Book 2 Part 4 Chapter 8 (Chapter 137 Overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: The Rostof household. Pecuniary difficulties. Attempted retrenchment. The hunting establishment. The countess's hopes for Nikolai. Julie Karagina. Nikolai objects. Gloomy days.
Briggs: Countess Rostov wants Nikolay to marry Julie Karagin. She nags Sonya.
Maude: His other urges Nicholas to marry Julie Karagina, and grumbles at Sonya
Pevear and Volkhonsky: The old countess and Nikolai. He refuses to marry for money. Nikolai and Sonya.

Translation:

VIII.

Count Ilya Andreich got out from the leaders because of how this position was conjugated with too large expenses. Yet his affairs were not all mended. Often Natasha and Nikolay saw secret, anxious talks of their parents and had heard talk about selling the rich, ancestral Rostov home in the Moscow region. Without the leadership it was not needed to have such a reception, and Otradnoe life was conducted in more of a hush than in the former years; but the huge house and wing all the same were full of people, behind the table all so the same sat down more than 20 people. All of these were their settled down in the house people, almost members of the family or such, which, it seemed, were necessary to live in the house of the count. These were Dimmler the musician with his wife, Fogel — the dancing teacher with the family, the old lady and young lady Belova living in the house, and still many others: the teacher of Petya, the former governess of the young lady and simply people for who was better or more profitable to live at the count’s than at home. There was not such an arrival as before, yet the movement of life conducted that same, without which the count and countess could not represent life to themselves. That same was, the still increased hunting of Nikolay, those same 50 horses and 15 coachmen in the stable; those same expensive gifts on name days, and solemn in all county dinners; those same count’s whists and boston, for which he, dismissing to all in the view of cards, gave himself every day in hundreds of the outplay of neighbors, watched in the right form of the party of Count Ilya Andreich, as in very profitable rent.

The count, as in huge snares, went on his deeds, trying to not believe that, what confused him and with every step all the more and more was entangled and feeling it not in his forces to tear up the network entangling him, or to carefully, patiently take to unravel them. The countess’s affectionate heart felt that her children were ruined, that the count was not to blame, that he may not be not how he is, that he himself suffered (although he hides this) from the consciousness of his and their children's ruin, and searched for means to help the business. From her female point of view presented only one means — the marriage of Nikolay to a rich bride. She felt that this was the last hope, and that if Nikolay refused from the parties which she found him, it will be needed to forever say goodbye to the opportunity of correct affairs. This party was Juli Karagina, the daughter of the beautiful, virtuous mother and father, from childhood famous to Rostov, and now a rich bride by the occasion of the death of the last of her brothers.

The countess wrote all to Karagina in Moscow, offering her marriage to her daughter with her son and received from her a favorable answer. Karagina answered that she with her parties agreed that all will depend on the propensities of her daughter. Karagina invited Nikolay to come to Moscow.

A few times with tears in her eyes, the countess said to her son that now, when both of her daughters were attached — her only wish consisted so that to see him married. She said that she would lie down in her coffin calmly, should this be. Then she said that in her is a beautiful girl on the take and elicited his opinion about marriage.

In other conversations she praised Juli and advised Nikolay to go to Moscow on holiday to have some fun. Nikolay guessed to why leaned the conversations of his mothers, and in one of these talkings called her in complete frankness. She expressed to him that all hopes of the amendment of cases were founded now in his marriage to Karagina.

— What, if I loved a girl without state, is it really you would demand, maman (mama), for me to donate feeling and honor for state? — he asked his mother, not understanding the cruelty of the issue and wishing only to express his nobility.

— No, you do not get me, — said her mother, not knowing how to justify it. — You do not get me, Nikolinka. I want your happiness, — she added and feeling that she spoke an untruth, she got confused. She cried.

— Mama, do not cry, but only say to me that you want this, and you know how I all my life, all I will give so that you were calm, — said Nikolay. —  I all will donate for you, even my feeling.

Yet the countess did not want to put the question: she did not want to victimize her son, she herself would want to sacrifice for him.

— No, you do not get me, do not speak, — she said, wiping her tears.

"Yes, maybe, I love a poor girl — spoke Nikolay to himself, — what the same, I donate feeling and honor for state? I am surprised at how Mama could say this to me. Because that Sonya is poor, that I cannot love her, — he thought, — I cannot respond to her true, devoted love. But really for sure with her I will be happier, than with some doll Juli. I cannot order my feelings," — he spoke to himself. "Should I love Sonya, that feeling of mine is stronger and higher only for me."

Nikolay did not go into Moscow, the countess did not renew with him a conversation about marriage and with sadness, but sometimes bitterness saw signs all the more and more rapprochement between her son and the homeless Sonya. She reproached herself for that, but could not grumble, not find fault in Sonya, often without causes stopping her, calling her the formal "you," and "my pretty." More only the good countess for that was angry at Sonya, that this poor, black eyed niece was so meek, so good, so devotional and grateful to her benefactors, and so right, invariably, with selflessness fell in love with Nikolay, that it could not be to reproach her.

