登陆注册
15259000000330

第330章

All throughout that entr’acte Kuragin stood with Dolohov in front of the footlights staring at the Rostovs’ box. Natasha knew he was talking about her, and that afforded her satisfaction. She even turned so that he could see her profile from what she believed to be the most becoming angle. Before the beginning of the second act she observed in the stalls the figure of Pierre, whom the Rostovs had not seen since their arrival. His face looked sad, and he had grown stouter since Natasha had seen him last. He walked up to the front rows, not noticing any one. Anatole went up to him, and began saying something to him, with a look and a gesture towards the Rostovs’ box. Pierre looked pleased at seeing Natasha, and walked hurriedly along the rows of stalls towards their box. Leaning on his elbow, he talked smiling to Natasha for a long while. While she was talking to Pierre, Natasha heard a man’s voice speaking in Countess Bezuhov’s box, and something told her it was Kuragin. She looked round and met his eyes. He looked her straight in the eyes, almost smiling, with a look of such warmth and admiration that it seemed strange to be so near him, to look at him like that, to be so certain that he admired her, and not to be acquainted with him.

In the second act there was scenery representing monuments, and a hold in the drop at the back that represented the moon, and shades were put over the footlights, and trumpets and bassoons began playing, and a number of people came in on the right and on the left wearing black cloaks. These people began waving their arms, and in their hands they had something of the nature of a dagger. Then some more people ran in and began dragging away the woman who had been in white but who was now in a blue dress. They did not drag her away at once; they spent a long while singing with her; but finally they did drag her away, and behind the scenes they struck something metallic three times, and then all knelt down and began singing a prayer. All these performances were interrupted several times by the enthusiastic shouts of the spectators.

During that act, every time Natasha glanced towards the stalls, she saw Anatole Kuragin, with one arm flung across the back of his chair, staring at her. It pleased her to see that he was so captivated by her, and it never entered her head that there could be anything amiss in it.

When the second act was over, Countess Bezuhov got up, turned towards the Rostovs’ box (the whole of her bosom was completely exposed), with her gloved little finger beckoned the old count to her, and taking no notice of the men who were thronging about her box, began with an amiable smile talking to him.

“Oh, do make me acquainted with your charming daughters,” she said. “All the town is singing their praises, and I don’t know them.”

Natasha got up and curtseyed to the magnificent countess. Natasha was so delighted at the praise from this brilliant beauty that she blushed with pleasure.

“I quite want to become a Moscow resident myself,” said Ellen. “What a shame of you to bury such pearls in the country!”

Countess Bezuhov had some right to her reputation of being a fascinating woman. She could say what she did not think, especially what was flattering, with perfect simplicity and naturalness.

“No, dear count, you must let me help to entertain your daughters, though I’m not here now for very long, nor you either. But I’ll do my best to amuse them. I have heard a great deal about you in Petersburg, and wanted to know you,” she said to Natasha, with her unvarying beautiful smile. “I have heard of you, too, from my page, Drubetskoy—you have heard he is to be married—and from my husband’s friend, Bolkonsky, Prince Andrey Bolkonsky,” she said, with peculiar emphasis, by which she meant to signify that she knew in what relation he stood to Natasha. She asked that one of the young ladies might be allowed to sit through the rest of the performance in her box that they might become better acquainted, and Natasha moved into it.

In the third act the scene was a palace in which a great many candles were burning, and pictures were hanging on the walls, representing knights with beards. In the middle stood a man and a woman; probably meant for a king and a queen. The king waved his right hand, and, obviously nervous, sang something very badly, and sat down on a crimson throne. The actress, who had been in white at first and then in blue, was now in nothing but a smock, and had let her hair down. She was standing near the throne, singing something very mournful, addressed to the queen. But the king waved his hand sternly, and from the sides there came in men and women with bare legs who began dancing all together. Then the violins played very shrilly and merrily: one of the actresses, with thick, bare legs and thin arms, leaving the rest, went to the side to set straight her bodice, then walked into the middle of the stage and began skipping into the air and kicking one leg very rapidly with the other. Every one in the stalls clapped their hands and roared “bravo!” Then one man stood alone at one corner of the stage. The cymbals and trumpets struck up more loudly in the orchestra, and this man began leaping very high in the air and rapidly waving his legs. (This was Duport, who earned sixty thousand a year by this accomplishment.) Every one in the boxes and in the stalls began clapping and shouting with all their might, and the man stood still and began smiling and bowing in all directions. Then other men and women with bare legs danced; then again the king shouted something to music, and they all began singing. But suddenly a storm came on, chromatic scales and chords with the diminishing sevenths could be heard in the orchestra, and they all ran off, dragging one of the performers again behind the scenes, and the curtain dropped. Again a fearful uproar of applause arose among the spectators, and all began screaming with rapturous faces:

“Duport! Duport! Duport!”

Natasha did not now feel this strange. She looked about her with pleasure, smiling joyfully.

“Isn’t Duport admirable?” said Ellen, turning to her.

“Oh yes,” answered Natasha.

