- The old woman tells more of her story – how she knew a super saintly priest whose hands smelled like incense, and on and on.
- Andrei leaves and doesn’t want to listen, but Pierre sticks around and later tells Marya that he can appreciate people who are deeply religious.
- She asks if he thinks Andrei is doing OK and tells him that she is worried about her brother and how depressed he is.
- Suddenly all the servants start hustling and bustling – Prince Bolkonsky is back from his trip. He’s in a good mood and is happy to see Pierre. They all have dinner, and Pierre and Prince Bolkonsky have a friendly argument about whether there could ever be a time without war. Pierre is idealistic, but Prince Bolkonsky laughs and basically calls him an idiot.
- Still, it’s a good time.
- Pierre feels like one of the family – even the baby likes him.
- When he leaves, they all talk about him and say only good things.