War and Peace

Chapter 26

[26]

During the summer, the Duchess of Molières received a letter from the Duke of André in Switzerland, in which he informed her sister of the news of his engagement to Natès.His letter was full of joy of love, and full of deep affection for his sister, and begged her to forgive him for breaking the news to her at this time.He wrote that he had never loved so much as now, and he didn't understand what real life is until now.He followed his father's wish to postpone the wedding for a year, and now half a year has passed, and half of the deadline has passed, but his confidence is stronger than before.He wanted to go home immediately, but the doctors ordered him to stay in the spa for another two months.Therefore, Duke Andrele asked his sister to ask his father if it is possible to advance the wedding five months.

After long considerations, doubts and prayers, Princess Molière handed the letter from Duke André to her father.The next day, the old prince said to her peacefully:

"Reply to your brother and ask him to talk about it after my death... It won't be too long, I will set you free soon."

The old prince also said that he would marry Miss Pollyaye, so that André would have a stepmother.Princess Molier was surprised to find that the relationship between her father and the English lady was really getting closer.The Duchess Molière wanted several times to get away from her home and live like the pilgrims she had entertained.But then, seeing her father, especially the young Malal, her decision faded away, she often cried silently, and felt guilty: she loved her father and her nephew more than God.

Part [-]

[One]

Malal Lowstaff, who continued to serve in Paulgrad's regiment after [-], had replaced Jackoff as captain of the cavalry company.He has become a straightforward and friendly person. He is very satisfied with his life, and he is also very pleased and respected by his colleagues, subordinates and superiors.He didn't want to go back to his previous life. He felt that only in the army could he be quiet and safe.In the spring of [-], however, he received a letter from his mother saying that if Mallar did not come home and no one in the family was in charge of the property, all the property would be sold. "I ask you, for the sake of heaven, to come back at once, if you do not want our family to suffer misfortune," wrote the countess.

The letter spurred Malal, who resolved to return home.The return of Malal must have caused another wave of joy in the Rostaff family.But after the joy, Malar felt a strange sense of dissatisfaction: If he had known this before, why was he rushing back?Malal then returned to the family life he was accustomed to.

Only the change in Nates surprised Malal.Nates told her brother about her love with Duke Andryle, and showed him the past letters of Duke Andryle.

"He's a kind man," Malal said, "but does he love you very much?"

"How can I tell you?" replied Nates. "I have loved Blitz, my music teacher and Jackoff, but this time is different. I feel calm, firm. I understand that he is the best I'm so quiet and happy now, it's not like I used to..."

The elder brother looked at his younger sister in amazement.He didn't see the situation when Nates was with Duke Andryl, so he was a little confused about their love, and almost felt that there was something inappropriate about this marriage.

"Why put it off, why not have the engagement?" he thought.When he mentioned his younger sister's marriage to his mother, he found that his mother also had the same doubts as him.

[two]

Back home, Malal was at first stern, even brooding.It made him sad that he should have asked about the stupid chores at once, and that was why his mother had sent him back.In order to complete the task very early, on the second day after returning home, he went to the housekeeper Mitenka's residence frowning and angrily to check all the accounts.But Malal knew even less about what "all the accounts" looked like than the nervous Mitenka.Finally, the watching peasants saw with joy and panic that the little count, with his face flushed and his eyes burning, grabbed Mitenka by the neck and dragged him out. Kicking him with his knees and feet, he shouted loudly: " Get out! Never let me see you, you bastard!"

The next day the old count called his son aside, and said to him with a worried smile:

"I understand, my dear. Why the anger? Mitenka told me everything."

"Dad, if I do something unhappy to you, please forgive me, I know less than you."

The old earl was also in a dilemma.He felt that he did not take good care of his wife's home and was sorry for his children, but he didn't know how to correct it.

After this, however, the little count never inquired about any family matters, and fell in love with a new thing with great pleasure—a hound.In the home of Lowstaff, there are a large number of hunting items bought by the old earl.

[three]

It's almost winter, and the cold air in the morning freezes the ground soaked in autumn rain.This is an excellent hunting season.

On the fifteenth of September, Malal stepped out onto the wet, muddy steps and smelled dead leaves and hounds.Now he saw Danilo, the dog trainer, approaching, wrinkled, gray-haired, with the detached, contemptuous expression of a hunter.

