An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1100 words)
n the tavern, before which stood the doctor’s covered cart, there were
already some five officers. Mary Hendríkhovna, a plump little blonde
German, in a dressing jacket and nightcap, was sitting on a broad bench
in the front corner. Her husband, the doctor, lay asleep behind her.
Rostóv and Ilyín, on entering the room, were welcomed with merry shouts
and laughter.
“Dear me, how jolly we are!” said Rostóv laughing.
“And why do you stand there gaping?”
“What swells they are! Why, the water streams from them! Don’t make our
drawing room so wet.”
“Don’t mess Mary Hendríkhovna’s dress!” cried other voices.
Rostóv and Ilyín hastened to find a corner where they could change into
dry clothes without offending Mary Hendríkhovna’s modesty. They were
going into a tiny recess behind a partition to change, but found it
completely filled by three officers who sat playing cards by the light
of a solitary candle on an empty box, and these officers would on no
account yield their position. Mary Hendríkhovna obliged them with the
loan of a petticoat to be used as a curtain, and behind that screen
Rostóv and Ilyín, helped by Lavrúshka who had brought their kits,
changed their wet things for dry ones.
A fire was made up in the dilapidated brick stove. A board was found,
fixed on two saddles and covered with a horsecloth, a small samovar was
produced and a cellaret and half a bottle of rum, and having asked Mary
Hendríkhovna to preside, they all crowded round her. One offered her a
clean handkerchief to wipe her charming hands, another spread a jacket
under her little feet to keep them from the damp, another hung his coat
over the window to keep out the draft, and yet another waved the flies
off her husband’s face, lest he should wake up.
“Leave him alone,” said Mary Hendríkhovna, smiling timidly and happily.
“He is sleeping well as it is, after a sleepless night.”
“Oh, no, Mary Hendríkhovna,” replied the officer, “one must look after
the doctor. Perhaps he’ll take pity on me someday, when it comes to
cutting off a leg or an arm for me.”
There were only three tumblers, the water was so muddy that one could
not make out whether the tea was strong or weak, and the samovar held
only six tumblers of water, but this made it all the pleasanter to
take turns in order of seniority to receive one’s tumbler from Mary
Hendríkhovna’s plump little hands with their short and not overclean
nails. All the officers appeared to be, and really were, in love with
her that evening. Even those playing cards behind the partition soon
left their game and came over to the samovar, yielding to the general
mood of courting Mary Hendríkhovna. She, seeing herself surrounded by
such brilliant and polite young men, beamed with satisfaction, try as
she might to hide it, and perturbed as she evidently was each time her
husband moved in his sleep behind her.
There was only one spoon, sugar was more plentiful than anything
else, but it took too long to dissolve, so it was decided that Mary
Hendríkhovna should stir the sugar for everyone in turn. Rostóv received
his tumbler, and adding some rum to it asked Mary Hendríkhovna to stir
it.
“But you take it without sugar?” she said, smiling all the time, as if
everything she said and everything the others said was very amusing and
had a double meaning.
“It is not the sugar I want, but only that your little hand should stir
my tea.”
Mary Hendríkhovna assented and began looking for the spoon which someone
meanwhile had pounced on.
“Use your finger, Mary Hendríkhovna, it will be still nicer,” said
Rostóv.
“Too hot!” she replied, blushing with pleasure.
Ilyín put a few drops of rum into the bucket of water and brought it to
Mary Hendríkhovna, asking her to stir it with her finger.
“This is my cup,” said he. “Only dip your finger in it and I’ll drink it
all up.”
When they had emptied the samovar, Rostóv took a pack of cards and
proposed that they should play “Kings” with Mary Hendríkhovna. They drew
lots to settle who should make up her set. At Rostóv’s suggestion it
was agreed that whoever became “King” should have the right to kiss Mary
Hendríkhovna’s hand, and that the “Booby” should go to refill and reheat
the samovar for the doctor when the latter awoke.
“Well, but supposing Mary Hendríkhovna is ‘King’?” asked Ilyín.
“As it is, she is Queen, and her word is law!”
They had hardly begun to play before the doctor’s disheveled head
suddenly appeared from behind Mary Hendríkhovna. He had been awake for
some time, listening to what was being said, and evidently found nothing
entertaining or amusing in what was going on. His face was sad and
depressed. Without greeting the officers, he scratched himself and asked
to be allowed to pass as they were blocking the way. As soon as he
had left the room all the officers burst into loud laughter and Mary
Hendríkhovna blushed till her eyes filled with tears and thereby became
still more attractive to them. Returning from the yard, the doctor
told his wife (who had ceased to smile so happily, and looked at him in
alarm, awaiting her sentence) that the rain had ceased and they must go
to sleep in their covered cart, or everything in it would be stolen.
“But I’ll send an orderly.... Two of them!” said Rostóv. “What an idea,
doctor!”
“I’ll stand guard on it myself!” said Ilyín.
