Book 2 Part 5 Chapter 13 (Chapter 155 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Ellen's reception. Mlle. George's dramatic reception. The improvised ball. Anatol's declaration. Natasha bewitched.
Briggs: Mme Georges' recitation at Helene's. Natasha is bemused by Anatole's persistent wooing.
Maude: The reception at Helene's. Mademoiselle Georges. Anatole dances with Natasha and makes love to her. Her perplexity as to her own feelings
Pevear and Volkhonsky: Helene's soiree. Anatole and Natasha. Natasha's sleepless night.

Translation:

XIII. Count Ilya Andreich drove his girls to Countess Bezuhova. At the evening were quite a lot of people. Yet all of the society was almost unfamiliar to Natasha. Count Ilya Andreich with displeasure saw that all of this society consisted predominantly of men given to a famous treatment of liberty. M-lle Georges, surrounded by youth, stood in the corner of the living room. There were some French and between them Metivier, arriving, with the time of the arrival of Elen, as a home man for her. Count Ilya Andreich decided not to sit down behind cards, not to walk away from his daughters and to leave as only finished the presentation of Georges. Anatole was obviously at the door to see the entry of the Rostovs. He, immediately again greeted the count, came up to Natasha and went for her. Only as Natasha saw him, also as in the theater, the sense of conceited pleasure that she was liked by him and the fear of the lack of moral barriers between her and him, swept her. Elen happily accepted Natasha and loudly delighted in her beauty and toilette. Soon after their arrival, m-lle Georges exited from the room, so to get dressed. In the living room came collocated chairs and sitting down. Anatole moved Natasha's chair and wanted to sit beside her, but the count, not letting down his eyes from Natasha, sat down beside her. Anatole sat down in the back. M-lle Georges with bare, dimpled, thick hands, in a red shawl, worn on one shoulder, exited to the left for her empty space between the armchairs and stopped in an unnatural pose. Was heard an enthusiastic whisper. M-lle Georges strictly and gloomily looked around the public and began to speak some French poems, where a speech went about her criminal love to her son. She at places exalted her voice, at places whispered, solemnly raising her head, at places stopped and wheezed, rolling out her eyes. — Delightful, divine, wonderful!551 — was heard with all parties. Natasha watched the thick Georges, but heard nothing, saw nothing and understood nothing of what was done before her; she only felt herself again quite irrevocable in this strange, insane world, so distant from the former, in this world one could not know, what was okay, what was bad, what was reasonable and what was crazy. Behind her sat Anatole, and she, feeling him close, was scaredly waiting for something. After the first monologue all the society got up and surrounded m-lle Georges, expressing to her their delight. — How she is good! — said Natasha’s father, who together with the others got up and through the crowd moved to the actress. — I cannot find out, looking at you, — said Anatole, following behind Natasha. He said this at such a time when she alone could hear him. — You are adorable... with that minute, as I saw you, I have not stopped... — Go, go, Natasha, — said the count, returning for his daughter. — How good! Natasha said nothing to her coming up father and with interrogatively, surprised eyes watched him. After several receptions of the recitations, m-lle Georges left and Countess Bezuhova asked the society into the hall. The count wanted to leave, but Elen begged him not to spoil her impromptu ball. The Rostovs stayed. Anatole invited Natasha to a waltz and in the time of the waltz he, shrugging her side and hand, said to her that she was charming552 and that he loved her. In the time of the ecossaise, which she again danced with Kuragin, when they stayed alone, Anatole spoke nothing to her and only watched her. Natasha was in doubt, whether it was not in a dream she saw that what he said to her in the time of the waltz. At the end of the first figures he again shook her arm. Natasha raised to him a frightened eye, but such a self-confident tender expression was on his affectionate glance and smile that she could not look at him to say what she had to say to him. She lowered her eyes. — Do not speak to me these things, I am betrothed and love another, — she spoke fast... She looked at him. Anatole was not embarrassed and not upset by what she said. — Do not speak to me about this. What business is it for me? — he said. — I speak that I am crazy, crazy and fallen in love with you. Am I to blame that you are delightful?.. We are to begin. Natasha, lively and anxious, with wide-open, scared eyes watched around herself and seemed more fun than usual. She remembered almost nothing of what was at this evening. She danced the ecossaise and grandfather, her father invited her to leave, and she requested to stay. Where she was or would be, with whom she talked, she felt in herself his look. Then she remembered that she asked her father permission to exit to the dressing room to send a dress, that Elen exited behind her, told her laughing about the love of her brother and that on the little sofa she again met Anatole, that Elen disappeared somewhere, that they stayed together and Anatole, taking her behind the hand, with a gentle voice saying: — I cannot ride to you, but is it really that I will never see you? I am crazy in love with you. Is it really never?... — and he, overshading her path, moved his face closer to her face. His brilliant, large, male eyes were so close from her eyes that she saw nothing besides these eyes. — Natalie?! — whispered interrogatively his voice, and somewhat hurting her squeezed her hand. — Natalie?! "I do not understand, for me there is nothing to speak," said her look. Hot lips snuggled up to her lips and at that same moment she felt herself again free and in the room was heard the noise of the steps and dress of Elen. Natasha looked around at Elen, then, red and trembling, looked at him scared and interrogatively and went to the door. — One word, only one thing, for God.553 — spoke Anatole. She stopped. To her it was so needed, for him to say this word, which would explain to her what happened and in which she would answer him. — Natalie, one word, one thing,554 — was all he repeated, apparently not knowing what to say and he repeated those while to him came up Elen. Elen together with Natasha again exited into the living room. Not staying to have supper, the Rostovs left. Returning home, Natasha did not sleep all night: she was tormented by the insoluble question, whom she loved, Anatole or Prince Andrey? Prince Andrey she loved — she remembered clearly, as strong as she loved him. But Anatole she loved too, this was undoubtable. "Otherwise, could all this be?" she thought. "Could I after this, saying goodbye with him, smile to answer his smile, could I allow this to mean that I from the first minute fell in love him. I mean, he is nice, noble and lovely, and it cannot be not to fall in love with him. What again is there for me to do, when I love him and love another?" she said to herself, not finding answers to these scary questions. 551 Adorable, divin, délicieux! (Adorable, divine, delicious!) 552 ravissante (lovely) 553 Un mot, un seul, au nom de Dieu, (One word, only one, in the name of God,) 554 Nathalie, un mot, un seul, (Nathalie, one word, only one,)
Time: see previous chapter

