Fearing a duel, Márya reaches out to Pierre for help. Pierre tells her about Anatole’s prior marriage.
Summary:
Pierre receives a letter from Márya Dmítrievna requesting he come and see her on a matter of great importance. On his way there, he sees the dandy Anatole on the streets who greets him cheerily. Upon arriving, Márya Dmítrievna tells Pierre everything. Pierre tells Márya Anatole is already married, which further disgusts Márya. Márya, afraid that the count or Bolkónski may challenge Anatole to a duel if they knew, asks Pierre to get Anatole to leave Moscow. Márya goes to tell Natásha that Anatole is already married. Natásha can’t believe it and asks to hear it from Pierre himself. On his way to Natásha’s room, Pierre meets Count Rostóv, who only knows that Natásha has broken off her engagement with Andrew. The Count tells Pierre he wishes the Countess was with them in Moscow. When Pierre reaches Natásha’s room, he feels sympathy for her. Natásha, for her part, takes no interest in Pierre and only asks to be left alone when Pierre confirms to her that Anatole is already married.
quote from the chapter:
And having put him on his honor not to repeat anything she told him, Márya Dmítrievna informed him that Natásha had refused Prince Andrew without her parents’ knowledge and that the cause of this was Anatole Kurágin into whose society Pierre’s wife had thrown her and with whom Natásha had tried to elope during her father’s absence, in order to be married secretly. Pierre raised his shoulders and listened open-mouthed to what was told him, scarcely able to believe his own ears. That Prince Andrew’s deeply loved affianced wife-the same Natásha Rostóva who used to be so charming-should give up Bolkónski for that fool Anatole who was already secretly married (as Pierre knew), and should be so in love with him as to agree to run away with him, was something Pierre could not conceive and could not imagine.
Book 8, Chapter 19
Fearing a duel, Márya reaches out to Pierre for help. Pierre tells her about Anatole’s prior marriage.
Summary:
Pierre receives a letter from Márya Dmítrievna requesting he come and see her on a matter of great importance. On his way there, he sees the dandy Anatole on the streets who greets him cheerily. Upon arriving, Márya Dmítrievna tells Pierre everything. Pierre tells Márya Anatole is already married, which further disgusts Márya. Márya, afraid that the count or Bolkónski may challenge Anatole to a duel if they knew, asks Pierre to get Anatole to leave Moscow. Márya goes to tell Natásha that Anatole is already married. Natásha can’t believe it and asks to hear it from Pierre himself. On his way to Natásha’s room, Pierre meets Count Rostóv, who only knows that Natásha has broken off her engagement with Andrew. The Count tells Pierre he wishes the Countess was with them in Moscow. When Pierre reaches Natásha’s room, he feels sympathy for her. Natásha, for her part, takes no interest in Pierre and only asks to be left alone when Pierre confirms to her that Anatole is already married.
quote from the chapter:
And having put him on his honor not to repeat anything she told him, Márya Dmítrievna informed him that Natásha had refused Prince Andrew without her parents’ knowledge and that the cause of this was Anatole Kurágin into whose society Pierre’s wife had thrown her and with whom Natásha had tried to elope during her father’s absence, in order to be married secretly. Pierre raised his shoulders and listened open-mouthed to what was told him, scarcely able to believe his own ears. That Prince Andrew’s deeply loved affianced wife-the same Natásha Rostóva who used to be so charming-should give up Bolkónski for that fool Anatole who was already secretly married (as Pierre knew), and should be so in love with him as to agree to run away with him, was something Pierre could not conceive and could not imagine.
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