(The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)).
The building of modern Scotland Yard is located in Westminster. Administrative functions are assigned to staff based in the Empress State Building (English), and operational management - to three Metcall centers (English).
The largest police agency in England. It employs 31,000 officers who are responsible for an area of 1,606 km² and a population of 7.2 million people living in and around London.
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The name Scotland Yard comes from its original location on Great Scotland Yard in the Whitehall area. There are also interesting versions of the origin of the name of the street (literally - “Scottish Yard”). According to one of them, in the 10th century, the English king Edgar gave the Scottish king Kenneth a plot of land next to the Palace of Westminster in London. He demanded that King Kenneth build a residence there and visit it annually, thereby paying tribute to the kingdom of England on behalf of Scotland. King Kenneth built himself a palace and lived there whenever he came to England. The palace remained the possession of the Scottish kings and was considered the territory of Scotland. When Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, King James VI of Scotland became King of England and Scotland, and the palace lost its original purpose. It was divided into two parts: the first was called “Great Scotland Yard”, the second - “Middle Scotland Yard”. They began to be used as government buildings.
There are also versions that in the Middle Ages the street belonged to a man named Scott, and also that stagecoaches to Scotland once departed from this street.
By 1890, the London Police had grown from an initial 1,000 officers to 13,000, requiring greater administrative staff and a larger headquarters. As the size and responsibilities of the police continued to expand, there was a need to further increase personnel, so New Scotland Yard was expanded in the 1940s. This complex of buildings is currently included in the list of buildings of architectural, historical or cultural significance.
A number of protective measures were added to the exterior of New Scotland Yard in 2000, including concrete barriers in front of the lower windows to protect against car bombs. In addition, a concrete wall was added near the entrance to the building. Armed officers from the Diplomatic Protection Service (
Facts and stories of London's most famous police establishment.
At the mention of Scotland Yard, travelers conjure up an image of the foggy streets of London, patrolled by a policeman in a checkered jacket, smoking a pipe. But Scotland Yard has a rather complicated history, full of distorted terminology and contradictions. We invite you to study the history of Scotland Yard and find out what connects writers Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll with the London police.
The London Police Service was founded on 29 September 1829 by the London Police Act, introduced into Parliament by the Home Secretary, Sir Robert Peel. The new police service became the successor to the previously existing watchman service. By 1839, the "Scotland Yard bobbies" had replaced the Criminal Police Court patrols, which carried out the decisions of the City Magistrate, and the Water Police, whose officers worked to prevent crime in areas along the Thames.
The nickname of Scotland Yard police officers, “bobbies,” comes from Robert Peel’s diminutive name, Bobby. By the way, the predecessors of the police officers from the Magistrate and the water police also had nicknames: “blue devils” and “raw crayfish”, respectively.
Responsibility for organizing the new police unit was entrusted to Colonels Charles Rowan and Richard Main, who occupied a private house at: Whitehall, 4; from the back of the house there was an exit to the courtyard - Great Scotland Yard.
There are many versions of where the name “Scotland Yard” came from. One of them claims that in the Middle Ages this territory was in the possession of a man named Scott. From the second version it follows that the name is associated with Scotland, since it was from this street that stagecoaches departed from London to Scotland. But the truth is that Scotland Yard is so named because previously there was a medieval palace in its place, where the Scottish royal family stayed during their visits to London. In the 10th century, King Edgar of England gave the ownership of the Scottish King Kenet a plot of land near the Palace of Westminster in London, while demanding that the ruler of Scotland build a palace on that land and that all the kings of Scotland at all times visit it annually with their family, as a sign of respect to the kingdom of England from Scotland. The need for this disappeared only in 1603, after the death of Queen Elizabeth I. King James VI of Scotland, and the first king of England from the Stuart dynasty, ascended the throne. The palace has lost its original purpose. It was divided into two parts: the first was called “Great Scotland Yard”, the second - “Middle Scotland Yard”, used for government needs.
Scotland Yard officers were responsible for the security of high-ranking private citizens, public policing of the city, the security of public events, recruitment and personnel management. When Scotland Yard sent its first squad of "plainclothes officers" onto the streets in 1842, people sometimes felt uneasy being surrounded by "spies" on the streets. But the role of this service in the investigation of several important cases and the talent of many of its employees over time helped this unit gain the trust of the population.
