THE LAST DAY of Moscow had come. It was a bright, clear autumn day. It was Sunday. The bells were ringing for service in all the churches, just as on all other Sundays. No one seemed yet able to grasp what was awaiting Moscow.

There were only two indications in the condition of society that betrayed the position of Moscow; those were the rabble, that is, the poorer class, and the prices of different objects. Factory hands, house- serfs,and peasants came out early that morning on to Three Hills in immense crowds, which were swelled by clerks, divinity students, and gentlemen. After staying there a while waiting for Rastoptchin, who did not come, and gaining the conviction that Moscow would be surrendered, this mob dispersed about the taverns and drinkshops of Moscow. Prices, too, on that day indicated the position of affairs. The prices of weapons, of carts and horses, and the value of gold rose higher and higher, while the value of paper-money and the prices of things useful in town were continually falling, so that by the middle of the day there were instances of cab-drivers carrying off at half-price expensive goods, like cloth; and while five hundred roubles was paid for a peasant's horse, furniture, mirrors, and bronzes were given away for nothing.

In the old-fashioned and decorous house of the Rostovs the collapse of all the usual conditions of life was very slightly perceptible. In the night three out of the immense retinue of servants, did indeed disappear; but nothing was stolen, and the Rostovs were only aware of the change in the relative value of things from finding that the thirty carts from the country were of enormous value, for which they were envied by many, and offered enormous sums. Besides these would-be purchasers, all the previous evening and early in the morning of the 1st of September orderlies and servants were being continually sent into the Rostovs' courtyard from wounded officers, and wounded men were constantly dragging themselves there from the Rostovs' and neighbouring houses, to beseech the servants to try and get them a lift out of Moscow. The butler, to whom these requests were referred, resolutely refused, though he felt for the wounded men, and declared that he would never even dare to hint at such a thing to the count. Pitiable as the position of these wounded men was, it was obvious that if one gave up one cart to them, one might as well give all—and would even have to put the carriages too at their service. Thirty waggons could not save all the wounded, and in the general catastrophe one must think of oneself and one's family first. So the butler reasoned on his master's behalf.

On waking up that morning Count Ilya Andreitch slipped quietly out of his bedroom, so as not to wake his wife, who had been awake till morning, and in his lilac silk dressing-gown he came out on to the steps. The loaded waggons were standing in the courtyard. The carriages were drawn up at the steps. The butler was standing in the entrance talking with an old orderly and a pale young officer with his arm in a sling. The butler, seeing his master, made a significant and peremptory sign to them both to retire.

“Well, is everything ready, Vassilitch?” said the count, rubbing his bald head; and looking benignly at the officer and the orderly, he nodded to them. (The count was always attracted by new faces.)

“Ready to put the horses in immediately, your excellency.”

“Well, that's capital; the countess will soon be awake, and, please God, we set off! What can I do for you, sir?” he said, addressing the officer. “You are staying in my house?”

The officer came closer. His pale face suddenly flushed crimson.

“Count, do me a great favour, allow me … for God's sake … to get into one of your waggons. I have nothing here with me … I can go quite well with the luggage …”

Before the officer finished speaking, the orderly came up to make the same request for his master.

“Oh! yes, yes, yes,” said the count hurriedly. “I shall be very glad indeed. Vassilitch, you see to it; you have a waggon or two cleared, well … well … what's needed …?” The count murmured some vague orders. But the glowing look of gratitude on the officer's face instantly put the seal on the order. The count looked about him; everywhere in the yard, at the gates, at the windows of the lodge—he saw wounded men and orderlies. They were all gazing at him and moving up towards the steps.

“Will you please walk into the gallery, your excellency; what are your orders about the pictures there?” said the butler. And the count went into the house with him, repeating his instructions that they were not to refuse the wounded men who begged to go with them.

“You can take something out of the loads, you know,” he added, in a subdued and mysterious voice, as though he were afraid of being overheard.

At nine o'clock the countess woke up, and Matrona Timofyevna, who had been her maid before her marriage, and now performed the duties of a sort of chef de gendarmes for the countess, came in to report to her that Madame Schoss was very much aggrieved, and that the young ladies' summer dresses could not possibly be left behind. On the countess inquiring the cause of Madame Schoss's resentment, it appeared that that lady's trunk had been taken out of the waggon, and that all the waggons were being unloaded, and that the luggage was being taken out, as the waggons were to be given up to the wounded men, whom the count, with his usual readiness to be imposed upon, had consented to take away with them. The countess sent for her husband to come to her.

