登陆注册
4793600000342

第342章

ANATOLE had lately moved into Dolohov’s quarters. The plan for the abduction of Natasha Rostov had been all planned out and prepared several days before by Dolohov, and on the day when Sonya had listened at Natasha’s door and resolved to protect her, that plan was to be put into execution. Natasha had promised to come out to Kuragin at the back entrance at ten o’clock in the evening. Kuragin was to get her into a sledge that was to be all ready with three horses in it, and to drive her off sixty versts from Moscow to the village of Kamenka, where an unfrocked priest was in readiness to perform a marriage ceremony over them. At Kamenka a relay of horses was to be in readiness, which was to take them as far as the Warsaw road, and thence they were to hasten abroad by means of post-horses.

Anatole had a passport and an order for post-horses and ten thousand roubles borrowed from his sister, and ten thousand more raised by the assistance of Dolohov.

The two witnesses of the mock marriage ceremony—Hvostikov, once a petty official, a man of whom Dolohov made use at cards, and Makarin, a retired hussar, a weak and good-natured man, whose devotion to Kuragin was unbounded—were sitting over their tea in the outer room.

In Dolohov’s big study, decorated from the walls to the ceiling with Persian rugs, bearskins, and weapons, Dolohov was sitting in a travelling tunic and high boots in front of an open bureau on which lay accounts and bundles of bank notes. Anatole, in an unbuttoned uniform, was walking to and fro from the room where the witnesses were sitting through the study into a room behind, where his French valet with some other servants was packing up the last of his belongings. Dolohov was reckoning up money and noting down sums.

“Well,” he said, “you will have to give Hvostikov two thousand.”

“Well, give it him then,” said Anatole.

“Makarka now” (their name for Makarin), “he would go through fire and water for you with nothing to gain by it. Well, here then, our accounts are finished,” said Dolohov, showing him the paper. “That’s all right?”

“Yes, of course, it’s all right,” said Anatole, evidently not attending to Dolohov, and looking straight before him with a smile that never left his face.

Dolohov shut the bureau with a slam, and turned to Anatole with a ironical smile.

“But I say, you drop it all; there’s still time!” he said.

“Idiot!” said Anatole. “Leave off talking rubbish. If only you knew.… Devil only knows what this means to me!”

“You’d really better drop it,” said Dolohov. “I’m speaking in earnest. It’s no joking matter this scheme of yours.”

“Why, teasing again, again? Go to the devil! Eh.…” said Anatole, frowning. “Really, I’m in no humour for your stupid jokes.” And he went out of the room.

Dolohov smiled a contemptuous and supercilious smile when Anatole had gone.

“Wait a bit,” he called after Anatole. “I’m not joking. I’m in earnest. Come here, come here!”

Anatole came back into the room, and trying to concentrate his attention, looked at Dolohov, obviously obeying him unwillingly.

“Listen to me. I’m speaking to you for the last time. What should I want to joke with you for? Have I ever thwarted you? Who was it arranged it all for you? Who found your priest? Who took your passport? Who got you your money? It has all been my doing.”

“Well, and thank you for it. Do you suppose I’m not grateful?” Anatole sighed and embraced Dolohov.

“I have helped you; but still I ought to tell you the truth: it’s a dangerous business, and if you come to think of it, it’s stupid. Come, you carry her off, well and good. Do you suppose they’ll let it rest? It will come out that you are married. Why, they will have you up on a criminal charge, you know …”

“Oh, nonsense, nonsense!” said Anatole, frowning again. “Why, didn’t I explain to you? Eh?” and Anatole, with that peculiar partiality (common in persons of dull brain), for any conclusion to which they have been led by their own mental processes, repeated the argument he had repeated a hundred times over to Dolohov already. “Why, I explained it, I settled that. If this marriage is invalid,” he said, crooking his finger, “then it follows I’m not answerable for it. Well, and if it is valid, it won’t matter. No one will ever know of it abroad, so, you see, it’s all right, isn’t it? And don’t talk to me; don’t talk to me; don’t talk to me!”

“Really, you drop it. You’ll get yourself into a mess …”

“You go to the devil!” said Anatole, and clutching at his hair he went off into the next room, but at once returning he sat with his legs up on an arm-chair close to Dolohov and facing him. “Devil only knows what’s the matter with me! Eh? See how it beats.” He took Dolohov’s hand and put it on his heart. “Ah, what a foot, my dear boy, what a glance! A goddess!” he said in French. “Eh?”

Dolohov, with a cold smile and a gleam in his handsome impudent eyes, looked at him, obviously disposed to get a little more amusement out of him.

“Well, your money will be gone, what then?”

“What then? Eh?” repeated Anatole, with genuine perplexity at the thought of the future. “What then? I don’t know what then … Come, why talk nonsense?” He looked at his watch. “It’s time!”

Anatole went into the back room.

“Well, will you soon have done? You’re dawdling there,” he shouted at the servants.

Dolohov put away the money; and calling a servant to give him orders about getting something to eat and drink before the journey, he went into the room where Hvostikov and Makarin were sitting.