The main requirements for candidates for service in Scotland Yard today:
The candidate can be of any nationality but must be able to remain in the UK indefinitely.
At least 18 years of age.
“Strong, Nordic character” increases the chances of serving in Scotland Yard; in any case, you will have to prove your resilience in difficult stressful situations.
Tattoos are allowed, but they should not be rude, racist, promoting violence or intimidation.
One of the men was Charles Frederick Field, who had served in the unit since its founding in 1829. He was a good friend of Charles Dickens, who occasionally accompanied the police on night duty. Field retired as chief of police detectives in 1852.
Since its inception, Scotland Yard has always occupied its special place in popular culture. Dickens wrote a short essay about Field, “On Duty with Inspector Field,” and used him as the prototype for the well-known Inspector Bucket, the hero of his novel Bleak House.
Employees often acted as characters in detective literary works, including the famous Sherlock Holmes - the hero of the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie and many other novelists.
In 1877, four of the five chiefs of detective departments were convicted of collaborating with criminals in the betting system. Trying to save the unit's tarnished reputation, Howard Vincent proposed reform of the service. Vincent was soon appointed head of the criminal investigation department and reorganized Scotland Yard by strengthening its central division. It was then that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a highly respected unit of plainclothes police officers, was born.
Howard Vincent is also known as a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1901 to 1908. He took an active part in organizing the 1904 IOC session in London. One of the initiators of the creation of the NOC of Great Britain - the British Olympic Association.
The turn of the century brought with it many important events in the history of Scotland Yard. Britain's "Bloody Sunday" occurred on November 13, 1887, when 2,000 police officers interrupted a rally in Trafalgar Square organized by the Federation of Social Democrats, resulting in the death of more than 100 people. A few years later, the police moved to a new building, which was located on Queen Victoria Embankment. This building became known as New Scotland Yard.
Also at this time, one of Scotland Yard's most famous detectives, Frederick Porter Wensley, also known as the "weasel" - a long-time detective who worked in his post for more than 40 years - began working here. Wensley was recruited in 1888 and had many notable cases in his career, including the murder of 32-year-old Frenchwoman Emiline Gerald, also known as the Blodie Belgium case.
On the morning of November 2, 1917, janitors discovered the torso of Emily Gerald and the note "Blodie Belgium." Wensley interrogated Gerald's lover, Louis Voisin, asking him to write the expression "Bloody Belgium." Voisin made the same mistake in spelling the word, which served as evidence of his guilt.
Previously, Wensley spent some time investigating the Jack the Ripper case, which attracted the attention of the entire East End of London. "Jack the Ripper" is the fictitious name of a serial killer who committed brutal crimes between 1888 and 1891. Scotland Yard officers have detained a suspect in 11 attacks on prostitutes in the largely poor Whitechapel area. Police identified the killer's signature - he offered to pay for sex, lured women and slit their throats - and struggled to track down the culprit. Lacking modern forensic technology, Scotland Yard employees, in particular Inspector Frederick Abberline, relied in their work on anthropometry, that is, they identified the criminal by certain facial features, for example, the thickness of the eyebrows or the shape of the jaw. The police received many letters from people posing as the murderer; in two of these letters the facts were stated in some detail, and the letters themselves were signed “Jack the Ripper.” However, in the absence of any further results of the investigation and murders, the Jack the Ripper case was officially closed in 1892.
In total, more than 160 people were accused of the Whitechapel murders, including Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll and artist William Richard Sickert.
In 1967, this department once again changed its location, moving to a modern 20-story building on Broadway, 10, not far from the building where the British Parliament meets. Today, Scotland Yard has approximately 30,000 officers patrolling an area of 620 square miles, home to 7.2 million UK citizens.
Now the former headquarters is known as the Norman Shaw (North) building. Scotland Yard's telephone number was originally 1212. Most police stations in London use 1212 as the last four digits of the telephone number.
