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"I am starting on a journey of inspection, and ofcourse I shall think nothing of an extra (http://www.par-set.ru/) seventy miles to come and seeyou at the same time, my honored benefactor," wrote Prince Vasili.""It seems that there will be no need to bring Mary out, suitorsare coming to us of their own accord," incautiously remarked thelittle princess on hearing the news (http://www.par-set.ru/).A fortnight after the letter Prince Vasili's servants came oneevening in advance of him, and he and his son arrived next day. Andnow, from the hints contained in his letter and given by the littleprincess, he saw which way the wind was blowing, and his low opinionchanged into a feeling of contemptuous ill will. On the day of Prince Vasili's arrival, PrinceBolkonski was particularly discontented (http://www.par-set.ru/) and out of temper."Do you hear how he's walking?" said Tikhon, drawing the architect'sattention to the sound (http://www.par-set.ru/) of the prince's footsteps... It had snowed the daybefore and the path to the hothouse, along which the prince was in thehabit of walking, had been swept: the marks of the broom were stillvisible in the snow and a shovel had been left sticking in one ofthe soft snowbanks that bordered both sides of the path."Can a sleigh pass?" he asked his overseer, a venerable man,resembling his master in manners and looks, who was accompanying himback to the house. I am having the avenue swept, your honor. "God bethanked," thought the overseer, "the storm has blown over!""It would have been hard to drive up, your honor," he added."The prince turned round (http://www.par-set.ru/) to the overseer and fixed his eyes on him,frowning. "The road is not swept for the princess mydaughter, but for a minister! For me, there are no ministers!""Your honor, I thought.. "You thought!...I'll teach you to think!" and lifting his stick he swung it andwould have hit Alpatych, the overseer, had not the latterinstinctively avoided the blow.. Blackguards..But although Alpatych, frightened at his own te!
merity i
n avoidingthe stroke, came up to the prince, bowing his bald head resignedlybefore him, or perhaps for that very reason, the prince, though hecontinued to shout: "Blackgaurds!..Before dinner, Princess Mary and Mademoiselle Bourienne, who knewthat the prince was in a bad humor, stood awaiting him; MademoiselleBourienne with a radiant face that said: "I know nothing, I am thesame as usual," and Princess Mary pale, frightened, and withdowncast eyes. She thought: "If I seem not to notice he will think that I do notsympathize with him; if I seem sad and out of spirits myself, hewill say (as he has done before) that I'm in the dumps."Fool.."And the other one is not here."Where is the princess?" he asked. It is natural in her state.His plate seemed to him not quite clean, and pointing to a spot heflung it away. The littleprincess was not unwell, but had such an overpowering fear of theprince that, hearing he was in a bad humor, she had decided not toappear."In general at Bald Hills the little princess lived in constant fear,and with a sense of antipathy to the old prince which she did notrealize because the fear was so much (http://www.par-set.ru/) the stronger feeling. When the little princess had grown accustomed tolife at Bald Hills, she took a special fancy to MademoiselleBourienne, spent whole days with her, asked her to sleep in herroom, and often talked with her about the old prince and criticizedhim. "HisExcellency Prince Vasili Kuragin and his son, I understand?" shesaid (http://www.par-set.ru/) inquiringly... "Why his son is coming I don'tunderstand. I don'twant him.) "Are you unwelltoday? Eh? Afraid of the 'minister' as that idiot Alpatych calledhim this morning?""No, mon pere.After dinner, he went to see his daughter-in-law. She grew pale on seeing her father-in-law. She was now plain rather than pretty."Yes, I feel a kind of oppression," she said in reply to theprince's question as to how she felt.Old Prince Nicholas Bolkonski received a letter from Prince Vasiliin November, 1805, announcing that h!
e and hi
s son would be payinghim a visit. "Myson Anatole is accompanying me on his way to the army, so I hope youwill allow him personally to express the deep respect that,emulating his father, he feels for you.Prince Nicholas frowned, but said nothing.Old Bolkonski had always had a poor opinion of Prince Vasili'scharacter, but more so recently, since in the new reigns of Paul andAlexander Prince Vasili had risen to high position and honors. He snorted wheneverhe mentioned him. Whetherhe was in a bad temper because (http://par-set.ru/) Prince Vasili was coming, or whetherhis being in a bad temper made him specially annoyed at PrinceVasili's visit, he was in a bad temper, and in the morning Tikhonhad already advised the architect not to go to the prince with hisreport. "Stepping flat onhis heels--we know what that means.."However, at nine o'clock the prince, in his velvet coat with a sablecollar and cap, went out for his usual walk. The princewent through the conservatories, the serfs' quarters, and theoutbuildings, frowning and silent."The snow is deep."The prince bowed his head and went up to the porch. "Iheard, your honor, that a minister is coming to visit your honor."What? A minister? What minister? Who gave orders?" he said in hisshrill, harsh voice..""You thought!" shouted (http://www.par-set.ru/) the prince, his words coming more and morerapidly and indistinctly.. Rascals! Blackgaurds!.. "Thought..." shoutedthe prince rapidly.. Throw the snow back on the road!"did not lift his stick again but hurried into the house. What she found hardest to bear was to know that on suchoccasions she ought to behave like Mademoiselle Bourienne, but couldnot."The prince looked at his daughter's frightened face and snorted.. or dummy!" he muttered. They've been telling tales," hethought--referring to the little (http://www.par-set.ru/) princess who was not in the diningroom. "Hiding?""She is not very well," answered Mademoiselle Bourienne with abright smile, "so she won't come down.""Hm! Hm!" muttered the prince, sitting do!
wn. Tikh
on caught it and handed it to a footman."I am afraid for the baby," she said to Mademoiselle Bourienne:"Heaven knows what a fright might do. Theprince reciprocated this antipathy, but it was overpowered by hiscontempt for her.www.par-set.ru (http://www.par-set.ru/)"So we are to have visitors, mon prince?" remarked MademoiselleBourienne, unfolding her white napkin with her rosy fingers."Hm!--his excellency is a puppy.. I got him his appointment in theservice," said the prince disdainfully. Perhaps Princess Elizabeth and Princess Mary know." (He looked at his blushing daughter."Though Mademoiselle Bourienne had been so unsuccessful in her choiceof a subject, she did not stop talking, but chattered about theconservatories and the beauty of a flower that had just opened, andafter the soup the prince became more genial. The littleprincess was sitting at a small table, chattering with Masha, hermaid.She was much altered. Hercheeks had sunk, her lip was drawn up, and her eyes drawn down.
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