“He has made a
bad choice of his companions,” put in Princess Anna Mihalovna. “Prince
Vassily’s son—he and a young man called Dolohov, they say—God only knows the
dreadful things they’ve been doing. And both have suffered for it. Dolohov has
been degraded to the rank of a common soldier, while Bezuhov’s son has been
banished to Moscow Petersburg
“Why, what did
they do?” asked the countess.
“They’re
perfect ruffians, especially Dolohov,” said the visitor. “He’s the son of Marya
Ivanovna Dolohov, such a worthy woman, you know, but there! Only fancy, the
three of them had got hold of a bear somewhere, put it in a carriage with them,
and were taking it to some actress’s. The police ran up to stop them. They took
the police officer, tied him back to back to the bear, and dropped the bear
into the Moika: the bear swam with the police officer on him.”
“A pretty
figure he must have looked, ma chère,” cried the count, helpless with laughter.
“Ah, such a
horror! What is there to laugh at in it, count?”
But the ladies could not help laughing at
it themselves.
“It was all
they could do to rescue the unlucky man,” the visitor went on. “And that’s the
intellectual sort of amusement the son of Count Kirill Vladimirovitch Bezuhov
indulges in!” she added. “And people said he was so well educated and clever.
That’s how foreign education turns out. I hope no one will receive him here, in
spite of his great wealth. They tried to introduce him to me. I gave an
absolute refusal: I have daughters.”
“What makes
you say the young man is so wealthy?” asked the countess, turning away from the
girls, who at once looked as though they did not hear. “He has none but
illegitimate children. I believe that…Pierre
The visitor waved her hand. “He has a score
of them, I suppose.”
Princess Anna
Mihalovna interposed, obviously wishing to show her connections and intimate
knowledge with every detail in society.
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