Book 2 Part 5 Chapter 15 (Chapter 157 overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: Sonya discovers Anatol's letter. Natasha's strange mood. Sonya's doubt of Anatol. Natasha breaks her engagement with Prince Andrei. Count Ilya Andreyevitch visits his Podmoskovnaya estate.
Sonya suspects Natasha.
Briggs: Natasha renounces Andrey. A note from Anatole. Sonya is suspicious.
Maude: Sonya finds Anatole's letter and remonstrates with Natasha, who writes to Princess Mary breaking off her engagement with Prince Andrew. A party at the Karagins'. Anatole meets Natasha. She is angry with Sonya,
who resolves to prevent her elopement
Pevear and Volkhonsky: Sonya reads the letter from Anatole. She confronts Natasha. Natasha breaks her engagement to Prince Andrei. She meets Anatole at the Kuragins'. Sonya resolves to prevent the elopement.

Translation:

XV. Returning late at night, Sonya entered into the room of Natasha and, to her surprise, found her not undressed, sleeping on the couch. On the table beside her lied the open letter of Anatole. Sonya took the letter and began

to read it.

She read and looked at the sleeping Natasha, on her face looking for explanations of what she read, and did not find it. The face was quiet, meek and happy. Grabbing for her chest, so that to not suffocate, Sonya, pale and

trembling from fear and excitement, sat in a chair and flooded in tears. "How have I not seen anything? How could this be called for so long away? Is it really that she fell out of love with Prince Andrey? And how could she allow this to Kuragin? He lies and is a villain, this is clear. What will be with

Nicolas, with the cute, noble Nicolas, when he recognizes this? So here is what is meant by her agitated, decisive and unnatural face on the third day, and yesterday, and now," thought Sonya; "Yet it may not be, so she loved

him! Probably, not knowing from whom, she unsealed this letter. Probably, she is offended. She may not do this!" Sonya wiped off tears and came up to Natasha, again peering into her face. — Natasha! — she said to be a little bit heard. Natasha woke up and saw Sonya. — Ah, returned? And with determination and tenderness, which can be in the minutes of awakening, she hugged her friend. Yet noticing the embarrassment on the face of Sonya, the face of Natasha expressed embarrassment and suspicion. — Sonya, you read the letter? — she said. — Yes, — quietly said Sonya. Natasha enthusiastically smiled. — No, Sonya, I can no more! — she said, — I can not hide more from you. You know, we love each other!... Sonya, darling, he writes... Sonya... Sonya, as she would not believe her ears, watching all her eyes on Natasha. — But Bolkonsky? — she said. — Ah, Sonya, ah if you could know, how I am happy! — said Natasha. — You do not know, what such is love... — But, Natasha, is it really that all is over? Natasha’s large, open eyes watched Sonya, as if not understanding her issue. — What, but you refuse Prince Andrey? — said Sonya. — Ah, you understand nothing, you do not say nonsense, you listen, — with an instant of annoyance said Natasha. — No, I cannot believe this, — repeated Sonya. — I do not understand. How again did you for a whole year love one man and suddenly... because you only three times saw him. Natasha, I do not believe you, you are

naughty. In three days to forget all and so... — Three days, — said Natasha. — To me it seems, I for one hundred years loved him. To me it seems that I never loved anyone before him. You cannot understand this. Sonya, wait, sit down here. — Natasha

hugged and kissed her. — To me it is said that this is to be and you have rightly heard, but I now have only tested this love. This is not that what was before. How only, I saw him, I felt that he is my lord, and I am a

slave to him, and that I cannot not love him. Yes, a slave! What he orders me, that I do. You do not understand this. What am I to do? What am I to do, Sonya? — said Natasha with a happy and scared face. — But you think, what you do, — said Sonya, — I can not do to leave this. These secret letters…how could you allow him to do this? — she said with horror and with disgust, which she with labor hid. — I said to you, — answered Natasha, — that in me is no commitment, how do you not understand this: I love him! — So I will not admit to this, I will tell, — with broken through tears cried out Sonya. — What are you, for God... should you tell, you are my enemy, — Natasha began talking. — You want to prepare misfortunes, you want that for us to be torn apart... Seeing this fear of Natasha, Sonya cried in tears of shame and pity for her friend. — But what was between you? — she asked. —What did he speak to you? What for does he not ride to the house? Natasha did not answer her question. — For God, Sonya, do not say anything, do not torture me, — begged Natasha. — You remember that it cannot be to meddle in such affairs. I opened to you... — But what for are these secrets? From what again does he not ride to our house? — asked Sonya. — From what is he all not looking for your hand? Because Prince Andrey gave you complete freedom,

