|
WHEN ANNA MIHALOVNA had driven off with her son to Count Kirill Vladimirovitch
Bezuhov's, Countess Rostov sat a long while alone, putting her handkerchief
to her eyes. At last she rang the bell.
“What does it mean?” she said angrily to the maid, who had kept her
waiting a few minutes; “don't you care for my service, eh? I'll find
you another place, if so.”
The countess was distressed at the troubles and degrading poverty of
her friend, and so out of humour, which always found expression in such
remarks to her servants.
“I'm very sorry,” said the maid.
“Ask the count to come to me.”
The count came waddling in to see his wife, looking, as usual, rather
guilty.
“Well, little countess! What a sauté of woodcocks and Madeira
we're to have, ma chère! I've tried it; I did well to give a
thousand roubles for Taras. He's worth it!”
He sat down by his wife, setting his elbow jauntily on his knee, and
ruffling up his grey hair. “What are your commands, little countess?”
“It's this, my dear—why, what is this mess on you here?” she said,
pointing to his waistcoat. “It's the sauté, most likely,” she
added, smiling. “It's this, my dear, I want some money.” Her face became
gloomy.
“Ah, little countess! …” And the count fidgeted about, pulling out
his pocket-book.
“I want a great deal, count. I want five hundred roubles.” And taking
out her cambric handkerchief she wiped her husband's waistcoat.
“This minute, this minute. Hey, who's there?” he shouted, as men only
shout who are certain that those they call will run headlong at their
summons. “Send Mitenka to me!”
Mitenka, the young man of noble family who had been brought up in the
count's house, and now had charge of all his money affairs, walked softly
into the room.
“Here, my dear boy,” said the count to the young man, who came up respectfully.
“Bring me,” he thought a moment, “yes, seven hundred roubles, yes. And
mind, don't bring me such torn and dirty notes as last time; nice ones
now, for the countess.”
“Yes, Mitenka, clean ones, please,” said the countess with a depressed
sigh.
“Your excellency, when do you desire me to get the money?” said Mitenka.
“Your honour ought to know … But don't trouble,” he added, noticing
that the count was beginning to breathe rapidly and heavily, which was
always the sign of approaching anger. “I was forgetting … This minute
do you desire me to bring them?”
“Yes, yes, just so, bring them. Give them to the countess. What a treasure
that Mitenka is,” added the count, smiling, when the young man had gone
out. “He doesn't know the meaning of impossible. That's a thing I can't
bear. Everything's possible.”
“Ah, money, count, money, what a lot of sorrow it causes in the world!”
said the countess. “This money I am in great need of.”
“You are a terrible spendthrift, little countess, we all know,” said
the count, and kissing his wife's hand he went away again to his own
room.
When Anna Mihalovna came back from the Bezuhovs', the money was already
on the countess's little table, all in new notes, under her pocket-handkerchief.
Anna Mihalovna noticed that the countess was fluttered about something.
“Well, my dear?” queried the countess.
“Ah, he is in a terrible condition! One would not recognise him, he
is so ill, so ill; I was there only a minute, and did not say two words.”
“Annette, for God's sake don't refuse me,” the countess said suddenly
with a blush, which was strangely incongruous with her elderly, thin,
and dignified face, taking the money from under her handkerchief. Anna
Mihalovna instantly grasped the situation, and was already bending over
to embrace the countess at the appropriate moment.
“This is for Boris, from me, for his equipment …”
Anna Mihalovna was already embracing her and weeping. The countess
wept too. They wept because they were friends, and because they were
soft-hearted, and that they, who had been friends in youth, should have
to think of anything so base as money, and that their youth was over.…
But the tears of both were sweet to them.…
|
