Everything—face, gait, eyes, voice—everything was at once trans- formed in her. To her own surprise, the force of life and hopes of happiness floated to the surface and demanded satisfaction. From that firsiij evening Natasha seemed to have forgotten all that had happened to her From that time she never once complained of her position; she said no one word about the past, and was not afraid of already making light hearted plans for the future. She spoke little of Pierre; but when Princes; Marya mentioned him, a light that had long been dim gleamed in hei eyes, and her lips curved in a strange smile.
The change that took place in Natasha at first surprised -Princess Marya- but when she understood what it meant, that change mortified her. ‘Can she have loved my brother so little that she can so soon forget him?’ thought Princess Marya, when she thought over it alone. But when she was with Natasha she was not vexed with her, and did not blame her. The awakened force of life that had regained possession ot Natasha was obviously so irresistible and so unexpected by herself, that in Natasha’s presence Princess Marya felt that she had no right to blame her even in her heart.
Natasha gave herself up with such completeness and sincerity to her new feeling that she did not even attempt to conceal that she was not now sorrowful, but glad and happy.
When Princess Marya had returned to her room that night after her interview with Pierre, Natasha met her on the threshold.
'He has spoken? Yes? He has spoken?’ she repeated. And a joyful, nd at the same time piteous, expression, that begged forgiveness for its >y, was in Natasha’s face. ‘I wanted to listen at the door; but I knew ou would tell me.’
Ready as Princess Marya was to understand and to be touched by the xpression with which Natasha looked at her, and much as she felt for er agitation, yet her words for the first moment mortified her. She rought of her brother and his love.
'But what is one to do? She cannot help it,’ thought Princess Marya; nd with a sad and somewhat severe face she repeated to Natasha all ’ierre had said to her. Natasha was stupefied to hear he was going to ’etersburg. ‘To Petersburg!’ she repeated, as though unable to take
; in.
But looking at the mournful expression of Princess Marya’s face she Ivined the cause of her sadness, and suddenly burst into tears.
‘Marie,’ she said, ‘tell me what I am to do. I am afraid of being horrid. Vhatever you say, I will do; tell me . . .’
‘You love him?’
‘Yes!’ whispered Natasha.
‘What are you crying for, then? I am very glad for you,’ said Prin- ess Marya, moved by those tears to complete forgiveness of Natasha’s
oy.
‘It will not be soon . . . some day. Only think how happy it will be vhen I am his wife and you marry Nikolay!’
‘Natasha, I have begged you not to speak of that. Let us talk of you.’
Both were silent.
‘Only why go to Petersburg?’ cried Natasha suddenly, and she hastened :o answer herself. ‘No, no; it must be so . . . Yes, Marie? It must
EPILOGUE
PART I
I
Seven years had passed by. The storm-tossed, historic ocean of Europe was subsiding within its shores. It seemed to have grown calm; but the mysterious forces moving humanity (mysterious, because the laws controlling their action are unknown to us) were still at work.
Although the surface of the ocean of history seemed motionless, the movement of humanity was as uninterrupted as the flow of time. Various series cf groups of men were joining together and separating; the causes were being prepared that would bring about the formation and the disso- : lution of empires and the migrations of peoples.
The ocean of history was not now, as before, tossed violently from one shore to the other; it was seething in its depths. Historical figures were not dashing abruptly from one side to the other; now they seemed to be rotating on the same spot-. The historical figures, that had in the preceding years at the head of armies reflected the movement of the masses,' commanding wars, and marches, and battles, now reflected that movement in political and diplomatic combinations, statutes, and treaties.
This tendency on the part of the figures of history, the historians call the reaction.
In describing the part played by these historical personages, the historians criticise them severely, supposing them to be the cause of what they call the reaction. All the celebrated persons of that period, from Alexander and Napoleon to Madame de Stael, Foty, Schelling, Fichte, Chateaubriand, and so on, receive the severest criticism at their hands, and are acquitted or condemned according as they worked for progress or for reaction.
In Russia, too, so they tell us, a reaction was taking place at that period, and the person chiefly to blame for that reaction was Alexander i. —the same Alexander who, by their own account, was chiefly responsible for the liberal movement at the beginning of his reign, and for the saving of Russia.
