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Among the innumerable categories applicable to the phenomena
of human life one may discriminate between those in which substance
prevails and those in which form prevails. To the latter- as distinguished
from village, country, provincial, or even Moscow life- we may
allot Petersburg life, and especially the life of its salons.
That life of the salons is unchanging. Since the year 1805 we
had made peace and had again quarreled with Bonaparte and had
made constitutions and unmade them again, but the salons of Anna
Pavlovna Helene remained just as they had been- the one seven
and the other five years before. At Anna Pavlovna's they talked
with perplexity of Bonaparte's successes just as before and saw
in them and in the subservience shown to him by the European sovereigns
a malicious conspiracy, the sole object of which was to cause
unpleasantness and anxiety to the court circle of which Anna Pavlovna
was the representative. And in Helene's salon, which Rumyantsev
himself honored with his visits, regarding Helene as a remarkably
intelligent woman, they talked with the same ecstasy in 1812 as
in 1808 of the "great nation" and the "great man,"
and regretted our rupture with France, a rupture which, according
to them, ought to be promptly terminated by peace.
Of late, since the Emperor's return from the army, there had
been some excitement in these conflicting salon circles and some
demonstrations of hostility to one another, but each camp retained
its own tendency. In Anna Pavlovna's circle only those Frenchmen
were admitted who were deep-rooted legitimists, and patriotic
views were expressed to the effect that one ought not to go to
the French theater and that to maintain the French troupe was
costing the government as much as a whole army corps. The progress
of the war was eagerly followed, and only the reports most flattering
to our army were circulated. In the French circle of Helene and
Rumyantsev the reports of the cruelty of the enemy and of the
war were contradicted and all Napoleon's attempts at conciliation
were discussed. In that circle they discountenanced those who
advised hurried preparations for a removal to Kazan of the court
and the girls' educational establishments under the patronage
of the Dowager Empress. In Helene's circle the war in general
was regarded as a series of formal demonstrations which would
very soon end in peace, and the view prevailed expressed by Bilibin-
who now in Petersburg was quite at home in Helene's house, which
every clever man was obliged to visit- that not by gunpowder but
by those who invented it would matters be settled. In that circle
the Moscow enthusiasm- news of which had reached Petersburg simultaneously
with the Emperor's return- was ridiculed sarcastically and very
cleverly, though with much caution.
Anna Pavlovna's circle on the contrary was enraptured by this
enthusiasm and spoke of it as Plutarch speaks of the deeds of
the ancients. Prince Vasili, who still occupied his former important
posts, formed a connecting link between these two circles. He
visited his "good friend Anna Pavlovna" as well as his
daughter's "diplomatic salon," and often in his constant
comings and goings between the two camps became confused and said
at Helene's what he should have said at Anna Pavlovna's and vice
versa.
Soon after the Emperor's return Prince Vasili in a conversation
about the war at Anna Pavlovna's severely condemned Barclay de
Tolly, but was undecided as to who ought to be appointed commander
in chief. One of the visitors, usually spoken of as "a man
of great merit," having described how he had that day seen
Kutuzov, the newly chosen chief of the Petersburg militia, presiding
over the enrollment of recruits at the Treasury, cautiously ventured
to suggest that Kutuzov would be the man to satisfy all requirements.
Anna Pavlovna remarked with a melancholy smile that Kutuzov
had done nothing but cause the Emperor annoyance.
"I have talked and talked at the Assembly of the Nobility,"
Prince Vasili interrupted, "but they did not listen to me.
I told them his election as chief of the militia would not please
the Emperor. They did not listen to me.
"It's all this mania for opposition," he went on.
"And who for? It is all because we want to ape the foolish
enthusiasm of those Muscovites," Prince Vasili continued,
forgetting for a moment that though at Helene's one had to ridicule
the Moscow enthusiasm, at Anna Pavlovna's one had to be ecstatic
about it. But he retrieved his mistake at once. "Now, is
it suitable that Count Kutuzov, the oldest general in Russia,
should preside at that tribunal? He will get nothing for his pains!