“No, gentlemen, you have had your sleep, but I have not slept for two
nights,” replied the doctor, and he sat down morosely beside his wife,
waiting for the game to end.
Seeing his gloomy face as he frowned at his wife, the officers grew
still merrier, and some of them could not refrain from laughter, for
which they hurriedly sought plausible pretexts. When he had gone, taking
his wife with him, and had settled down with her in their covered cart,
the officers lay down in the tavern, covering themselves with their
wet cloaks, but they did not sleep for a long time; now they exchanged
remarks, recalling the doctor’s uneasiness and his wife’s delight, now
they ran out into the porch and reported what was taking place in the
covered trap. Several times Rostóv, covering his head, tried to go
to sleep, but some remark would arouse him and conversation would be
resumed, to the accompaniment of unreasoning, merry, childlike laughter.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Groups create temporary joy and connection when everyone contributes positive energy to shared experiences, but one person's negativity can instantly destroy what everyone else built together.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when collective positive attention creates magic and when negative energy destroys it.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone enters a room and either lifts or kills the mood—then consciously choose to be an energy-giver rather than an energy-drainer.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Dear me, how jolly we are!"
Context: When he enters the tavern and sees the cheerful scene
This shows Rostóv's immediate recognition that something special is happening. He's delighted to stumble into this pocket of warmth and friendship on a miserable night. His exclamation captures the spontaneous joy that can emerge from simple human connection.
In Today's Words:
This is so much fun! I love this energy!
"Don't mess Mary Hendríkhovna's dress!"
Context: Warning the wet newcomers not to drip on their hostess
This protective concern shows how the officers have already formed a collective devotion to Mary Hendríkhovna. They're treating her like something precious that must be protected, elevating an ordinary woman to special status through their shared attention.
In Today's Words:
Don't get her wet! We need to take care of her!
"Mary Hendríkhovna obliged them with the loan of a petticoat to be used as a curtain"
Context: When the officers need privacy to change clothes
This detail shows Mary Hendríkhovna's practical kindness and the informal intimacy of the situation. She's willing to share her personal clothing to help solve a problem, and everyone accepts this as natural. It demonstrates how extraordinary circumstances create unusual bonds between people.
In Today's Words:
She let them use her slip as a makeshift curtain - no big deal, just helping out
Thematic Threads
Human Connection
In This Chapter
Officers transform a mundane tea service into magical bonding through shared attention and playfulness
Development
Builds on earlier scenes of soldiers finding humanity in war's chaos
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when your workplace team clicks during a busy shift, making hard work feel lighter through connection.
Social Energy
In This Chapter
Mary Hendríkhovna becomes temporarily special as the focal point of collective goodwill, then her husband's sourness kills the mood instantly
Development
Introduced here as a study in group dynamics
In Your Life:
You see this when one negative person at a family gathering ruins everyone else's good time.
Class
In This Chapter
Officers treat the doctor's wife as an equal in their temporary community, ignoring usual social hierarchies
Development
Continues theme of war breaking down traditional class barriers
In Your Life:
You might experience this when crisis situations make job titles irrelevant and everyone works as equals.
Identity
In This Chapter
An ordinary woman becomes extraordinary through others' attention, showing how identity is partly created by how others see us
Development
Develops ongoing exploration of how circumstances shape who we become
In Your Life:
You see this when you feel most like yourself around people who truly see and appreciate you.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Young officers learn to create joy and connection even in difficult circumstances, developing emotional intelligence
Development
Continues theme of characters maturing through shared experiences
In Your Life:
You grow when you learn to be someone who brings out the best in group situations rather than just waiting for others to entertain you.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What transforms the dreary tavern into a place of joy, and what kills that transformation?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Mary Hendríkhovna become temporarily magical to the officers when she's described as an ordinary woman?
analysis • medium - 3
Think about your workplace or social groups—who are the people who create energy versus drain it? What specific behaviors make the difference?
application • medium - 4
When you encounter someone who kills the mood like the doctor does, how do you protect the positive energy without being confrontational?
application • deep - 5
What does this scene reveal about how happiness actually works—is it something that happens to us or something we create together?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Energy Impact
Think of three recent group situations you were part of—a family dinner, work meeting, or social gathering. For each situation, honestly assess: Did you add energy or drain it? Write down specific behaviors that contributed to the group's mood, both positive and negative. Then identify one concrete change you could make to be more like the officers creating magic rather than the doctor killing it.
Consider:
- •Consider your phone usage, body language, and conversation topics
- •Notice how your mood affects others, not just how others affect you
- •Think about the difference between being present versus just being physically there
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone's positive energy completely transformed your experience of an ordinary situation. What did they do specifically, and how can you practice those same behaviors?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 181: Mastering Fear Through Mental Discipline
The morning brings new challenges as the officers must return to the harsh realities of military life, leaving behind the warmth and camaraderie of their impromptu gathering.
