Part 6. Chapter 31.

The newly elected marshal and many of the successful party dined that day with Vronsky. Le maréchal nouvellement élu et de nombreux membres du parti à succès ont dîné ce jour-là avec Vronsky.

Vronsky had come to the elections partly because he was bored in the country and wanted to show Anna his right to independence, and also to repay Sviazhsky by his support at the election for all the trouble he had taken for Vronsky at the district council election, but chiefly in order strictly to perform all those duties of a nobleman and landowner which he had taken upon himself. Vronsky était venu aux élections en partie parce qu'il s'ennuyait dans le pays et voulait montrer à Anna son droit à l'indépendance, et aussi pour rembourser Sviazhsky par son soutien à l'élection pour tous les ennuis qu'il avait pris pour Vronsky lors de l'élection du conseil de district, mais surtout pour remplir strictement toutes ces fonctions de noble et de propriétaire foncier qu'il s'était chargé de lui-même. But he had not in the least expected that the election would so interest him, so keenly excite him, and that he would be so good at this kind of thing. Mais il ne s'était pas du tout attendu à ce que l'élection l'intéresse autant, l'excite si vivement, et qu'il soit si doué dans ce genre de choses. He was quite a new man in the circle of the nobility of the province, but his success was unmistakable, and he was not wrong in supposing that he had already obtained a certain influence. C'était un homme tout nouveau dans le cercle de la noblesse de la province, mais son succès était indéniable, et il n'avait pas tort de supposer qu'il avait déjà obtenu une certaine influence. This influence was due to his wealth and reputation, the capital house in the town lent him by his old friend Shirkov, who had a post in the department of finances and was director of a flourishing bank in Kashin; the excellent cook Vronsky had brought from the country, and his friendship with the governor, who was a schoolfellow of Vronsky's—a schoolfellow he had patronized and protected indeed. Cette influence était due à sa richesse et à sa réputation, la capitale de la ville lui prêtée par son vieil ami Shirkov, qui avait un poste au département des finances et était directeur d'une banque florissante à Kachin; l'excellent cuisinier que Vronsky avait amené du pays, et son amitié avec le gouverneur, qui était un camarade de classe de Vronsky - un camarade de classe qu'il avait effectivement patronné et protégé. But what contributed more than all to his success was his direct, equable manner with everyone, which very quickly made the majority of the noblemen reverse the current opinion of his supposed haughtiness. Mais ce qui contribua plus que tout à son succès, ce fut sa manière directe et équitable avec tout le monde, qui fit très vite revenir la majorité des nobles à l'opinion actuelle de sa prétendue hauteur. He was himself conscious that, except that whimsical gentleman married to Kitty Shtcherbatskaya, who had à propos de bottes poured out a stream of irrelevant absurdities with such spiteful fury, every nobleman with whom he had made acquaintance had become his adherent. Il était lui-même conscient qu'à part ce monsieur fantasque marié à Kitty Shtcherbatskaya, qui avait à propos de bottes déversé un flot d'absurdités hors de propos avec une telle fureur méchante, chaque noble avec qui il avait fait connaissance était devenu son adhérent. He saw clearly, and other people recognized it, too, that he had done a great deal to secure the success of Nevyedovsky. And now at his own table, celebrating Nevyedovsky's election, he was experiencing an agreeable sense of triumph over the success of his candidate. Et maintenant à sa propre table, célébrant l'élection de Nevyedovsky, il éprouvait un agréable sentiment de triomphe sur le succès de son candidat. The election itself had so fascinated him that, if he could succeed in getting married during the next three years, he began to think of standing himself—much as after winning a race ridden by a jockey, he had longed to ride a race himself. L'élection elle-même l'avait tellement fasciné que, s'il pouvait réussir à se marier au cours des trois années suivantes, il a commencé à penser à se tenir debout - tout comme après avoir remporté une course montée par un jockey, il avait eu envie de faire lui-même une course.

Today he was celebrating the success of his jockey. Vronsky sat at the head of the table, on his right hand sat the young governor, a general of high rank. To all the rest he was the chief man in the province, who had solemnly opened the elections with his speech, and aroused a feeling of respect and even of awe in many people, as Vronsky saw; to Vronsky he was little Katka Maslov—that had been his nickname in the Pages' Corps—whom he felt to be shy and tried to mettre à son aise . Pour tous les autres, il était le chef de la province, qui avait solennellement ouvert les élections avec son discours, et suscité un sentiment de respect et même de crainte chez beaucoup de gens, comme le vit Vronsky; pour Vronsky, c'était la petite Katka Maslov - c'était son surnom dans le corps des pages - qu'il se sentait timide et essayait de mettre à son aise. On the left hand sat Nevyedovsky with his youthful, stubborn, and malignant face. Sur la main gauche était assis Nevyedovsky avec son visage jeune, têtu et malin. With him Vronsky was simple and deferential.

