh, why are you treating me like this?" Duke Andrele felt as if he had lost a precious cultural relic in his heart. He felt guilty. A guilt he couldn't get back, and he couldn't forget.Five days later they christened Maral, son of Duke Andrele.

[ten]

Rostav's participation in the duel between Rucourt and Binzokhov was settled in private due to the arrangement of the old count. Not only was Rostav not demoted as a soldier as he expected, but he was promoted to the governor of Moscow. adjutant.During Rookault's recovery, Rostaff became his best friend.

The early winter of 20 was the happiest time for the Lowstaff family.Malal brought many young people to their parents' home.Willie was a beautiful woman of twenty, Martha a great girl of sixteen, Natess half girl and half child, sometimes childlike and sometimes girlish.There was always an air of romantic festivity in the Lowstaff house, as is often the case in homes with very young and very pretty girls.

Lookout was one of the first young men Rosetaffer brought into the family, and the whole family, except Natess, loved to see him.

"I hate him," said Nates, who often quarreled with her brother. "He is wicked and cold. But I like your Jackoff. Do you know that your Rucourt is in love with Martha."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" But soon, Rose Tafur noticed that there was a special relationship between Reukot and Martha, but he didn't go further to clarify what kind of relationship it was. "They're always in love," he thought of Martha and Natès.But he was not as natural as he used to be with Martha and Rookout, so he was at home even less.

Beginning in the autumn of [-], people began to talk about war with Napoleon again, and more intensely than last year.According to government regulations, [-] per thousand recruits are recruited, and [-] per thousand recruits reserve militiamen.For a while, voices cursed Napoleon, and the streets and alleys of Moscow were talking about the impending war.

[eleven]

On the third day after Christmas, Malal ate at home because he didn't eat at home very often these days.It was a big farewell party, as he was returning to the army in a few days.About 20 people attended the dinner, among them Reukout and Jackoff.

As soon as Malal entered the door, he felt the joyous and festive atmosphere of the home, and also noticed the unusual embarrassment of the people present.After dinner he called Natess and asked her what was the matter.Nates told him that Rucourt proposed to Martha, but Martha refused, and Martha refused even though Malar's mother persuaded Martha to agree to the marriage.After Nates finished speaking, she went to ask Martha to come to Malal.

Martha came in, very nervous and with a guilty look on her face.Malal walked up to her and kissed her hand.This is the first time the two have talked about their love face to face since he came back.

"Martha," he said, at first he didn't know how to speak to her, but he became bolder as he spoke, "if you reject a person who is outstanding and beneficial to you, and he is a man of good looks and full of blood... my friend……"

(End of this chapter)