War And Peace (Penguin Popular Classics) by Leo Tolstoy

Author:Leo Tolstoy [Tolstoy, Leo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141959801
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2016-06-08T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

After everything Napoleon had said to him, after those furious outbursts, and after those acidic last words, ‘I shall detain you no longer, General. You will receive my letter,’ Balashev felt certain that from now on not only would Napoleon not want to see him again, he would go out of his way to avoid seeing him, an envoy who had been so badly treated, and, more to the point, someone who had witnessed such degrading and intemperate behaviour on his part. But, much to his surprise, Balashev received through Duroc an invitation to dinner that evening with the Emperor.

Bessières, Caulaincourt and Berthier were present at the dinner.

Napoleon welcomed Balashev with a display of good humour and friendliness. Far from showing any signs of embarrassment or self-reproach for his tantrum that morning, he did all he could to put Balashev at his ease. It was clear that Napoleon had convinced himself long before this that he was incapable of error and that everything he did was good, not because it conformed with any general concept of right or wrong, but simply because he was the one who did it.

The Emperor was in buoyant mood after his ride through Vilna, where he had been hailed and pursued by cheering crowds. Every window in every street he drove down was hung with rugs and banners displaying his monogram, and welcoming Polish ladies had waved their handkerchiefs at him.

At dinner he placed Balashev at his side and treated him well – treated him in fact like one of his own courtiers, like someone who could be counted on to sympathize with his plans and celebrate his successes. Amongst other things he talked about Moscow, and asked Balashev many questions about the Russian capital, speaking not just out of curiosity like a traveller wanting to know about a new place he intends to visit, but with the certain knowledge that since Balashev was Russian he must be flattered that anyone should be so interested.

‘How many people are there in Moscow? How many houses? Is it really known as “Holy Moscow”? Are there many churches in Moscow?’ he asked.

And when told there were over two hundred he said, ‘Why do you need so many churches?’

‘Russians are very religious people,’ replied Balashev.

‘And yet a large number of monasteries and churches is always a sign of backwardness in a people,’ said Napoleon, glancing at Caulaincourt to see what he made of this remark.

With great respect Balashev begged to differ from the French Emperor.

‘All countries have their own customs,’ he observed.

‘But there’s nothing like that anywhere else in Europe,’ said Napoleon.

‘Begging your Majesty’s pardon,’ said Balashev, ‘it’s not only Russia. Spain has a large number of churches and monasteries too.’ Balashev’s reply, a veiled reference to recent French defeats in Spain, proved very popular when Balashev came to repeat it back at the court of the Emperor Alexander, though at the time it was little appreciated at Napoleon’s dinner-table, where it passed unnoticed.

From the looks of indifference

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