Chapter 39 Chapter two

Prince Andrew was going to see the chief nobleman of the county on the trusteeship of the Ryazan estate.The current chief nobleman of the county is Count Rostov.In the middle of May, Prince Andrew visited him. It is late spring.The woods have been covered with green clothes; the road is dusty and the weather is very hot. When passing by the pond, I really want to take a bath. Prince Andrei was sullen, thinking about what he should ask the chief nobleman.At this moment the carriage drove into the avenue in the garden of Otradno Rostov's house.He heard girls screaming happily in the bushes to his right, and then saw a group of girls running past his carriage.Running in front was a girl with black hair and dark eyes.She was slender, strangely slender, in a yellow calico dress and a white turban with locks of combed hair peeking out from under it.The girl ran towards the carriage, yelling something, but when she recognized a stranger, she ran back smiling without raising her eyes.

Prince Andrew suddenly felt unhappy for no reason.The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining brightly, and there was so much joy around her, but this slender, pretty girl didn't know, didn't want to know that he existed, and was content with her foolish and happy life. "Why is she so happy? What is she thinking? She doesn't think about military regulations, nor does she think about the issue of the Ryazan service system. Then what is she thinking about? Why is she so happy?" Prince Andrei couldn't help but wonder asked myself. In 1809 Count Rostov lived as before on his Otradno estate, that is, entertained the nobility of the province with hunting, theatres, banquets, and music.He welcomed Prince Andrew, as all newcomers are welcome, and insisted on keeping him overnight.

Count Rostov's house was full of guests for the approach of the name day.Prince Andrei was received graciously by the older hostess and hostess and a group of distinguished guests.During these boring days, Andre spied on Natasha, who was laughing inexplicably among the juniors, several times, and kept asking himself: "What is she thinking? Why is she so happy?" At night Prince Andrei remained alone in a strange place and could not sleep for a long time.He read, then put out the candle, then lit it again.It was hot in the house with the shutters closed.He complained to the foolish old man (as he called Count Rostov) that he had insisted on keeping him overnight on the pretext that the necessary papers had not yet arrived from the city.He also blamed himself for staying.

Prince Andrew got up, went to the window and opened it.As soon as he opened the shutters, the moonlight seemed to have been waiting outside the window and poured in all at once.He opens the window.The night is cool, quiet and bright.Outside the window was a row of pruned trees, dark on one side and silvery on the other.Under the tree grows a damp, succulent, thick bush, some of which are silvery.Behind the dark trees there was a roof glistening with dew, and to the right was a large tree with sparse branches and a whitish trunk, and above it hung a nearly full moon in a clear, starless spring sky.Prince Andrew leaned his arms on the window sill and gazed at the sky.

Prince Andrew's room was on the middle floor.There were also people living in the room upstairs, and the people in the room were not sleeping.He heard a woman's voice upstairs. "Sing it again!" came a woman's voice from upstairs, and Prince Andrew recognized it at once. "Then what time did you go to bed?" said another voice. "I don't want to sleep, I can't sleep, what can I do! Then, for the last time..." Two female voices sang the end of a song. "Oh, how beautiful! Well, it's time for bed now, it's over." "Go to sleep, I can't sleep!" the first woman's voice answered from the window.She was evidently leaning out of the window, for the rustling of her clothes and even her breathing could be heard.All was still, and all was as still as the moon, its light, and its shadows.Prince Andrew did not move a muscle, lest he should be found to have overheard their conversation and singing.

"Sonya! Sonia!" The first woman's voice was heard again, "Oh, how can I sleep! Look, how beautiful! It is so beautiful! Wake up, Sonia!" She seemed With tears in his eyes, he said, "Such a beautiful night has never happened, never happened." Sonia reluctantly replied. "Oh, look, what a moon! . . . Oh, how beautiful! Come here. My dear sister, come here. Hey, do you see it? Just squat down like this, hug your knees, hug your knees hard , hug tightly, and you will fly to the sky. That's it!" "Be careful not to fall out!" Prince Andrei heard the struggle of the two and Sonja's displeased voice:

"It's been a while." "Hmph, you're only in my way here. Well, let's go, let's go." All was silent again, but Prince Andrew knew that she was still sitting there.Now he heard her slight movement, now she sighed. "Oh, my God! My God! What's going on!" She exclaimed suddenly, "Go to sleep!" She said and closed the window. "She doesn't care about someone like me!" thought Prince Andrei, listening to her, hoping for some reason that she would mention him, and fearing that she would mention him. "It's her again! She arranged it like God intended." !” thought Prince Andrew.Suddenly a jumble of youthful thoughts and hopes, out of proportion to his whole life, surged into his soul, and he felt incomprehensible, and soon fell asleep.