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Chapter 3
Anna Pavlovna’s reception was in full swing. The spindles hummed steadily1 and ceaselessly on all sides. With the exception of the aunt, beside whom sat only one elderly lady, who with her thin careworn2 face was rather out of place in this brilliant society, the whole company had settled into three groups. One, chiefly masculine, had formed round the abbe. Another, of young people, was grouped round the beautiful Princess Helene, Prince Vasili’s daughter, and the little Princess Bolkonskaya, very pretty and rosy3, though rather too plump for her age. The third group was gathered round Mortemart and Anna Pavlovna.
The vicomte was a nice-looking young man with soft features and polished manners, who evidently considered himself a celebrity4 but out of politeness modestly placed himself at the disposal of the circle in which he found himself. Anna Pavlovna was obviously serving him up as a treat to her guests. As a clever maitre d’hotel serves up as a specially5 choice delicacy6 a piece of meat that no one who had seen it in the kitchen would have cared to eat, so Anna Pavlovna served up to her guests, first the vicomte and then the abbe, as peculiarly choice morsels7. The group about Mortemart immediately began discussing the murder of the Duc d’Enghien. The vicomte said that the Duc d’Enghien had perished by his own magnanimity, and that there were particular reasons for Buonaparte’s hatred8 of him.
“Ah, yes! Do tell us all about it, Vicomte,” said Anna Pavlovna, with a pleasant feeling that there was something a la Louis XV in the sound of that sentence: “Contez nous cela, Vicomte.”
The vicomte bowed and smiled courteously9 in token of his willingness to comply. Anna Pavlovna arranged a group round him, inviting10 everyone to listen to his tale.
“The vicomte knew the duc personally,” whispered Anna Pavlovna to of the guests. “The vicomte is a wonderful raconteur,” said she to another. “How evidently he belongs to the best society,” said she to a third; and the vicomte was served up to the company in the choicest and most advantageous11 style, like a well-garnished joint12 of roast beef on a hot dish.
The vicomte wished to begin his story and gave a subtle smile.
“Come over here, Helene, dear,” said Anna Pavlovna to the beautiful young princess who was sitting some way off, the center of another group.
The princess smiled. She rose with the same unchanging smile with which she had first entered the room — the smile of a perfectly13 beautiful woman. With a slight rustle14 of her white dress trimmed with moss15 and ivy16, with a gleam of white shoulders, glossy17 hair, and sparkling diamonds, she passed between the men who made way for her, not looking at any of them but smiling on all, as if graciously allowing each the privilege of admiring her beautiful figure and shapely shoulders, back, and bosom18 — which in the fashion of those days were very much exposed — and she seemed to bring the glamour19 of a ballroom20 with her as she moved toward Anna Pavlovna. Helene was so lovely that not only did she not show any trace of coquetry, but on the contrary she even appeared shy of her unquestionable and all too victorious21 beauty. She seemed to wish, but to be unable, to diminish its effect.
“How lovely!” said everyone who saw her; and the vicomte lifted his shoulders and dropped his eyes as if startled by something extraordinary when she took her seat opposite and beamed upon him also with her unchanging smile.
“Madame, I doubt my ability before such an audience,” said he, smilingly inclining his head.
The princess rested her bare round arm on a little table and considered a reply unnecessary. She smilingly waited. All the time the story was being told she sat upright, glancing now at her beautiful round arm, altered in shape by its pressure on the table, now at her still more beautiful bosom, on which she readjusted a diamond necklace. From time to time she smoothed the folds of her dress, and whenever the story produced an effect she glanced at Anna Pavlovna, at once adopted just the expression she saw on the maid of honor’s face, and again relapsed into her radiant smile.
The little princess had also left the tea table and followed Helene.
“Wait a moment, I’ll get my work. . . . Now then, what are you thinking of?” she went on, turning to Prince Hippolyte. “Fetch me my workbag.”
There was a general movement as the princess, smiling and talking merrily to everyone at once, sat down and gaily22 arranged herself in her seat.
“Now I am all right,” she said, and asking the vicomte to begin, she took up her work.