“What's this, my dear? I hear the luggage is being unloaded.”

“Do you know, ma chère, I wanted to speak to you about it … dear little countess … an officer came up to me—they are imploring us to let them have a few waggons for the wounded. It's all a question of money loss to us, of course, but to be left behind … think what it means to them! … Here they are in our very yard; we asked them in ourselves; here are officers.… You know, I really think, ma chère … well, let them take them. We are in no hurry.”

The count spoke timidly, as he always did when the subject was in any way connected with money. The countess was used to that tone, which always ushered in some matter prejudicial to her children's interests, such as the building of a new gallery, or conservatory, or a new theatre in the house, or the training of an orchestra; and she made it a habit, and regarded it as a duty, to oppose everything that was communicated in that tone.

She assumed her air of tearful resignation, and said to her husband:

“Listen, count, you have mismanaged things so, that we are getting nothing for the house, and now you want to throw away all our—all the children's—property. Why, you told me yourself that we have a hundred thousand roubles' worth of valuables in the house. I protest, and protest, my love. What would you have! It's for the Government to look after the wounded. They know that. Only think, the Lopuhins opposite cleared everything to the last stick out of their house the day before yesterday. That's how other people manage. It's only we who are such fools. If you have no consideration for me, do at least think of your children.”

The count waved his hands in despair, and went out of the room without a word.

“Papa! why do you do that?” said Natasha, who had followed him into her mother's room.

“Nothing! It's no business of yours!” the count said angrily.

“But I heard,” said Natasha. “Why won't mamma have it?”

“It's no business of yours!” cried the count.

Natasha walked away to the window and pondered.

“Papa, here's Berg coming to see us,” she said, looking out of the window.

莫斯科的末日来临。时在秋天，天气晴和。那天是星期日。像往常的星期日一样，各教堂响起了作礼拜的钟声。看来，谁也不会明白，等待莫斯科的将是什么。

只有两项社会状况的标志说明了莫斯科的处境：下等人，即贫民阶层，和物价问题。工人，家奴和农夫的大队人马，其中也有些小官，中学生和贵族，这天一大早便涌向三座山。当他们到达那里不见拉斯托普钦，并证实莫斯科将要放弃后，于是就散了，回到莫斯科各处，涌进酒店和饭馆。这天的物价也显示着事态。武器、黄金和车辆马匹的价格不断上涨，纸币和城市生活用品价格不断下跌，以至中午出现这样的情况：名贵商品，如呢绒，要与搬运的车夫对半分，买一匹农夫的马要付五百卢布；家具，镜子和铜器则白送。

在罗斯托夫气派古老的府邸，生活的原貌略显衰败。人事方面，众多的奴仆中只有三人夜里逃亡，但没偷走任何东西；财宝方面呢，从庄园赶来的三十辆大车，倒成了一宗巨大的财富，很多人羡慕这些车辆，愿出巨款向罗斯托夫家洽购。不仅有人斥巨资想买车辆，而且从傍晚到九月一日清晨，不停地到罗斯托夫府邸院子来的有负伤军官派来的勤务兵和仆人，住在他府上和邻近住宅的伤员们则亲自挣扎着走来，向他的家人央求，分给他们车辆以便离开莫斯科。被央告的管家虽也怜悯伤员，仍坚决地拒绝，他说他去禀告伯爵的胆量都没有。无论怎样同情这些留在这里的负伤官兵，显然，给了一辆，就没理由不再给一辆，给完了——又还要给自家乘坐的轻便马车。三十辆大车救不了所有伤员，大家虽说受难，可也不能不替自己和自己家人着想。管家就是这样替老爷想的。

睡到凌晨，伊利亚·安德烈伊奇伯爵悄悄走出卧室，以免惊醒到凌晨才入睡的伯爵夫人，他就穿着淡紫色的绸睡衣出现在室外的台阶上。收拾停当的大车停在院子里。阶下停的是载人马车。管家站在大门门廊里，同一位老勤务兵和一位手上裹着绷带的年轻的苍白的军官在交谈。一看到伯爵，管家向军官和勤务兵作了一个明显而严厉的手势，要他俩走开。

