Here Prince Ippolit gave a loud guffaw,
laughing long before any of his audience, which created an impression by no
means flattering to him. Several persons, among them the elderly lady and Anna
Pavlovna, did smile, however.
“She drove
off. Suddenly there was a violent gust of wind. The girl lost her hat, and her
long hair fell down…”
At this point he could not restrain
himself, and began laughing violently, articulating in the middle of a loud
guffaw, “And all the world knew…”
There the anecdote ended. Though no one
could understand why he had told it, and why he had insisted on telling it in
Russian, still Anna Pavlovna and several other people appreciated the social
breeding of Prince Ippolit in so agreeably putting a close to the disagreeable
and illbred outbreak of Monsieur Pierre. The conversation after this episode
broke up into small talk of no interest concerning the last and the approaching
ball, the theatre, and where and when one would meet so-and-so again.
Chapter 5
THANKING ANNA PAVLOVNA for her charmante
soirée, the guests began to take leave.
“I hope I
shall see you again, but I hope too you will change your opinions, my dear
Monsieur Pierre.”
He made no answer, simply bowed and
displayed to every one once more his smile, which said as plainly as words:
“Opinions or no opinions, you see what a nice, good-hearted fellow I am.” And
Anna Pavlovna and every one else instinctively felt this. Prince Andrey had
gone out into the hall and turning his shoulders to the footman who was ready
to put his cloak on him, he listened indifferently to his wife’s chatter with
Prince Ippolit, who had also come out into the hall. Prince Ippolit stood close
to the pretty princess, so soon to be a mother, and stared persistently straight
at her through his eyeglass.
“Go in,
Annette, you’ll catch cold,” said the little princess, saying good-bye to Anna
Pavlovna. “It is settled,” she added in a low voice.
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