Part 7

Chapter 1

           

           TheBiblelegendtellsusthattheabsenceoflabor—idleness—wasaconditionofthefirstman’sblessednessbeforetheFall.Fallenmanhasretainedaloveofidleness,butthecurseweighsontheracenotonlybecausewehavetoseekourbreadinthesweatofourbrows,butbecauseourmoralnatureissuchthatwecannotbebothidleandatease.Aninnervoicetellsusweareinthewrongifweareidle.Ifmancouldfindastateinwhichhefeltthatthoughidlehewasfulfillinghisduty,hewouldhavefoundoneoftheconditionsofman’sprimitiveblessedness.Andsuchastateofobligatoryandirreproachableidlenessisthelotofawholeclass—themilitary.Thechiefattractionofmilitaryservicehasconsistedandwillconsistinthiscompulsoryandirreproachableidleness.

           NicholasRostóvexperiencedthisblissfulconditiontothefullwhen,after1807,hecontinuedtoserveinthePávlogradregiment,inwhichhealreadycommandedthesquadronhehadtakenoverfromDenísov.

           Rostóvhadbecomeabluff,good-naturedfellow,whomhisMoscowacquaintanceswouldhaveconsideredratherbadform,butwhowaslikedandrespectedbyhiscomrades,subordinates,andsuperiors,andwaswellcontentedwithhislife.Oflate,in1809,hefoundinlettersfromhomemorefrequentcomplaintsfromhismotherthattheiraffairswerefallingintogreaterandgreaterdisorder,andthatitwastimeforhimtocomebacktogladdenandcomforthisoldparents.

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