An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1342 words)
ne night when the old countess, in nightcap and dressing jacket,
without her false curls, and with her poor little knob of hair showing
under her white cotton cap, knelt sighing and groaning on a rug and
bowing to the ground in prayer, her door creaked and Natásha, also in
a dressing jacket with slippers on her bare feet and her hair in
curlpapers, ran in. The countess—her prayerful mood dispelled—looked
round and frowned. She was finishing her last prayer: “Can it be that
this couch will be my grave?” Natásha, flushed and eager, seeing
her mother in prayer, suddenly checked her rush, half sat down, and
unconsciously put out her tongue as if chiding herself. Seeing that
her mother was still praying she ran on tiptoe to the bed and, rapidly
slipping one little foot against the other, pushed off her slippers and
jumped onto the bed the countess had feared might become her grave. This
couch was high, with a feather bed and five pillows each smaller than
the one below. Natásha jumped on it, sank into the feather bed, rolled
over to the wall, and began snuggling up the bedclothes as she settled
down, raising her knees to her chin, kicking out and laughing almost
inaudibly, now covering herself up head and all, and now peeping at her
mother. The countess finished her prayers and came to the bed with a
stern face, but seeing that Natásha’s head was covered, she smiled
in her kind, weak way.
“Now then, now then!” said she.
“Mamma, can we have a talk? Yes?” said Natásha. “Now, just one on
your throat and another... that’ll do!” And seizing her mother round
the neck, she kissed her on the throat. In her behavior to her mother
Natásha seemed rough, but she was so sensitive and tactful that however
she clasped her mother she always managed to do it without hurting her
or making her feel uncomfortable or displeased.
“Well, what is it tonight?” said the mother, having arranged her
pillows and waited until Natásha, after turning over a couple of times,
had settled down beside her under the quilt, spread out her arms, and
assumed a serious expression.
These visits of Natásha’s at night before the count returned from his
club were one of the greatest pleasures of both mother, and daughter.
“What is it tonight?—But I have to tell you...”
Natásha put her hand on her mother’s mouth.
“About Borís... I know,” she said seriously; “that’s what I
have come about. Don’t say it—I know. No, do tell me!” and she
removed her hand. “Tell me, Mamma! He’s nice?”
“Natásha, you are sixteen. At your age I was married. You say Borís
is nice. He is very nice, and I love him like a son. But what then?...
What are you thinking about? You have quite turned his head, I can see
that....”
As she said this the countess looked round at her daughter. Natásha
was lying looking steadily straight before her at one of the mahogany
sphinxes carved on the corners of the bedstead, so that the countess
only saw her daughter’s face in profile. That face struck her by its
peculiarly serious and concentrated expression.
Natásha was listening and considering.
“Well, what then?” said she.
“You have quite turned his head, and why? What do you want of him? You
know you can’t marry him.”
“Why not?” said Natásha, without changing her position.
“Because he is young, because he is poor, because he is a relation...
and because you yourself don’t love him.”
“How do you know?”
“I know. It is not right, darling!”
“But if I want to...” said Natásha.
“Leave off talking nonsense,” said the countess.
“But if I want to...”
“Natásha, I am in earnest...”
Natásha did not let her finish. She drew the countess’ large hand to
her, kissed it on the back and then on the palm, then again turned it
over and began kissing first one knuckle, then the space between the
knuckles, then the next knuckle, whispering, “January, February,
March, April, May. Speak, Mamma, why don’t you say anything? Speak!”
said she, turning to her mother, who was tenderly gazing at her daughter
and in that contemplation seemed to have forgotten all she had wished to
say.
“It won’t do, my love! Not everyone will understand this friendship
dating from your childish days, and to see him so intimate with you may
injure you in the eyes of other young men who visit us, and above all
it torments him for nothing. He may already have found a suitable and
wealthy match, and now he’s half crazy.”
“Crazy?” repeated Natásha.
“I’ll tell you some things about myself. I had a cousin...”
“I know! Cyril Matvéich... but he is old.”
“He was not always old. But this is what I’ll do, Natásha, I’ll
have a talk with Borís. He need not come so often....”
“Why not, if he likes to?”
“Because I know it will end in nothing....”
“How can you know? No, Mamma, don’t speak to him! What nonsense!”
said Natásha in the tone of one being deprived of her property.
“Well, I won’t marry, but let him come if he enjoys it and I enjoy
it.” Natásha smiled and looked at her mother. “Not to marry, but
just so,” she added.
“How so, my pet?”
“Just so. There’s no need for me to marry him. But... just so.”
“Just so, just so,” repeated the countess, and shaking all over, she
went off into a good humored, unexpected, elderly laugh.
“Don’t laugh, stop!” cried Natásha. “You’re shaking the whole
bed! You’re awfully like me, just such another giggler.... Wait...”
and she seized the countess’ hands and kissed a knuckle of the little
finger, saying, “June,” and continued, kissing, “July, August,”
on the other hand. “But, Mamma, is he very much in love? What do you
think? Was anybody ever so much in love with you? And he’s very nice,
very, very nice. Only not quite my taste—he is so narrow, like the
dining-room clock.... Don’t you understand? Narrow, you know—gray,
light gray...”
“What rubbish you’re talking!” said the countess.
Natásha continued: “Don’t you really understand? Nicholas would
understand.... Bezúkhov, now, is blue, dark-blue and red, and he is
square.”
“You flirt with him too,” said the countess, laughing.
“No, he is a Freemason, I have found out. He is fine, dark-blue and
red.... How can I explain it to you?”
