- How'd you do that? You and all your masses came down on poor Mortier in the same division, and this Mortier goes between your hands? Where is the victory?
- However, seriously," said Prince Andrei, "we can still say without boasting that it's a little better than Ulm...
- Why didn't you take us one, even one marshal?
- Because not everything is done as expected, and not as regularly as at the parade. We figured, as I told you, that we'd be in the rear by 7:00 a.m., not by 5:00 p.m.
- Why didn't you come by 7:00 in the morning? You should have come at seven in the morning," said Bilibin, smiling, "you should have come at seven in the morning.
- Why didn't you compel Bonaparte diplomatically to leave Genoa? - Prince Andrei said in the same tone.
- I know," interrupted Bilibin, "you think it's very easy to take the marshals on the couch in front of the fireplace. That's true, but why didn't you take him? And don't be surprised that not only the Minister of War, but also the August Emperor and King Franz won't be very happy with your victory, and I, the unfortunate secretary of the Russian embassy, don't feel any special joy ...
He looked directly at Prince Andrew and suddenly lowered the collected skin from his forehead.
- Now it's my turn to ask you "why", my dear? - Bolkonsky said. - I confess to you that I do not understand, maybe there are diplomatic subtleties above my weak mind, but I do not understand: Mac loses the whole army, Archduke Ferdinand and Archduke Carl do not give any signs of life and make mistakes for mistakes, finally one Kutuzov gains a real victory, destroys the charme 4 French, and the War Minister is not even interested in knowing the details!
- That's exactly why, my dear! Voyez-vous, mon cher: 5 hooray! For the king, for Russia, for faith! Tout ça est bel et bon 6, but what do I say to us, the Austrian court, before your victories? Bring us here a good news about the victory of Archduke Carl or Ferdinand - un archiduc vaut l'autre 7, as you know, - though over the company of the Bonaparte fire brigade, it is another matter, we will warm up in cannons. Because this, as on purpose, can only tease us. Archduke Carl does nothing, Archduke Ferdinand is covered with shame. Vienna you throw, do not defend anymore, comme si vous nous disiez 8: with us God, and God with you, with your capital. One general, whom we all loved, Schmitt: you let him down and congratulate us on our victory! Agree that you can't be more irritating than the news you bring in. C'est comme un fait exprès, comme un fait exprès 9. Besides, if you'd won a brilliant victory, even Archduke Carl would have won, what would that have done to change the overall course of things? Now it's too late, when Vienna is busy with French troops.
- How busy are you? Is Vienna busy?
- Not only is she busy, but Bonaparte is in Schoenbrunn, and the count, our dear Count Vrbna, goes to him for orders.
Bolkonsky, after tiredness and impressions of the journey, reception and especially after lunch, felt that he does not understand the meaning of all the words he had heard.
- Earl of Lichtenfels was here this morning," continued Bilibin, "and showed me a letter detailing the French parade in Vienna. Le prince Murât et tout le tremblement. 10 You see that your victory is not very happy and that you cannot be accepted as a savior...
- Right, I don't care, I don't care at all! - Prince Andrei said, starting to understand that his news of the battle at Krems was really of little importance in view of events such as the occupation of the Austrian capital. - How was Vienna taken? And the bridge, the famous tête de pont 11, and Prince Auersperg? We had rumors that Prince Auersperg was defending Vienna," he said.
- Prince Auersperg stands on this side of us and protects us; I think he protects us very badly, but still protects us. And Vienna is on the other side. No, the bridge hasn't been taken yet, and I hope it won't be, because it's miniature and it has to be blown up. Otherwise we would have been in the Bohemia mountains long ago and you and your army would have spent a bad quarter of an hour between the two fires.
- But that doesn't mean the campaign is over," said Prince Andrei.
- And I think it's over. And so do the big hoods here, but do not dare say so. There will be what I said at the beginning of the campaign, that not your échauf-fourée de Dürenstein 12, will not solve the case at all, but those who invented it, - said Bilibin, repeating one of his mots 13, dissolving the skin on his forehead and stopping. - The only question is what will be said by the Berlin date of Emperor Alexander with the Prussian king. If Prussia joins the alliance, on forcera la main à l'Autriche 14, there will be a war. If not, the matter is only to agree where to make initial articles of new Campo Formio.
- But what an extraordinary genius! - Suddenly, Prince Andrei shouted, squeezing his little hand and hitting it on the table. - And what happiness to this man!
- Buonaparte? - Bilibin, the forehead wrinkle, said in a questioning way, making him feel like he was going to be un mot. —
- It can't be! - said Prince Andrei. - It would be too nasty.
- Qui vivra verra 19," said Bilibin, dissolving the skin again as a sign of the end of the conversation.
When Prince Andrei came to the room prepared for him and laid down in clean linen on down-padded down pillows and fragrant warm pillows, he felt that the battle he had brought the news of was far, far away from him. The Prussian union, the treason of Austria, the new triumph of Bonaparte, the exit, and the parade, and the reception of Emperor Franz the next day occupied him.
He closed his eyes, but at the same moment in his ears he was cracked by the canonade, fire, knocking of the crew wheels, and here again come down the mountain stretched string of musketeers, and the French shoot, and he feels, as his heart trembles, and he moves forward next to Schmidt, and the bullets whizz around him, and he feels a sense of tenfold joy of life that he has not experienced since childhood.
He woke up...
"Yes, it all happened! - He said, happily, childishly smiling at himself, and fell asleep with a strong, young dream.
1 Bilibin's reviews were scattered across Vienna's living rooms.
2 They took me in on the news, like taking a dog on a bowling alley.
3 However, my dear, with all my respect for the "Russian Orthodox army", I believe that your victory is not one of the most brilliant.
4 an invincibility pledge.
5 Well, you see.
6 It's all beautiful.
7 one Archduke is worth another.
8 as if you were telling us
9 It's like on purpose, it's like on purpose.
10 Prince Murat and everything else...
11 fortification.
12 the shooting at Dürenstein.
13 words.
14 Austria will be forced to do so.
15 we need to get him off the u.
16 just Bonaparte.
17 they say the Orthodox are robbing people cruelly... for the sake of beautiful eyes.
18 between us, my dear.
19 We'll see, we'll see.