Book 2 Part 5 Chapter 2 (Chapter 144 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Prince N. A. Bolkonsky in Moscow. His peculiar position. The inner life of the family. Princess Mariya's sufferings. Her inherited temper. Princess Mariya and Mlle. Bourienne. The prince's treatment of the Frenchwoman. Princess Mariya's compassion for her father.
Briggs: Marya teaches little Nikolay. Prince Bolkonsky and Mlle Bourienne.
Maude: Prince Bolkonski in Moscow. His harsh treatment of Princess Mary. She teaches little Nicholas. The old Prince and Mademoiselle Bourienne.
Pevear and Volkhonsky: Old Prince Bolkonsky moves to Moscow with Marya and Nikolushka. Harsh treatment of Marya. The old prince and Mlle Bourienne.

Translation:

II. In the beginning of winter, Prince Nikolay Andreich Bolkonsky with his daughter arrived in Moscow. By his past, by his mind and originality, in particular by the weakening in that time of the delight of the reign of Emperor Aleksandr, and by that anti-French and patriotic direction which reigned in that time in Moscow, Prince Nikolay Andreich was made again immediately the subject of the special respectfulness of the Muscovites and the center of the Moscow opposition to the government. The prince had extremely aged in this year. In him appeared sharp signs of old age: unexpected sleep, forgetfulness nearest to the time of events and memory to the long, and the childish vanity with which he took the role as the head of the Moscow opposition. Despite that he was now an old man, especially in the evenings he went out to tea in his coat and powdered wig, and started, affected by something, his abrupt stories about the past, or still more abrupt and sharp judgments about the present, he excited in all his guests a equal sense of deferential respect. For all the visitors of this vintage house with its huge dressing table, pre-revolutionary furniture, these lackeys in powder, and himself, the of the past century steep and smart old man with his meek daughter and pretty Frenchwoman, who were in awe before him, — submitted a majestically-pleasant sight. Yet visitors did not think about how besides these two to three hours of time which they saw the hosts, were still 22 hours in a day, a time in which went the secret internal life of the home. In latter times in Moscow this internal life was made very heavy for Princess Marya. She was devoid of in Moscow her best joys — conversations with the godly people and solitude, — which refreshed her at Bald Mountains, and she did not have the benefits and joys of metropolitan life. Into the world she did not ride; all knew that her father did not let her without himself, but he himself by ill health could not ride, and she was now not invited to dinners and evenings. The hopes in marriage for Princess Marya had really left. She saw that coldness and bitterness with which Prince Nikolay Andreich took and escorted against young people who may be suitors, sometimes being in their house. Friends for Princesses Marya there were not: at this arrival in Moscow she was disappointed in her two most loved people: m-lle Bourienne, with whom she as before could not be quite frank, now had become for her unpleasant and she for some reason had begun to move away from her; Juli, who was in Moscow and to whom Princess Marya wrote five years in a row, manifested as completely alien her, when Princess Marya again went with her personally. Juli in this time, by the occasion of the death of her brothers, was made one of the richest brides in Moscow, found in all the full swing of societal pleasures. She was surrounded by young people, whom, as she thought, suddenly appreciated her virtues. Juli was found in that period of aging worldly young ladies, who feel that advanced the last chance of marriage, and now or never should decide her fate. Princess Marya with a sad smile remembered on Thursdays that she now had no one to write to as Juli, Juli, whose presence to her was not joyful, was here and saw her every week. She, as an old emigrant refusing to marry a lady at which he spent a few years in the evening, pitied that Juli was here and for her there was no one to write to. Princess Marya in Moscow had no one to talk with, no one to believe her grief, and her grief very much increased anew in this time. The term of the return of Prince Andrey and his marriage was approaching, but his commission to prepare his father to that not only was not executed, but the business oppositely seemed really spoiled, and a reminder about the Countess Rostov took out of himself the old prince, and so now a big part of the time he arrived not in spirit. A new grief, increased in the latter time for Princesses Marya, were the lessons which she gave to her six year old nephew. In her relations with Nikolushka she with horror knew in herself the property of irritability of her father. How many times she said to herself that she did not need to allow herself to get excited teaching her nephew, almost any time as she sat down with orders for the French alphabet, she so wanted to soon, and more easily pour from herself her knowledge into the child, already afraid that here his aunt was angered, that she at the slightest inattention to the parts of the boy shuddered, in a hurry, got excited, in an exalted voice, sometimes jerked him behind the arm and set him in the corner. Putting him in the corner, she herself began to cry above his evil, bad in kind, and Nikolushka, imitating her sobs, without permission went out from the corner, approaching to her and pulled away from her face his wet hand, and comforted her. But more, only more grief was delivered to the princess by the irritability of her father, always directed against his daughter and reaching in latter times to cruelty. If he would have forced her to spend all night bowing in place, if he would beat her, forced her to carry firewood and water, — in her head it would not have come that her position was difficult; but this affectionate tormentor, most cruel from how he loved and for that he tormented himself and her, — intentionally was able to not only offend, humiliate her, but prove to her that she was always and in all was to blame. In the latter time in him appeared a new feature, only tormenting Princess Marya more — this was his more convergence with m-lle Bourienne. Coming to him, in the first moment of receiving the news about the intentions of his son, the joking idea about how should Andrey marry, that he himself would marry Bourienne, — apparently was liked by him, and he with tenacity in the latter time (as it seemed to Princess Marya) only so to offend her, showed particular caresses to m-lle Bourienne and showed his discontent to his daughter by showing love to Bourienne. Once in Moscow, in the presence of Princess Marya (to her it seemed that her father on purpose did this to her), the old prince kissed m-lle Bourienne’s hand and, pulling her to himself, hugged and caressed her. Princess Marya flared up and ran out of the room. In a few minutes m-lle Bourienne entered to Princess Marya, smiling and funnily telling her something in her enjoyable voice. Princess Marya hastily wiped tears, with decisive steps came up to Bourienne and, apparently herself not knowing, with angry haste and an explosive voice, began to shout at the Frenchwoman: — This is nasty, low, and inhuman to use weakness... — she did not finish talking. — Go away from my room, — she screamed and sobbed. On the next day the prince did not say words not to his daughter; but she noticed that for dinner he ordered to serve food beginning with m-lle Bourienne. At the end of the dinner, when the barman, by previous habit, again gave coffee beginning with the princess, the prince suddenly became rabid, threw a crutch at Philip and immediately and already made a disposition about recoiling him into the soldiers. — You do not hear... two times said!.. You do not hear! She — is the first person in this house; she — is my best friend, — shouted the prince. — and should you allow yourself, — he shouted in anger, for the first time turning to Princess Marya, — another time, as yesterday you dared... to forget yourself before her, then I will show you who the master is in the house. Out! For I have not seen you; ask for her forgiveness! Princess Marya requested forgiveness to Amalya Evgenievna and to her father for herself and for Philip the barman who requested intercession. In such minutes in the soul of Princess Marya was going to a feeling similar to the pride of victims. And suddenly in such minutes as these, in her, this father, who she condemned, sought glasses, palpating beside them and not seeing them, or forgetting when it now was, or made with weakened feet an incorrect step and looked around whether anyone saw his weakness, or, what was only worse, he behind dinner, when there were not guests exciting him, suddenly dozed off, released his napkin, and bowed above the plate, shaking his head. “He is old and fragile, but I dare to condemn him!" she thought with disgust to mostly herself in such minutes.   

