pierre & anatole

you promised countess rostova to marry her and were about to elope

is that so?

mon cher

i don't consider myself bound to answer questions put to me in that tone

my face

already pale

becomes distorted by fury

i seize you by the collar with my big big hands

and i shake you from side to side

until your face shows a sufficient degree of terror

when i tell you i must talk to you!

come now

this is stupid!

what what

don't don't!

you're a scoundrel and a blackguard

and i don't know what deprives me of the pleasure

of smashing your head in with this!

did you promise to marry her?

i didn't think of it. i never promised

because

have you any letters of hers?

any letters?

i shan't be violent

don't be afraid

first

the letters

second

tomorrow you must get out of moscow

but how can i?

third

you must never breathe a word of what has happened between you and the countess

now i know i can't prevent your doing so

but if you have a spark of conscience

anatole sits at a table frowning and biting his lips

after all

you must understand

that besides your pleasure

there is such a thing as other people

and their happiness and peace

and that you are ruining a whole life

for the sake of amusing yourself!

amuse yourself with women like my wife

with them you're within your rights

but to promise a young girl to marry her

to deceive

to kidnap

don't you understand that that's as cruel

as beating an old man or a child?

well

i don't know about that

eh?

i don't know that and i don't want to

but you have used such words to me

scoundrel" and so on