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"Now
thou hast seen the lesser light," uttered a voice. Then the
candles
were
relit and he was told that he would see the full light; the
bandage
was
again removed and more than ten voices said together: "Sic
transit
gloria
mundi."
Pierre
gradually began to recover himself and looked about at the room
and
at the people in it. Round a long table covered with black sat
some
twelve
men in garments like those he had already seen. Some of them
Pierre
had met in Petersburg society. In the President's chair sat a
young
man he did not know, with a peculiar cross hanging from his neck.
On
his right sat the Italian abbe whom Pierre had met at Anna
Pavlovna's
two
years before. There were also present a very distinguished
dignitary
and
a Swiss who had formerly been tutor at the Kuragins'. All
maintained
a
solemn silence, listening to the words of the President, who held
a
mallet
in his hand. Let into the wall was a star-shaped light. At one
side
of the table was a small carpet with various figures worked upon
it,
at the other was something resembling an altar on which lay a
Testament
and a skull. Round it stood seven large candlesticks like
those
used in churches. Two of the brothers led Pierre up to the altar,
placed
his feet at right angles, and bade him lie down, saying that he
must
prostrate himself at the Gates of the Temple.
"He
must first receive the trowel," whispered one of the brothers.
"Oh,
hush, please!" said another.
Pierre,
perplexed, looked round with his shortsighted eyes without
obeying,
and suddenly doubts arose in his mind. "Where am I? What am I
doing?
Aren't they laughing at me? Shan't I be ashamed to remember
this?"
But these doubts only lasted a moment. Pierre glanced at the
serious
faces of those around, remembered all he had already gone
through,
and realized that he could not stop halfway. He was aghast at
his
hesitation and, trying to arouse his former devotional feeling,
prostrated
himself before the Gates of the Temple. And really, the
feeling
of devotion returned to him even more strongly than before. When
he
had lain there some time, he was told to get up, and a white
leather
apron,
such as the others wore, was put on him: he was given a trowel
and
three pairs of gloves, and then the Grand Master addressed him.
He
told
him that he should try to do nothing to stain the whiteness of
that
apron,
which symbolized strength and purity; then of the unexplained
trowel,
he told him to toil with it to cleanse his own heart from vice,
and
indulgently to smooth with it the heart of his neighbor. As to
the
first
pair of gloves, a man's, he said that Pierre could not know their
meaning
but must keep them. The second pair of man's gloves he was to
wear
at the meetings, and finally of the third, a pair of women's
gloves,
he said: "Dear brother, these woman's gloves are intended for
you
too. Give them to the woman whom you shall honor most of all.
This
gift
will be a pledge of your purity of heart to her whom you select
to
be
your worthy helpmeet in Masonry." And after a pause, he added:
"But
beware,
dear brother, that these gloves do not deck hands that are
unclean."
While the Grand Master said these last words it seemed to
Pierre
that he grew embarrassed. Pierre himself grew still more
confused,
blushed like a child till tears came to his eyes, began
looking
about him uneasily, and an awkward pause followed.
This
silence was broken by one of the brethren, who led Pierre up to
the
rug
and began reading to him from a manuscript book an explanation of
all
the figures on it: the sun, the moon, a hammer, a plumb line, a
trowel,
a rough stone and a squared stone, a pillar, three windows, and
so
on. Then a place was assigned to Pierre, he was shown the signs
of
the
Lodge, told the password, and at last was permitted to sit down.
The
Grand
Master began reading the statutes. They were very long, and
Pierre,
from joy, agitation, and embarrassment, was not in a state to
understand
what was being read. He managed to follow only the last words
of
the statutes and these remained in his mind.
"In
our temples we recognize no other distinctions," read the Grand
Master,
"but those between virtue and vice. Beware of making any
distinctions
which may infringe equality. Fly to a brother's aid whoever
he
may be, exhort him who goeth astray, raise him that falleth,
never
bear
malice or enmity toward thy brother. Be kindly and courteous.
Kindle
in all hearts the flame of virtue. Share thy happiness with thy
neighbor,
and may envy never dim the purity of that bliss. Forgive thy
enemy,
do not avenge thyself except by doing him good. Thus fulfilling
the
highest law thou shalt regain traces of the ancient dignity which
thou
hast lost."
He
finished and, getting up, embraced and kissed Pierre, who, with
tears
of
joy in his eyes, looked round him, not knowing how to answer the
congratulations
and greetings from acquaintances that met him on all
sides.
He acknowledged no acquaintances but saw in all these men only
brothers,
and burned with impatience to set to work with them.
The
Grand Master rapped with his mallet. All the Masons sat down in
their
places, and one of them read an exhortation on the necessity of
humility.
The
Grand Master proposed that the last duty should be performed, and
the
distinguished dignitary who bore the title of "Collector of Alms"
went
round to all the brothers. Pierre would have liked to subscribe
all
he
had, but fearing that it might look like pride subscribed the
same
amount
as the others.
The
meeting was at an end, and on reaching home Pierre felt as if he
had
returned
from a long journey on which he had spent dozens of years, had
become
completely changed, and had quite left behind his former habits
and
way of life.
