“Of course she will!” whispered Natásha, but did not finish … suddenly Sónya pushed away the glass she was holding and covered her eyes with her hand.
“Oh, Natásha!” she cried.
“Did you see? Did you? What was it?” exclaimed Natásha, holding up the looking glass.
Sónya had not seen anything, she was just wanting to blink and to get up when she heard Natásha say, “Of course she will!” She did not wish to disappoint either Dunyásha or Natásha, but it was hard to sit still. She did not herself know how or why the exclamation escaped her when she covered her eyes.
“You saw him?” urged Natásha, seizing her hand.
“Yes. Wait a bit … I … saw him,” Sónya could not help saying, not yet knowing whom Natásha meant by him , Nikoláy or Prince Andréy.
“But why shouldn’t I say I saw something? Others do see! Besides who can tell whether I saw anything or not?” flashed through Sónya’s mind.
“Yes, I saw him,” she said.
“How? Standing or lying?”
“No, I saw … At first there was nothing, then I saw him lying down.”
“Andréy lying? Is he ill?” asked Natásha, her frightened eyes fixed on her friend.
“No, on the contrary, on the contrary! His face was cheerful, and he turned to me.” And when saying this she herself fancied she had really seen what she described.
“Well, and then, Sónya? …”