Of course, when traveling to London, law-abiding tourists are not allowed to go to Scotland Yard and we would not recommend trying by hook or by crook to get into the holy of holies of the London police. But you can try to visit the Scotland Yard Crime Museum (8-10 Broadway, room 101) or the "Black Museum", which has been open to the general public since August 2013. For almost fifty years, the repository of terrible material evidence, weapons and death masks of criminals was accessible only to police officers. This is the oldest police museum in the world, the official opening date is 1877, but in fact the history of the museum dates back to 1869, when the police were allowed to seize the property of prisoners for training purposes. The idea of creating a museum on its basis belongs to Inspector Neame, who, together with Officer Randall, organized the first exhibition.
On September 29, 1829, London's criminal police force, Scotland Yard, was created. The name of the Forensic Investigations Unit comes from the original location of the police headquarters in Great Scotland Yard in the Whitehall area.
Why is the street called that?
The name "Great Scotland Yard" translated from English means "great Scottish court" and dates back to the early Middle Ages. In the 10th century King Edgar of England allocated a plot of land in central London for King Kenneth II of Scotland, who built his palace there, where he stayed whenever he came to the English capital. This palace was named Scotland Yard. Until the beginning of the 17th century, Scotland Yard continued to be owned by the Scottish kings, and it was considered the territory of Scotland.
In 1603 King James VI of Scotland from the dynasty Stuarts became at the same time the King of England, after which the Scotland Yard Palace lost its original purpose and government institutions began to be housed there. Since 1829, the police headquarters was located there. By the end of the 19th century, the department became cramped in the old palace, and the police moved to a complex of other buildings on the Victoria Embankment. These buildings became known as New Scotland Yard.
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Calling the London police "Scotland Yard" is not entirely correct. This is about the same as calling the Moscow police “Petrovka-38”. New Scotland Yard is the headquarters of the Greater London Police. And the official name of the London police is The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). However, the first option is still used more often: it sounds more beautiful and more familiar.
The history of Scotland Yard (literally translated as “Scottish court”) goes back centuries. Once upon a time, two kingdoms - Scottish and English - coexisted peacefully on the island. Almost a thousand years ago, the English King Edgar, considering himself the overlord of Scotland, presented his Scottish counterpart, King Kenneth, with a plot of land next to the Palace of Westminster in London. Edgar demanded that King Kenneth build a castle there and visit it annually, thereby demonstrating his vassalage to England. The order of the willful monarch was carried out: the palace was erected, and the Scottish king stayed there every time he came to England. Legally, the palace remained the property of the Scottish kings and was considered the territory of Scotland.
In 1603, after the death of Queen Elizabeth I, King James VI of Scotland became King of England and Scotland, and the palace lost its original purpose. The structure was divided into two parts: one was called Great Scotland Yard, the second - Middle Scotland Yard. They began to be used as government buildings. It was here that the first London police were stationed in 1829. Soon, law enforcement officers occupied several more buildings nearby.
Amazing fact: until the 19th century. There were no police as such in Britain! In the deep Middle Ages, the feudal lord was responsible for order on his land, performing the functions of both the police and the court. This was considered a thankless and unprestigious task. This circumstance, apparently, gave birth to the institution of constables. The word “constable” arose in the 13th century, when the monarch assigned village elders new military duties. In the XIV century. Constables began to perform some police functions. Their duties included organizing supervision of suspicious persons, seizing the property of convicts and ensuring its safety, searching for criminals and stolen things. To achieve this, constables were endowed with serious rights: they could break down the doors of suspects' houses and conduct searches, put suspects in stocks, put them behind bars, pillory the offenders and apply corporal punishment.
In addition to purely police functions, the constable was also responsible for collecting taxes, taxes to the king, for the safety of crops and livestock, the condition of roads, and dams on reservoirs. He also collected provisions for the royal court and ensured their delivery. At the same time, the constable did not receive a penny from the treasury for his truly hellish work. He had to “turn around,” as they would say today, himself: exceeding official authority, taking bribes, engaging in extortions and other unpleasant matters. And most often to the detriment of their main task - Naturally, this profession was not popular among local residents, and there were few people willing to voluntarily take on such a burden. That’s why outside experts were often invited. Often these were strangers who were forced to rent housing and work as a constable. After all, in England in the 16th - 17th centuries. absence from home was considered as vagrancy, for which there was severe punishment, so the game was worth the candle.
