Book 2 Part 4 Chapter 13 (Chapter 142 Overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Nikolai confesses to his mother. The countess offended. The countess reproaches Sonya. the quarrel. Natasha as peacemaker. Nikolai rejoins his regiment. Natasha's unsatisfactory letters. The Rostofs' return to Moscow.
Briggs: Nikolay's marriage to Sonya is opposed. Nikolay rejoins the regiment.
Maude: His mother opposes Nicholas's wish to marry Sonya, and he returns to his regiment. Natasha becomes restless and impatient for Prince Andrew's return
Pevear and Volkhonsky: The old countess opposes Nikolai's marriage to Sonya. He goes back to his regiment. Natasha impatiently waits for Prince Andrei. She and Sonya return to Moscow with the old count.

Translation:

XIII.

Soon after Christmas Nikolay declared to his mother about his love for Sonya and about his solid decision to marry her. The countess, for a long time noticing what was happening between Sonya and Nikolay, and awaiting this explanation, silently listened to his words and told her son that he may marry whom he wants to; but that she, nor his father will give their blessings to such a marriage. For the first time Nikolay felt that his mother was unhappy with him, that despite all her love for him, she would not yield him. She, coldly and not looking at her son, sent for her husband; and, when he came, the countess wanted to shortly and coldly in the presence of Nikolay report to him this business, but this did not survive; she cried tears in annoyance and exited from the room. The old count began indecisively to counsel Nikolay and to ask him to refuse from his intentions. Nikolay responded that he may not change his word, and his father, sighing and obviously embarrassed, quite soon interrupted his speech and went to the countess. In all the collisions with his son, the count did not leave the consciousness of his guilt before him for the disappointment of the case, and because he could not be angry at his son for the failure to marry a rich bride and for choosing the homeless Sonya, — he only in this case livelier remembered how, if the affairs would not have been disturbed there could not be for Nikolay to want a better wife than Sonya; and that he was guilty in the disappointing cases alone with his Mitenka and with their own irresistible habits.

The father with the mother did not more talk about this case with the son; but a few days after this, the countess called to herself Sonya and with a cruelty which she did not await from another, the countess reproached her niece in enticing her son in ingratitude. Sonya, silently with closed eyes, listened to the cruel words of the countess and did not understand what from her was required. She was all ready to donate for her benefactors. The idea about self-sacrifice was beloved to her thought; but in this case she could not understand who and what she needed to sacrifice. She could not not love the countess and all the family of Rostovs, but she could not not love Nikolay and not know that his happiness depended on this love. She was silent and sad, and did not answer. Nikolay could not, as it seemed to him, bring more to this situation and went to explain with his mother. Nikolay begged his mother to forgive him and Sonya and to agree to their marriage, then threatened his mother that should Sonya be hunted then he now again will marry her in secret.

The countess with coldness, which her son had never seen, answered to him that he is an adult, that Prince Andrey married without the consent of his father, and that he may do the same, but that she would never recognize this intriguer as her daughter.

Exploding at the word intriguer, Nikolay, elevating his voice, said to his mother that he never thought for her to force him to sell his feelings, and that should this be so, that he for the last time speaks... but he did not have time to say these decisive words, which, judging by the expression of his face, with horror was waiting for his mother and which maybe forever would have left a cruel memory between them. He did not have time to finish because of how Natasha with a pale and severe face entered into the room from the door, at which she overheard.

— Nikolinka, you speak nonsense, silence, silence! I to you speak, silence!.. — she almost shouted, so that to drown out his voice.

— Mama, darling, this is really not because... my darling, poor, — she turned to her mother, who, feeling herself on the edge of breaking, with horror watched her son, but, owing to stubbornness and the hobby of fighting, did not want to and could not give up.

— Nikolinka, I explain to you, you leave — you listen, Mama, darling, — she said to her mother.

Her words were meaningless: but they reached this result which she sought.

The countess heavily stuck her face in the breast of her daughter, but Nikolay got up, grabbed behind the head and got out from the room.

Natasha took for the business of reconciliation and led him to how Nikolay received a promise from their mothers that Sonya will not be oppressed, and himself gave a promise that he will not undertake secretly from his parents.

