Pagina 465 di 3800

At the levee Prince Andrew stood among the Austrian officers as

he had been told to, and the Emperor Francis merely looked

fixedly into his face and just nodded to him with his long head.

But after it was over, the adjutant he had seen the previous day

ceremoniously informed Bolkonski that the Emperor desired to give

him an audience. The Emperor Francis received him standing in the

middle of the room. Before the conversation began Prince Andrew

was struck by the fact that the Emperor seemed confused and

blushed as if not knowing what to say.

"Tell me, when did the battle begin?" he asked hurriedly.

Prince Andrew replied. Then followed other questions just as

simple: "Was Kutuzov well? When had he left Krems?" and so on.

The Emperor spoke as if his sole aim were to put a given number

of questions-the answers to these questions, as was only too

evident, did not interest him.

"At what o'clock did the battle begin?" asked the Emperor.