Pagina 55 van 3800

"She said.... Oh yes! She said, 'Girl,' to the maid, 'put on a

livery, get up behind the carriage, and come with me while I make

some calls.'"

Here Prince Hippolyte spluttered and burst out laughing long

before his audience, which produced an effect unfavorable to the

narrator. Several persons, among them the elderly lady and Anna

Pavlovna, did however smile.

"She went. Suddenly there was a great wind. The girl lost her hat

and her long hair came down...." Here he could contain himself no

longer and went on, between gasps of laughter: "And the whole

world knew...."

And so the anecdote ended. Though it was unintelligible why he

had told it, or why it had to be told in Russian, still Anna

Pavlovna and the others appreciated Prince Hippolyte's social

tact in so agreeably ending Pierre's unpleasant and unamiable

outburst. After the anecdote the conversation broke up into

insignificant small talk about the last and next balls, about

theatricals, and who would meet whom, and when and where.