Sviazhsky took his failure very light-heartedly. Sviazhsky a pris son échec très légèrement. It was indeed no failure in his eyes, as he said himself, turning, glass in hand, to Nevyedovsky; they could not have found a better representative of the new movement, which the nobility ought to follow. And so every honest person, as he said, was on the side of today's success and was rejoicing over it. Et donc chaque personne honnête, comme il l'a dit, était du côté du succès d'aujourd'hui et s'en réjouissait. Stepan Arkadyevitch was glad, too, that he was having a good time, and that everyone was pleased. The episode of the elections served as a good occasion for a capital dinner. Sviazhsky comically imitated the tearful discourse of the marshal, and observed, addressing Nevyedovsky, that his excellency would have to select another more complicated method of auditing the accounts than tears. Sviazhsky a imité comiquement le discours larmoyant du maréchal et a observé, s'adressant à Nevyedovsky, que son excellence devrait choisir une autre méthode plus compliquée de vérification des comptes que les larmes. Another nobleman jocosely described how footmen in stockings had been ordered for the marshal's ball, and how now they would have to be sent back unless the new marshal would give a ball with footmen in stockings. Un autre seigneur décrivit avec joie comment des valets de pied en bas avaient été commandés pour le bal du maréchal, et comment maintenant ils devraient être renvoyés à moins que le nouveau maréchal ne donne un bal avec des valets de pied en bas. Continually during dinner they said of Nevyedovsky: "our marshal," and "your excellency." This was said with the same pleasure with which a bride is called "Madame" and her husband's name. Nevyedovsky affected to be not merely indifferent but scornful of this appellation, but it was obvious that he was highly delighted, and had to keep a curb on himself not to betray the triumph which was unsuitable to their new liberal tone. Nevyedovsky affectait d'être non seulement indifférent mais méprisant de cette appellation, mais il était évident qu'il était très ravi, et devait garder un frein sur lui-même pour ne pas trahir le triomphe qui ne convenait pas à leur nouveau ton libéral.

After dinner several telegrams were sent to people interested in the result of the election. And Stepan Arkadyevitch, who was in high good humor, sent Darya Alexandrovna a telegram: "Nevyedovsky elected by twenty votes. Congratulations. Tell people." He dictated it aloud, saying: "We must let them share our rejoicing." Il l'a dicté à haute voix, en disant: "Nous devons les laisser partager nos réjouissances." Darya Alexandrovna, getting the message, simply sighed over the rouble wasted on it, and understood that it was an after-dinner affair. Darya Alexandrovna, ayant compris le message, soupira simplement sur le rouble gaspillé dessus, et comprit que c'était une affaire d'après-dîner. She knew Stiva had a weakness after dining for faire jouer le télégraphe. Elle savait que Stiva avait un faible après avoir dîné pour faire jouer le télégraphe.

Everything, together with the excellent dinner and the wine, not from Russian merchants, but imported direct from abroad, was extremely dignified, simple, and enjoyable. Tout, avec l'excellent dîner et le vin, non pas des marchands russes, mais importés directement de l'étranger, était extrêmement digne, simple et agréable. The party—some twenty—had been selected by Sviazhsky from among the more active new liberals, all of the same way of thinking, who were at the same time clever and well bred. They drank, also half in jest, to the health of the new marshal of the province, of the governor, of the bank director, and of "our amiable host." Vronsky was satisfied. He had never expected to find so pleasant a tone in the provinces. Jis niekada nesitikėjo, kad provincijose ras tokį malonų toną.

Towards the end of dinner it was still more lively. Vers la fin du dîner, c'était encore plus animé. The governor asked Vronsky to come to a concert for the benefit of the Servians which his wife, who was anxious to make his acquaintance, had been getting up. Le gouverneur demanda à Vronsky de venir à un concert au profit des Serbes que sa femme, qui tenait à faire sa connaissance, s'était levée. De gouverneur vroeg Vronsky om naar een concert te komen ten behoeve van de Serviërs waarmee zijn vrouw, die graag met hem kennis wilde maken, was opgestaan.

"There'll be a ball, and you'll see the belle of the province. Worth seeing, really." "Not in my line," Vronsky answered. "Pas dans ma ligne," répondit Vronsky. He liked that English phrase. But he smiled, and promised to come.

Before they rose from the table, when all of them were smoking, Vronsky's valet went up to him with a letter on a tray. "From Vozdvizhenskoe by special messenger," he said with a significant expression. "Astonishing! how like he is to the deputy prosecutor Sventitsky," said one of the guests in French of the valet, while Vronsky, frowning, read the letter. comme il est pour le substitut du procureur Sventitsky », a déclaré l'un des invités en français du valet de chambre, tandis que Vronsky, fronçant les sourcils, lisait la lettre. The letter was from Anna. Before he read the letter, he knew its contents. Expecting the elections to be over in five days, he had promised to be back on Friday. Today was Saturday, and he knew that the letter contained reproaches for not being back at the time fixed. The letter he had sent the previous evening had probably not reached her yet.

The letter was what he had expected, but the form of it was unexpected, and particularly disagreeable to him. "Annie is very ill, the doctor says it may be inflammation. I am losing my head all alone. Princess Varvara is no help, but a hindrance. I expected you the day before yesterday, and yesterday, and now I am sending to find out where you are and what you are doing. I wanted to come myself, but thought better of it, knowing you would dislike it. Je voulais venir moi-même, mais j'y ai pensé mieux, sachant que vous ne l'aimeriez pas. Send some answer, that I may know what to do." The child ill, yet she had thought of coming herself. Their daughter ill, and this hostile tone.

The innocent festivities over the election, and this gloomy, burdensome love to which he had to return struck Vronsky by their contrast. Les festivités innocentes de l'élection et cet amour lugubre et pesant auquel il a dû revenir ont frappé Vronsky par leur contraste. Nekaltos šventės per rinkimus ir ši niūri, sunki meilė, kuriai jis turėjo sugrįžti, nustebino Vronskį jų kontrastu. But he had to go, and by the first train that night he set off home. Mais il a dû partir, et par le premier train ce soir-là, il est rentré chez lui.