Book Six: 1808-10 - Chapter XX

by Leo Tolstoy

　　One morning Colonel Berg, whom Pierre knew as he knew everybody inMoscow and Petersburg, came to see him. Berg arrived in animmaculate brand-new uniform, with his hair pomaded and brushedforward over his temples as the Emperor Alexander wore his hair.

　　"I have just been to see the countess, your wife. Unfortunatelyshe could not grant my request, but I hope, Count, I shall be morefortunate with you," he said with a smile.

　　"What is it you wish, Colonel? I am at your service."

　　"I have now quite settled in my new rooms, Count" (Berg said thiswith perfect conviction that this information could not but beagreeable), "and so I wish to arrange just a small party for my ownand my wife's friends." (He smiled still more pleasantly.) "I wishedto ask the countess and you to do me the honor of coming to tea and tosupper."

　　Only Countess Helene, considering the society of such people asthe Bergs beneath her, could be cruel enough to refuse such aninvitation. Berg explained so clearly why he wanted to collect athis house a small but select company, and why this would give himpleasure, and why though he grudged spending money on cards oranything harmful, he was prepared to run into some expense for thesake of good society- that Pierre could not refuse, and promised tocome.

　　"But don't be late, Count, if I may venture to ask; about tenminutes to eight, please. We shall make up a rubber. Our general iscoming. He is very good to me. We shall have supper, Count. So youwill do me the favor."

　　Contrary to his habit of being late, Pierre on that day arrived atthe Bergs' house, not at ten but at fifteen minutes to eight.

　　Having prepared everything necessary for the party, the Bergs werereally for their guests' arrival.

　　In their new, clean, and light study with its small busts andpictures and new furniture sat Berg and his wife. Berg, closelybuttoned up in his new uniform, sat beside his wife explaining toher that one always could and should be acquainted with people aboveone, because only then does one get satisfaction from acquaintances.

　　"You can get to know something, you can ask for something. See how Imanaged from my first promotion." (Berg measured his life not by yearsbut by promotions.) "My comrades are still nobodies, while I am onlywaiting for a vacancy to command a regiment, and have the happiness tobe your husband." (He rose and kissed Vera's hand, and on the way toher straightened out a turned-up corner of the carpet.) "And howhave I obtained all this? Chiefly by knowing how to choose myaquaintances. It goes without saying that one must be conscientiousand methodical."

　　Berg smiled with a sense of his superiority over a weak woman, andpaused, reflecting that this dear wife of his was after all but a weakwoman who could not understand all that constitutes a man's dignity,what it was ein Mann zu sein.* Vera at the same time smiling with asense of superiority over her good, conscientious husband, who all thesame understood life wrongly, as according to Vera all men did.Berg, judging by his wife, thought all women weak and foolish. Vera,judging only by her husband and generalizing from that observation,supposed that all men, though they understand nothing and areconceited and selfish, ascribe common sense to themselves alone.

　　*To be a man.

　　Berg rose and embraced his wife carefully, so as not to crush herlace fichu for which he had paid a good price, kissing her straight onthe lips.

　　"The only thing is, we mustn't have children too soon," hecontinued, following an unconscious sequence of ideas.

　　"Yes," answered Vera, "I don't at all want that. We must live forsociety."

　　"Princess Yusupova wore one exactly like this," said Berg,pointing to the fichu with a happy and kindly smile.

　　Just then Count Bezukhov was announced. Husband and wife glancedat one another, both smiling with self-satisfaction, and each mentallyclaiming the honor of this visit.

　　"This is what what comes of knowing how to make acquaintances,"thought Berg. "This is what comes of knowing how to conduct oneself."

　　"But please don't interrupt me when I am entertaining the guests,"said Vera, "because I know what interests each of them and what to sayto different people."

　　Berg smiled again.

　　"It can't be helped: men must sometimes have masculineconversation," said he.

　　They received Pierre in their small, new drawing-room, where itwas impossible to sit down anywhere without disturbing its symmetry,neatness, and order; so it was quite comprehensible and not strangethat Berg, having generously offered to disturb the symmetry of anarmchair or of the sofa for his dear guest, but being apparentlypainfully undecided on the matter himself, eventually left the visitorto settle the question of selection. Pierre disturbed the symmetryby moving a chair for himself, and Berg and Vera immediately begantheir evening party, interrupting each other in their efforts toentertain their guest.

　　Vera, having decided in her own mind that Pierre ought to beentertained with conversation about the French embassy, at oncebegan accordingly. Berg, having decided that masculine conversationwas required, interrupted his wife's remarks and touched on thequestion of the war with Austria, and unconsciously jumped from thegeneral subject to personal considerations as to the proposals madehim to take part in the Austrian campaign and the reasons why he haddeclined them. Though the conversation was very incoherent and Verawas angry at the intrusion of the masculine element, both husbandand wife felt with satisfaction that, even if only one guest waspresent, their evening had begun very well and was as like as two peasto every other evening party with its talk, tea, and lighted candles.

　　Before long Boris, Berg's old comrade, arrived. There was a shade ofcondescension and patronage in his treatment of Berg and Vera. AfterBoris came a lady with the colonel, then the general himself, then theRostovs, and the party became unquestionably exactly like all otherevening parties. Berg and Vera could not repress their smiles ofsatisfaction at the sight of all this movement in their drawingroom, at the sound of the disconnected talk, the rustling ofdresses, and the bowing and scraping. Everything was just as everybodyalways has it, especially so the general, who admired the apartment,patted Berg on the shoulder, and with parental authority superintendedthe setting out of the table for boston. The general sat down by CountIlya Rostov, who was next to himself the most important guest. The oldpeople sat with the old, the young with the young, and the hostessat the tea table, on which stood exactly the same kind of cakes in asilver cake basket as the Panins had at their party. Everything wasjust as it was everywhere else.