should it really be so; but I do not believe this. Natasha, have you thought what may be the secret causes? Natasha with surprised eyes watched Sonya. It was seen, she for the very first time was presented this question and she did not know what to respond to them. — What are the causes, I do not know. But there have to be causes! Sonya sighed and suspiciously shook her head. — Should there be causes... — she began. But Natasha, guessing her doubt, scaredly interrupted her. — Sonya, it cannot be to doubt him, it cannot be, it cannot be, whether you understand? — she screamed. — Whether he loves you? — Whether he loves? — repeated Natasha with a smile of regret about the incomprehensibility of her friend. — Because you read the letter, you see him? — But if he is a base person? — He!...A base person? If you would have known! — said Natasha. — If he is a noble person, then he should declare his intention, or stop seeing you; and should you not want to do this, then I will do this, I will write him, I will tell papa, — resolutely said Sonya. — Yes I cannot live without him! — screamed Natasha. — Natasha, I do not understand you. And what do you speak! Remember about father, about Nicolas. — I need nobody, I do not love anyone besides him. How do you dare speak that he is base? Don’t you know I love him? — shouted Natasha. — Sonya, leave, I do not want to argue with you, leave,

for God leave: you see how I suffer, — viciously shouted Natasha in a restrained, annoyed and desperate voice. Sonya burst into tears, and ran out from the room. Natasha came up to the table and, not thinking for minutes, wrote that answer to Princess Marya, which she could not write the whole morning. In this letter she shortly wrote to Princess Marya that

all their misunderstandings are over, that, taking advantage of the generosity of Prince Andrey, who went away giving her freedom, she asked her to forget all and to forgive her, should she be to

blame for her, but that she may not be his wife. All this to her seemed so easy, simple and clear in this moment. ————— On Friday the Rostovs were to go to the village, but the count on Wednesday went with the buyer to their near Moscow estate. On the day of the departure of the count, Sonya with Natasha were called to a big dinner at Kuragin’s, and Marya Dmitrievna carried them. At this dinner Natasha again met with Anatole, and

Sonya noticed that Natasha talked with him about something, wishing not to be heard, and all the time of dinner was still more excited than before. When they had returned home, Natasha began

with Sonya first that explanation, which was waiting for her friend. — Here you, Sonya, said different nonsense about him, — began Natasha in a meek voice, by that voice which children speak when they want for them to be praised. — We explained with him now. — Well, what the same, what? Well what the same did he say? Natasha, how I am happy that you are not angry with me. Say to me all, all the truth. What the same did he say? Natasha was deep in thought. — Ah, Sonya, if you knew him so, as I! He said.. He asked me about how I was promised to Bolkonsky. He rejoiced that it is dependent on me to refuse him. Sonya sadly sighed. — Yet because you have not refused Bolkonsky? — she said. — But maybe I refused! Maybe with Bolkonsky all is over. Why do you think about me so badly? — I think nothing, I only do not understand this... — Wait, Sonya, you will understand all. See what he is as a person. You do not think evil about me, or about him. — I do not think evil about anyone: I love all and regret all. But what am I to do? Sonya did not give up on the gentle tone, with which she turned to Natasha. Softer and more searching was the expression on the face of Natasha, by that more serious and stricter was the face of Sonya. — Natasha, — she said, — you requested me to not speak with you, I do not say you are now beginning. Natasha, I do not believe it. What for is this secret? — Again, again! — interrupted Natasha. — Natasha, I am afraid for you. — What to be afraid of? — I am afraid that you ruin yourself, — resolutely said Sonya, herself frightened by what she said. The face of Natasha again expressed malice. — And I ruin, ruin, as I can rather ruin myself. It is not your business. It is not yours, but I will do badly. Leave, leave me. I hate you. — Natasha! — scaredly called out Sonya. — Hate, Hate! And you are my enemy forever! Natasha ran out of the room. Natasha did not say more with Sonya and avoided her. With that same expression of agitated wonder and criminality she went by the rooms, taking that for that, that for another occupation and

immediately again throwing it. As this was heavy for Sonya, she, not lowering her eyes, watched behind her friend. On the eve of this day, on which was to return the count, Sonya noticed that Natasha sat all morning at the window of the living room, as if expecting something and how she made some

sign to the traveling military, which Sonya accepted for Anatole. Sonya had become still more attentive watching her friend and noticed that Natasha was all the time of dinner and evening in a strange and unnatural condition (answering out of place to

