prisoner, a colonel,
came to him and, after talking a great deal about his exploits,
concluded by making what amounted to a demand that Pierre should give
him four thousand francs to send to his wife and children. Pierre
refused without the least difficulty or effort, and was afterwards
surprised how simple and easy had been what used to appear so
insurmountably difficult. At the same time that he refused the colonel's
demand he made up his mind that he must have recourse to artifice when
leaving Orel, to induce the Italian officer to accept some money of
which he was evidently in need. A further proof to Pierre of his own
more settled outlook on practical matters was furnished by his decision
with regard to his wife's debts and to the rebuilding of his houses in
and near Moscow.

His head steward came to him at Orel and Pierre reckoned up with him his
diminished income. The burning of Moscow had cost him, according to the
head steward's calculation, about two million rubles.

To console Pierre for these losses the head steward gave him an estimate
showing that despite these losses his income would not be diminished but
would even be increased if he refused to pay his wife's debts which he
was under no obligation to meet, and did not rebuild his Moscow house
and the country house on his Moscow estate, which had cost him eighty
thousand rubles a year and brought in nothing.

"Yes, of course that's true," said Pierre with a cheerful smile. "I
don't need all that at all. By being ruined I have become much richer."

But in January Savelich came from Moscow and gave him an account of the
state of things there, and spoke of the estimate an architect had made
of the cost of rebuilding the town and country houses, speaking of this
as of a settled matter. About the same time he received letters from
Prince Vasili and other Petersburg acquaintances speaking of his wife's
debts. And Pierre decided that the steward's proposals which had so
pleased him were wrong and that he must go to Petersburg and settle his
wife's affairs and must rebuild in Moscow. Why this was necessary he
did not know, but he knew for certain that it was necessary. His income
would be reduced by three fourths, but he felt it must be done.

Willarski was going to Moscow and they agreed to travel together.

During the whole time of his convalescence in Orel Pierre had
experienced a feeling of joy, freedom, and life; but when during his
journey he found h