In general, according to the laws in force, the responsibility for maintaining public order fell on all subjects of the English king. Many, not wanting to perform these functions, hired someone else to replace them. They selected those who were cheaper - the disabled, the half-blind, tramps and even thieves. Therefore, very soon in cities, including London, so-called “thief catchers” appeared: professional informers and dubious detectives who did this for profit, out of revenge, or simply in search of adventure. Seven nannies had a child without an eye, and crime, which there was virtually no one to resist, finally began to overflow its banks.
The situation in the sphere of law and order that had developed in London at the beginning of the 19th century did not suit anyone. As an experiment, city authorities formed a semi-professional rapid response team, the so-called runners (“runners”), consisting of a dozen young people. They not only kept order on the streets, but also visited brothels, memorizing the faces of criminals in order to facilitate their identification later. Some time later, the runners were reinforced with several armed mounted patrols.
But the forces of good and evil were not equal. The crime situation in London became so serious that the Home Secretary, Robert Peel, decided, despite public hostility to this idea, to create a real police service. Soon the parliament approved the corresponding bill. Since then, British policemen have been given the nickname “bobby” - a diminutive derivative of the name of founding father Robert.
The date of birth of the London police was September 29, 1829. And a few months later, law enforcement officers suffered their first loss: policeman Joseph Grantham died while on duty on Somers Bridge. In 1830, the London police had about 3 thousand employees. Soon a secret department, that is, the criminal police, appeared in the state. At first, 12 detectives worked here, but a year later their number doubled.
Up to the 20th century. The organization of the English police and its methods of work did not undergo significant changes. During this time, solid experience in solving crimes was accumulated, and educational institutions for training personnel appeared. At the same time, the outright failures of London detectives often became public knowledge, undermining the trust of citizens. For example, the famous, but never solved, case of Jack the Ripper did not at all add to the authority of the police.
By the beginning of the 20th century. "Bobbies" were the first to use dogs for work purposes and moved from cabs to cars. And over the next few decades of the new century, Scotland Yard experienced a real technical revolution. Soon the London criminal police were head and shoulders above similar services in Europe and the USA in terms of equipment. It was at Scotland Yard that the largest collection of weapons and ammunition of its time was created. And British forensic experts, thanks to the use of forensic methods, were among the first in the world to master such subtleties as distinguishing between cases of forced and non-violent drowning, analyzing the time and circumstances of death from fire, and much more. Thanks to microscopic examinations, British police specialists already at that time determined that the ejected bullet belonged to one or another specific barrel.
Thanks to the accumulated experience, in October 1910, Scotland Yard specialists brilliantly solved the case of the murderous doctor Hawley Harvey Crippen. The villain poisoned his wife, very professionally dismembered the body and buried it not far from the house. Neighbors, noticing the woman’s prolonged absence, suspected something was wrong and contacted the police. The half-decomposed remains were quickly discovered. But it was still necessary to prove who they belonged to, and as a result of which death occurred. Hubby tried so carefully that it was almost impossible to even determine the sex of the corpse. However, detectives brought the killer to light. Forensic scientist Bernard Spilsbury proved that the discovered body fragments belonged to a young woman and that she had been poisoned.
At the same time, physician John Spilsbury was the first in the world to use tissue microscopy for scar identification of old bodily injuries during crime investigations.
Today, more than 30 thousand employees serve in the London police. In addition to providing the capital with police officers and investigators, Scotland Yard performs other tasks. Law enforcement officers monitor the operation of transport in London, issue driving licenses, and monitor the activities of taxi and bus fleets. In addition to purely police functions, Scotland Yard is engaged in civil defense, building maintenance, searching for missing things, and registering foreigners. It is the police who are entrusted with the function of personal protection of members of the royal family, as well as ensuring the security of the residence of monarchs, and the protection of prime ministers, including former ones. The police also protect high-ranking diplomats, as well as some other VIPs, in case an attempt may be made on their lives.
Scotland Yard, although authorized to conduct investigations throughout the kingdom, does not interfere in the affairs of the regional authorities until special permission is received from the provincial authorities.
