Book 2 Part 5 Chapter 20 (Chapter 162 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Pierre in search of Anatol. A stormy interview. His apology. Anatol leaves Moscow. Natasha attempts to poison herself.
Briggs: Pierre sees Anatole, and vents his fury on him. Anatole leaves town.
Maude: Pierre's explanation with Anatole
Pevear and Volokhonsky: Pierre finds Anatole. Anatole leaves Moscow.

Translation:

XX.

Pierre did not stay for dinner, but immediately again got out of the room and left. He went looking by the city for Anatole Kuragin, the thought about whom now all blood in him surged to his heart and he felt the difficulty of transferring breaths. In the mountains, at the gyspy’s, at Comoneno — he was not. Pierre went to the club. In the club all was going in its ordinary order: the visitors, gathered for dinner, were sitting in groups and greeted Pierre and talked about city news. A lackey, greeting him, reported to him, knowing his acquaintances and habits, that his place was left in the little dining room, that Prince Mihail Zaharych was in the library, but Pavel Timofeich had still not come. One of the acquaintances of Pierre between a conversation about the weather asked him whether he heard about the abduction by Kuragin of Rostova, about which was spoken in the city, and whether this really was. Pierre, laughing, said that this was nonsense, because of how he now was only from the Rostovs. He asked all about Anatole; to him one said that he had still not come, another, that he will be at dinner now. Pierre was weirdly looking at this calm, indifferent crowd of people who did not know what was in his soul. He walked by the hall, waited while all gathered together, and did not wait for Anatole, did not have dinner and went home.

Anatole, whom he sought, on this day dined at Dolohov’s and conferred with him about how to correct the spoiled business. To him it seemed necessary to see Rostova. At night he went to his sister, so that to talk with her about a means to arrange this appointment. When Pierre, in vain travelling all of Moscow, returned home, the valet reported to him that Prince Anatoly Vasilevich was at the countess’s. The living room of the countess was full of guests.

Pierre not greeting his wife, whom he had not seen after her arrival (she more than ever was hateful for him in this moment), entered into the living room and seeing Anatole, came up to him.

— Ah, Pierre, — said the countess, coming up to her husband. — You do not know which position our Anatole is in... — she stopped, seeing the sinking low head of her husband, in his brilliant eyes, and in his decisive gait that scary expression of madness and force which she knew and tested in himself after the duel with Dolohov.

— Where you are — there is debauchery, evil, — said Pierre to his wife. — Anatole, let's go, I need to to talk with you, — he said in French.

Anatole turned his back to his sister and dutifully got up, ready to follow behind Pierre.

Pierre, taking him behind the arm, yanked him to himself and went from the room.

— If you let yourself in my living room,558 — whisperingly spoke Elen; but Pierre, not answering her, got out of the room.

Anatole was walking behind him in his usual, brave gait. Yet on his face was noticeable anxiety.

Entering into his office, Pierre shut the door and turned to Anatole, not looking at him.

— You promised Countess Rostova to marry her? Would you like to take her away?

— My sweet, — was the response of Anatole in French (as was walking all conversations), — I do not think myself obliged to respond to interrogations, being done in such a tone.

The face of Pierre, before pale, distorted to madness. He grabbed with his large hand Anatole behind the collar of his uniform and began to shake his parts to the side until the face of Anatole accepted a sufficient expression of fright.

— When I speak, then I need to speak with you... — repeated Pierre.

— Well what, this is stupid. Ah? — said Anatole, palpating the torn off from cloth button collar.

— You are a scoundrel and bastard, and I do not know what abstains me from the pleasure of diluting your head here by this, — spoke Pierre, expressed so artificially because of how he spoke in French. He took in his hand a heavy press-papier and menacingly raised it and immediately again hastily placed it in place.

— You promised her to marry?

— I, I, I did not think; however I never promised, because of how...

Pierre interrupted him.

— Do you have letters of hers? Do you have letters? — repeated Pierre, moving forward to Anatole.

Anatole looked at him and immediately again, shoving his hand in his pocket, took out his wallet.

Pierre took the served to him letter and pushing him away stood in the way of the table and fell down on the sofa.

— I will do nothing, do not be afraid,559 — said Pierre answering to the scared gesture of Anatole. — Letters — one, — said Pierre, as if repeating a lesson for himself. — Second, — after a minute of silence he continued, again getting up and beginning to walk, — you tomorrow must leave from Moscow.

— Yet how again can I...

— Third, — not listening to him, continued Pierre, — you must never speak words about what was between you and the countess. This, I know, I can not forbid you, but should in you be a spark of conscience... — Pierre a few times silently passed by the room. Anatole sat at the desk and frowning, bit his lips.