Maral told Danilo to harness the horses and prepare the dogs for hunting.Just at this time, Natess and Biga came over and asked to go.Malal said that this time he was going to hunt the wolf, and suggested that Natess should not go.

"No, I'm going, I must go." Nates said firmly, "Danilo, tell us to prepare our horses and take my hound with me." She said to the dog handler.

[Four]

After 60 minutes, the entire hunting team stood on the steps.With a solemn and solemn expression, Malar set off with a mighty hunting team, with a total of 120 hounds and more than a dozen hunters on horseback.

After walking for a kilometer, five horsemen with hounds appeared in the fog. The first one was a white-haired beard, cheerful and dignified old man.

This was a not-too-rich distant relative of the Rustaff family. After Malal greeted this "uncle", he put the dogs of the two families together.Malar and Uncle rode side by side and came to the selected hunting place.

The old Earl of Lowstaff also stayed at the place designated for him, chatting and laughing with the servants beside him.Just at this moment, he heard a sound of dogs barking in the distance.The count and the servant rode out of the woods, and saw a pack of wolves on the right, swaying lightly, and running quietly towards the place where they had been just now.But the old count was too slow to let go of his hounds.

A pack of hounds rushed past, and then the brown bushes parted, and Danilo's sorrel horse appeared, dark with sweat, and on his back sat Danilo, hatless , leaning forward, his disheveled white hair sticking to his sweaty red face.

"You let the wolf go!... What a hunter!" He seemed to have no scruples to say a word to the panicked and guilty old count, and with the anger aroused by the count, he whipped the sweating horse and followed the hounds flew away.The Count looked back like a schoolboy who had been scolded, trying to win the servants' sympathy with his smile.However, the servants are no longer there.The hunters surrounded the wolf from both sides, trying to intercept the wolf, but before they could surround it, the wolf had disappeared into the forest.

[five]

At this time, Malar stood firm at his post, judging from the sound that he knew that the prey being chased by the hounds and hunters was fleeing in his direction.He glanced to the left again and saw a prey running toward him across the empty space. "No, it won't!" Malal thought, took a deep breath, and was ready to start. It was so simple, with no warning, no noise, no glare, which made Malal couldn't believe his eyes, silly for a while.The wolf came running and jumped awkwardly over a deep ditch.It was an old wolf with a gray back and a big pink belly.It came running at a leisurely pace, apparently sure no one had seen it.

Malal let out his hounds, and rode his horse after him.This is a cunning and ferocious old wolf. Even though it was attacked by the hounds in turn, even though it was injured in many places, it still stubbornly ran towards the forest.

A sorrel horse galloped past Malar panting, and Malar saw Danilo. He jumped off the horse, lying on the back of a wolf among a pack of wolf dogs, desperately Hold the wolf by both ears.Both the dog and the man, and even the old wolf himself, knew perfectly well that it was all over now.The wolf pursed its ears in fright, and struggled to stand up, but Danilo jumped up, and then seemed to be lying down to rest, with the weight of his whole body on the old wolf, while holding the wolf's ears tightly.Maral wanted to stab the wolf, but Danilo said in a low voice, "No, we'll tie its mouth." So he changed his posture, stepped on the wolf's neck with one foot, and placed a wooden stick across the wolf's neck. The wolf's mouth was tied with a rope, as if a bit was put on the wolf, and then its four hooves were tied, rolling the tied wolf back and forth several times.

With expressions of joy and exhaustion, the people put the captured old wolf on horseback and returned to the designated gathering place.Other hounds caught five pups.Everyone gathered together with each other's prey and looked around the old wolf.

[six]

The old count came home.Since it was still early, Malal led the hunting team to the front again.A fox appeared in the distance, and was caught after being chased by a pack of hounds.But at the place where the fox was caught, there were many people gathered, and Malar saw from afar, as if someone was fighting there.It turned out that there was a conflict between the hunters of the Ilakin family, the landlord of the neighboring village, and his own hunters over the prey.

The thing is, there is a dispute between the Ilagin family and the Lowstaff family, and they are in a lawsuit. The place where their family is hunting at the moment belongs to the Lowstaff family, and he is almost deliberately sowing discord.Malal had never seen Ilagin, but he had heard of the landowner's roughness and disrespect, so Malal, irritated and furious, rode forward, whip in hand, determined to give color to his enemy voila.

