—asdistinguishedfromvillage, country, provincial, orevenMoscowlife—wemayallotPetersburglife, .Sincetheyear1805wehadmadepeaceandhadagainquarreledwithBonaparteandhadmadeconstitutionsandunmadethemagain, butthesalonsofAnnaPavlovnaandHeleneremainedjustastheyhadbeen—'stheytalkedwithperplexityofBonaparte'ssuccessesjustasbeforeandsawinthemandinthesubservienceshowntohimbytheEuropeansovereignsamaliciousconspiracy, 'ssalon, whichRumyantsevhimselfhonoredwithhisvisits, regardingHeleneasaremarkablyintelligentwoman, theytalkedwiththesameecstasyin1812asin1808ofthe "greatnation" andthe "greatman," andregrettedourrupturewithFrance, arupturewhich, accordingtothem, oughttobepromptlyterminatedbypeace.
Oflate, sincetheEmperor'sreturnfromthearmy, therehadbeensomeexcitementintheseconflictingsaloncirclesandsomedemonstrationsofhostilitytooneanother, 'scircleonlythoseFrenchmenwereadmittedwhoweredeep-rootedlegitimists, , '' 'scirclethewaringeneralwasregardedasaseriesofformaldemonstrationswhichwouldverysoonendinpeace, andtheviewprevailedexpressedbyBilibin—whonowinPetersburgwasquiteathomeinHelene'shouse, whicheveryclevermanwasobligedtovisit——newsofwhichhadreachedPetersburgsimultaneouslywiththeEmperor'sreturn—wasridiculedsarcasticallyandverycleverly, thoughwithmuchcaution.
