cer
and at once went to meet the major.

"May the wounded men stay in our house?" she asked.

The major raised his hand to his cap with a smile.

"Which one do you want, Ma'am'selle?" said he, screwing up his eyes and
smiling.

Natasha quietly repeated her question, and her face and whole
manner were so serious, though she was still holding the ends of
her handkerchief, that the major ceased smiling and after some
reflection--as if considering in how far the thing was possible--replied
in the affirmative.

"Oh yes, why not? They may," he said.

With a slight inclination of her head, Natasha stepped back quickly to
Mavra Kuzminichna, who stood talking compassionately to the officer.

"They may. He says they may!" whispered Natasha.

The cart in which the officer lay was turned into the Rostovs' yard,
and dozens of carts with wounded men began at the invitation of the
townsfolk to turn into the yards and to draw up at the entrances of the
houses in Povarskaya Street. Natasha was evidently pleased to be dealing
with new people outside the ordinary routine of her life. She and Mavra
Kuzminichna tried to get as many of the wounded as possible into their
yard.

"Your Papa must be told, though," said Mavra Kuzminichna.

"Never mind, never mind, what does it matter? For one day we can move
into the drawing room. They can have all our half of the house."

"There now, young lady, you do take things into your head! Even if we
put them into the wing, the men's room, or the nurse's room, we must ask
permission."

"Well, I'll ask."

Natasha ran into the house and went on tiptoe through the half-open door
into the sitting room, where there was a smell of vinegar and Hoffman's
drops.

"Are you asleep, Mamma?"

"Oh, what sleep-?" said the countess, waking up just as she was dropping
into a doze.

"Mamma darling!" said Natasha, kneeling by her mother and bringing her
face close to her mother's, "I am sorry, forgive me, I'll never do it
again; I woke you up! Mavra Kuzminichna has sent me: they have brought
some wounded here--officers. Will you let them come? They have nowhere
to go. I knew you'd let them come!" she said quickly all in one breath.

"What officers? Whom have they brought? I don't understand anything
about it," said the countess.

Natasha laughed, and the countess too smiled slightly.

"I knew you'd give permission... so I'll tell them," and, having kissed
her mother, Natasha got up and went to the