Bennigsen'snoteandtheCossack'sinformationthattheleftflankoftheFrenchwasunguardedweremerelyfinalindicationsthatitwasnecessarytoorderanattack, anditwasfixedforthefifthofOctober.
, askinghimtoattendtothefurtherarrangements.
"Allright—'ttimejustnow," repliedErmolov, andleftthehut.
, itwaswritten—thoughnotinGermanthistime:
"TheFirstColumnwillmarchhereandhere," "theSecondColumnwillmarchthereandthere," andsoon; andonpaper, , andasisalwaysthecase, notasinglecolumnreacheditsplaceattheappointedtime.
Whenthenecessarynumberofcopiesofthedispositionshadbeenprepared, , Kutuzov'sorderly, pleasedattheimportanceofthemissionentrustedtohim, wenttoErmolov'squarters.
"Goneaway," saidErmolov'sorderly.
TheofficeroftheHorseGuardswenttoageneralwithwhomErmolovwasoftentobefound.
"No, andthegeneral'souttoo."
Theofficer, mountinghishorse, rodeofftosomeoneelse.
"No, he'sgoneout."
"Ifonlytheydon'tmakemeresponsibleforthisdelay! Whatanuisanceitis!" thoughttheofficer, , ''s, , butherehewastoldthathehadgonetoaballatGeneralKikin'sandthatErmolovwasprobablytheretoo.
"Butwhereisit?"
"Why, there, overatEchkino," saidaCossackofficer, pointingtoacountryhouseinthefardistance.
"What, outsideourline?"
"They'veputtworegimentsasoutposts, andthey'rehavingsuchaspreethere, it'sawful! Twobandsandthreesetsofsingers!"
'sdancesongproceedingfromthehouse.
"Inthemeadows...inthemeadows!" heheard, accompaniedbywhistlingandthesoundofatorban, , ', , andamongthemErmolov', .
"Ha, ha, ha! Bravo, NicholasIvanych! Ha, ha, ha!"
Theofficerfeltthatbyarrivingwithimportantordersatsuchamomenthewasdoublytoblame, andhewouldhavepreferredtowait; butoneofthegeneralsespiedhimand, hearingwhathehadcomeabout, informedErmolov.
Ermolovcameforwardwithafrownonhisfaceand, hearingwhattheofficerhadtosay, tookthepapersfromhimwithoutaword.
"Youthinkhewentoffjustbychance?" saidacomrade, whowasonthestaffthatevening, totheofficeroftheHorseGuards, referringtoErmolov."'llseewhatamessthere'llbetomorrow."