“Little countess!” the count’s voice called from behind the door.
“You’re not asleep?” Natásha jumped up, snatched up her slippers,
and ran barefoot to her own room.
It was a long time before she could sleep. She kept thinking that no one
could understand all that she understood and all there was in her.
“Sónya?” she thought, glancing at that curled-up, sleeping little
kitten with her enormous plait of hair. “No, how could she? She’s
virtuous. She fell in love with Nicholas and does not wish to know
anything more. Even Mamma does not understand. It is wonderful how
clever I am and how... charming she is,” she went on, speaking
of herself in the third person, and imagining it was some very wise
man—the wisest and best of men—who was saying it of her. “There
is everything, everything in her,” continued this man. “She is
unusually intelligent, charming... and then she is pretty, uncommonly
pretty, and agile—she swims and rides splendidly... and her voice! One
can really say it’s a wonderful voice!”
She hummed a scrap from her favorite opera by Cherubini, threw herself
on her bed, laughed at the pleasant thought that she would immediately
fall asleep, called Dunyásha the maid to put out the candle, and before
Dunyásha had left the room had already passed into yet another happier
world of dreams, where everything was as light and beautiful as in
reality, and even more so because it was different.
Next day the countess called Borís aside and had a talk with him, after
which he ceased coming to the Rostóvs’.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
True protection sometimes requires causing short-term pain to prevent long-term damage, making the protector appear cruel while actually demonstrating the deepest form of care.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to distinguish between controlling behavior and genuine protection by examining motives and long-term consequences.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone says no to something you want—ask yourself if they might see dangers you're missing before getting defensive.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Boris is narrow, like the dining-room clock... gray, light gray"
Context: Describing Boris to her mother during their bedtime conversation
This shows how Natasha perceives people through emotional impressions rather than practical considerations. Her synesthetic description reveals Boris feels limiting and colorless to her, even though she enjoys his attention.
In Today's Words:
He's boring and predictable, but I like that he likes me
"Can it be that this couch will be my grave?"
Context: Her prayer before Natasha interrupts
This reveals the countess's awareness of her mortality and vulnerability, making her protective instincts toward Natasha even more poignant. She knows her time to guide her daughter is limited.
In Today's Words:
Am I going to die before I've prepared my daughter for life?
"Nobody understands me... I am so strange, so intelligent, so sweet"
Context: Her thoughts as she lies in bed after the conversation
This perfectly captures adolescent self-perception - the conviction of being uniquely complex and misunderstood. It shows Natasha's emotional maturity exists alongside typical teenage self-absorption.
In Today's Words:
I'm way more complicated than anyone realizes, and nobody gets how special I am
Thematic Threads
Generational Wisdom
In This Chapter
The countess sees dangers that Natasha, in her youth and inexperience, cannot perceive about Boris's unsuitability
Development
Building on earlier themes of experience versus innocence throughout the novel
In Your Life:
You might find yourself either dismissing older people's warnings or struggling to get younger people to hear your hard-earned insights.
Class Consciousness
In This Chapter
Boris's poverty makes him unsuitable despite his personal qualities, showing how economic reality shapes romantic possibilities
Development
Continues the novel's exploration of how social position determines life choices
In Your Life:
You face similar calculations about whether financial compatibility matters as much as emotional connection in relationships.
Communication Gaps
In This Chapter
Natasha's colorful metaphors about people being 'narrow like clocks' or 'blue and square' completely baffle her practical mother
Development
Explores how different personalities process and express the same experiences
In Your Life:
You might struggle to explain your intuitive insights to more literal-minded people, or vice versa.
Sacrifice
In This Chapter
The countess accepts being seen as the villain to protect her daughter's future happiness
Development
Introduced here as a theme of parental love requiring difficult choices
In Your Life:
You may need to make unpopular decisions that serve someone else's long-term good over their immediate wants.
Self-Knowledge
In This Chapter
Natasha believes no one understands her complexity, showing the universal teenage conviction of being uniquely misunderstood
Development
Continues exploring how characters see themselves versus how others see them
In Your Life:
You might catch yourself thinking others don't 'get' you, when the real issue is learning to communicate your inner world more clearly.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does the countess decide to speak to Boris instead of just talking to Natasha again?
analysis • surface - 2
What does Natasha mean when she says she wants Boris to admire her 'just so'—and why is this dangerous?
analysis • medium - 3
Think of a time when someone said 'no' to protect you from something you wanted. How did you feel then versus how you feel about it now?
application • medium - 4
When is it your responsibility to intervene in someone else's choices, even if they'll be angry at you?
application • deep - 5
What's the difference between being protective and being controlling—and how can you tell which one you're doing?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Protection Network
Draw three circles representing different areas of your life (work, family, finances, health, etc.). In each circle, identify one person who has the courage to tell you hard truths—and one person you feel responsible for protecting. Write down one specific situation where you might need to be the 'bad guy' to help someone you care about.
Consider:
- •Consider whether the people who challenge you are actually looking out for your best interests
- •Think about whether your protective instincts come from love or from your own fears and need for control
- •Ask yourself if you're avoiding difficult conversations that could prevent bigger problems later
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone's 'no' saved you from a mistake you couldn't see coming. What did they understand that you didn't? How can you develop that same protective wisdom for others?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 120: Getting Ready for the Grand Ball
With Boris no longer visiting, the Rostov household settles into new rhythms. But major changes are coming that will test every family bond and assumption about their comfortable world.
