"Nowthen, goawayandtakeyourmonstrositywithyou," saidthemother, pushingawayherdaughterwithpretendedsternness, andturningtothevisitorsheadded: "Sheismyyoungestgirl."
Natasha, raisingherfaceforamomentfromhermother'smantilla, glancedupatherthroughtearsoflaughter, andagainhidherface.
Thevisitor, compelledtolookonatthisfamilyscene, thoughtitnecessarytotakesomepartinit.
"Tellme, mydear," saidshetoNatasha, "isMimiarelationofyours? Adaughter, Isuppose?"
Natashadidnotlikethevisitor', butlookedatherseriously.
Meanwhiletheyoungergeneration: Boris, theofficer, AnnaMikhaylovna'sson; Nicholas, theundergraduate, thecount'seldestson; Sonya, thecount'sfifteen-year-oldniece, andlittlePetya, hisyoungestboy, , fromwhichtheyhaddashedoutsoimpetuously, theconversationhadbeenmoreamusingthanthedrawing-roomtalkofsocietyscandals, theweather, , hardlyabletosuppresstheirlaughter.
Thetwoyoungmen, thestudentandtheofficer, friendsfromchildhood, wereofthesameageandbothhandsomefellows, , andhiscalmandhandsomefacehadregular, , , , andrelatedquietlyandhumorouslyhowhehadknownthatdollMimiwhenshewasstillquiteayounglady, beforehernosewasbroken; howshehadagedduringthefiveyearshehadknownher, , whowasscrewinguphiseyesandshakingwithsuppressedlaughter, andunabletocontrolherselfanylonger, .
"Youweremeaningtogoout, weren'tyou, Mamma? Doyouwantthecarriage?" heaskedhismotherwithasmile.
"Yes, yes, goandtellthemtogetitready," sheanswered, returninghissmile.
, asifvexedthattheirprogramhadbeendisturbed.
