me! I will give thee,’ says he, ‘what the Tsar bestowed on me.’ I saw it myself—a sort of star carved in it. Well—he regained his sight! It’s a sin to speak so. God will punish you,” she said admonishingly to Pierre.

“How? Was the star in the holy image?” asked Pierre.

“And didn’t they make the holy mother a general?” said Prince Andrey, smiling.

Pelageyushka turned suddenly pale and flung up her hands.

“Sir, sir, it’s a sin of you, you’ve a son!” she said, suddenly turning from white to dark red. “Sir, for what you have said, God forgive you.” She crossed herself. “Lord, forgive him. Lady, what’s this? …” she turned to Princess Marya. She got up, and almost crying began gathering up her wallet. Plainly she was both frightened and ashamed at having accepted bounty in a house where they could say such things, and sorry that she must henceforth deprive herself of the bounty of that house.

“What did you want to do this for?” said Princess Marya. “Why did you come to me? …”

“No, I was joking really, Pelageyushka,” said Pierre. “Princess, ma parole, je n’ai pas voulu l’offenser. I said it, meaning nothing. Don’t think of it, I was joking,” he said, smiling timidly and trying to smooth over his crime. “It was all my fault; but he didn’t mean it, he was joking.”

Pelageyushka remained distrustful; but Pierre’s face wore a look of such genuine penitence, and Prince Andrey looked so mildly from Pelageyushka to Pierre, that she was gradually reassured.