Emma Watson Pussy
Books:
Anna Karenina
War And Peace
|
forbidden earthly longing) Princess Mary sighed,
and having crossed herself went down, thinking neither of her gown and
coiffure nor of how she would go in nor of what she would say. What
could all that matter in comparison with the will of God, without
Whose care not a hair of mans head can fall?
CHAPTER IV
When Princess Mary came down, Prince Vasili and his son were already
in the drawing room, talking to the little princess and Mademoiselle
Bourienne. When she entered with her heavy step, treading on her
heels, the gentlemen and Mademoiselle Bourienne rose and the little
princess, indicating her to the gentlemen, said: "Voila Marie!"
Princess Mary saw them all and saw them in detail. She saw Prince
Vasilis face, serious for an instant at the sight of her, but
immediately smiling again, and the little princess curiously noting
the impression "Marie" produced on the visitors. And she saw
Mademoiselle Bourienne, with her ribbon and pretty face, and her
unusually animated look which was fixed on him, but him she could not
see, she only saw something large, brilliant, and handsome moving
toward her as she entered the room. Prince Vasili approached first,
and she kissed the bold forehead that bent over her hand and answered
his question by saying that, on the contrary, she remembered him quite
well. Then Anatole came up to her. She still could not see him. She
only felt a soft hand taking hers firmly, and she touched with her
lips a white forehead, over which was beautiful light-brown hair
smelling of pomade. When she looked up at him she was struck by his
beauty. Anatole stood with his right thumb under a button of his
uniform, his chest expanded and his back drawn in, slightly swinging
one foot, and, with his head a little bent, looked with beaming face
at the princess without speaking and evidently not thinking about her
at all. Anatole was not quick-witted, nor ready or eloquent in
conversation, but he had the faculty, so invaluable in society, of
composure and imperturbable self-possession. If a man lacking in
self-confidence remains dumb on a first introduction and betrays a
consciousness of the impropriety of such silence and an anxiety to
find something to say, the effect is bad. But Anatole was dumb, swung
his foot, and smilingly examined the princess hair. It was evident
that he could be silent in this way for a very long time. "If anyone
finds this silence inconvenient, let him talk, but I dont want to,"
he seemed to say. Besides this, in his behavior to women Anatole had a
manner which particularly inspires in them curiosity, awe, and even
love--a supercilious consciousness of his own superiority. It was as
if he said to them: "I know you, I know you, but why should I bother
about you? Youd be only too glad, of course." Perhaps he did not
really think this when he met women--even probably he did not, for in
general he thought very little--but his looks and manner gave that
impression. The princess felt this, and as if wishing to show him that
she did not even dare expect to interest him, she turned to his
father. The conversation was general and animated, thanks to Princess
Lises voice and little downy lip that lifted over her white teeth.
She met Prince Vasili with that playful manner often employed by
lively chatty people, and consisting in the assumption that between
the person they so address and themselves there are some semi-private,
long-established jokes and amusing reminiscences, though no such
reminiscences really exist--just as none existed in this case. Prince
Vasili readily adopted her tone and the little princess also drew
Anatole, whom she hardly knew, into these amusing recollections of
things that had never occurred. Mademoiselle Bourienne also shared
them and even Princess Mary felt herself pleasantly made to share in
these merry reminiscences.
"Here at least we shall have the benefit of your company all to
ourselves, dear prince," said the little princess (of course, in
French) to Prince Vasili. "Its not as at Annettes* receptions
where you always ran away; you remember cette chere Annette!"
*Anna Pavlovna.
"Ah, but you wont talk politics to me like Annette!"
"And our little tea table?"
"Oh, yes!"
"Why is it you were never at Annettes?" the little princess asked
Anatole. "Ah, I know, I know," she said with a sly glance, "your
brother Hippolyte told me about your goings on. Oh!" and she shook her
finger at him, "I have even heard of your doings in Paris!"
"And didnt Hippolyte tell you?"
War And Peace page 127 War And Peace page 129
|
