Book 8 Chapter 11

ANATOLE KURAGIN was staying in Moscow because his father had sent him away from Petersburg, where he had been spending twenty thousand a year in hard cash and running up bills for as much more, and his creditors had been dunning his father. The father informed his son that for the last time he would pay half his debts; but only on condition that he would go away to Moscow, where his father had, by much exertion, secured a post for him as adjutant to the commander-in-chief, and would try finally to make a good match there. He suggested to him either Princess Marya or Julie Karagin.

Anatole consented, and went away to Moscow, where he stayed with Pierre. Pierre at first was by no means pleased to receive Anatole, but after a while he got used to his presence; sometimes accompanied him on his carousals, and by way of loans gave him money.

As Shinshin had with truth said of him, Anatole had won the hearts of all the Moscow ladies, especially by the nonchalance with which he treated them and the preference he openly showed for gypsy girls and actresses, with the most prominent of whom, Mademoiselle George, he was said to have an intrigue. He never missed a single drinking party at Danilov's, or any other Moscow festivity, spent whole nights drinking, outdoing all the rest, and was at every soirée and ball in the best society. There were rumours of several intrigues of his with Moscow ladies, and at balls he flirted with a few of them. But he fought shy of unmarried ladies, especially the wealthy heiresses, who were most of them plain. He had a good reason for this, of which no one knew but his most intimate friends: he had been for the last two years married. Two years previously, while his regiment had been stationed in Poland, a Polish landowner, by no means well-to-do, had forced Anatole to marry his daughter.

Anatole had very shortly afterwards abandoned his wife, and in consideration of a sum of money, which he agreed to send his father-in-law, he was allowed by the latter to pass as a bachelor unmolested.

Anatole was very well satisfied with his position, with himself, and with other people. He was instinctively and thoroughly convinced that he could not possibly live except just in the way he did live, and that he had never in his life done anything base. He was incapable of considering either how his actions might be judged by others, or what might be the result of this or that action on his part. He was convinced that just as the duck is created so that it must always live in the water, so he was created by God such that he must spend thirty thousand a year, and always take a good position in society. He had such perfect faith in this that, looking at him, others too were persuaded of it, and refused him neither the exalted position in society nor the money, which he borrowed right and left, obviously with no notion of repaying it.

He was not a gambler, at least he never greatly cared about winning money at cards. He was not vain. He did not care a straw what people thought of him. Still less could he have been reproached with ambition. Several times he had, to his father's irritation, spoiled his best chances of a career, and he laughed at distinctions of all kinds. He was not stingy, and never refused any one who asked him for anything. What he loved was dissipation and women; and as, according to his ideas, there was nothing dishonourable in these tastes, and as he was incapable of considering the effect on others of the gratification of his tastes, he believed himself in his heart to be an irreproachable man, felt a genuine contempt for scoundrels and mean persons, and with an untroubled conscience held his head high. Rakes, those masculine Magdalens, have a secret feeling of their own guiltlessness, just as have women Magdalens, founded on the same hope of forgiveness. “All will be forgiven her, because she loved much; and all will be forgiven him, because he has enjoyed himself much.”

Dolohov had that year reappeared in Moscow after his exile and his Persian adventures. He spent his time in luxury, gambling, and dissipation; renewed his friendship with his old Petersburg comrade Kuragin, and made use of him for his own objects.

Anatole sincerely liked Dolohov for his cleverness and daring. Dolohov, for whom Anatole's name and rank and connections were of use in ensnaring wealthy young men into his society for gambling purposes, made use of Kuragin without letting him feel it, and was amused by him too. Apart from interested motives, for which he needed Anatole, the process itself of controlling another man's will was an enjoyment, a habit, and a necessity for Dolohov.

Natasha had made a great impression on Kuragin. At supper, after the theatre, he analysed to Dolohov, with the manner of a connoisseur, the points of her arms, her shoulders, her foot, and her hair, and announced his intention of getting up a flirtation with her. What might come of such a flirtation—Anatole was incapable of considering, and had no notion, as he never had a notion of what would come of any of his actions.

“She's pretty, my lad, but she's not for us,” Dolohov said to him.

“I'll tell my sister to ask her to dinner,” said Anatole. “Eh?”

“You'd better wait till she's married.…”

“You know I adore little girls,” said Anatole; “they're all confusion in a minute.”

“You've come to grief once already over a ‘little girl,' ” said Dolohov, who knew of Anatole's marriage. “Beware.”

“Well, one can't do it twice! Eh?” said Anatole, laughing good-humouredly.