Following the expansion of the Metropolitan Police's area of responsibility in April 2000, it began to serve London and its suburbs with a total area of 620 square meters. miles with a population of over 7 million people.
The brain center of Scotland Yard is the duty department, analogous to our service “02”. Everything here is equipped with the latest technology. Every incoming call is recorded and archived. All patrol cars are equipped with on-board computers, and the operator on duty always knows the location of a particular crew. Accordingly, the nearest patrol is sent to the scene of the incident.
Unlike police officers in most countries, bobbies serve without firearms. This is the tradition. Logic, like humor, is unique among the British. According to one of the ministers of internal affairs of the century before last, (this is where this “disarming” tradition comes from) the image of a “good policeman” who does not carry a weapon, firstly, affects the favorable image of law enforcement officers. And secondly, it protects against bullets no worse than a bulletproof vest: after all, by doing so, the law enforcement officer sets “a good example for antisocial elements who have their own code of honor that does not allow them to attack unarmed people.”
“Trunks” are, of course, assigned to each police officer, but are issued in exceptional cases. For example, during an operation to detain armed criminals. Even the bobbies' batons are not rubber, but wooden. Patrol officers typically wear light body armor. In addition, the law enforcement officer's equipment includes handcuffs and a canister of tear gas.
However, not so long ago the leadership decided to arm the police units that are involved in suppressing riots with stun guns. At the same time, strict instructions state that they can only be used in cases where a law enforcement officer is either dealing with a dangerous criminal, or when the life of the policeman himself is in danger.
This weapon shoots two thin needles at a distance of up to 6-7 m. The needles, which penetrate clothing, are connected to the gun with wire. The criminal receives a fairly powerful electric shock, which paralyzes him for some time. The pistol is equipped with a laser sight system, which increases the safety of its use.
Of course, the police have well-armed and equipped special forces. But they are used in exceptional situations. Opinion polls indicate that the British do not want armed policemen on the streets of their cities. To better understand the attitude of London residents to this problem, it is enough to recall the uproar that arose in the summer of 2005: then law enforcement officers shot and killed Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, mistakenly mistaking him for a suicide bomber.
Selection for the police is quite serious. The candidate needs qualities such as the ability to work in a team, sociability, respect for representatives of other races and ethnic groups, the ability to solve problems, responsibility, and perseverance. To enter the police service, applicants pass a series of exams. Moreover, the future law enforcement officer must demonstrate decent knowledge of his native language, mathematics, and a number of other disciplines. But there are no special requirements for the health of applicants. The main thing is to pass a medical examination, which will show that the candidate “can perform regular police functions.”
The future “bobby” is also checked for criminal records, participation in criminal groups, and is asked whether they have unpaid debts or other unfulfilled financial obligations. It is believed that the absence of debt will help a newcomer avoid the temptation to improve his financial situation through bribes.
There are also requirements for appearance. The policeman must give the impression of a modest, neat person. Tattoos and piercings are not prohibited, but they should not look provocative. It is unrealistic to see a policeman in London in a soiled uniform or husk a sunflower seed at his post. As a rule, numerous tourists turn to police officers with questions. Therefore, the answers to the questions “where” and “where” should literally jump off the tongue from “bobby”.
Police officers enjoy certain benefits. For example, annually, in addition to their salaries, employees receive about 5 thousand pounds sterling from the treasury for rent. Vacation, depending on length of service, ranges from 22 to 30 days. Police officers have discounts in a number of special stores. Education in specialized schools and colleges is free for them, as is medical care.
The police are led by a chief with the rank of commissioner. He has a number of deputies and assistants, each of whom is responsible for a specific area of work. In London today there are 33 police stations, exactly the number of districts. Plus, a separate division serves Heathrow Airport.
The level of trust in the police in the UK is very high. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it is about 80%. To earn such a flattering assessment from the subjects of the Queen of England is not an easy task.
