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Chapter 10 - Princess Marya makes up her mind to leave Boguchárovo
After her father’s funeral Princess Marya shut herself up in her room and did not admit anyone. A maid came to the door to say that Alpatych was asking for orders about their departure. (This was before his talk with Dron.) Princess Marya raised herself on the sofa on which she had been lying and replied through the closed door that she did not mean to go away and begged to be left in peace.
The windows of the room in which she was lying looked westward1. She lay on the sofa with her face to the wall, fingering the buttons of the leather cushion and seeing nothing but that cushion, and her confused thoughts were centered on one subject — the irrevocability of death and her own spiritual baseness, which she had not suspected, but which had shown itself during her father’s illness. She wished to pray but did not dare to, dared not in her present state of mind address herself to God. She lay for a long time in that position.
The sun had reached the other side of the house, and its slanting2 rays shone into the open window, lighting3 up the room and part of the morocco cushion at which Princess Marya was looking. The flow of her thoughts suddenly stopped. Unconsciously she sat up, smoothed her hair, got up, and went to the window, involuntarily inhaling4 the freshness of the clear but windy evening.
“Yes, you can well enjoy the evening now! He is gone and no one will hinder you,” she said to herself, and sinking into a chair she let her head fall on the window sill.
Someone spoke5 her name in a soft and tender voice from the garden and kissed her head. She looked up. It was Mademoiselle Bourienne in a black dress and weepers. She softly approached Princess Marya, sighed, kissed her, and immediately began to cry. The princess looked up at her. All their former disharmony and her own jealousy6 recurred7 to her mind. But she remembered too how he had changed of late toward Mademoiselle Bourienne and could not bear to see her, thereby8 showing how unjust were the reproaches Princess Marya had mentally addressed to her. “Besides, is it for me, for me who desired his death, to condemn9 anyone?” she thought.
Princess Marya vividly10 pictured to herself the position of Mademoiselle Bourienne, whom she had of late kept at a distance, but who yet was dependent on her and living in her house. She felt sorry for her and held out her hand with a glance of gentle inquiry11. Mademoiselle Bourienne at once began crying again and kissed that hand, speaking of the princess’ sorrow and making herself a partner in it. She said her only consolation12 was the fact that the princess allowed her to share her sorrow, that all the old misunderstandings should sink into nothing but this great grief; that she felt herself blameless in regard to everyone, and that he, from above, saw her affection and gratitude13. The princess heard her, not heeding14 her words but occasionally looking up at her and listening to the sound of her voice.
“Your position is doubly terrible, dear princess,” said Mademoiselle Bourienne after a pause. “I understand that you could not, and cannot, think of yourself, but with my love for you I must do so. . . . Has Alpatych been to you? Has he spoken to you of going away?” she asked.
Princess Marya did not answer. She did not understand who was to go or where to. “Is it possible to plan or think of anything now? Is it not all the same?” she thought, and did not reply.
“You know, chere Marie,” said Mademoiselle Bourienne, “that we are in danger — are surrounded by the French. It would be dangerous to move now. If we go we are almost sure to be taken prisoners, and God knows . . . ”
Princess Marya looked at her companion without understanding what she was talking about.
“Oh, if anyone knew how little anything matters to me now,” she said. “Of course I would on no account wish to go away from him. . . . Alpatych did say something about going. . . . Speak to him; I can do nothing, nothing, and don’t want to. . . . ”
“I’ve spoken to him. He hopes we should be in time to get away tomorrow, but I think it would now be better to stay here,” said Mademoiselle Bourienne. “Because, you will agree, chere Marie, to fall into the hands of the soldiers or of riotous15 peasants would be terrible.”
Mademoiselle Bourienne took from her reticule a proclamation (not printed on ordinary Russian paper) of General Rameau’s, telling people not to leave their homes and that the French authorities would afford them proper protection. She handed this to the princess.
“I think it would be best to appeal to that general,” she continued, “and and am sure that all due respect would be shown you.”
“From whom did you get this?” she asked.
“They probably recognized that I am French, by my name,” replied Mademoiselle Bourienne blushing.
Princess Marya, with the paper in her hand, rose from the window and with a pale face went out of the room and into what had been Prince Andrey’s study.
“Dunyasha, send Alpatych, or Dronushka, or somebody to me!” she said, “and tell Mademoiselle Bourienne not to come to me,” she added, hearing Mademoiselle Bourienne’s voice. “We must go at once, at once!” she said, appalled18 at the thought of being left in the hands of the French.