同类推荐
  • 宋元学案

    宋元学案

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 防海纪略

    防海纪略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神峰通考

    神峰通考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 十二缘生祥瑞经

    十二缘生祥瑞经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Little Man

    The Little Man

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 大唐顺宗(唐朝吴老二)

    大唐顺宗(唐朝吴老二)

    下岗教师李颂,醉酒后醒来发觉:自己躺在皇帝的床上——成了大唐顺宗?!可是唐顺宗已中风多日,没几天可活了。为了找个喝醉酒再穿越回去的机会,李颂决定暂时装一下唐顺宗。可是,想找到这个机会,就要身体健康活得久些;想活得久些,就要……
  • 与你相遇好幸运

    与你相遇好幸运

    国内法医甘甜甜为了躲避母亲大人的相亲轰炸,背起行囊逃到意大利留学,刚踏上意大利的土地就碰到了抢劫的人,甘甜甜随手拉开的警车,竟为她开启了和暖萌浪漫的意大利汉子卢卡默爱情之旅。他神秘莫测却如影随形,甘甜甜不管在哪,似乎都可以看到这个魅力满分的意大利汉子。“卢卡!你特么到底是哪个行业的?巡警车里有你!火警车里有你!省财政办公室里也有你!现在连大广场上卖艺都有你的份儿!”“你不知道这首歌叫什么名字?”“想要大声说爱你……你到底,明不明白啊?”故事的最终,都是王子跟公主幸福快乐地生活在一起,纵使我不是公主,你也只不过是个没落的贵族,但是我们也可以——幸福而快乐地生活在一起。就像童话的结局,一样美好。
  • 虚静冲和先生徐神翁语录

    虚静冲和先生徐神翁语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 生存之末世为王

    生存之末世为王

    新书已发布,求收藏,详见作者其他作品。2020年9月12日一颗脱离了轨道的彗星冲向了地球,彗星虽然被击中但是仍有大量的碎片飞向地球,地球上的人们连续3天看到了绚烂的流星雨,人们不知道的是碎片中一种人类未知的病毒随同碎片一同冲向了地球,一场几近灭绝人类的浩劫自此开始。
  • 烟屿楼笔记

    烟屿楼笔记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 清穿之茗后

    清穿之茗后

    茗后,世宗孝纯宪皇后,瓜尔佳氏,满洲正白旗,弟大学士瓜尔佳佳桓。世宗雍正为皇子时,生育有功,晋侧福晋。雍正元年,初封贵妃;雍正九年,为皇贵妃,摄六宫事;雍正十年,册为皇后。——————————————————————穿越清朝,玉瑶的金手指只有上辈子记忆。她想过悠闲点的生活,可家族不允许,还想将她送入历史上在位六十年的乾隆帝后院当小妾。想想就累得慌,或许,她还活不了那么长。若硬要跟皇帝扯上关系,还不如当雍正帝的妃子。至少她有自信活过雍正,当太妃,后半辈子就悠闲多了。明明她只是想当太妃,后宫却逼着她成了太后!
  • 青木仙缘

    青木仙缘

    天道紊乱,地世污浊,世人很难找到绝对的乐土,有心之人总想重塑这世道,以他的意念为构造体系,为此他们在努力着,争斗了千万年,也终没个结果,却一直被压制着,可是一有机会他们就会重燃斗志,他们总说‘好人不长命,坏人活千年’,以杀戮他们所判断的邪恶之徒,助修行提升自己的实力,他们的力量实在很强大,一旦失败就被封印千年之久,这个紊乱的天道如今也安宁了近千年了,云莱镇外的孕灵山正在一天天的成长,这里是珍贵药材的产地,这里充满了灵气也更加神秘,千百年来人们都在此搜猎自己所需·····
  • 金鱼之粪

    金鱼之粪

    “插播一则最新新闻。2015年8月11日晚九点,位于江城某小区的居民宋美仪女士于家中挥刀砍死其配偶季先生,并对其养子实施残忍的家暴。其邻居张先生在察觉到事态不对之后,及时拨打了报警电话。警方赶到现场时,宋美仪已畏罪潜逃,季某虽被警察及时解救,身上却有多处疤痕淤青,有些疤痕甚至能追溯到四年前。据悉此次案件的受害人季某已被送往孤儿院暂时安顿,而畏罪潜逃的宋美仪仍下落不明,警方目前仍在对其进行地毯式的搜索中。以上是警方提供的犯罪嫌疑人宋美仪的照片,为了维护社会的公正以及治安,如有市民见到宋美仪,请立即拨打报警电话。”
  • 赠严司直

    赠严司直

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 重生九零逆袭娇妻

    重生九零逆袭娇妻

    上辈子,大姐跳楼,二姐被重男轻女丈夫赶出家门,三姐遇到妈宝男,她过劳猝死……这辈子,重生了…………新书《福气包带着空间重生了》已发,请收藏推荐。作者坑品保证,已有百万完结文,从无断更。