How could they make a man commander in chief who cannot mount
a horse, who drops asleep at a council, and has the very worst
morals! A good reputation he made for himself at Bucharest! I
don't speak of his capacity as a general, but at a time like this
how they appoint they appoint a decrepit, blind old man, positively
blind? A fine idea to have a blind general! He can't see anything.
To play blindman's bluff? He can't see at all!"
No one replied to his remarks.
This was quite correct on the twenty-fourth of July. But on
the twenty-ninth of July Kutuzov received the title of Prince.
This might indicate a wish to get rid of him, and therefore Prince
Vasili's opinion continued to be correct though he was not now
in any hurry to express it. But on the eighth of August a committee,
consisting of Field Marshal Saltykov, Arakcheev, Vyazmitinov,
Lopukhin, and Kochubey met to consider the progress of the war.
This committee came to the conclusion that our failures were due
to a want of unity in the command and though the members of the
committee were aware of the Emperor's dislike of Kutuzov, after
a short deliberation they agreed to advise his appointment as
commander in chief. That same day Kutuzov was appointed commander
in chief with full powers over the armies and over the whole region
occupied by them.
On the ninth of August Prince Vasili at Anna Pavlovna's again
met the "man of great merit." The latter was very attentive
to Anna Pavlovna because he wanted to be appointed director of
one of the educational establishments for young ladies. Prince
Vasili entered the room with the air of a happy conqueror who
has attained the object of his desires.
"Well, have you heard the great news? Prince Kutuzov
is field marshal! All dissensions are at an end! I am so glad,
so delighted! At last we have a man!" said he, glancing sternly
and significantly round at everyone in the drawing room.
The "man of great merit," despite his desire to
obtain the post of director, could not refrain from reminding
Prince Vasili of his former opinion. Though this was impolite
to Prince Vasili in Anna Pavlovna's drawing room, and also to
Anna Pavlovna herself who had received the news with delight,
he could not resist the temptation.
"But, Prince, they say he is blind!" said he, reminding
Prince Vasili of his own words.
"Eh? Nonsense! He sees well enough," said Prince
Vasili rapidly, in a deep voice and with a slight cough- the voice
and cough with which he was wont to dispose of all difficulties.
"He sees well enough," he added. "And what
I am so pleased about," he went on, "is that our sovereign
has given him full powers over all the armies and the whole region-
powers no commander in chief ever had before. He is a second autocrat,"
he concluded with a victorious smile.
"God grant it! God grant it!" said Anna Pavlovna.
The "man of great merit," who was still a novice
in court circles, wishing to flatter Anna Pavlovna by defending
her former position on this question, observed:
"It is said that the Emperor was reluctant to give Kutuzov
those powers. They say he blushed like a girl to whom Joconde
is read, when he said to Kutuzov: 'Your Emperor and the Fatherland
award you this honor.'
"Perhaps the heart took no part in that speech,"
said Anna Pavlovna.
"Oh, no, no!" warmly rejoined Prince Vasili, who
would not now yield Kutuzov to anyone; in his opinion Kutuzov
was not only admirable himself, but was adored by everybody. "No,
that's impossible," said he, "for our sovereign appreciated
him so highly before."
"God grant only that Prince Kutuzov assumes real power
and does not allow anyone to put a spoke in his wheel," observed
Anna Pavlovna.
Understanding at once to whom she alluded, Prince Vasili said
in a whisper:
"I know for a fact that Kutuzov made it an absolute condition
that the Tsarevich should not be with the army. Do you know what
he said to the Emperor?"
And Prince Vasili repeated the words supposed to have been
spoken by Kutuzov to the Emperor. "I can neither punish him
if he does wrong nor reward him if he does right."
"Oh, a very wise man is Prince Kutuzov! I have known
him a long time!"
"They even say," remarked the "man of great
merit" who did not yet possess courtly tact, "that his
excellency made it an express condition that the sovereign himself
should not be with the army."
As soon as he said this both Prince Vasili and Anna Pavlovna
turned away from him and glanced sadly at one another with a sigh
at his naivete.
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