同类推荐
  • 佛说弊魔试目连经

    佛说弊魔试目连经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 金液大丹诗

    金液大丹诗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 赠山中老人

    赠山中老人

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 琴赋

    琴赋

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 篁墩文集

    篁墩文集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 庶女凰后:陛下宠妻无度

    庶女凰后:陛下宠妻无度

    【正文完结】苏轻盈原则之一:不拿白不拿,拿了都归她!苏轻盈原则之二:娇弱仙女你做,祸国妖女我做!苏轻盈原则之三:天下之大,江山之重,唯有我,一手把控!21世纪特工医官苏轻盈,意外穿越到被后母毒姐欺压的相府二小姐苏吟霜身上——哇嘞!敢欺负她,这是找死的节奏么?!不管三七二十几,灭了后母,拍飞毒姐,算计皇室,掌控朝廷……未了,她还要那高高在上,雍容无双的绝世男人!无论是锦绣江山,还是清雅王爷,她都要!庶女又如何,她苏轻盈就是要以低下的庶女之身,扛起这千金如画的江山——绝美秀致,冷若冰霜的六皇子君楚泱对她若近若离。优雅如竹,清浅似画的雍王殿下对她百般痴缠。孰对孰错,孰胜孰负。【盛宠文】
  • 我在异世卜卦的日子

    我在异世卜卦的日子

    神棍卜卦,为名为利。周巡卜卦,只为生存。世事维艰,唯有趋吉避凶。
  • 妃常舍得替代品滚远

    妃常舍得替代品滚远

    在运动会当天被铅球砸穿越,这么荒唐的事居然也能发生在林雪叶身上,醒来后自己居然成了待嫁的王妃,不会吧,怎么说呢,虽然她是个留恋花丛的蝴蝶,老天怎么这样惩罚她啊,可是这王爷也太不地道,只是把她当作替代品“给你”“什么”“休书”“为什么”“我不是替代品”
  • 大师救命啊

    大师救命啊

    从车轮下救出一名小朋友的李一倒在血泊中,不幸身亡的他,来到了一个平行世界,他发现这个世界里居然到处都是怪,人类过着朝不保夕的日子,他又如何在这个世界生存下去呢?
  • 边伯贤:再爱我一次,好么

    边伯贤:再爱我一次,好么

    边伯贤,遇见你,已足矣下辈子换我来爱你好么
  • 降妖志

    降妖志

    人,乃世间万物灵长,然造化雄奇,乾坤道法,另有它类物种,存活人间,与人共享同片天地,或藏在市井之间,或居于穷山之外,那便是妖。兽王堡少主随父初入中原,便遭逢降妖奇险,探蛇窟,入云海,登临蜀道,寻求真仙。心怀苍生以济天下,寒芒出鞘侠心茫然。披一身寂寞,邀琼月孤舞;携绝世佳人,游西海观龙。斗五族群妖,战仙侠七圣。闯南疆密林,破锁妖宝塔。终以笑谈天地之心,修得无量神通,开天地,分阴阳,乾坤重铸,日月交辉,九州大合,四海清平。
  • 京城四小

    京城四小

    他嗜酒如命,他是开封府大侠方正心的独子,也是白莲教地煞堂主,一心想成为一代大侠的他,却被迫做了一位冷血的杀手。他流连烟花柳巷、青楼等风尘之地,他地位尊贵世袭王位,是当今圣上的堂兄,但他却甘愿做一个平凡人。他富可敌国,是大宋朝第一商贾,文才武功屈指一数,本可以高榜题名的他,却做了最下等的商人。他是开封府第一金牌捕快,当今皇帝亲赐给他天下第一捕快的金牌,他不但可以自由出入皇宫,本隶属开封府衙的他,甚至可以不听从府尹的命令自行作主。他们分别是小少侠方旭、小王爷赵瑞、小铜人柳承志和小金捕霍云。有着各自命运的他们却同时爱上一个女子,她姓方也姓慕云,她原是前白莲教地煞堂主慕云冲和白莲圣女的独女。
  • 变身异能美人

    变身异能美人

    苏青原本是一名普通高中生,却因一道紫色雷电劈中后,重生到一名少女身上…
  • 恶魔殿下的绝版溺宠

    恶魔殿下的绝版溺宠

    如愿成为圣岚学院的免费生,然而没有生活费怎么办?当然是自己赚!可是悲催的她上班第一天就将一盘香辣鱼汤尽数倒到本校恶魔殿下洛亦宇的身上。要赔偿?没钱!你脱了外衣,我给你洗!啥?这还不到头?她的麻烦还在后头?终于在她毁了他价值几十万的限量版西服后,他邪恶地挑着她的下巴说道:全球限量版的西服,你可赔的起?不过如果你考虑好要做我的小女仆,我可以考虑拿你的工资来抵押!
  • 美漫大骗子

    美漫大骗子

    重生到美队里那个抢了超级血清干掉博士第一个喊出九头蛇口号的间谍外交官……的司机身上。对,就是那个仅仅给了三个镜头就被傲娇的制服特工美女给一枪爆头的小喽啰。红骷髅:“我视他如己出,他却在背后偷偷搬空我的家产。”美国队长:“我用了七十年的时间,才知道他原来就是罗恩。”钢铁侠:“看来你这七十年确实是在睡觉。”浩克:“浩克不喜欢他。”布鲁斯:“得了吧,你只是在嫉妒他比你聪明。”洛基:“我承认他是唯一和我旗鼓相当的人。”灭霸:“他骗走了我的无限手套。”