ing and that no one is to blame for it." She
suddenly began to cry.

"Excuse me!" she said.

Rostov, knitting his brows, left the room with another low bow.

CHAPTER XIV

"Well, is she pretty? Ah, friend--my pink one is delicious; her name is
Dunyasha...."

But on glancing at Rostov's face Ilyin stopped short. He saw that his
hero and commander was following quite a different train of thought.

Rostov glanced angrily at Ilyin and without replying strode off with
rapid steps to the village.

"I'll show them; I'll give it to them, the brigands!" said he to
himself.

Alpatych at a gliding trot, only just managing not to run, kept up with
him with difficulty.

"What decision have you been pleased to come to?" said he.

Rostov stopped and, clenching his fists, suddenly and sternly turned on
Alpatych.

"Decision? What decision? Old dotard!..." cried he. "What have you been
about? Eh? The peasants are rioting, and you can't manage them? You're
a traitor yourself! I know you. I'll flay you all alive!..." And as if
afraid of wasting his store of anger, he left Alpatych and went rapidly
forward. Alpatych, mastering his offended feelings, kept pace with
Rostov at a gliding gait and continued to impart his views. He said
the peasants were obdurate and that at the present moment it would be
imprudent to "overresist" them without an armed force, and would it not
be better first to send for the military?

"I'll give them armed force... I'll 'overresist' them!" uttered Rostov
meaninglessly, breathless with irrational animal fury and the need to
vent it.

Without considering what he would do he moved unconciously with quick,
resolute steps toward the crowd. And the nearer he drew to it the more
Alpatych felt that this unreasonable action might produce good results.
The peasants in the crowd were similarly impressed when they saw
Rostov's rapid, firm steps and resolute, frowning face.

After the hussars had come to the village and Rostov had gone to see the
princess, a certain confusion and dissension had arisen among the crowd.
Some of the peasants said that these new arrivals were Russians and
might take it amiss that the mistress was being detained. Dron was of
this opinion, but as soon as he expressed it Karp and others attacked
their ex-Elder.

"How many years have you been fattening on the commune?" Karp shouted at
him. "It's all one to you! You'll dig up your pot of money and take
it away with you...