“呶，怎么样，都搞好了吗，瓦西里奇？”伯爵搔搔自己的秃顶说，和蔼地看看军官和勤务兵，向他们点头致意。（伯爵爱结识生人。）

“马上套车走都成，爵爷。”

“呶，那了不起，夫人这就醒来，上帝保佑！你们怎么呀，先生们？”他对军官说。“住在我家里的吧？”军官靠近了些。

苍白的脸刹那间有了血色。

“伯爵，借您的光，允许我……看在上帝份上……在您的大车上随便什么地方立个脚，我随身没带什么……让我上行李车都行……”军官还没有来得及把话讲完，勤务兵替自己的老爷也向伯爵提出了同样的请求。

“噢，好，好，好，”伯爵连忙回答，“我非常非常高兴。瓦西里奇，这事归你管了，呶，那边腾一辆或二辆车出来，就在那边……没关系……需要的就……”伯爵表达不怎么明确地吩咐着说。可军官就在这一瞬间表示的热烈感谢，使他的命令落实了。伯爵环视周围：院子里，大门门廊里，厢房的窗口，都出现了受伤官兵和勤务兵。他们望着伯爵，向台阶走来。

“爵爷，请到绘画陈列室去：您看那些画怎么办？”管家说。于是，伯爵同他一齐进到屋里，边走边重复自己的命令，不要拒绝请求搭车的伤员。

“呶，没什么，有些东西可以收起来就是，不必带走。”伯爵悄悄地神秘地补充说，好像怕有人听见一样。

九点钟，伯爵夫人睡醒了，她做姑娘时的侍女，现在则执掌她夫人的宪兵司令职务的玛特廖娜·季莫费耶夫娜，前来禀报自己的小姐，说玛丽亚·卡尔洛夫娜·肖斯太太感到很委屈，小姐的夏季服装不可以留下来。伯爵夫人查问肖斯太太委屈的原因，原来她的箱子从车上被卸了下来，所有车辆已捆好的绳索也在被解开，财物在往下卸，伤员在往上抬，他们是伯爵出于纯朴之心吩咐带着走的。伯爵夫人发话请丈夫来见她。

“这是怎么回事，我的伙伴，我听说装好的东西又在往下搬？”

“你知道，ma　chère①，我正要对你说……ma　chère伯爵太太……有个军官来找我，他们请求拨几辆大车载伤员。那些东西都是搞得回来的；他们留下来会怎样呢，你想想！……的确，是在我们院子里，是我们自己把他们召进来的，这些军官……你知道，我想，对了，ma　chère，这个，ma　chère……就捎上他们吧……你急什么嘛？……”伯爵难为情地说，每当涉及钱财的事，他就是这样地欲言又止。伯爵夫人则早已听惯了他的这种腔调，它总是预示着使孩子们破产的事要发生，如盖绘画陈列室和花房啦，搞戏班子或音乐啦；因此，也就习以为常地认为，每当用这种难为情的腔调表示要干什么事情时，便有责任加以阻止。

①朋友。

她现出逆来顺受的人欲哭的样子对丈夫说：

“听我说，伯爵，你把这个家闹到一钱不值的地步，现在咱们的全部财产毁灭了——你又要把·孩·子·们·的家产全毁掉。你自己不是说，家里有十万卢布的财物吗？我的伙伴，我不同意你的作法，不同意。你看着办吧！管伤兵的有政府，他们知道。你看看：对门的洛普欣家，前天就把全部东西运走了。人家就是这样干的。只有咱们是些傻瓜。不可怜我，也得可怜孩子啊。”

伯爵摆摆双手，再没说什么，离开了房间。

“爸爸！你们谈些什么呀？”跟着他走进母亲房间的娜塔莎问。

“没谈什么？关你什么事！”伯爵生气地连珠炮似地说。

“我，我听见了，”娜塔莎说。“妈咪干吗不愿意？”

“关你什么事？”伯爵吼了起来。娜塔莎转身朝窗户走去，在那里沉思起来。

“爸爸，贝格到我们家来了。”她望着窗外说。