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Chapter 12 - Prince Andrey received by the Emperor Francis. Bilibin’s story of the Thabor Bridge
At the levee Prince Andrey stood among the Austrian officers as he had been told to, and the Emperor Francis merely looked fixedly1 into his face and just nodded to him with to him with his long head. But after it was over, the adjutant he had seen the previous day ceremoniously informed Bolkonsky that the Emperor desired to give him an audience. The Emperor Francis received him standing2 in the middle of the room. Before the conversation began Prince Andrey was struck by the fact that the Emperor seemed confused and blushed as if not knowing what to say.
“Tell me, when did the battle begin?” he asked hurriedly.
Prince Andrey replied. Then followed other questions just as simple: “Was Kutuzov well? When had he left Krems?” and so on. The Emperor spoke3 as if his sole aim were to put a given number of questions — the answers to these questions, as was only too evident, did not interest him.
“At what o’clock did the battle begin?” asked the Emperor.
“I cannot inform Your Majesty4 at what o’clock the battle began at the front, but at Durrenstein, where I was, our attack began after five in the afternoon,” replied Bolkonsky growing more animated5 and expecting that he would have a chance to give a reliable account, which he had ready in his mind, of all he knew and had seen. But the Emperor smiled and interrupted him.
“How many miles?”
“From where to where, Your Majesty?”
“From Durrenstein to Krems.”
“Three and a half miles, Your Majesty.”
“The French have abandoned the left bank?”
“Forage has not been supplied to the extent . . . ”
The Emperor interrupted him.
“At what o’clock was General Schmidt killed?”
“At seven o’clock, I believe.”
“At seven o’clock? It’s very sad, very sad!”
The Emperor thanked Prince Andrey and bowed. Prince Andrey withdrew and was immediately surrounded by courtiers on all sides. Everywhere he saw friendly looks and heard friendly words. Yesterday’s adjutant reproached him for not having stayed at the palace, and offered him his own house. The Minister of War came up and congratulated him on the Maria Theresa Order of the third grade, which the Emperor was conferring on him. The Empress’ chamberlain invited him to see Her Majesty. The archduchess also wished to see him. He did not know whom to answer, and for a few seconds collected his thoughts. Then the Russian ambassador took him by the shoulder, led him to the window, and began to talk to him.
Contrary to Bilibin’s forecast the news he had brought was joyfully8 received. A thanksgiving service was arranged, Kutuzov was awarded the Grand Cross of Maria Theresa, and the whole army received rewards. Bolkonsky was invited everywhere, and had to spend the whole morning calling on the principal Austrian dignitaries. Between four and five in the afternoon, having made all his calls, he was returning to Bilibin’s house thinking out a letter to his father about the battle and his visit to Brunn. At the door he found a vehicle half full of luggage. Franz, Bilibin’s man, was dragging a portmanteau with some difficulty out of the front door.
Before returning to Bilibin’s Prince Andrey had gone to bookshop to provide himself with some books for the campaign, and had spent some time in the shop.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Oh, your excellency!” said Franz, with difficulty rolling the portmanteau into the vehicle, “we are to move on still farther. The scoundrel is again at our heels!”
“Eh? What?” asked Prince Andrey.
Bilibin came out to meet him. His usually calm face showed excitement.
“There now! Confess that this is delightful9,” said he. “This affair of the Thabor Bridge, at Vienna. . . . They have crossed without striking a blow!”
Prince Andrey could not understand.
“But where do you come from not to know what every coachman in the town knows?”
“I come from the archduchess’. I heard nothing there.”
“And you didn’t see that everybody is packing up?”
“I did not . . . What is it all about?” inquired Prince Andrey impatiently.
“What’s it all about? Why, the French have crossed the bridge that Auersperg was defending, and the bridge was not blown up: so Murat is now rushing along the road to Brunn and will be here in a day or two.”
“What? Here? But why did they not blow up the bridge, if it was mined?”
“That is what I ask you. No one, not even Bonaparte, knows why.”
“But if the bridge is crossed it means that the army too is lost? It will be cut off,” said he.
“That’s just it,” answered Bilibin. “Listen! The French entered Vienna as I told you. Very well. Next day, which was yesterday, those gentlemen, messieurs les marechaux,* Murat, Lannes,and Belliard, mount and ride to the bridge. (Observe that all three are Gascons.) ‘Gentlemen,’ says one of them, ‘you know the Thabor Bridge is mined and doubly mined and that there are menacing fortifications at its head and an army of fifteen thousand men has been ordered to blow up the bridge and not let us cross? But it will please our sovereign the Emperor Napoleon if we take this bridge, so let us three go and take it!’ ‘Yes, let’s!’ say the others. And off they go and take the bridge, cross it, and now with their whole army are on this side of the Danube, marching on us, you, and your lines of communication.”
* The marshalls.
“Stop jesting,” said Prince Andrey sadly and seriously. This news grieved him and yet he was pleased.
As soon as he learned that the Russian army was in such a hopeless situation it occurred to him that it was he who was destined11 to lead it out of this position; that here was the Toulon that would lift him from the ranks of obscure officers and offer him the first step to fame! Listening to Bilibin he was already imagining how on reaching the army he would give an opinion at the war council which would be the only one that could save the army, and how he alone would be entrusted12 with the executing of the plan.
