for ingratitude. Sónya listened silently with downcast eyes to the countess’ cruel words, without understanding what was required of her. She was ready to sacrifice everything for her benefactors. Self-sacrifice was her most cherished idea but in this case she could not see what she ought to sacrifice, or for whom. She could not help loving the countess and the whole Rostóv family, but neither could she help loving Nikoláy and knowing that his happiness depended on that love. She was silent and sad and did not reply. Nikoláy felt the situation to be intolerable and went to have an explanation with his mother. He first implored her to forgive him and Sónya and consent to their marriage, then he threatened that if she molested Sónya he would at once marry her secretly.
The countess, with a coldness her son had never seen in her before, replied that he was of age, that Prince Andréy was marrying without his father’s consent, and he could do the same, but that she would never receive that intriguer as her daughter.
Exploding at the word intriguer , Nikoláy, raising his voice, told his mother he had never expected her to try to force him to sell his feelings, but if that were so, he would say for the last time. … But he had no time to utter the decisive word which the expression of his face caused his mother to await with terror, and which would perhaps have forever remained a cruel memory to them both. He had not time to say it, for Natásha, with a pale and set face, entered the room from the door at which she had been listening.
“Nikólenka, you