some reminiscences-第16章

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instrument。　　Polish　peasantry　（not　serfs）　served　in　the　ranks　by



enlistment；　and　the　officers　belonged　mainly　to　the　smaller



nobility。　　Mr。　Nicholas　B。；　with　his　Napoleonic　record；　had　no



difficulty　in　obtaining　a　lieutenancy；　but　the　promotion　in　the



Polish　Army　was　slow；　because；　being　a　separate　organisation；　it



took　no　part　in　the　wars　of　the　Russian　Empire　against　Persia　or



Turkey。　　Its　first　campaign；　against　Russia　itself；　was　to　be　its



last。　　In　1831；　on　the　outbreak　of　the　Revolution；　Mr。　Nicholas



B。　was　the　senior　captain　of　his　regiment。　　Some　time　before　he



had　been　made　head　of　the　remount　establishment　quartered　outside



the　kingdom　in　our　southern　provinces；　whence　almost　all　the



horses　for　the　Polish　cavalry　were　drawn。　　For　the　first　time



since　he　went　away　from　home　at　the　age　of　eighteen　to　begin　his



military　life　by　the　battle　of　Friedland；　Mr。　Nicholas　B。



breathed　the　air　of　the　〃Border；〃　his　native　air。　　Unkind　fate



was　lying　in　wait　for　him　amongst　the　scenes　of　his　youth。　　At



the　first　news　of　the　rising　in　Warsaw　all　the　remount



establishment；　officers；　vets。；　and　the　very　troopers；　were　put



promptly　under　arrest　and　hurried　off　in　a　body　beyond　the



Dnieper　to　the　nearest　town　in　Russia　proper。　　From　there　they



were　dispersed　to　the　distant　parts　of　the　Empire。　　On　this



occasion　poor　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　penetrated　into　Russia　much　farther



than　he　ever　did　in　the　times　of　Napoleonic　invasion；　if　much



less　willingly。　　Astrakhan　was　his　destination。　　He　remained



there　three　years；　allowed　to　live　at　large　in　the　town　but



having　to　report　himself　every　day　at　noon　to　the　military



commandant；　who　used　to　detain　him　frequently　for　a　pipe　and　a



chat。　　It　is　difficult　to　form　a　just　idea　of　what　a　chat　with



Mr。　Nicholas　B。　could　have　been　like。　　There　must　have　been　much



compressed　rage　under　his　taciturnity；　for　the　commandant



communicated　to　him　the　news　from　the　theatre　of　war　and　this



news　was　such　as　it　could　be；　that　is；　very　bad　for　the　Poles。



Mr。　Nicholas　B。　received　these　communications　with　outward



phlegm；　but　the　Russian　showed　a　warm　sympathy　for　his　prisoner。



〃As　a　soldier　myself　I　understand　your　feelings。　　You；　of　course；



would　like　to　be　in　the　thick　of　it。　　By　heavens！　I　am　fond　of



you。　　If　it　were　not　for　the　terms　of　the　military　oath　I　would



let　you　go　on　my　own　responsibility。　　What　difference　could　it



make　to　us；　one　more　or　less　of　you？〃







At　other　times　he　wondered　with　simplicity。







〃Tell　me；　Nicholas　Stepanovitch〃（my　great…grandfather's　name



was　Stephen　and　the　commandant　used　the　Russian　form　of　polite



address）〃tell　me　why　is　it　that　you　Poles　are　always　looking



for　trouble？　　What　else　could　you　expect　from　running　up　against



Russia？〃







He　was　capable；　too；　of　philosophical　reflections。







〃Look　at　your　Napoleon　now。　　A　great　man。　　There　is　no　denying　it



that　he　was　a　great　man　as　long　as　he　was　content　to　thrash　those



Germans　and　Austrians　and　all　those　nations。　　But　no！　　He　must　go



to　Russia　looking　for　trouble；　and　what's　the　consequence？　　Such



as　you　see　me；　I　have　rattled　this　sabre　of　mine　on　the　pavements



of　Paris。〃







After　his　return　to　Poland　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　described　him　as　a



