On the 24th of June Zhilinsky, with whom Boris shared quarters, was giving a supper to hig fvench acquaintances. At this supper there were present one of Napoleon s adjutants — the guest of honour — several officers of the P'rench Guards, arid a young lad of an aristocratic old French family, a page of Napoleon'r^Jpn the same evening Rostov, taking advantage ofctkfiyidarknesBsto p&ss through unrecognised, came to Tilsit in civilian dnefls^and weftlnto'the quarters of Zhilinsky and Boris.
Rostov,bM©rithe whole army indeed, was far from having passed through that revolution of feeling, in regard to Napoleon and the French —transforming Them frojm rfoclvinto friends — that had taken place at headquar,tef ER arid in Bonajlh life army every one was still feeling the same mingl«( 4 hatred, feared, contempt for Bonaparte and the French. Only recen tJyrRostov had ij^ued with an officer of Platov’s Cossacks the question wi’^th^r jii. Napoleon taken prisoner he was to be treated
as an empfei-ott^ as a crumoalf Only a little while previously Rostov had met a. vtosttkled Fr'anli Wmk Uon the road, and had maintained to him with Heart! AtalrftBere coudtbe norgpace concluded between a legitimate emperor and thd criminal Bonaparte. Consequently it struck Rostov as strange isnseBaSirench officer^; in Bojig’s quarters wearing the uniforms at which he waslused to looking with j|ery different eyes from the line of pickets^ Ascsffeamiasebe caughtrsighFbf a French officer, that feeling of war, of hostility^ which he always experienced at the sight of the enemy, came upon ifcdBT at; once. He stood still on the threshold and asked in
Russian: JJrubetskoy lived there. Boris, hearing a strange voice
in thfe pfeGSfcnBtJaKent out to meet him. For the first moment when he recog- nisedffetfetiii'^btH fa .a betrayed his annoyance.
very glad, very glad to see you,’ he said, however,
smilijig^hi^tffMving towards him. But Rostov had detected his first
impplj^q qiH ir
;I(l^igq5^e r at a bad time, it seems,’ said he; ‘I shouldn’t have come, biBni^ ffljakfflatter of importance,’ he said coldly. . . .
;£b 9,nly surprised at your getting away from the regiment. I ■ yjou in a moment,’ he said in reply to a voice calling him. come at a bad time,’ repeated Rostov.
.egression of annoyance had by now vanished from Boris’s face; jy having reflected and made up his mind how to act, he took lim b>/ bgt’n hands with marked composure and led him into the next •bpm ; Boris's eyes, gazing serenely and unflinchingly at Rostov, seemed 1?iV (V^e \&i!ed by something, as though a sort of screen—the blue spec- Conventional life— had been put over them. So it seemed to
Rostov.;
don’t talk nonsense, as if you could come at a wrong ane,’ said Boris. Boris led him into a room where supper was laid, introduced him to his guests, mentioning his name, and explaining that he vas not a civilian, but an officer in the hussars, and his old friend. ‘Count
Zhilinsky, Count N. N., Captain S. S.,’ he^aid,?foaming his guests. Rostov looked frowning at the Frenchmen, bowed;Reluctantly, and was
mute.
ntilirf.k
Zhilinsky was obviously not pleased to receive this unknown Russian outsider into his circle, and said nothing tp'Rostov. Boris appeared not to notice the constraint produced by the ifcewcdnier, and with the same amiable composure and the same veiled lo^faflfeis eyes with which he had welcomed Rostov, he endeavoured toieidiven the conversation. With characteristic French courtesy one of theriFrdftfch officers dawhed to Rostov, as he sat in stubborn silence, and said to him that h&Md probably come to Tilsit to see the Emperor. .fffilSBfc-ic' c^SR'llBri!
‘No, I came on business,’ was Rostov&short reply. Reutov had been out of humour from the moment whence detected the dissatisfaction on the face of Boris, and as is always the'case .with persojisb^bo are ill- humoured, it seemed to him that every crje .'looked at hi'mr^ath hostile eyes, and that he was in every one’s Avay. And in faetdaTw'as in every one’s way, and he was the only person left>ou( of the general^conversation, as it sprang up again. And what is he sittiAgArb ^ie,''fon? was the question asked by the eyes of the guests turned upooBhnne He igot up and went up to Boris. • u n mils feteil ibrtn
‘I’m in your way, though,’ he said to him in dfananltetene; ‘let us have a talk about my business, and I’ll go away.’ beaiiPSj^w ad
‘Oh, no, not the least,’ said Boris, ‘But if you are; ti'Bwija atne to my room and lie down and rest.’ dvh ^y^ifMaod .•
‘Well, really . . .’ Te feigfrrfoqii