Time: the beginning of winter, the following day, dinner, end of dinner
Mentioned: last night

Locations: Prince Bolkonsky's house in Moscow,
Mentioned: French, Lysyya Gory

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Shift to Nikolai Bolkonksky coming to Moscow with Marya. The last three chapters has Natasha, Sonya, Count Rostov, Pierre, Nikolai Bolkonsky, and Marya all coming to Moscow, helping to intersect those storylines.

"the weakening just then of the raptures over the reign of Alexander I"

"the anti-French and patriotic tendencies which reigned that time in Moscow", a big difference from what we saw in the St. Petersburg court with Helene.

Another year or time period where the old prince has aged dramatically.

"the visitors did not consider that, besides those two or three hours during which they saw their hosts, there were another twenty-two hours in the day during which the secret inner life of the house went on."

Princess Marya is not adjusting well to Moscow. She does not go into society or to parties or dinners because of her father.

Harshness of "Princess Marya had no friends."

The contrast with Julie Kuragin, who fits into society, and it seems that Marya has now discovered who she is, at least how she was presented to us earlier in the novel.

Strange "ethical simile": "Like the old emigre who refused to marry a lady with whom he had been spending his evenings for several years, because once married, he would not know where to spend his evenings"

"In her relations with Nikolushka, she recognized in herself with horror the quality of her father's irritability."

The description of how she treats and becomes disappointed with Nikolushka is of course a parallel to the introduction of her and her father's character in the novel, with the way he treated her when she struggled with a math
question.