Among the undoubted successes of Scotland Yard, thanks to which the ratings of people's love are growing, is last year's operation to prevent a series of terrorist attacks on airline flights. According to experts, these actions should have surpassed in scale the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington. The arrested militants were planning to carry explosives on board the planes in their hand luggage to blow up the airliners over the Atlantic. The plan was to use “liquid explosives” poured into bottles or cans of soft drinks: they cannot be detected by electronic detection systems at airports. The detonator had to be one of the electronic devices, for example, a mobile phone or audio player. According to unofficial information, the terrorists even managed to smuggle through the security system at Heathrow Airport a piece of explosive that was allegedly implanted in... a woman’s breast. But law enforcement officers showed vigilance and professionalism here too.
Despite the well-known British conservatism, the London police always keep up with the times and technological progress. The 2012 Olympics are just around the corner and will be held in London. This means that Scotland Yard will obviously have more worries. And for us, on the eve of a similar sports festival in the southern capital of Russia, it is not a sin to take a closer look at the experience of our foreign colleagues. You can learn not only from other people’s mistakes, but also from other people’s successes.
Evgeniy ANDREEV
(The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)).
The building of modern Scotland Yard is located in Westminster. Administrative functions are assigned to staff who are based in the Empress State Building ( English), and operational management - to three Metcall centers ( English).
The largest police agency in England. It employs 31,000 officers who are responsible for an area of 1,606 km² and a population of 7.2 million people living in and around London.
Story
The name Scotland Yard comes from its original location on Great Scotland Yard Road ( English) in the Whitehall area. There are also interesting versions of the origin of the name of the street (literally - “Scottish Yard”). According to one of them, in the 10th century, the English king Edgar gave the Scottish king Kenneth a plot of land next to the Palace of Westminster in London. He demanded that King Kenneth build a residence there and visit it annually, thereby paying tribute to the kingdom of England on behalf of Scotland. King Kenneth built himself a palace and lived there whenever he came to England. The palace remained the possession of the Scottish kings and was considered the territory of Scotland. When Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, King James VI of Scotland became King of England and Scotland and the palace lost its original purpose. It was divided into two parts: the first was called “Greater Scotland Yard”, the second - “Middle Scotland Yard”. They began to be used as government buildings.
There are also versions that in the Middle Ages the street belonged to a man named Scott, and also that stagecoaches to Scotland once departed from this street.
By 1890, the London Police had grown from an initial 1,000 officers to 13,000, requiring greater administrative staff and a larger headquarters. As the size and responsibilities of the police continued to expand, there was a need to further increase personnel, so New Scotland Yard was expanded in the 1940s. This complex of buildings is currently included in the list of buildings of architectural, historical or cultural significance.
A number of protective measures were added to the exterior of New Scotland Yard in 2000, including concrete barriers in front of the lower windows to protect against car bombs. In addition, a concrete wall was added near the entrance to the building. Armed officers from the Diplomatic Protection Service ( English) patrol the façade of the building along with police guards.
Scotland Yard in pop culture
In fiction and film, the word "New Scotland Yard" is used as a metonym for the Greater London Police, sometimes to refer to the entire police force of the United Kingdom.
Many novelists use fictional Scotland Yard detectives as the heroes and heroines of their works: George Gideon in the works of John Creasy, Cmdr. Adam Dalglish created by F. D. James, Inspector Richard Urey in the works of Martha Grims are the most famous examples. Or, for example, female detective Molly Robertson-Kirk, known as Lady Molly of Scotland Yard(author - Baroness Emma Orczy). Many of Agatha Christie's detective novels feature Scotland Yard detectives, especially in the Hercule Poirot series.
In the 30s of the 20th century, inexpensive detective magazines were common, using a popular brand in their title: “Scotland Yard”, “Scotland Yard Detective Stories” or “Scotland Yard International Detective”. Despite the names, they focused more on tacky US crime stories.
Scotland Yard served as the title of a series of low-budget films made in the 1961s. Each episode was a reconstruction of a real detective story.
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Excerpt describing Scotland Yard
The princess looked at him, not understanding his words, but rejoicing at the expression of sympathetic suffering that was in his face.“And I know so many examples that a wound from a shrapnel (the newspapers say a grenade) can be either fatal immediately, or, on the contrary, very light,” said Nikolai. – We must hope for the best, and I’m sure...
Princess Marya interrupted him.
“Oh, that would be so terrible...” she began and, without finishing from excitement, with a graceful movement (like everything she did in front of him), bowing her head and looking at him gratefully, she followed her aunt.
