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By Root 3472 0

put nothing aside, but, in satisfying his mother’s demands, accumulated small debts. No way out of his situation presented itself to him. The thought of marrying a rich heiress, which his female relations suggested to him, he found revolting. The other way out of his situation—his mother’s death—never entered his head. He wished for nothing, hoped for nothing, and deep in his heart took a gloomy and stern pleasure in the unmurmuring endurance of his situation. He tried to avoid former acquaintances with their condolences and offers of insulting assistance, avoided all distractions and amusements, and even at home did nothing except lay out patience with his mother, silently pace the room, and smoke pipe after pipe. It was is if he was carefully maintaining in himself that gloomy state of mind which alone enabled him to endure his situation.

VI

At the beginning of winter, Princess Marya came to Moscow. From town rumors she learned about the situation of the Rostovs and how “the son was sacrificing himself for his mother”—as they said in town.

“I never expected anything else from him,” Princess Marya said to herself, feeling a joyful confirmation of her love for him. Remembering her friendly and almost familial relations with their whole family, she considered it her duty to visit them. But remembering her relations with Nikolai in Voronezh, she was afraid of it. Nevertheless, making a great effort with herself, several weeks after her arrival in town, she went to see the Rostovs.

Nikolai was the first to meet her, because one could get to the countess’s room only through his. At his first glance at her, Nikolai’s face, instead of the expression of joy that Princess Marya expected to see on it, assumed an expression of coldness, dryness, and pride such as the princess had never seen before. Nikolai asked about her health, took her to his mother, and, having sat for about five minutes, left the room.

When she left the countess, Nikolai met her again and, with particular solemnity and dryness, saw her to the front hall. He did not say a word in reply to her remarks about the countess’s health. “What is it to you? Leave me alone,” his gaze said.

“What’s she prowling around for? What does she want? I can’t bear these ladies and all these gentilities!” he said aloud in Sonya’s presence, evidently unable to hold back his vexation, once the princess’s carriage had driven away from the house.

“Ah, Nicolas, how can you say such things!” said Sonya, barely concealing her joy. “She’s so kind, and maman loves her so.”

Nikolai said nothing and would have preferred not to talk about the princess anymore. But since the time of her visit, the old countess began to talk about her several times a day.

The countess praised her, demanded that her son call on her, expressed a wish to see her more often, but along with that always became ill-humored when she spoke of her.

Nikolai tried to say nothing when his mother spoke of the princess, but his silence vexed the countess.

“She’s a very worthy and wonderful girl,” she said, “and you must call on her. At least you’ll see someone; because I think you’re bored with us.”

“But I don’t have the slightest wish to, mama.”

“First you wanted to see her, but now ‘I don’t wish to.’ I really don’t understand you, my dear. First you’re bored, then you suddenly don’t want to see anybody.”

“I never said I was bored.”

“Why, you yourself said you don’t even wish to see her. She’s a very worthy girl, and you always liked her; but now there are suddenly some sort of reasons. You hide everything from me.”

“Not at all, mama.”

“If I was asking you to do something unpleasant, but all I’m asking is that you go and return a visit. It would seem that courtesy demands it…I’ve asked you, and now I won’t interfere anymore, since you have secrets from your mother.”

“I’ll go, then, if you want.”

“It makes no difference to me; I want it for your sake.”

Nikolai sighed, bit his mustache, and laid out the cards, trying to divert his mother’s attention to another subject.

The next day, and the third, and the