“If Prince Andrey heard that I was in the power of the French! That I, the daughter of Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky, asked General Rameau for protection and accepted his favor!” This idea horrified19 her, made her shudder20, blush, and feel such a rush of anger and pride as she had never experienced before. All that was distressing21, and especially all that was humiliating, in her position rose vividly to her mind. “They, the French, would settle in this house: M. le General Rameau would occupy Prince Andrey’s study and amuse himself by looking through and reading his letters and papers. Mademoiselle Bourienne would do the honors of Bogucharovo for him. I should be given a small room as a favor, the soldiers would violate my father’s newly dug grave to steal his crosses and stars, they would tell me of their victories over the Russians, and would pretend to sympathize with my sorrow . . . ” thought Princess Marya, not thinking her own thoughts but feeling bound to think like her father and her brother. For herself she did not care where she remained or what happened to her, but she felt herself the representative of her dead father and of Prince Andrey. Involuntarily she thought their thoughts and felt their feelings. What they would have said and what they would have done she felt bound to say and do. She went into Prince Andrey’s study, trying to enter completely into his ideas, and considered her position.
The demands of life, which had seemed to her annihilated22 by her father’s death, all at once rose before her with a new, previously23 unknown force and took possession of her.
Agitated24 and flushed she paced the room, sending now for Michael Ivanovich and now for Tikhon or Dron. Dunyasha, the nurse, and the other maids could not say in how far Mademoiselle Bourienne’s statement was correct. Alpatych was not at home, he had gone to the police. Neither could the architect Michael Ivanovich, who on being sent for came in with sleepy eyes, tell Princess Marya anything. With just the same smile of agreement with which for fifteen years he had been accustomed to answer the old prince without expressing views of his own, he now replied to Princess Marya, so that nothing definite could be got from his answers. The old valet Tikhon, with sunken, emaciated25 face that bore the stamp of inconsolable grief, replied: “Yes, Princess” to all Princess Marya’s questions and hardly refrained from sobbing26 as he looked at her.
At length Dron, the village Elder, entered the room and with a deep bow to Princess Marya came to a halt by the doorpost.
Princess Marya walked up and down the room and stopped in front of him.
“Dronushka,” she said, regarding as a sure friend this Dronushka who always used to bring a special kind of gingerbread from his visit to the fair at Vyazma every year and smilingly offer it to her, “Dronushka, now since our misfortune . . . ” she began, but could not go on.
“We are all in God’s hands,” said he, with a sigh.
They were silent for a while.
“Dronushka, Alpatych has gone off somewhere and I have no one to turn to. Is true, as they tell me, that I can’t even go away?”
“Why shouldn’t you go away, your excellency? You can go,” said Dron.
“I was told it would be dangerous because of the enemy. Dear friend, I can do nothing. I understand nothing. I have nobody! I want to go away tonight or early tomorrow morning.”
Dron paused. He looked askance at Princess Marya and said: “There are no horses; I told Yakov Alpatych so.”
“Why are there none?” asked the princess.
“It’s all God’s scourge,” said Dron. “What horses we had have been taken for the army or have died — this is such a year! It’s not a case of feeding horses — we may die of hunger ourselves! As it is, some go three days without eating. We’ve nothing, we’ve been ruined.”
Princess Marya listened attentively27 to what he told her.
“The peasants are ruined? They have no bread?” she asked.
“They’re dying of hunger,” said Dron. “It’s not a case of carting.”
“But why didn’t you tell me, Dronushka? Isn’t it possible to help them? I’ll do all I can. . . . ”
To Princess Marya it was strange that now, at a moment when such sorrow was filling her soul, there could be rich people and poor, and the rich could refrain from helping28 the poor. She had heard vaguely29 that there was such a thing as “landlord’s corn” which was sometimes given to the peasants. She also knew that neither her father nor her brother would refuse to help the peasants in need, she only feared to make some mistake in speaking about the distribution of the grain she wished to give. She was glad such cares presented themselves, enabling her without scruple30 to forget her own grief. She began asking Dron about the peasants’ needs and what there was in Bogucharovo that belonged to the landlord.
“But we have grain belonging to my brother?” she said.
“The landlord’s grain is all safe,” replied Dron proudly. “Our prince did not order it to be sold.”
“Give it to the peasants, let them have all they need; I give you leave in my brother’s name,” said she.
Dron made no answer but sighed deeply.
“Give them that corn if there is enough of it. Distribute it all. I give this order in my brother’s name; and tell them that what is ours is theirs. We do not grudge31 them anything. Tell them so.”
“ Dron looked intently at the princess while she was speaking.
“Discharge me, little mother, for God’s sake! Order the keys to be taken from me,” said he. “I have served twenty-three years and have done no wrong. Discharge me, for God’s sake!”
Princess Marya did not understand what he wanted of her or why he was asking to be discharged. She replied that she had never doubted his devotion and that she was ready to do anything for him and for the peasants.
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1
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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3
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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4
inhaling
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| v.吸入( inhale的现在分词 ) | |
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5
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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6
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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recurred
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| 再发生，复发( recur的过去式和过去分词 )； 治愈 | |
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8
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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10
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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12
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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13
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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14
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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15
riotous
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| adj.骚乱的；狂欢的 | |
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16
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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19
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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21
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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22
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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23
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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24
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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25
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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26
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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27
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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28
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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29
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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30
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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31
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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