being made to her questions, beginning and not finishing phrases, laughing at all). After tea Sonya saw a timid maid girl, waiting at the door of Natasha. She missed her and, overhearing at the door, recognized that again was delivered a letter. And suddenly to Sonya it had become clear that in Natasha was some terrible plan on the current night. Sonya knocked to her. Natasha did not let her in. "She is to run away with him!" thought Sonya. "She in all is capable of. Now in her face was something especially miserable and decisive. She cried, saying goodbye with Uncle,"

remembered Sonya. "Yes, this is right, she will run with him, — but what for me to do?" thought Sonya, recalling now those signs which clearly proved, why in Natasha was some scary

intention. "The count is not. What for me to do? To write to Kuragin, demanding from him explanations? But who orders him to answer? Write Pierre, as requested Prince Andrey in the

case of misfortunes?... Yet maybe, in the very case she already refused Bolkonsky (she yesterday sent away the letter to Princess Marya). And Uncle is not!" Telling Marya Dmitrievna, who so believed in Natasha, to Sonya seemed terrible. "Yet so or otherwise," thought Sonya, standing up in the dark corridor; "Now or never has come the time to prove that I remember the good deeds of their family and the love of Nicolas.

No, I though three nights will not sleep, but come from this corridor and forcibly not release her, and not give shame and collapse to their family," she thought.
Time: late in the evening, morning, Wednesday, the eve of the day when the count was to have returned, dinner, afternoon, after tea
Mentioned: three days, one hundred years, Friday

Locations: Marya Dmitrievna's home, the Karagins
Mentioned: Count Rostovs' estate near Moscow

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Sonya has come in and read the letter from Anatole while Natasha sleeps. Sonya gets a short inner monologue in which she seems to be most interested in what Nikolai's reaction will be.

Sonya tries to convince Natasha that she is taking the wrong action. Line break after Natasha writes the letter to Marya to tell her she would not marry Andrei, "this seemed so easy, simple, and clear to her at that moment."

Natasha and Sonya have another conversation after Natasha speaks again with Anatole. The chapter ends with Sonya now trying to figure out what action to take.

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 *):

Sonya

Natasha

Anatol Kuragin

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky

Nikolai Rostof (“Nicolas”)

Count Rostof (“papa”, “count” and “father”)

Princess Mariya

Marya Dmitrievna

Pierre

(also a “timid chambermaid” watching Sonya)

Abridged Versions: Line break for Dole, Maude, Edmonds, Dunnigan, Briggs, Weiner, Bell, and Mandelker at “At that moment all seemed to her so easy, simple, and clear!”

End of Chapter 20 in Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 15: line break after "easy, simple, and clear to Natasha."

Fuller: No break at “simple, and clear!”, but chapter is preserved and followed by a line break.

Komroff: Natasha and Sonya’s conversation is removed almost entirely, getting to the line break much quicker. The second conversation between the two is also removed so we see almost none of the arguing between
the two, just Sonya’s resolve and actions.

Kropotkin: Chapter 10: no line break. Chapter is preserved.

Bromfield: Chapter 14: Sonya writes a letter to Pierre after finding Anatole’s letter while Natasha is asleep. Chapter ends with Pierre coming.
Simmons: Chapter 15: line break after "easy, simple, and clear to Natasha."

Edmundson: Act Three Scene 10: Sonya sees Natasha packing and reads Anatole's letter before the two argue.

Additional Notes: Garnett: “Natasha’s predicament mirrors that of Liza, the parodic ingenue in Pushkin’s novella Queen of Spades (1833), who sits at the window waiting for a deceitful admirer. This is one of the
connecting threads Tolstoy establishes between Natasha and the lineage of Russian romantic literary heroines from Karamzin’s Poor Liza (1792) to Pushkin’s Tatyana (in Eugene Onegin) and Liza (in Queen of Spades).”

Eugene Onegin (Johnson/Bayley): Page 10: "Like his own Don Juan in the miniature play The Stone Guest, he was apt before he married - to fall in love with every woman who attracted him, as if for the first time"

Kaufman: Page 41: “The Kuragins, whose family name rather significantly echoes the Russian word for dried apricots (kuraga)”

Berlin: Page 110: (Rousseau) “If you are passive - a slave of other men or circumstances - you are not a person, but a thing. What makes you a man, responsible, a focus of problems and values, is not your

contemplative intellect, but your will, your indestructible right to realise yourself, to say your word, to do something, be something - live, suffer and create.’”