Pierre returns two weeks late from a month-long business trip to Petersburg. Natásha is vexed with him and chides him for being late, but doesn’t appear to be seriously angry. Pierre, apologetic, explains that the delay was completely unavoidable. Soon the two are happily looking in on their baby Pétya, who was ill while Pierre was away but is now better.
First Epilogue Chapter 11
Pierre returns two weeks late from a month-long business trip to Petersburg. Natásha is vexed with him and chides him for being late, but doesn’t appear to be seriously angry. Pierre, apologetic, explains that the delay was completely unavoidable. Soon the two are happily looking in on their baby Pétya, who was ill while Pierre was away but is now better.
Summary:
Pierre was called to Petersburg on some business for a society which he helped found. Natásha had given him a four weeks’ leave of absence from Bald Hills for this purpose, but the work ended up taking a full six weeks. After his four-week leave expired, Natásha was in a constant state of alarm, depression, and irritability. While he was gone, Natásha took comfort in being with their little baby Pétya. But she accidently overfed him and he became a little ill. The baby recovered before Pierre came home, though. When Pierre did return, Natásha was happy but also let him know in no uncertain terms that she was quite vexed with him for being so late. “I wonder you’re not ashamed!, she told him, If only you could see what I was like without you, how I suffered! Pierre wanted to smile but dared not even think of doing so. He made a piteous, frightened face and bent down. Natásha, though, does not seem seriously angry with Pierre, and soon the two are joyfully looking in on the little baby.
quote from the chapter:
“Come, come!” she said, not letting go of his arm. And they went to their rooms.
When Nicholas and his wife came to look for Pierre he was in the nursery holding his baby son, who was again awake, on his huge right palm and dandling him. A blissful bright smile was fixed on the baby’s broad face with its toothless open mouth. The storm was long since over and there was bright, joyous sunshine on Natásha’s face as she gazed tenderly at her husband and child.
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