Before he rounded the corner of the woods, he saw a fat gentleman riding a beautiful black horse coming towards him, wearing a beaver hat, followed by two servants.Malal found that this Ilagin was not an enemy at all, but a polite gentleman. He came to Malal and took off his hat, saying that he was sorry for what had happened and that he must be punished. The servant who had the audacity to snatch other people's foxes also suggested making friends with the young count, and invited Maral and others to hunt on his family's land. He said that there were many hares on a hill in his house.

On that hill they raced out each other's hounds to chase a rabbit.Their hounds were excellent, but it was Uncle Malar's red-haired male named Lugai that finally bit the hare.

[seven]

After Malar and Elagin parted, they agreed to Uncle's invitation and decided to stop by and visit Uncle's house.

The uncle led the guests into the small living room, and then walked out.Biga immediately fell asleep on the sofa bed, and Malal and Natess looked at each other and laughed loudly before they could think of a funny excuse.

After a while, the uncle came back to the living room in a Russian blouse, blue trousers and short boots.Nates thought that his attire was as handsome as any kind of tuxedo or evening dress, even though she had found this kind of attire weird and funny when she was in her own manor.

Not long after my uncle came in, his housekeeper, Anisia Fyodorovna, came in with a large tray. She was a fat, double-chinned, beautiful woman with full lips. Forty years old, with hospitable respect and charm in her eyes and every move, she glanced at her visitors, smiled amiably, and bowed to them.She walked to the table, put down the plate, and put the wine bottle and various snacks and appetizers on the table with her fat and white hands.Then, she walked aside and stood at the door with a smile on her face. "Look, this is me! You understand Uncle now, don't you?" Her expression said to Rossafe.How can you not understand?Not only Malal understood, but Nates also understood, and they saw his uncle's slight frown and pout, and his somewhat happy and proud smile when Anisia Fyodorovna entered the room.There was a lot of fruit juice on the table, as well as mushrooms, scones, apples, walnuts, and Anisia Fyodorovna brought candied fruit, ham, and a freshly roasted chicken.

It was all from Anisia Fyodorovna, it all smelled of her, it all had something to do with the suspicious, innocent, plump, cheerful The smile constitutes a correspondence.

"You can eat, countess." She said, serving Natssy with all kinds of food.

Nates ate this delicious food that she had never seen or tasted.Anisia Fyodorovna was out, and Malar and his uncle were drinking kirsch, talking about the previous and future hunts, and about their hunting dogs.Nates sat upright on the sofa with her bright eyes open, listening to their conversation.She tried many times to wake up Biga and let him eat something, but Biga said a few words in his sleep, but he never woke up.Nates was very happy in her heart, and she felt so proud of herself in this new environment that she was afraid that the family carriage would come to take her home at once.

Suddenly, the sound of the three-stringed qin came from the corridor. It was Mitka, the uncle's coachman, playing the piano.The sound of the piano was melodious, and Natess was very happy to hear it.Uncle was also interested, and asked someone to bring a violin, and started playing and singing by himself.Then Uncle stood up.

"Come on, little niece!" The uncle lifted one hand from the strings and waved it to Natisse.

Natess threw down her shawl, ran up to her uncle, put her hands on her hips, shook her shoulders, and stopped.

When and by what means had this English governess-educated Countess absorbed such a spirit from the Russian air?Where did she learn this Russian dance, long supplanted by British ballroom dancing?As soon as she stood firmly, she showed a solemn, proud, cunning, and happy smile. At first, Malar and everyone present were a little worried that she was doing something unethical, but with her smile, everyone All my worries were gone, and we admired her together.

She did it so well, almost too well, that Anisia Fyodorovna immediately handed her the indispensable handkerchief, and looked at Natess with tears of joy.This slender and elegant countess, who grew up in silk and satin, is so different from Anisia, but she can understand everything about Anisia, and she can understand Anisia's father. , aunt, mother and everything in every Russian. "Well, Countess, it's so beautiful!" said the uncle with a happy smile after the dance. "Very well, little niece! It's time to find you a good son-in-law, that's great!"

"I've found it," Malal said with a smile. "Oh?" Uncle looked at Natess suspiciously and said in surprise.Nates nodded resolutely with a happy smile.A moment ago, the carriage sent by the family arrived.Biga was carried into the carriage, and Nates and Malal also got into the carriage.The uncle wrapped Natsès in her coat, and parted from her with a new kindness.

"Good-bye, dear niece!" he cried in the darkness, and the voice was no longer the voice Natess had known before, but the voice used to sing Russian folk songs.

(End of this chapter)