With the solid intention to arrange in the regiment his affairs, to exit and resign, to come marry Sonya, Nikolay, sad and serious, in discord with his relatives, but as to him it seemed, passionately fallen in love, in the beginning of January left to the regiment.

After the departure of Nikolay in the house of the Rostovs it had become sadder than before. The countess from sincere disappointment was made sick.

Sonya was sad from the separation with Nikolay and still more from this hostile tone, from which she could not handle from the countess. The count more than before was concerned with the bad position of his cases, demanding some kind of decisive measures. It was necessary to sell the Moscow house and the one near Moscow, but for the sales of the homes it was needed to go to Moscow. Yet the health of the countess forced from day to day to save the departure.

Natasha, easily and even funnily carrying the first time of separation with her groom, now with every afternoon became more excited and more impatient. The that so for nothing or for no one disappeared her best time, which she would have used to love him, relentlessly tormented her. His letters for the most part angered her. To her it was offensive to think that so as she lived only to think about him, he lived the present life, saw new places, new people, which for him was interesting. The more entertaining were his letters, the more she was annoyed. Her same letters to him not only did not deliver her consolation, but presented a boring and fake duty. She was not able to write because of how she could not comprehend the opportunity to express in a letter truly one thousandth share of what she was used to expressing in her voice, smile and look. She wrote to him classically monotonous, dry letters, which she attributed no meanings and in which, by a draft notebook, the countess straightened her orthographic mistakes.

The health of the countess was not all mended; but to save the trip to Moscow now there was not an opportunity. The need was to make a dowry, the need was to sell the house, and moreover Prince Andrey was waiting first in Moscow, where in this winter lived Prince Nikolay Andreich, and Natasha was sure that he had already arrived.

The countess was left in the village, but the count, taking with himself Sonya and Natasha, at the end of January went to Moscow.

Time: Soon after the Christmas holidays, a few days later, in the beginning of January, end of January
Mentioned: that winter

Locations: see previous chapter
Mentioned: the Moscow house, the country

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Nikolai has told his mother about his intention to marry Sonya. She refuses to give the blessing. "For the first time, Nikolai felt that his mother was displeased with him, and that, despite all her love for him, she would not yield."

The old count is no more successful in getting Nikolai to change his mind. The countess then has a cruel conversation with Sonya that "neither of them expected."

Nikolai and his mother have a fight that Natasha has to break up. Nikolai, now into January, goes back to his regiment. "After Nikolai's departure, the Rostovs' house became sadder than ever."

Natasha becomes even more separated from Andrei. Part Four ends with Sonya, Natasha, and the old count going to Moscow.

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 "son" and "Nikolinka")

Countess Rostova ("mother", "mamma", and "countess")

Sonya

Count Rostof ("father" and "old count")

Mitenka

Prince Andrei

Natasha

Prince Nikolai Andreyitch (also "his father")

Abridged Versions: End of Part the Seventh in Wiener. End of Chapter 14 in Bell.

End of Part 4 in Briggs, Dunnigan, Mandelker,  and Edmonds. End of Part Seven in Garnett.

End of Book Seven in Maude.
Gibian: Chapter 13: end of Book Seven.

Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.

Komroff: Chapter is preserved. End of Book Seven.

Kropotkin: Chapter 7: Chapter seems preserved. End of Part Seventh.

Bromfield: The argument is shortened to a paragraph, Chapter 6 ends with Natasha begging to go to Moscow with her father. No illness or anything with the countess.
Simmons: Chapter 13: end of Book Seven.

Additional Notes:

Anna Karenina (Kent/Berberova/Garnett): Stephen Arkadyevich laughed outright “Oh moralist! But you must understand, there are two women; one who insists only

on her rights, and those rights are your live, which you can’t give her; and the other sacrifices everything for you and asks for nothing. What are you to do? How are

you to act? There’s a fearful tragedy in it.”.

The Devil (Maude): "Eugene...wished to marry honorably, for love."

Letters (Christian): Page 419: “Every man who is grown up and wants to live a good life must certainly marry, but he must certainly not marry for love but from calculation--only

understanding these two words in precisely the opposite way to which they are normally understood--i.e. Marry without sensual love, but from the calculation,

not of where to live of what to live on (everybody lives), but from the calculation (420) of how probably it is that your future wife will help you, and not prevent you

from living a humane life.”