— You may not understand finally that besides your pleasure is the happiness and calm of other people, that you ruin whole lives from that you want to have fun. Have fun with women similar to my spouse — with these you have the right, they know what you want from them. They are armed against you by that same experience of debauchery; but to promise a girl to marry her... to deceive, to steal... how do you not understand that this is so the same despicable, as to kill an old man or child!..

Pierre fell silent and looked at Anatole now not with an angry, but interrogative look.

— This I did not know. Ah? — said Anatole, cheering up at least as Pierre overcame his wrath. — I do not know this and do not want to know, — he said, not looking at Pierre and with a lightly trembling bottom jaw, — but you have said to me such words: despicable and like that, which I as an honest person560 do not let anyone.

Pierre with surprise looked at him, not in his forces to understand what was needed of him.

— Although this was with eye to eye, — continued Anatole, — but I cannot...

— What, you need satisfaction? — mockingly said Pierre.

— At least you may take backwards these words. Ah? Should you want for me to carry out your desires. Ah?

— I take, I take them backwards, — spoke Pierre — and I beg you to excuse me. — Pierre looked unwittingly at the torn off button. — And money, should you need it for the road. — Anatole smiled.

This expression of timid and mean smile, the friend of his wife, blew up Pierre.

— Oh, mean, heartless breed! — he spoke and got out of the room.

On the next day Anatole left to Petersburg.

558 Si vous vous permettez dans mon salon, (If you allow yourself in my living room,)

559 Je ne serai pas violent, ne craignez rien, (I will not be violent, do not be afraid,)

560 comme un homme d’honneur (as a man of honor)

Time: see previous chapter, the next day

Locations: Pierre's home
Mentioned: the hills (ice-hills in Garnett, Maude, Bell, Pevear and Volokhonsky, and Dole (the last two remove the hyphen)), the gipsies, Comoneno (Somoneno in Garnett. Komoneno in Maude. cut in Bell.), the club, Moscow, St. Petersburg

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Pierre hunts down Anatole and explicitly is like the Pierre who dueled Dolokhov and threatened to kill his wife.

Tolstoy emphasizes that the entire conversation between Anatole and Pierre was in French. Pierre chases Anatole out of town, first threatening him, then cooling and trying to be kind, only to see the smirk on his face and
walking out of the room angrily.

Characters (characters who do not appear, but are mentioned are placed in italics. First appearances are in Bold. First mentions are underlined. Final appearance denoted by *):

Pierre

Anatol Vasilyitch Kuragin (Mandelker, Maude, Bell, and Edmonds don’t print the second name. Its “Vasilyevich” in Dunnigan. “Vasilich” in Weiner.)

Natasha Rostova (also “Countess Rostova”)

Dolokhof

Ellen (also “countess” and “wife”)

(Comoneno, as in Dole, Briggs, and Dunnigan, is referenced as a place. “Komoneno” in Maude. “Somoneno” in Garnett. There is also a Prince N. N. and T.T. in Dole at the club. These are “Mihail Zaharitch” and “Pavel
Timofeitch” in Garnett. “Mikhail Zakharych” and “Pavel Timofeich” in Briggs and Dunnigan. Mandelker agrees with Briggs on the former and prints “Pavel Timofeevich” as the latter. “Mihail Zakarich” in Edmonds, agreeing
with Briggs on the latter. “Michael Zakharych” in Maude, agreeing with Mandelker on the latter.)

(also Pierre’s footman or valet.)

Abridged Versions: No break in Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 20

Fuller: Chapter appears to be preserved.

Komroff: Pierre and Anatole meet a little more quickly. The conversation between the two is a little shorter. Line break.

Kropotkin: Chapter 14: Chapter is preserved.
Simmons: Chapter 20: Pierre's search for Anatole in different places and his time at the club is cut. Anatole's defense of his honor is shortened.

Edmundson: Act Three Scene 12: This is the first time we hear of Anatole's other marriage. Anatole says "I thought you'd never ask" when Pierre asks him if he needs money.

Additional Notes: The ice-hills or mountains referred to early in the chapter probably refer to old dangerous roller-coasters that were in several cities in Russia.

You can read more about them here.

Cooke compares the situation that Natasha was in with the semi-secret engagement (if not the final result) with Tanya Behrs secret engagement with Tolstoy's brother.

Pierre's collection of the letters from Anatole actually reminds me of a letter that Tolstoy wrote to one of his own daughters who find herself in a semi-compromising position

(it is almost as if Tolstoy found himself going through the checklist of things to go through in order to save her reputation that he had Pierre go through for Natasha.)

The emphasis on planning to elope, the conversation taking place in French, and the secret plan of marriage also shows up in Tolstoy's unfinished fragments of

The Decembrists, which was planned to be a sequel of sorts for War and Peace.