IN THE GUARD-ROOM to which Pierre had been taken, the officer and soldiers in

charge treated him with hostility, but at the same time with respect. Their

attitude to him betrayed both doubt who he might be—perhaps a person of great

importance—and hostility, in consequence of the personal conflict they…

NATASHA was calmer, but no happier. She did not merely shun every external

form of amusement—balls, skating, concerts, and theatres—but she never even

laughed without the sound of tears behind her laughter. She could not sing. As

soon as she began to laugh or attempted to sing all by herself,…

THE COMBINATION of causes of phenomena is beyond the grasp of the human

intellect. But the impulse to seek causes is innate in the soul of man. And the

human intellect, with no inkling of the immense variety and complexity of

circumstances conditioning a phenomenon, any one of which may…

THE FRENCH ARMY went on melting away at a regularly increasing rate. And the

crossing of the Berezina, of which so much has been written, was only one of the

intermediate stages of the destruction of the army, and by no means the decisive

episode of the campaign. The reason…

WHEN ILAGIN TOOK LEAVE of them in the evening, Nikolay found himself so great

a distance from home that he accepted the uncle's invitation to stop hunting and

to stay the night at the uncle's little place, Mihailovka.

“And if you all come to me—forward, quick march!” said the uncle, “it…

WHEN BORIS AND ANNA PAVLOVNA returned to the rest, Prince Ippolit was in

possession of the ear of the company. Bending forward in his low chair, he was

saying:

“The King of Prussia!” and as he said it, he laughed. Every one turned

towards him. “The King of Prussia,” Ippolit said…

SHORTLY after his reception into the brotherhood of the freemasons, Pierre

set off to the Kiev province, where were the greater number of his peasants,

with full instructions written for his guidance in doing his duty on his

estates.

On reaching Kiev, Pierre sent for all his stewards to his head…

MADAME SCHOSS, who had gone out to visit her daughter, increased the

countess's terrors by describing the scenes she had witnessed at a spirit

dealer's in Myasnitsky Street. She entered that street on her way home, but

could not pass through it owing to the drunken mob raging round the…

ROSTOV had arrived at Tilsit on the day least suitable for interceding in

Denisov's behalf. It was out of the question for him to go himself to the

general in attendance, since he was wearing civilian dress, and had come to

Tilsit without permission to do so, and Boris, even…

AT FOUR O'CLOCK in the afternoon, Murat's troops entered Moscow. In front

rode a detachment of Würtemberg hussars, behind, with an immense suite, rode the

King of Naples himself.

Near the middle of Arbaty, close to Nikola Yavlenny, Murat halted to await

information from the detachment in advance as to the…