On Ellen’s name-day, Prince Vassily was giving a little supper party of just their own people, as his wife said, that is, of friends and relations. All these friends and relations were made to feel that the day was to be a momentous one in the young lady’s life. The guests were seated at supper. Princess Kuragin, a massive woman of imposing presence, who had once been beautiful, sat in the hostess’ place, with the most honoured guests on each side of her—an old general and his wife, and Anna Pavlovna Scherer. Towards the bottom of the table sat the less elderly and less honoured guests, and there too sat as members of the family Pierre and Ellen, side by side. Prince Vassily did not take supper. He moved to and fro about the table, in excellent spirits, sitting down beside one guest after another. To every one he dropped a few careless and agreeable words, except to Pierre and Ellen, whose presence he seemed not to notice. Prince Vassily enlivened the whole company. The wax candles burned brightly, there was a glitter of silver and crystal on the table, of ladies’ ornaments and the gold and silver of epaulettes. The servants threaded their way in and out round the table in their red coats. There was a clatter of knives, glasses, and plates, and the sound of eager talk from several separate conversations round the table. The old kammer- herr at one end could be heard asseverating to an elderly baroness his ardent love for her, while she laughed. At the other end an anecdote was being told of the ill-success of some Marya Viktorovna. In the centre Prince Vassily concentrated the attention on himself. With a playful ;mile on his lips, he was telling the ladies about the last Wednesday’s session of the privy council, at which Sergey Kuzmitch Vyazmitinov, ifhe new military governor-general of Petersburg, had received and read ii rescript—much talked of at the time—from the Emperor Alexander Pavlovitch. The Emperor, writing from the army to Sergey Kuzmitch, lad said that on all sides he was receiving proofs of the devotion of his people, and that the testimony from Petersburg was particularly gratify- ng to him, that he was proud of the honour of being at the head of such . people, and would do his best to be worthy of it. This rescript began yith the words: ‘Sergey Kuzmitch. From all sides reports reach me,’ etc.
‘So that he never got further with it than “Sergey Kuzmitch,” ’ one lidy asked.
‘No, no, not a syllable,’ Prince Vassily answered laughing. ‘ “Ser- ey Kuzmitch . . . from all sides.” “From all sides . . . Sergey Kuz- litch. . . Poor Vyazmitinov could not get any further. Several time;
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he started upon the letter again, but no sooner did he utter “Sergey,” . . . than a sniff . . . “Kuz . . . mi . . . itch”—tears . . . and “from all sides” is smothered in sobs, and he can get no further. And again the handkerchief and again “Sergey Kuzmitch from all sides” and tears, ... so that we begged some one else to read it. . . .’
‘ “Kuzmitch . . . from all sides” . . . and tears. . . .’ some one repeated, laughing.
‘Don’t be naughty,’ said Anna Pavlovna, from thp other end of the table, shaking her finger at him. ‘He is such a worthy, excellent man, our good Vyazmitinov.’