In the evening of that day, Nikolai did not go anywhere to visit and stayed at home in order to settle some scores with the horse sellers. When he finished his business, it was already too late to go anywhere, but it was still too early to go to bed, and Nikolai walked up and down the room alone for a long time, pondering his life, which rarely happened to him.
Princess Marya made a pleasant impression on him near Smolensk. The fact that he met her then in such special conditions, and the fact that it was her at one time that his mother pointed out to him as a rich match, made him pay special attention to her. In Voronezh, during his visit, the impression was not only pleasant, but strong. Nikolai was amazed at the special, moral beauty that he noticed in her this time. However, he was about to leave, and it did not occur to him to regret that by leaving Voronezh, he would be deprived of the opportunity to see the princess. But the current meeting with Princess Marya in the church (Nicholas felt it) sank deeper into his heart than he foresaw, and deeper than he desired for his peace of mind. This pale, thin, sad face, this radiant look, these quiet, graceful movements and most importantly - this deep and tender sadness, expressed in all her features, disturbed him and demanded his participation. Rostov could not stand to see in men the expression of a higher, spiritual life (that’s why he did not like Prince Andrei), he contemptuously called it philosophy, dreaminess; but in Princess Marya, precisely in this sadness, which showed the full depth of this spiritual world alien to Nicholas, he felt an irresistible attraction.
“She must be a wonderful girl! That's exactly the angel! - he spoke to himself. “Why am I not free, why did I hurry up with Sonya?” And involuntarily he imagined a comparison between the two: poverty in one and wealth in the other of those spiritual gifts that Nicholas did not have and which therefore he valued so highly. He tried to imagine what would happen if he were free. How would he propose to her and she would become his wife? No, he couldn't imagine this. He felt terrified, and no clear images appeared to him. With Sonya, he had long ago drawn up a future picture for himself, and all of this was simple and clear, precisely because it was all made up, and he knew everything that was in Sonya; but it was impossible to imagine a future life with Princess Marya, because he did not understand her, but only loved her.
Dreams about Sonya had something fun and toy-like about them. But thinking about Princess Marya was always difficult and a little scary.
“How she prayed! - he remembered. “It was clear that her whole soul was in prayer. Yes, this is the prayer that moves mountains, and I am confident that its prayer will be fulfilled. Why don't I pray for what I need? - he remembered. - What I need? Freedom, ending with Sonya. “She told the truth,” he recalled the words of the governor’s wife, “except for misfortune, nothing will come from the fact that I marry her.” Confusion, woe maman... things... confusion, terrible confusion! Yes, I don't like her. Yes, I don’t love it as much as I should. My God! get me out of this terrible, hopeless situation! – he suddenly began to pray. “Yes, prayer will move a mountain, but you have to believe and not pray the way Natasha and I prayed as children for the snow to become sugar, and ran out into the yard to try to see if sugar was made from snow.” No, but I’m not praying for trifles now,” he said, putting the pipe in the corner and, folding his hands, standing in front of the image. And, touched by the memory of Princess Marya, he began to pray as he had not prayed for a long time. Tears were in his eyes and in his throat when Lavrushka entered the door with some papers.
- Fool! Why do you bother when they don’t ask you? - Nikolai said, quickly changing his position.
“From the governor,” Lavrushka said in a sleepy voice, “the courier has arrived, a letter for you.”
- Well, okay, thank you, go!
Nikolai took two letters. One was from the mother, the other from Sonya. He recognized their handwriting and printed out Sonya's first letter. Before he had time to read a few lines, his face turned pale and his eyes opened in fear and joy.
- No, this cannot be! – he said out loud. Unable to sit still, he holds the letter in his hands, reading it. began to walk around the room. He ran through the letter, then read it once, twice, and, raising his shoulders and spreading his arms, he stopped in the middle of the room with his mouth open and eyes fixed. What he had just prayed for, with the confidence that God would grant his prayer, was fulfilled; but Nikolai was surprised by this as if it was something extraordinary, and as if he had never expected it, and as if the very fact that it happened so quickly proved that it did not happen from God, whom he asked, but from ordinary chance.