阿纳托利·库拉金住在莫斯科，他是父亲把他从彼得堡送来的，他在那里每年要耗费两万多块钱，而且债权人还要向他父亲索取同样多的债款项。

父亲告诉儿子，说他最后一次替他偿付一半债务，只不过是希望他到莫斯科去做个总司令的副官，这个职位是他父亲替他谋求到的，而且希望他尽力设法在那里成一门好亲事。他言下要把公爵小姐玛丽亚和朱莉·卡拉金娜指给他看，作为物色的对象。

阿纳托利同意后，启程前往莫斯科，住在皮埃尔家中。皮埃尔起初不乐于接待阿纳托利，但后来和他混熟了，有时候一同去狂饮。皮埃尔以借贷为名，给他钱用。

申申恰如其分地谈到阿纳托利的情况，说他来到莫斯科后，竟把莫斯科的女士们搞得神魂颠倒，尤其是因为他蔑视她们，显然是他宁可喜爱茨冈女郎和法国女伶，据说她和法国女伶的头目乔治小姐的关系密切。丹尼洛夫和莫斯科其他乐天派所举办的饮宴，他一次也不放过，他彻夜狂饮，酒量过人，还经常出席上流社会举办的各种晚会和舞会。大们谈论他和莫斯科的女士们的几次风流韵事，在舞会上他也追求几个女士。但是他不去接近少女，尤其是那些多半长得丑陋的有钱的未婚女子，况且阿纳托利在两年前结婚了，除开他的最亲密的朋友而外，没有人知道这件事。两年前他的兵团在波兰驻扎时，一个不富有的波兰地方强迫阿纳托利娶他女儿为妻。

阿纳托利寄给岳父一笔款项，以此作为条件，不久后就遗弃妻子，取得做单身汉的权利。

阿纳托利向来就对他自己的地位、对他自己和他人都感到满意。他整个身心本能地深信，他只有这样生活下去，他平生从来没有做任何坏事。他不善于全面考虑他的行为会对他人产生何种影响，也不善于考虑他这种或者那种行为会引起何种后果。他深信上帝创造鸭子，使它不得不经常在水中生活，上帝创造他，他就应该每年挣得三万卢布，就应该在社会中经常占有最高的地位。他坚信这一点，别人观察他时，也相信这一点，他们不会不承认他在上流社会中占有最高的地位，也不会拒绝他借钱，他向在路上随便遇到的任何人借钱，他显然是不想归还他的。

他不是赌徒，至少从来不希望赢钱。他不慕虚荣。无论谁心里想到他，他都满不在乎，而在贪图功名方面，他更没有什么过失。他所以几次惹怒父亲，是因为他断送了自己的前程，他嘲笑所有的荣耀地位。他不吝啬，任何人有求于他，他都不拒绝。他所喜爱的只有一点，那就是寻欢作乐和追求女性，依照他的观念，这些嗜好没有任何不高尚的地方，但是他不会考虑，一味满足他的嗜欲对他人会引起什么后果，因此他心里认为自己是一个无可指摘的人，他无所顾忌地藐视下流人和坏人，心安理得地傲岸不群。

这些酒鬼，这些悔悟的失足男人，就像悔悟的失足女人一样，都有那种认为自己无罪的潜在意识，这种意识是以获得宽恕的希望作为依据的。“她所以获得一切宽恕，是因为她爱得多，他所以获得一切宽恕，是因为他玩得多。”

是年，多洛霍夫在流放和波斯奇遇之后，又在莫斯科露面了，他还过着邀头聚赌和狂饮的生活，和彼得堡的一个老同事库拉金很接近，为了达到自己的目的而利用他。

多洛霍夫聪明而又剽悍，阿纳托利真诚地喜欢他。多洛霍夫需要阿纳托利·库拉金的名声、显贵地位和人情关系，藉以引诱富有的青年加入他的赌博团伙，利用他，玩弄他，但不让他意识到这一点，除开他存心借助于阿纳托利而外，对多洛霍夫来说，控制他人的意志本身就是一种享受、习惯与需要。

娜塔莎库拉金留下一个强烈的印象。在看完歌剧回家吃夜饭的时候，他带着行家的派头在多洛霍夫面前评价她的臂膀、肩头、两腿和头发的优点，并且说他已决定追求她。阿纳托利无法考虑，也无法知道这种求爱会引起什么后果，正如他一向不知道他的每一种行为会引起什么后果那样。

“老兄，她很美丽，但不是送给我们的。”多洛霍夫对他说。

“我要告诉我妹妹，叫她邀请她吃午饭。”阿纳托利说，“好吗？”

“你最好等她出阁之后……”

“你知道，”阿纳托利说，“j'adore　les　petites　filles①，她马上就局促不安了。”

“你有一次上了petite　fille②的当，”多洛霍夫知道阿纳托利结婚这件事，所以这样说，“当心！”

①法语：我很喜欢小姑娘。

②法语，小姑娘。

“啊，可一不可再！是吗？”阿纳托利说，他和善地大笑起来。