CHAPTER
V
The
day after he had been received into the Lodge, Pierre was sitting
at
home
reading a book and trying to fathom the significance of the
Square,
one
side of which symbolized God, another moral things, a third
physical
things,
and the fourth a combination of these. Now and then his
attention
wandered from the book and the Square and he formed in
imagination
a new plan of life. On the previous evening at the Lodge, he
had
heard that a rumor of his duel had reached the Emperor and that
it
would
be wiser for him to leave Petersburg. Pierre proposed going to
his
estates
in the south and there attending to the welfare of his serfs. He
was
joyfully planning this new life, when Prince Vasili suddenly
entered
the
room.
"My
dear fellow, what have you been up to in Moscow? Why have you
quarreled
with Helene, mon cher? You are under a delusion," said Prince
Vasili,
as he entered. "I know all about it, and I can tell you
positively
that Helene is as innocent before you as Christ was before
the
Jews."
Pierre
was about to reply, but Prince Vasili interrupted him.
"And
why didn't you simply come straight to me as to a friend? I know
all
about it and understand it all," he said. "You behaved as becomes
a
man
who values his honor, perhaps too hastily, but we won't go into
that.
But consider the position in which you are placing her and me in
the
eyes of society, and even of the court," he added, lowering his
voice.
"She is living in Moscow and you are here. Remember, dear boy,"
and
he drew Pierre's arm downwards, "it is simply a misunderstanding.
I
expect
you feel it so yourself. Let us write her a letter at once, and
she'll
come here and all will be explained, or else, my dear boy, let me
tell
you it's quite likely you'll have to suffer for it."
Prince
Vasili gave Pierre a significant look.
"I
know from reliable sources that the Dowager Empress is taking a
keen
interest
in the whole affair. You know she is very gracious to Helene."
Pierre
tried several times to speak, but, on one hand, Prince Vasili did
not
let him and, on the other, Pierre himself feared to begin to
speak
in
the tone of decided refusal and disagreement in which he had
firmly
resolved
to answer his father-in-law. Moreover, the words of the masonic
statutes,
"be kindly and courteous," recurred to him. He blinked, went
red,
got up and sat down again, struggling with himself to do what was
for
him the most difficult thing in life--to say an unpleasant thing
to
a
man's face, to say what the other, whoever he might be, did not
expect.
He was so used to submitting to Prince Vasili's tone of careless
self-assurance
that he felt he would be unable to withstand it now, but
he
also felt that on what he said now his future depended--whether
he
would
follow the same old road, or that new path so attractively shown
him
by the Masons, on which he firmly believed he would be reborn to
a
new
life.
"Now,
dear boy," said Prince Vasili playfully, "say 'yes,' and I'll
write
to her myself, and we will kill the fatted calf."
But
before Prince Vasili had finished his playful speech, Pierre,
without
looking at him, and with a kind of fury that made him like his
father,
muttered in a whisper:
"Prince,
I did not ask you here. Go, please go!" And he jumped up and
opened
the door for him.
"Go!"
he repeated, amazed at himself and glad to see the look of
confusion
and fear that showed itself on Prince Vasili's face.
"What's
the matter with you? Are you ill?"
"Go!"
the quivering voice repeated. And Prince Vasili had to go without
receiving
any explanation.
A
week later, Pierre, having taken leave of his new friends, the
Masons,
and
leaving large sums of money with them for alms, went away to his
estates.
His new brethren gave him letters to the Kiev and Odessa Masons
and
promised to write to him and guide him in his new activity.
CHAPTER
VI
The
duel between Pierre and Dolokhov was hushed up and, in spite of
the
Emperor's
severity regarding duels at that time, neither the principals
nor
their seconds suffered for it. But the story of the duel,
confirmed
by
Pierre's rupture with his wife, was the talk of society. Pierre
who
had
been regarded with patronizing condescension when he was an
illegitimate
son, and petted and extolled when he was the best match in
Russia,
had sunk greatly in the esteem of society after his marriage--
when
the marriageable daughters and their mothers had nothing to hope
from
him--especially as he did not know how, and did not wish, to
court
society's
favor. Now he alone was blamed for what had happened, he was
said
to be insanely jealous and subject like his father to fits of
bloodthirsty
rage. And when after Pierre's departure Helene returned to
Petersburg,
she was received by all her acquaintances not only
cordially,
but even with a shade of deference due to her misfortune.
When
conversation turned on her husband Helene assumed a dignified
expression,
which with characteristic tact she had acquired though she
did
not understand its significance. This expression suggested that
she
had
resolved to endure her troubles uncomplainingly and that her
husband
was
a cross laid upon her by God. Prince Vasili expressed his opinion
more
openly. He shrugged his shoulders when Pierre was mentioned and,
pointing
to his forehead, remarked:
"A
bit touched--I always said so."
"I
said from the first," declared Anna Pavlovna referring to Pierre,
"I
said
at the time and before anyone else" (she insisted on her
priority)
"that
that senseless young man was spoiled by the depraved ideas of
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