Can a sleigh pass?

　　"Can a sleigh pass?" he asked his overseer, a venerable man,resembling his master in manners and looks, who was accompanying himback to the house.

　　"The snow is deep. I am having the avenue swept, your honor."

　　The prince bowed his head and went up to the porch. "God bethanked," thought the overseer, "the storm has blown over!"

　　"It would have been hard to drive up, your honor," he added. "Iheard, your honor, that a minister is coming to visit your honor."

　　The prince turned round to the overseer and fixed his eyes on him,frowning.

　　"What? A minister? What minister? Who gave orders?" he said in hisshrill, harsh voice. "The road is not swept for the princess mydaughter, but for a minister! For me, there are no ministers!"

　　"Your honor, I thought..."

　　"You thought!" shouted the prince, his words coming more and morerapidly and indistinctly. "You thought!... Rascals! Blackgaurds!...I'll teach you to think!" and lifting his stick he swung it andwould have hit Alpatych, the overseer, had not the latterinstinctively avoided the blow. "Thought... Blackguards..." shoutedthe prince rapidly.

　　But although Alpatych, frightened at his own temerity in avoidingthe stroke, came up to the prince, bowing his bald head resignedlybefore him, or perhaps for that very reason, the prince, though hecontinued to shout: "Blackgaurds!... Throw the snow back on the road!"did not lift his stick again but hurried into the house.

　　Before dinner, Princess Mary and Mademoiselle Bourienne, who knewthat the prince was in a bad humor, stood awaiting him; MademoiselleBourienne with a radiant face that said: "I know nothing, I am thesame as usual," and Princess Mary pale, frightened, and withdowncast eyes. What she found hardest to bear was to know that on suchoccasions she ought to behave like Mademoiselle Bourienne, but couldnot. She thought: "If I seem not to notice he will think that I do notsympathize with him; if I seem sad and out of spirits myself, hewill say (as he has done before) that I'm in the dumps."