Nikolay lived out at the relatives his term of holiday. From the groom Prince Andrey was received a fourth letter, from Rome, in which he writes that he for now a long time would be on the way to Russia should suddenly in the warm climate had his wound not opened, that forced him to put aside his departure to the beginning of the future year. Natasha was so the same fallen in love with her groom, so the same calmed down this love and so the same receptive to all the joy of life; but at the end of the fourth month of separation with him, in her began to find minutes of sadness, against which she could not fight. Her pity was mostly herself, the pity was that she for nothing or for no one, disappeared all this time, in the continuation of which she felt herself so capable of love and of being beloved.

In the house of the Rostovs it was unhappy.

Time: undefined, see previous chapter.
Mentioned: next year

Locations: Otradnoe
Mentioned: the Rostovs family home and the suburban estate, Moscow, Rome, Russia

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: We leave this magical world of happiness and go back to Count Rostov's money problems. "There were not such big receptions as before, but they maintained the same way of life, for without it the count and countess could not imagine life at all."

"The count walked about in his affairs as in an enormous net, trying not to believe that he was entangled and with each step getting more and more entangled..."

The countess hopes to get out of their money problems by having Nikolai marry Julie Karagin. The conversation he has with with his mother. "I can't command my feelings...If I love Sonya, my feeling is stronger and higher
than everything for me." This leads to rougher treatment from the countess to Sonya.

Then, the extended absense of Andrei breaks Natasha's happiness. "Things were not cheerful in the Rostovs' house."

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 *):

Count Ilya Andreyitch

Natasha

Nikolai (also "Nikolinka")

Dimmler (the music-master. see also, notes on Bromfield's version of chapter 18.)

His wife (the presence of these characters in this chapter can be debated)

Vogel (While Maude, Mandelker and Dole use this version here, this should be understood as Iogel or "Ioghel", as in Bell, perhaps, see last chapter, confusing two different references, the one who throws the adolescent balls,
from earlier in the novel, chapter 76, etc. Briggs and Edmonds use Iogel here. His family is also mentioned.)

Bielova (""an elderly lady of quality", as in Dole. "Byelova" in Dunnigan. "Madame Byelov" in Garnett, Wiener (who uses no title), and Edmonds (the latter using "Mademoiselle"). "Belova" in Maude and Mandelker. "Madame
Belov" in Briggs. "Mlle. Below" in Bell.)

Countess Rostova (just "countess", "maman", "Mamenka" and "mother".)

Julie Karagina (her father is somewhat obliquely referenced.)

Madame Karagina

Sonya (called "vui", "you", and "moya milaya" by the countess, as in Dole. Garnett translates it as "my good girl." Maude's translation gets the point across well with "addressing her stiffly as "my dear", and using the formal
"you" instead of the intimate "thou"". Also "niece".)

Prince Andrei (also "Natasha's lover" and her "bridegroom".)

(others that stay at the house, such as Petya's tutors and governors, the "guvernantka", meaning the previously referenced governess.)

Abridged Versions: Chapter 13 in Bell. No break.
Gibian: Chapter 8.

Fuller: Entire chapter is cut.

Komroff: Only the introduction of the chapter, with Count Rostov resigning his position and the Rostovs taking in fewer guests is kept, the rest cut and not followed by a break.

Kropotkin: Chapter 3: Entire chapter is preserved.

Bromfield: Chapter 4: Begins with Andrei having sent a letter to Natahsa. "She forgot again and, as she told Nikolai, never in her life, earlier or later, did she feel the freedom, the interest in life that she felt during hose eight
months." Ilagin actually visits and makes a proposal to her before we get to the count resigning as marshal of the nobility. Berg writes letters that they need money. The chapter ends with a different and shorter description of
Nikolai, Sonya, and Natasha and how they spend their time.
Simmons: Chapter 8: The emphasis on the Rostovs' money problems is severely shorted, and the Natasha/Andrei section is removed.

Additional Notes: According to Maude, Dimmler was a real and notable piano-teacher in Moscow.

My Confession (Zweig/Dole) Page 37: “A kind-hearted aunt of mine...Another of her wishes for my happiness was that I should become an adjutant, and, if possible, to the Emperor; the greatest piece of good fortune of all

she thought would be that I should find a very wealthy bride, who would bring me as her dowry as many slaves as could be.”

The Forged Coupon: Page 130: “‘I don’t want to talk to you,” said the wife, and went to her room. There she began to remind herself that her family was opposed to her marriage, thinking her present husband far below her in social rank, and that it was she who insisted on marrying him. Then she went on thinking of the child she had lost, and how indifferent her husband had been to their loss. She hated him so intensely at that moment that she wished for her death. Her wish frightened her, however, and she hurriedly began to dress and left the house.”

Groskop: Page 7: Anna Karenina....there are no happy families...Instead, he shows us a host of unhappy families…Tolstoy’s lesson is this: ‘How Not to Live.’”