“Stop this jesting,” he said
“I am not jesting,” Bilibin went on. “Nothing is truer or sadder. These gentlemen ride onto the bridge alone and wave white handkerchiefs; they assure the officer on duty that they, the marshals, are on their way to negotiate with Prince Auersperg. He lets them enter the tete-de-pont.* They spin him a thousand gasconades, saying that the war is over, that the Emperor Francis is arranging a meeting with Bonaparte, that they desire to see Prince Auersperg, and so on. The officer sends for Auersperg; these gentlemen embrace the officers, crack jokes, sit on the cannon13, and meanwhile a French battalion14 gets to the bridge unobserved, flings the bags of incendiary material into the water, and approaches the tete-de-pont. At length appears the lieutenant15 general, our dear Prince Auersperg von Mautern himself. ‘Dearest foe16! Flower of the Austrian army, hero of the Turkish wars Hostilities17 are ended, we can shake one another’s hand. . . . The Emperor Napoleon burns with impatience18 to make Prince Auersperg’s acquaintance.’ In a word, those gentlemen, Gascons indeed, so bewildered him with fine words, and he is so flattered by his rapidly established intimacy19 with the French marshals, and so dazzled by the sight of Murat’s mantle20 and ostrich21 plumes22, qu’il n’y voit que du feu, et oublie celui qu’il devait faire faire sur l’ennemi!”† In spite of the animation23 of his speech, Bilibin did not forget to pause after this mot to give time for its due appreciation24. “The French battalion rushes to the bridgehead, spikes25 the guns, and the bridge is taken! But what is best of all,” he went on, his excitement subsiding26 under the delightful interest of his own story, “is that the sergeant27 in charge of the cannon which was to give the signal to fire the mines and blow up the bridge, this sergeant, seeing that the French troops were running onto the bridge, was about to fire, but Lannes stayed his hand. The sergeant, who was evidently wiser than his general, goes up to Auersperg and says: ‘Prince, you are being deceived, here are the French!’ Murat, seeing that all is lost if the sergeant is allowed to speak, turns to Auersperg with feigned28 astonishment29 (he is a true Gascon) and says: ‘I don’t recognize the world-famous Austrian discipline, if you allow a subordinate to address you like that!’ It was a stroke of genius. Prince Auersperg feels his dignity at stake and orders the sergeant to be arrested. Come, you must own that this affair of the Thabor Bridge is delightful! It is not exactly stupidity, nor rascality30. . . . ”
* Bridgehead.
† That their fire gets into his eyes and he forgets that he ought to be firing at the enemy.
“It may be treachery,” said Prince Andrey, vividly31 imagining the gray overcoats, wounds, the smoke of gunpowder32, the sounds of firing, and the glory that awaited him.
“Not that either. That puts the court in too bad a light,” replied Bilibin.“It’s not treachery nor rascality nor stupidity: it is just as at Ulm . . . it is . . . ”— he seemed to be trying to find the right expression. “C’est . . . c’est du Mack. Nous sommes mackes [It is . . . it is a bit of Mack. We are Macked],” he concluded, feeling that he had produced a good epigram, a fresh one that would be repeated. His hitherto puckered33 brow became smooth as a sign of pleasure, and with a slight smile he began to examine his nails.
“Where are you off to?” he said suddenly to Prince Andrey who had risen and was going toward his room.
“I am going away.”
“Where to?”
“To the army.”
“But you meant to stay another two days?”
“But now I am off at once.”
And Prince Andrey after giving directions about his departure went to his room.
“Do you know, mon cher,” said Bilibin following him, “I have been thinking about you. Why are you going?”
And in proof of the conclusiveness34 of his opinion all the wrinkles vanished from his face.
Prince Andrey looked inquiringly at him and gave no reply.
“Why are you going? I know you think it your duty to gallop35 back to the army now that it is in danger. I understand that. Mon cher, it is heroism36!”
“Not at all,” said Prince Andrey.
“But as you are a philosopher, be a consistent one, look at the other side of the question and you will see that your duty, on the contrary, is to take care of yourself. Leave it to those who are no longer fit for anything else. . . . You have not been ordered to return and have not been dismissed from here; therefore, you can stay and go with us wherever our ill luck takes us. They say we are going to Olmutz, and Olmutz is a very decent town. You and I will travel comfortably in my caleche.”
“Do stop joking, Bilibin,” cried Bolkonsky.
“I am speaking sincerely as a friend! Consider! Where and why are you going, when you might remain here? You are faced by one of two things,” and the skin over his left temple puckered, “either you will not reach your regiment37 before peace is concluded, or you will share defeat and disgrace with Kutuzov’s whole army.”
“I cannot argue about it,” replied Prince Andrey coldly, but he thought: “I am going to save the army.”
“My dear fellow, you are a hero!” said Bilibin.
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1
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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2
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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3
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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4
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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5
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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6
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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7
forage
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| n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻 | |
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8
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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9
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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10
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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11
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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12
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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14
battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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15
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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16
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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17
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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18
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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19
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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20
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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21
ostrich
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| n.鸵鸟 | |
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22
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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23
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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24
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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25
spikes
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| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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26
subsiding
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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27
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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28
feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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29
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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30
rascality
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| 流氓性，流氓集团 | |
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31
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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32
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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33
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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34
conclusiveness
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| n.最后； 释疑； 确定性； 结论性 | |
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35
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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36
heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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37
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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38
dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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