Briggs: The mutual, though different, love that exists between Marya and Nikolay.
Maude: The two married couples and their mutual relations. Natasha's jealousy. Little Nicholas Bolkonski's aspirations
Translation:
XV.
Behind dinner the conversation was not walking more about politics and societies, but the opposite started the most agreeable for Nikolay about the memories of the 12th year, to which called Denisov, and to which Pierre was especially dear and funny. And the relatives dispersed to the most astounding relations.
When after dinner Nikolay, undressing in the office and giving back orders to the waiting manager, came in in a smock in the bedroom, he caught his wife still behind the writing table: she wrote something.
— What do you write, Marie? — asked Nikolay. Countess Marya blushed. She was afraid that what she wrote would not be understood and approved by her husband.
She would want to hide from him that what she wrote, but together with that was happy that he caught her and now needed to tell him.
— This is a diary, Nicolas, — she said, giving him the blue notebook, scribbled in her solid, large handwriting.
— A diary?.. — with a tint of mockery said Nikolay and took in his hand the notebook. It was written in French:
"4th of December. Now Andryusha (the older son), waking up, did not want to dress, and m-lle Louise sent for me. He was caprice and stubborn. I tried to threaten him but he only was still more angered. Then I took him in myself, left him and began with the nanny to raise the other children, but to him I told that I did not love him. He for long kept silent, as would be wondering; then in only a shirt jumped out to me and burst into tears so that I for long could not reassure him. It was seen that he was tormented more only by that he upset me; then, when I at night gave him his ticket, he again pitifully burst into tears, kissing me. With him all can be made tender."
— What such ticket? — asked Nikolay.
— I began to give the older ones in the evenings little notes of how they lead themselves.
Nikolay looked at the radiant eyes watching him, and continued to leaf over and read. In the diary was written down all that from the children’s life, what for the mother seemed wonderful, expressing the character of children or directing in the general thought about the receptions of upbringing. This was for the most part the most insignificant little things; but they did not seem the same for the mother or the father, when he now for the first time was reading this children's diary.
On the 5th December was written:
"Mitya was naughty behind the table. Papa told for him not to be given cake. He was not given; but he so pitifully and greedily watched the others while they ate. I think that to punish, not giving sweets, — only develops greed. Tell Nicolas."
Nikolay left the book and looked at his wife. The radiant eyes interrogatively (did he approve or not approve of the diary?) looked at him. It could not be doubted only the approval, but the admiration of Nikolay before his wife.
"Maybe this is not needed to do so pedantically, maybe it is quite not needed," thought Nikolay; but this relentless, eternal mental voltage, having the purpose only for the moral good of children — delighted him. If Nikolay could be aware of the feeling that he was found, it would be the chief foundation of his solid, tender and proud love to his wife was always this feeling of wonder before her soulfulness, before that almost inaccessible to Nikolay sublime, moral peace, in which always lived his wife.
He was proud of that she was so smart, and was well aware of his insignificance before her confessing peace, and by that was more rejoiced to that she with his soul not only belonged to him, but formed part of himself.
— I extremely, extremely approve, my friend, — he said, with a significant look. And, keeping silent a little, he added: — But I now badly led myself. You were not in the office. We argued with Pierre, and I got excited. And impossible. This is such a child. I do not know what would be with him, should Natasha not hold him under bridles. Can you represent what for he drove to Petersburg?.. They there arranged...
— Yes, I know, — said Countess Marya. — Natasha told me.
— Well so you know, — getting hot in the same recollections about the dispute continued Nikolay, — he wanted to assure me that the duty of any honest human consists in that, so to go against the amazing, then as oath and duty... I regret that you were not there. But then I was by all attacked, and Denisov and Natasha... Natasha is hilarious. Because as she under her shoe holds him, but a little bit business to reasoning — in her are no words — she his words speaks, — added Nikolay, succumbing to those irresistible aspirations, which are called in judgment about the most dear and loved people. Nikolay forgot that word to word that same that he spoke about Natasha, can be said about him regarding his wife.
— Yes, I noticed this, — said Countess Marya.
— When I told him that duty and oath are only higher, he began to prove God knows what. It is a pity that you were not; what would you have said?
— To me, you are completely right. I told Natasha so. Pierre spoke that all suffer, are tormented, are corrupted, and that our duty is to help neighbors. Of course, he is right, — said Countess Marya; — but he forgot that we have other responsibilities nearer, which God himself pointed out to us, and that we can risk ourselves, but not the children.
— Well here, here, this is the very thing I spoke to him, — picked up Nikolay, to whom it really seemed that he spoke this very thing. — But them, now love to neighbor and Christianity, and all this at Nikolinka, which here climbed up in the office and broke all.
— Ah, whether you know, Nicolas, Nikolinka so often torments me, — said Countess Marya. — This is such an unusual boy. And I am afraid that I forget him for my own. We all have children, all have kin; but he has nobody. He forever is alone with his own thoughts.
— Well really, it seems, there is nothing for you to reproach yourself for him. All that may be done by a tender mother for their son, you did and do for him. And I, of course, am glad at that. He is a nice, nice boy. Now he in some unconsciousness listens to Pierre. And you can yourself represent: we exit to dinner; I look, he broke to smithereens all I had on the table, And now already told me. I never have seen him say an untruth. A nice, nice boy! — repeated Nikolay, to which by his soul did not like Nikolinka, but whom he always would want to admit as glorious.
