And the countess bent over her reticule to hide her agitated face. Sónya embraced Natásha and kissed her.
Natásha looked at her inquiringly.
“What is it? What has happened?”
“Nothing … No …”
“Is it something very bad for me? What is it?” persisted Natásha with her quick intuition.
Sónya sighed and made no reply. The count, Pétya, Madame Schoss, Mávra Kuzmínichna, and Vasílich came into the drawing room and, having closed the doors, they all sat down and remained for some moments silently seated without looking at one another.
The count was the first to rise, and with a loud sigh crossed himself before the icon. All the others did the same. Then the count embraced Mávra Kuzmínichna and Vasílich, who were to remain in Moscow, and while they caught at his hand and kissed his shoulder he patted their backs lightly with some vaguely affectionate and