When Natasha came out of the living room and ran, she only ran to the flower room. In this room she stopped listening to the conversation in the living room and waiting for Boris to come out. She was beginning to look forward to it and, stomping her foot, she was going to cry because he wasn't walking now, when the young man's quiet, not fast, decent steps were heard. Natasha rushed quickly between the rows of flowers and hid herself. 9
Boris stopped in the middle of the room, looked around, waved his hand at the sleeve of the uniform and approached the mirror, looking at his beautiful face. Natasha looked quietly out of her ambush, waiting for what he would do. He stood in front of the mirror, smiled and went to the exit door. Natasha wanted to call him out, but then she thought about it.
- Let him look for it," she said to herself. Boris had just walked out of the other door like Sonya, flushed out of another door, whispering something evil through her tears. Natasha refrained from her first move to run out to her and remained in her ambush, as if under an invisible hat, looking for what was going on in the world. She felt a special new pleasure. Sonya whispered something and looked at the living room door. Nicholas came out of the door.
- Sonya! What is wrong with you? Is it okay? - Nikolai said, running to it.
- Nothing, nothing, leave me alone! - Sonya sobbed.
- No, I know that.
- Well, you know, and fine, and come to her.
- Sooonya! One word! Is it possible to torture me and myself so much because of the fantasy? - Nikolai said, holding her hand.
Sonya did not rip out his hands and stopped crying.
Natasha, not moving and breathing, looked with shining eyes from her ambush. "What will happen now? - She thought.
- Sonya! I don't need the whole world! You're all alone for me," said Nikolai. - I will prove it to you.
- I don't like it when you say that.
- Well, I won't, I'm sorry, Sonya! - He pulled her in and kissed her.
"Oh, how good! - Natasha thought, and when Sonya and Nikolai left the room, she followed them and called Boris.
- Boris, come here," she said with a significant and cunning view. - I have one thing to tell you. Here, here," she said, and led him to the flower room between the kadokas where she was hidden. Boris, smiling, followed her.
- What is this one thing? - He asked.
She was embarrassed, looked around, and when she saw her doll thrown on the tub, she took her in her arms.
- Kiss the doll," she said.
Boris looked attentively, gently at her lively face and did not answer anything.
- Don't you want to? Well, come here," she said, and went deeper into the flowers and threw the doll. - Closer, closer! - She whispered. She caught the officer with her hands for cuffing, and in her red face she could see the solemnity and fear.
- Do you want to kiss me? - She whispered a little, looking at him, smiling, and almost crying with excitement.
Boris blushed.
- How funny you are! - He spoke, leaning over to her, blushing even more, but doing nothing and waiting.
She suddenly jumped on the tub, so she stood above him, hugged him with both hands, so that the thin naked hands bent above his neck, and, tilted his head back, kissed him on the lips.
She slipped between the pots to the other side of the flowers and, with her head down, stopped.
- Natasha," he said, "you know I love you, but...
- Are you in love with me? - Natasha interrupted him.
- Yes, I am, but please, let's not do what we are doing now... four more years... Then I will ask for your hand.
Natasha thought.
- Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. - She said, counting on thin fingers. - Okay! Is it over?
And the smile of joy and comfort illuminated her lively face.
- It's over! - Boris said.
- Forever? - said the girl. - Until death?
And, taking his hand in hand, she went quietly with a happy face to the couch with him.
VI
There's a woman's dress in the next room. It was as if Prince Andrew had woken up, and his face took the same expression as it had in Anna Pavlovna's living room. Pierre lowered his legs from the sofa. The Princess entered. She was already in a different, homemade, but equally elegant and fresh dress. Prince Andrei stood up, politely moving her chair.
- Why, I often think," she said, as always in French, hurriedly and painstakingly sitting in the chair, "why didn't Anette get married? How stupid are you all, messieurs, that you didn't marry her. I'm sorry, but you don't know anything about women. You're such an argumentative man, Monsieur Pierre!
- I'm arguing with your husband too; I don't understand why he wants to go to war," said Pierre, without any embarrassment (so common in a young man's relationship with a young woman) to the Princess.
The Princess met with her. Apparently, Pierre's words touched her for being alive.
- Ah, here I say the same thing! - she said. - I don't understand, I don't understand, why men can't live without war? Why do we women want nothing, do we need nothing? Well, here you are, being a judge. I tell him everything: here he is an adjutant to his uncle, the most brilliant position. Everybody knows him so well, they appreciate him so much. The other day at Apraksins' I heard a lady asking: "C'est ça le fameux prince André? Ma parole d'honneur! 1 - She laughed. - He is so accepted everywhere. He can easily be an adjutant outhouse. You know, the King spoke to him very graciously. Anette and I talked, it would be very easy to arrange. What do you think?
Pierre looked at Prince Andrei and noticed that his friend didn't like this conversation and didn't answer anything.
- When are you going? - He asked.
- Ah! ne me parlez pas de ce départ, ne m'en parlez pas. Je ne veux pas en entendre parler 2," said the princess in a capricious, playful tone, as she spoke to Hippolyte in the living room, which obviously did not go to the family mug where Pierre was a member. - Today, when I thought I had to break off all this expensive relationship... And then, you know, André? - She blinked at her husband significantly. - J'ai peur, j'ai peur! 3" she whispered with her back.
Her husband looked at her as if he had been surprised to notice that someone else, other than Pierre and him, was in the room; however, he asked his wife with cold courtesy: