He turned away with repugnance, and shutting his eyes, made haste a huddle up again on the seat of the carriage. ‘No, I don’t want that; I pn’t want to see and understand that; I want to understand what was ; ?vealed to me in my sleep. Another second and I should have understood
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it all. But what am I to do? To harness, but how harness all together? And Pierre felt with horror that the whole meaning of what he had seer and thought in his dream had slipped away.
The groom, the coachman, and the porter told Pierre that an office) had come with the news that the French were advancing on Mozhaisk and our troops were retreating.
Pierre got up, and ordering the carriage to be got out and to drive aftei him, crossed the town on foot.
The troops were marching out, leaving tens of thousands of woundec behind. The wounded could be seen at the windows of the houses, anc were crowding the yards and streets. Screams, oaths, and blows coulc be heard in the streets about the carts which were to carry away the wounded. Pierre put his carriage at the service of a wounded genera of his acquaintance, and drove with him to Moscow. On the way h( was told of the death of his brother-in-law, Anatole, and of the death o Prince Andrey.
X
On the 30th Pierre returned to Moscow. Almost at the city gates he wa met by an adjutant of Count Rastoptchin’s.
‘Why, we have been looking for you everywhere,’ said the adjutant ‘The count urgently wants to see you. He begs you to come to him a! once on very important business.’ Instead of going home, Pierre hailed ; cab-driver and drove to the governor’s.
Count Rastoptchin had only that morning arrived from his summe villa at Sokolniky. The ante-room and waiting-room in the count’s hous were full of officials, who had been summoned by him, or had come to hir for instructions. Vassiltchekov and Platov had already seen the couni and informed him that the defence of Moscow was out of the questior and the city would be surrendered. Though the news was being conceale from the citizens, the heads of various departments and officials of differ ent kinds knew that Moscow would soon be in the hands of the enem} just as Count Rastoptchin knew it. And all of them to escape persorn responsibility had come to the governor to inquire how to act in regard t the offices in their charge.
At the moment when Pierre went into the waiting-room, a courie from the army was just coming out from an interview with the coun The courier waved his hand with a hopeless air at the questions wit which he was besieged, and walked across the room.
While he waited, Pierre watched with weary eyes the various officials- young, old, military, and civilian, important and insignificant—wl were gathered together in the room. All seemed dissatisfied and uneas; Pierre went up to one group of functionaries, among whom he recognise an acquaintance. After greeting him, they went on with their conversatio ‘Well, to send out and bring back again would be no harm; but : the present position of affairs there’s no answering for anything.’
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‘But look here, what he writes,’ said another, pointing to a printed japer he held in his hand.
‘That’s a different matter. That’s necessary for the common people,’ ;aid the first.
‘What is it?’ asked Pierre.
‘The new proclamation.’
Pierre took it and began to read.
‘His highness the prince has passed Mozhaisk, so as to unite with the roops that are going to join him, and has taken up a strong position, vhere the enemy cannot attack him suddenly. Forty-eight cannon with hells have been sent him from here, and his highness declares that he vill defend Moscow to the last drop of blood, and is ready even to fight n the streets. Don’t mind, brothers, that the courts of justice are closed; re must take our measures, and we’ll deal with miscreants in our own ashion. When the time comes, I shall have need of some gallant fellows, ioth of town and country. I will give the word in a couple of days; but iow there’s no need, and I hold my peace. The axe is useful; the pike, oo, is not to be despised; but best of all is the three-pronged fork: a Tenchman is no heavier than a sheaf of rye. To-morrow after dinner, shall take the Iversky Holy Mother to St. Catherine’s Hospital to the rounded. There we will consecrate the water; they will soon be well gain. I, too, am well now; one of my eyes was bad, but now I look well ut of both.’
‘Why, I was told by military men,’ said Pierre, ‘that there could be no ighting in the town itself, and the position . . .’
‘To be sure, that’s just what we are saying,’ said the first speaker. ‘But what does that mean: “One of my eyes was bad, but now I look ut of both”?’ asked Pierre.
