h! Very glad! Kiss me," he said, having learned who the young stranger
was.

The old prince was in a good temper and very gracious to Pierre.

Before supper, Prince Andrew, coming back to his father's study, found
him disputing hotly with his visitor. Pierre was maintaining that a time
would come when there would be no more wars. The old prince disputed it
chaffingly, but without getting angry.

"Drain the blood from men's veins and put in water instead, then there
will be no more war! Old women's nonsense--old women's nonsense!" he
repeated, but still he patted Pierre affectionately on the shoulder, and
then went up to the table where Prince Andrew, evidently not wishing
to join in the conversation, was looking over the papers his father
had brought from town. The old prince went up to him and began to talk
business.

"The marshal, a Count Rostov, hasn't sent half his contingent. He
came to town and wanted to invite me to dinner--I gave him a pretty
dinner!... And there, look at this.... Well, my boy," the old prince
went on, addressing his son and patting Pierre on the shoulder. "A fine
fellow--your friend--I like him! He stirs me up. Another says clever
things and one doesn't care to listen, but this one talks rubbish yet
stirs an old fellow up. Well, go! Get along! Perhaps I'll come and sit
with you at supper. We'll have another dispute. Make friends with my
little fool, Princess Mary," he shouted after Pierre, through the door.

Only now, on his visit to Bald Hills, did Pierre fully realize the
strength and charm of his friendship with Prince Andrew. That charm was
not expressed so much in his relations with him as with all his family
and with the household. With the stern old prince and the gentle, timid
Princess Mary, though he had scarcely known them, Pierre at once felt
like an old friend. They were all fond of him already. Not only Princess
Mary, who had been won by his gentleness with the pilgrims, gave him her
most radiant looks, but even the one-year-old "Prince Nicholas" (as his
grandfather called him) smiled at Pierre and let himself be taken in
his arms, and Michael Ivanovich and Mademoiselle Bourienne looked at him
with pleasant smiles when he talked to the old prince.

The old prince came in to supper; this was evidently on Pierre's
account. And during the two days of the young man's visit he was
extremely kind to him and told him to visit them again.

When Pierre had gone and the members of the