That seemingly insoluble knot that tied Rostov’s freedom was resolved by this unexpected (as it seemed to Nikolai), unprovoked by Sonya’s letter. She wrote that the latest unfortunate circumstances, the loss of almost all of the Rostovs’ property in Moscow, and the countess’s more than once expressed desires for Nikolai to marry Princess Bolkonskaya, and his silence and coldness lately - all this together made her decide to renounce him promises and give him complete freedom.
“It was too hard for me to think that I could be the cause of grief or discord in the family that had benefited me,” she wrote, “and my love has one goal: the happiness of those I love; and therefore I beg you, Nicolas, to consider yourself free and to know that no matter what, no one can love you more than your Sonya.”
Both letters were from Trinity. Another letter was from the Countess. This letter described the last days in Moscow, the departure, the fire and the destruction of the entire fortune. In this letter, by the way, the countess wrote that Prince Andrey was among the wounded traveling with them. His situation was very dangerous, but now the doctor says there is more hope. Sonya and Natasha, like nurses, look after him.
The next day, Nikolai went to Princess Marya with this letter. Neither Nikolai nor Princess Marya said a word about what the words could mean: “Natasha is caring for him”; but thanks to this letter, Nikolai suddenly became close to the princess into an almost family relationship.
The next day, Rostov accompanied Princess Marya to Yaroslavl and a few days later he himself left for the regiment.
Sonya's letter to Nicholas, which was the fulfillment of his prayer, was written from Trinity. This is what caused it. The thought of Nicholas marrying a rich bride occupied the old countess more and more. She knew that Sonya was the main obstacle to this. And Sonya’s life recently, especially after Nikolai’s letter describing his meeting in Bogucharovo with Princess Marya, became harder and harder in the countess’s house. The Countess did not miss a single opportunity to make an offensive or cruel hint to Sonya.
But a few days before leaving Moscow, touched and excited by everything that was happening, the Countess, calling Sonya to her, instead of reproaches and demands, turned to her with tears and prayed that she, by sacrificing herself, would repay for everything, what was done for her was to break her ties with Nikolai.
“I won’t be at peace until you give me this promise.”
Sonya burst into tears hysterically, answered through her sobs that she would do everything, that she was ready for anything, but she did not make a direct promise and in her soul could not decide on what was demanded of her. She had to sacrifice herself for the happiness of the family that fed and raised her. Sacrificing herself for the happiness of others was Sonya's habit. Her position in the house was such that only on the path of sacrifice could she show her virtues, and she was accustomed and loved to sacrifice herself. But first, in all acts of self-sacrifice, she joyfully realized that by sacrificing herself, she thereby raised her worth in the eyes of herself and others and became more worthy of Nicolas, whom she loved most in life; but now her sacrifice had to consist in giving up what for her constituted the entire reward of the sacrifice, the entire meaning of life. And for the first time in her life, she felt bitterness towards those people who had benefited her in order to torture her more painfully; I felt envy of Natasha, who had never experienced anything like this, never needed sacrifices and forced others to sacrifice herself and yet was loved by everyone. And for the first time, Sonya felt how, out of her quiet, pure love for Nicolas, a passionate feeling suddenly began to grow, which stood above rules, virtue, and religion; and under the influence of this feeling, Sonya involuntarily, learned by her dependent life of secrecy, answered the countess in general, vague words, avoided conversations with her and decided to wait for a meeting with Nikolai so that in this meeting she would not free her, but, on the contrary, forever bind herself to him .
The troubles and horror of the last days of the Rostovs’ stay in Moscow drowned out the dark thoughts that were weighing on her. She was glad to find salvation from them in practical activities. But when she learned about the presence of Prince Andrei in their house, despite all the sincere pity that she felt for him and Natasha, a joyful and superstitious feeling that God did not want her to be separated from Nicolas overtook her. She knew that Natasha loved one Prince Andrei and did not stop loving him. She knew that now, brought together in such terrible conditions, they would love each other again and that then Nicholas, due to the kinship that would be between them, would not be able to marry Princess Marya. Despite all the horror of everything that happened in the last days and during the first days of the journey, this feeling, this awareness of the intervention of providence in her personal affairs pleased Sonya.
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