Part 1

Chapter 1

           

           “Well,Prince,soGenoaandLuccaarenowjustfamilyestatesoftheBuonapartes.ButIwarnyou,ifyoudon’ttellmethatthismeanswar,ifyoustilltrytodefendtheinfamiesandhorrorsperpetratedbythatAntichrist—IreallybelieveheisAntichrist—Iwillhavenothingmoretodowithyouandyouarenolongermyfriend,nolongermy‘faithfulslave,’asyoucallyourself!Buthowdoyoudo?IseeIhavefrightenedyou—sitdownandtellmeallthenews.”

           ItwasinJuly,1805,andthespeakerwasthewell-knownAnnaPávlovnaSchérer,maidofhonorandfavoriteoftheEmpressMáryaFëdorovna.WiththesewordsshegreetedPrinceVasíliKurágin,amanofhighrankandimportance,whowasthefirsttoarriveatherreception.AnnaPávlovnahadhadacoughforsomedays.Shewas,asshesaid,sufferingfromlagrippe;grippebeingthenanewwordinSt.Petersburg,usedonlybytheelite.

           Allherinvitationswithoutexception,writteninFrench,anddeliveredbyascarlet-liveriedfootmanthatmorning,ranasfollows:

           “Ifyouhavenothingbettertodo,Count(orPrince),andiftheprospectofspendinganeveningwithapoorinvalidisnottooterrible,Ishallbeverycharmedtoseeyoutonightbetween7and10—AnnetteSchérer.”

           “Heavens!whatavirulentattack!”repliedtheprince,notintheleastdisconcertedbythisreception.Hehadjustentered,wearinganembroideredcourtuniform,kneebreeches,andshoes,andhadstarsonhisbreastandasereneexpressiononhisflatface.

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