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Pierre smiled, but his smile showed that he knew it was not the

story about Sergey Kuzmich that interested Prince Vasili just

then, and Prince Vasili saw that Pierre knew this. He suddenly

muttered something and went away. It seemed to Pierre that even

the prince was disconcerted. The sight of the discomposure of

that old man of the world touched Pierre: he looked at Helene and

she too seemed disconcerted, and her look seemed to say: "Well,

it is your own fault."

"The step must be taken but I cannot, I cannot!" thought Pierre,

and he again began speaking about indifferent matters, about

Sergey Kuzmich, asking what the point of the story was as he had

not heard it properly. Helene answered with a smile that she too

had missed it.

When Prince Vasili returned to the drawing room, the princess,

his wife, was talking in low tones to the elderly lady about

Pierre.

"Of course, it is a very brilliant match, but happiness, my

dear..."

"Marriages are made in heaven," replied the elderly lady.