— Not all that that is a mother, — said Countess Marya, — I feel that I am not that, and this torments me. A wonderful boy; but I am terribly afraid for him. Society will be helpful for him.
— What, but a short time; now in summer I will take him to Petersburg, — said Nikolay.
— Yes, Pierre always was and will remain a dreamer, — he continued, returning to the conversation in the office, which apparently worried him. — Well what business to me is there, — that Arakcheev is bad and all, — what for me was this business, when I married and I had so many debts that I was planted in a pit, and my mother, who may not see and understand. But then you, children, affairs. Am I for my pleasure from morning to evening at deeds and in the office? No, I know that I should be working, so to reassure my mother, repay you, and my children not be left as such beggars as I was.
Countess Marya wanted to say to him, that not unifying bread will well feed a person, that he ascribes too much importance by these deeds; but she knew that to speak this was not needed and useless. She only took his hand and kissed it. He accepted this gesture of his wife as okay and a confirmation of his thoughts, and thinking some time silently, out loud he continued his thought.
— You know, Marie, — he said, — now arrived Ilya Mitrofanych (this was the manager of business) from the Tambov village and he tells that for the forest now will be given 80 thousand. — And from Nikolay’s busy face he began telling about the opportunity in quite a soon time to redeem Otradnoe. — Nine more years of life, and I will leave the children...in an excellent position.
Countess Marya listened to her husband and understood all that he spoke to her. She knew that when he so thought out loud, he sometimes asked her what he said and was angered, when he noticed that she thought about others. Yet she made for this large efforts, because of how she did not have any interest in that what he spoke. She burned in him and not that — now thinking about others, but feeling about others. She felt submissive, tender love to this person, who never will understand only what she understands, and as would from this she still stronger, with a tint of passion tenderness, loved him. Besides this feeling, absorbing all of her and interfering with her delving into the details of the plans of her husband, in her head flashed a thought, not having anything in common with that what he spoke. She thought about her nephew (the story of her husband about his agitation at the conversation of Pierre strongly struck her), and the various features of his tender, sensitive character presented to her; and she, thinking about her nephew, thought about her children. She did not compare her nephew and her children, but she compared her feelings to him, and with sadness found that in her feelings to Nikolinka something was not gotten.
Sometimes to her came the idea that this difference was going on from age; but she felt that she was to blame before him and in her soul promised herself to correct and to do the impossible — i.e. in this life of love to her husband, children, Nikolinka and all the neighbors so, as Christ loved humanity. The soul of Countess Marya always sought to the endless, eternal and perfect, and because of it never could be calm. On her face came forward the strict expression of hidden high misery of the soul, gravitating her body. Nikolay looked at her.
"My God! What with us will be, if she will die, as this seems to me, when on her is such a face," he thought and, becoming before the way, he began to read the evening prayers.
Mentioned: December 4th, December 5th, to-night
Locations: see previous chapter
Mentioned: 1812, Tambov, Otradnoe
Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Denisov and Nikolai reflect on 1812 and the families depart friendly. Nikolai discovers Marya writing in her diary and reads it. It is about her children as she documents their behavior and personality.
"If Nikolai could have been conscious of his feeling, he would have found that this firm, tender, and proud love for his wife had always been based on this feeling of wonder before her inner life before that lofty moral world, almost inaccessible to him, in which his wife lived always."
Nikolai talks about his argument with Pierre and Marya says that Pierre "forgets that we have other, closer responsibilities, which God himself has indicated to us, and that we can risk ourselves, but not our children."
Nikolai speaks about business and what he plans to leave the children and Marya knows she has to pay attention because he will ask her and get angry if she hasn't been paying attention but "what he said did not interest her at all."
"Countess Marya's soul always strove towards the infinite, eternal, and perfect, and therefore could never be at peace."
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 *):
Nikolai (also "husband", "papa", and "Nicolas")
Denisof
Pierre
Countess Mariya (also "Marie", "mother", "darling", and "wife")
Andryusha
Mlle. Luisa ("Mlle. Louise" in Wiener, Maude, and Garnett (the latter two use "Mademoiselle". The nurse is also mentioned by Marya, but it is unclear who this is supposed to be.)
Mitya
Natasha
Nikolenka (also "nephew")
Arakcheyef
Countess Rostova ("mother")
Ilya Mitrofanuitch ("...Mitrofanych" in Briggs, Dunnigan, and Edmonds.)
Abridged Versions: In Bell, the diary section is cut. The chapter also cuts off without a break when Nikolai says he wants to send Nikolenka to St. Petersburg.
Gibian: Chapter 4: Line break instead of chapter break.
Komroff: The diary section and the section where Nikolai talks about his monetary goals and Marya fears his death are removed. Followed by a line break.
Kropotkin: Chapter 9: The Nikolenka section is removed.
Simmons: Chapter 4: Andrusha's diary section is removed. The section discussing Pierre is shortened. Nicholas's section discussing his plans to buy back Otradnoe is shortened. Line break instead of chapter break.
Additional Notes:
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