orn face, who seemed rather out of her element in this brilliant society, the company was broken up into three groups. In one of these, the more masculine, the centre was the abbé; in the other,

p were Mortemart

e was giving her guests. As a clever ma?tre d'h?tel serves as something superlatively good the piece of beef which no one would have cared to eat seeing it in the dirty kitchen, Anna Pavlovna that evening served up to her guests - first, the vicomte and then the abbé,

vna gleefully, feeling that the phrase had a peculiarly

is readiness to obey. Anna Pavlovna made a circle roun

rfectly," she said to another. "How one sees the man of quality," she said to a third, and the vicomte was presented to

to begin his narrative

vlovna to the young beauty who was sitting a

make way for her. Not looking directly at any one, but smiling at every one, as it were courteously allowing to all the right to admire the beauty of her figure, her full shoulders, her bosom and back, which were extremely exposed in the mode of the day, she moved up to Anna Pavlovna, seeming to bring wit

thing extraordinary, the vicomte shrugged his shoulders and dropped his eyes, wh

s before such an audience,"

y with its line changed by pressure on the table, then at her still lovelier bosom, on which she set straight her diamond necklace. Several times she settled the folds of her gown and when the narrative made a sensation upon the

d. "Come, what are you thinking of?" she sa

one, at once effected a change of position, and

n, she took up her work. Prince Ippolit brought her reticule, mo

joyous life, with the complacent, never-failing smile of youth and life and an extraordinary antique beauty of figure. The brother's face on the contrary was clouded over by imbecility and invariably wore a look of aggressi

rincess and hurriedly fixing his eyeglass in his eye, as

w," said the astonished

Ippolit in a tone which showed that he uttered

he vicomte very charmingly related the anecdote then current, that the duc d'Enghien had secretly visited Paris for the sake of an interview with the actress, Mlle. Georges, and that there he met Bonaparte, who also enjoyed the favours of the celebrated actr

ion that the interest and charm of the story prevented her working. The vicomte appreciated this silent homage, and smiling gratefully, resumed his narrative. But meanwhile Anna Pavlovna, still keeping a watch on the dreadful young man, noticed that he was talking too loudly and too warmly with the abbé and hurried to the spot of d

balance of power?" Pierre was beginning; but at that moment Anna Pavlovna came up, and glancing severely at Pierre, asked the Italian how he was supporting the climate. The Italian's face changed instantly and assumed the look of offensive, affected sweetness, which was evidently its habitual expression in conversation with women. "I am

eary, bored expression to his slow, measured step, formed the most striking contrast to his lively little wife. Obviously all the people in the drawing-room were familiar figures to him, and more than that, he was unmistakably so sick of them that even to look at them and to l

or the war, prince?"

nd enough to have me as an a

e, your

ing into t

f you to rob us of

me coquettish tone in which she spoke to outsiders, "the vicomte

me in, went up to him and took hold of his arm. Prince Andrey, without looking round, twisted his face into a grimace of annoy

in such society too

ng to supper with you," he added in an undertone, not

o understand that there was no need to ask. He would have said something more, but at that in

prevent him from getting up from his seat. "This luckless fête at the ambassador's deprives me of a

chairs, and the smile glowed more brightly than ever on her handsome face. Pierre look

y!" said Pr

" said

Vassily took Pierre by the arm

th me for a month, and this is the first time I have seen him in society