Prince Hippolyte, having brought the workbag, joined the circle and moving a chair close to hers seated himself beside her.
Le charmant Hippolyte was surprising by his extraordinary resemblance to his beautiful sister, but yet more by the fact that in spite of this resemblance he was exceedingly ugly. His features were like his sister’s, but while in her case everything was lit up by a joyous23, self-satisfied, youthful, and constant smile of animation24, and by the wonderful classic beauty of her figure, his face on the contrary was dulled by imbecility and a constant expression of sullen25 self-confidence, while his body was thin and weak. His eyes, nose, and mouth all seemed puckered26 into a vacant, wearied grimace27, and his arms and legs always fell into unnatural28 positions.
“It’s not going to be a ghost story?” said he, sitting down beside the princess and hastily adjusting his lorgnette, as if without this instrument he could not begin to speak.
“Why no, my dear fellow,” said the astonished narrator, shrugging his shoulders.
“Because I hate ghost stories,” said Prince Hippolyte in a tone which showed that he only understood the meaning of his words after he had uttered them.
He spoke29 with such self-confidence that his hearers could not be sure whether what he said was very witty30 or very stupid. He was dressed in a dark-green dress coat, knee breeches of the color of cuisse de nymphe effrayee, as he called it, shoes, and silk stockings.
The vicomte told his tale very neatly31. It was an anecdote32, then current, to the effect that the Duc d’Enghien had gone secretly to Paris to visit Mademoiselle George; that at her house he came upon Bonaparte, who also enjoyed the famous actress’ favors, and that in his presence Napoleon happened to fall into one of the fainting fits to which he was subject, and was thus at the duc’s mercy. The latter spared him, and this magnanimity Bonaparte subsequently repaid by death.
The story was very pretty and interesting, especially at the point where the rivals suddenly recognized one another; and the ladies looked agitated33.
“Charming!” said Anna Pavlovna with an inquiring glance at the little princess.
“Charming!” whispered the little princess, sticking the needle into her work as if to testify that the interest and fascination34 of the story prevented her from going on with it.
The vicomte appreciated this silent praise and smiling gratefully prepared to continue, but just then Anna Pavlovna, who had kept a watchful35 eye on the young man who so alarmed her, noticed that he was talking too loudly and vehemently36 with the abbe, so she hurried to the rescue. Pierre had managed to start a conversation with the abbe about the balance of power, and the latter, evidently interested by the young man’s simple-minded eagerness, was explaining his pet theory. Both were talking and listening too eagerly and too naturally, which was why Anna Pavlovna disapproved37.
“The means are . . . the balance of power in Europe and the rights of the people,” the abbe was saying. “It is only necessary for one powerful nation like Russia — barbaric as she is said to be — to place herself disinterestedly38 at the head of an alliance having for its object the maintenance of the balance of power of Europe, and it would save the world!”
“But how are you to get that balance?” Pierre was beginning.
At that moment Anna Pavlovna came up and, looking severely39 at Pierre, asked the Italian how he stood Russian climate. The Italian’s face instantly changed and assumed an offensively affected40, sugary expression, evidently habitual41 to him when conversing42 with women.
“I am so enchanted43 by the brilliancy of the wit and culture of the society, more especially of the feminine society, in which I have had the honor of being received, that I have not yet had time to think of the climate,” said he.
Not letting the abbe and Pierre escape, Anna Pavlovna, the more conveniently to keep them under observation, brought them into the larger circle.
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1
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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2
careworn
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| adj.疲倦的，饱经忧患的 | |
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3
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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4
celebrity
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| n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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7
morsels
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| n.一口( morsel的名词复数 )；（尤指食物）小块，碎屑 | |
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8
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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advantageous
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| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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13
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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15
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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16
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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17
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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18
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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19
glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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20
ballroom
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| n.舞厅 | |
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21
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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22
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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24
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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25
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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26
puckered
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| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
grimace
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| v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭 | |
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28
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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29
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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30
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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31
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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32
anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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33
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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34
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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35
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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37
disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
disinterestedly
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39
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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40
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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41
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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42
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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43
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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