15 (i) : Raina says that the camp life has made Sergius coarse, because Sergius has just told them of an incident of two Bulgarian ladies who unpatriotically hid an enemy soldier. Sergius had told them that the two ladies "were enchanted by his persuasive ... manners" and then had protected him by disguising him in the coat of the master of the house, thus saving him from being caught by their own soldiers. The two women had thus worked against their own nation in a time of war. Raina and Catherine pretend that they are highly offended to hear such a story of such unpatriotic behaviour. She goes on to presume that Sergius refined manners had deteriorated as a result of his sharing the military camp life with rough soldiers who did not care for the feelings of genteel women who are easily and very offended by such stories.
(ii) : Raina is talking about the story Sergius had just told them about swiss mercenary who had been fighting for the Serbs who had been in the very regiment that Sergius had attacked and whose defeat had marked the victory of the Bulgarian in the battle at Slivnitza. The man had fled after the defeat and to escape the closely pursuing Bulgaria soldiers had climbed up a waterpipe and sought refuge in the room of a young Bulgarian lady. Rather than handing the soldier up, the lady had protected the man having been taken up by his "persuasive...manners". The lady's mother who was informed of the soldiers presence after about an hour had also been taken up the man and had colluded with her daughter in hiding him from their soldiers and had disguised him in the coat of the master of the house and set the man free.
(iii) : Catherine is referring to the women in Sergius' story who had had been unpatriotic and had committed treason be hiding and protecting an enemy soldier from their own forces during the time of war. Catherine says that they should "be spared knowledge of them" as she wishes to give the opinion that she is revolted by such weak, unpatriotic and treasonable behaviour.
(iv) : Raina and Catherine show their offence at the story told by Sergius because they do not want Sergius and Paul to suspect that they are the two women in the story. They want to change the topic of conversation as soon as possible.
(v) : According to Sergius that being in active service during the war he had glimpsed (seen briefly) the seamy side (the terrible sights which are part and parcel of a battle scene - such as badly wounded and dead soldiers and blood) had made him cynical (sceptical of the so called civilisation they pride themselves to belong to).
The effect on Sergius is to see through the pretense of civilisation in society (made him cynical). However, he is apologetic for bringing that scepticism into a place where there are truly civilised and genteel persons like Raina and Catherine - his cynicism is out of place there.
(vi) : Raina and her mother, Catherine, showed the great ability to pretend to be offended. They have expertly deflected the attention on themselves. At the very worst they have proved that they can lie and bluff Paul and Sergius very well.
(ii) : Raina is talking about the story Sergius had just told them about swiss mercenary who had been fighting for the Serbs who had been in the very regiment that Sergius had attacked and whose defeat had marked the victory of the Bulgarian in the battle at Slivnitza. The man had fled after the defeat and to escape the closely pursuing Bulgaria soldiers had climbed up a waterpipe and sought refuge in the room of a young Bulgarian lady. Rather than handing the soldier up, the lady had protected the man having been taken up by his "persuasive...manners". The lady's mother who was informed of the soldiers presence after about an hour had also been taken up the man and had colluded with her daughter in hiding him from their soldiers and had disguised him in the coat of the master of the house and set the man free.
(iii) : Catherine is referring to the women in Sergius' story who had had been unpatriotic and had committed treason be hiding and protecting an enemy soldier from their own forces during the time of war. Catherine says that they should "be spared knowledge of them" as she wishes to give the opinion that she is revolted by such weak, unpatriotic and treasonable behaviour.
(iv) : Raina and Catherine show their offence at the story told by Sergius because they do not want Sergius and Paul to suspect that they are the two women in the story. They want to change the topic of conversation as soon as possible.
(v) : According to Sergius that being in active service during the war he had glimpsed (seen briefly) the seamy side (the terrible sights which are part and parcel of a battle scene - such as badly wounded and dead soldiers and blood) had made him cynical (sceptical of the so called civilisation they pride themselves to belong to).
The effect on Sergius is to see through the pretense of civilisation in society (made him cynical). However, he is apologetic for bringing that scepticism into a place where there are truly civilised and genteel persons like Raina and Catherine - his cynicism is out of place there.
(vi) : Raina and her mother, Catherine, showed the great ability to pretend to be offended. They have expertly deflected the attention on themselves. At the very worst they have proved that they can lie and bluff Paul and Sergius very well.
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