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 *):

Prince Nikolai Andreyitch Bolkonsky (also “father” and “the old prince”)

Princess Mariya (also "his daughter")

Emperor Alexander

Mademoiselle Amalie Bourienne (also "pretty Frenchwoman". Maude, Edmonds, and Briggs don’t use the additional name. Garnett has “Amalia Yevgenyevna” where Dole puts “Amalie Bourienne”. Mandelker puts “Amelia
Evgenievna” and follows it with “Mademoiselle Bourienne” in parenthesis. “Amaliya Evgenevna” in Weiner. Bell doesn’t use these two names, substituting a pronoun.)

Julie (the death of her brothers is also referenced)

Prince Andrei

Natasha (“Countess Rostova”. Garnett, Briggs, and Maude add “young”.)

Nikolushka (also “six-year-old nephew.” as with Prince Nikolai, Mariya, Bourienne, and Julie, since the chapter is written in a very summative way, it is tough to know whether to count the character as mentioned or inside the
chapter).

Filipp (though he seems to be “the butler” here, probably the same Filipp that was the “groom” earlier in the novel. He’s a “footman” in Edmonds.)

Abridged Versions: Start of Chapter 16 in Bell but no break at the end.
Gibian: Chapter 2.

Fuller: Start of Part Six. The paragraph about Nikolay Andreitch’s fame and Alexander’s waning popularity is removed. Then after the introduction that he is aging, Prince Andrei is due back soon, and any mention of Countess
Rostov makes the prince angry, we cut to Count Ilya Andreitch Rostov’s arrival to Moscow without a break.

Komroff: The paragraph about Old Prince Bolkonsky’s fame and Alexander’s waning popularity is removed. Otherwise, some details are removed, but the rest of the chapter is preserved and followed by a line break.

Kropotkin: Chapter is preserved.

Bromfield: Chapter 8: The episode of the coffee serving plays out with a “Lavrushka”, who is sent to Siberia, rather than just being threatened. “Princess Marya recall Prince Andrei’s words about who was really harmed by the
order of serfdom.” The order of events is slightly changed within the chapter with the treatment of “Coco” coming later in the chapter.
Simmons: Chapter 2: the Nikolushka section of the chapter is removed.

Edmundson: Act Three Scene Three: Maria is shown getting onto Little Nikolai before asking for forgiveness. Bolkonsky brings the letter from Andrei and the scene where Andrei tells Maria to take Little Nikolai outside despite

the cold is here, but it is Bolkonsky giving the command. This is also where Maria learns of the engagement. After Bolkonsky tells her to get out (there is no Metivier), we go back to Otradnoe where we have the episode of

Nikolai versus his mother about Sonya. After this we go back to the Bolkonsky's where Bolkonsky threatens the servant who does not serve Bourienne first. Nikolai and the Count then have a short conversation about Sonya

and the finances before he leaves.

Additional Notes:

Durant: Page 687: “Alexander, on returning to St. Petersburg, found nearly everyone--family, court, nobility, clergy, merchants, and populace, shocked that he had signed a humiliating peace with an upstart bandit atheist.”

..Rostopchin (the future governor of Moscow)--published articles explaining that the Peace of Tilsit was only a truce, and promising that the war against Napoleon would be resumed...Alexander lost confidence, and hardened

his rule...and abandoned his plans of reform...

Mikaberidze: Page 23: “In 1834 Pushkin…”At one time there really was a rivalry between Moscow and Petersburg. Then in Moscow there were rich nobles who did not work, grandees who had given up the court, and

independent, carefree individuals, passionately devoted to harmless sland and inexpensive hospitality; then Moscow was the gathering place for all Russia’s aristocracy, which streamed to it in winter from every province.

Brilliant young guardsmen flew thither from Petersburg. Every corner of the ancient capital was loud with music, there were crowds everywhere. Five thousand people filled the hall of the Noble Assembly twice a week. There

the young met; marriages were made. Moscow was as famous for its brides as Vyazma for its gingerbread; Moscow dinners became a proverb. The innocent eccentricities of the Muscovites were a sign of their independence.

They lived their own lives, amusing themselves as they liked, caring little for the opinion of others...From afar haughty Petersburg mocked, but did not interfere with old mother Moscow’s escapades.”

Troyat: Canes kept in salt were used to punish guilty servants. Or else a collar with iron points was placed around their necks. Not surprisingly (Page 245), no one made any mistakes. To Alexander, this was the image of paradise…”