Locations: Countess Bezukhi's house
Mentioned: Frenchmen

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Count Rostov is uncomfortable at the party because, perhaps ironically, he recognizes the people there as being known for their "frivolity".

George's singing provides a sequel in a sense to the opera. Helene convinces the count to stay with his daughter. Anatole's repeating to her of his love makes her go to bed questioning whether she loves Andrei or loves him
or whether she can love both.

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 (also “father”)

Countess Ellen Bezukhaya

Natasha (also “Nathalie”)

Mademoiselle Georges

Metivier

Anatol Kuragin

Prince Andrei

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

Fuller: the mention of Metivier, since he wasn’t introduced earlier in this version, is removed. Rest of chapter seems preserved and is followed by a line break.

Komroff: Despite Metivier not being set up in this abridgment, he is mentioned here. The conversation with Anatole seems slightly shortened and the chapter ends with the Rostovs going home, removing Natasha’s inability
to sleep or make a decision between Anatole and Andrei.

Kropotkin: Chapter is preserved, end of chapter 8.

Bromfield: Chapter 14: While we get a little less description of Helen and the people there, we get the detail that “Mademoiselle George’s’s lovely hands, which, however, were too plump.” The conversation with Anatole is
shorter, but Natasha’s inner monologue afterward is longer and she attempts to write a letter to Andrei. No break.
Simmons: Chapter 13: chapter is preserved.

Edmundson: Act 3 Scene Eight: Natasha is at the house reflecting on her position with Anatole and then Anatole appears and kisses her in what is perhaps supposed to be an imagined scene.

Act 3 Scene Nine: At the recital, Anatole is more well spoken than in the novel. Anatole follows her and kisses her. He also sings and Natasha repeats the lyrics.

Additional Notes: "Kathryn Feuer...Tolstoy and the Genesis of War and Peace"' "licentious daughter Ellen (frankly called "a whore" in the notes)"

Speirs: Page 21: “Both Napoleon and Anatole Kuragin are morally underdeveloped, and that is what stupidity is, according to Tolstoy...

Lydia Ginzburg (Casual Conditionality)

Tolstoi...showed that it is possible for a person to be both vainly egocentric and selfless...Natasha both loved Prince Andrei (whom she in fact never stopped loving) and felt an irresistible attraction for Anatole...