〃worthy　man　but　stupid；〃　whenever　he　could　be　induced　to　speak　of



the　conditions　of　his　exile。　　Declining　the　option　offered　him　to



enter　the　Russian　Army　he　was　retired　with　only　half　the　pension



of　his　rank。　　His　nephew　（my　uncle　and　guardian）　told　me　that　the



first　lasting　impression　on　his　memory　as　a　child　of　four　was　the



glad　excitement　reigning　in　his　parents'　house　on　the　day　when



Mr。　Nicholas　B。　arrived　home　from　his　detention　in　Russia。







Every　generation　has　its　memories。　　The　first　memories　of　Mr。



Nicholas　B。　might　have　been　shaped　by　the　events　of　the　last



partition　of　Poland；　and　he　lived　long　enough　to　suffer　from　the



last　armed　rising　in　1863；　an　event　which　affected　the　future　of



all　my　generation　and　has　coloured　my　earliest　impressions。　　His



brother；　in　whose　house　he　had　sheltered　for　some　seventeen　years



his　misanthropical　timidity　before　the　commonest　problems　of



life；　having　died　in　the　early　fifties；　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　had　to



screw　his　courage　up　to　the　sticking…point　and　come　to　some



decision　as　to　the　future。　　After　a　long　and　agonising　hesitation



he　was　persuaded　at　last　to　become　the　tenant　of　some　fifteen



hundred　acres　out　of　the　estate　of　a　friend　in　the　neighbourhood。



The　terms　of　the　lease　were　very　advantageous；　but　the　retired



situation　of　the　village　and　a　plain　comfortable　house　in　good



repair　were；　I　fancy；　the　greatest　inducements。　He　lived　there



quietly　for　about　ten　years；　seeing　very　few　people　and　taking　no



part　in　the　public　life　of　the　province；　such　as　it　could　be



under　an　arbitrary　bureaucratic　tyranny。　　His　character　and　his



patriotism　were　above　suspicion；　but　the　organisers　of　the　rising



in　their　frequent　journeys　up　and　down　the　province　scrupulously



avoided　coming　near　his　house。　　It　was　generally　felt　that　the



repose　of　the　old　man's　last　years　ought　not　to　be　disturbed。



Even　such　intimates　as　my　paternal　grandfather；　a　comrade…in…arms



during　Napoleon's　Moscow　campaign　and　later　on　a　fellow…officer



in　the　Polish　Army；　refrained　from　visiting　his　crony　as　the　date



of　the　outbreak　approached。　　My　paternal　grandfather's　two　sons



and　his　only　daughter　were　all　deeply　involved　in　the



revolutionary　work；　he　himself　was　of　that　type　of　Polish　squire



whose　only　ideal　of　patriotic　action　was　to　〃get　into　the　saddle



and　drive　them　out。〃　　But　even　he　agreed　that　〃dear　Nicholas　must



not　be　worried。〃　　All　this　considerate　caution　on　the　part　of



friends；　both　conspirators　and　others；　did　not　prevent　Mr。



Nicholas　B。　being　made　to　feel　the　misfortunes　of　that　ill…omened



year。







Less　than　forty…eight　hours　after　the　beginning　of　the　rebellion



in　that　part　of　the　country；　a　squadron　of　scouting　Cossacks



passed　through　the　village　and　invaded　the　homestead。　　Most　of



them　remained　formed　between　the　house　and　the　stables；　while



several；　dismounting；　ransacked　the　various　outbuildings。　　The



officer　in　command；　accompanied　by　two　men；　walked　up　to　the



front　door。　　All　the　blinds　on　that　side　were　down。　　The　officer



told　the　servant　who　received　him　that　he　wanted　to　see　his



master。　　He　was　answered　that　the　master　was　away　from　home；



which　was　perfectly　true。







I　follow　here　the　tale　as　told　afterwards　by　the　servant　to　my



grand…uncle's　friends　and　relatives；　and　as　I　have　heard　it



repeated。







On　receiving　this　answer　the　Cossack　officer；　who　had　been



standing　in　the　porch；　stepped　into　the　house。







〃Where　is　the　master　gone；　then？〃







〃Our　master　went　to　J〃　（the　government　town　some　fifty　miles



off）；　〃the　day　before　yesterday。〃







〃There　are　only　two　horses　in　the　stables。　　Where　are　the



others？〃







〃Our　master　always　travels　with　his　own　horses〃　（meaning：　　not　by



post）。　　〃He　will　be　away　a　week　or　more。　　He　was　pleased　to



mention　to　me　that　he　had　to　attend　to　some　business　in　the　Civil



Court。〃







While　the　servant　was　speaking　the　officer　looked　about　the　hall。



There　was　a　door　facing　him；　a　door　to　the　right　and　a　door　to



the　left。　　The　officer　chose　to　enter　the　room　on　the　left　and



ordered　the　blinds　to　be　pulled　up。　　It　was　Mr。　Nicholas　B。's



study　with　a　couple　of　tall　bookcases；　some　pictures　on　the



walls；　and　so　on。　　Besides　the　big　centre　table；　with　bo