AT THAT TIME, as always indeed, the exalted¹ society that met at court and at the great balls was split up into several circles, each of which had its special tone. The largest among them was the French circle—supporting the Napoleonic alliance—the circle of Count Rumyantsev and Caulaincourt. In this circle Ellen took a leading position, as soon as she had established herself in her husband's house in Petersburg. She received the members of the French embassy, and a great number of people, noted² for their wit and their politeness, and belonging to that political section.

Ellen had been at Erfurt at the time of the famous meeting of the Emperors; and had there formed close ties with all the notable figures in Europe belonging to the Napoleonic circle. In Erfurt she had been brilliantly successful. Napoleon himself, seeing her at the theatre, had asked who she was, and admired her beauty. Her triumphs in the character of a beautiful and elegant woman did not surprise Pierre, for with years she had become even more beautiful than before. But what did surprise him was that during the last two years his wife had succeeded in gaining a reputation as “a charming woman, as witty³ as she is beautiful,” as was said of her. The distinguished⁴ Prince de Ligne wrote her letters of eight pages. Bilibin treasured up his mots to utter them for the first time before Countess Bezuhov. To be received in Countess Bezuhov's salon⁵ was looked upon as a certificate of intellect. Young men read up subjects before one of Ellen's soirées, so as to be able to talk of something in her salon, and secretaries of the embassy, and even ambassadors, confided⁶ diplomatic secrets to her, so that Ellen was in a way a power. It was with a strange feeling of perplexity and alarm that Pierre, who knew she was very stupid, sometimes at her dinners and soirées, listened to conversation about politics, poetry, and philosophy. At these soirées he experienced a sensation such as a conjuror⁷ must feel who expects every moment that his trick will be discovered. But either because stupidity was just what was needed for the successful management of such a salon, or because those who were deceived took pleasure in the

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1 exalted
adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的
参考例句：
Their loveliness and holiness in accordance with their exalted station.他们的美丽和圣洁也与他们的崇高地位相称。 He received respect because he was a person of exalted rank.他因为是个地位崇高的人而受到尊敬。

2 noted
adj.著名的，知名的
参考例句：
The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。 Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 witty
adj.机智的，风趣的
参考例句：
Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。 He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

4 distinguished
adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的
参考例句：
Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。 A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

5 salon
n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室
参考例句：
Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？ You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

6 confided
v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）
参考例句：
She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。 He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 conjuror
n.魔术师，变戏法者
参考例句：
The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder.孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。 The conjuror's magic delighted the children.魔术师的戏法逗乐了孩子们。

8 deception
n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计
参考例句：
He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。 He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

9 persistently
ad.坚持地；固执地
参考例句：
He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。 She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

10 elegance
n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙
参考例句：
The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。 John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

11 tact
n.机敏，圆滑，得体
参考例句：
She showed great tact in dealing with a tricky situation.她处理棘手的局面表现得十分老练。 Tact is a valuable commodity.圆滑老练是很有用处的。

12 advantageous
adj.有利的；有帮助的
参考例句：
Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。 You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。

13 indifference
n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎
参考例句：
I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。 He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

14 benevolence
n.慈悲，捐助
参考例句：
We definitely do not apply a policy of benevolence to the reactionaries.我们对反动派决不施仁政。 He did it out of pure benevolence. 他做那件事完全出于善意。

15 mumbled
含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。 George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

16 bestowed
赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。 He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

17 dignified
a.可敬的，高贵的
参考例句：
Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。 He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

18 mortification
n.耻辱，屈辱
参考例句：
To my mortification, my manuscript was rejected. 使我感到失面子的是：我的稿件被退了回来。 The chairman tried to disguise his mortification. 主席试图掩饰自己的窘迫。

19 secondly
adv.第二，其次
参考例句：
Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。 Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

20 renounced
v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃
参考例句：
We have renounced the use of force to settle our disputes. 我们已再次宣布放弃使用武力来解决争端。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Andrew renounced his claim to the property. 安德鲁放弃了财产的所有权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 maxim
n.格言，箴言
参考例句：
Please lay the maxim to your heart.请把此格言记在心里。 "Waste not,want not" is her favourite maxim.“不浪费则不匮乏”是她喜爱的格言。

22 implicitly
adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地
参考例句：
Many verbs and many words of other kinds are implicitly causal. 许多动词和许多其他类词都蕴涵着因果关系。 I can trust Mr. Somerville implicitly, I suppose? 我想，我可以毫无保留地信任萨莫维尔先生吧？

23 laborious
adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅
参考例句：
They had the laborious task of cutting down the huge tree.他们接受了伐大树的艰苦工作。 Ants and bees are laborious insects.蚂蚁与蜜蜂是勤劳的昆虫。