Maximum-assistance view: every word above everyday vocabulary is explained at every appearance; each name is introduced at its first appearance in the chapter.

CHAPTER VIII

The friends were silent (making no sound). Neither cared to begin talking. Pierre continually (over and over without stop) glanced (a quick look) at Prince Andrew; Prince Andrew rubbed (to press and slide upon) his forehead (the brow) with his small hand.

“Let us go and have supper (the evening meal),” he said with a sigh (a long sad breath), going to the door.

They entered the elegant (gracefully fine), newly (recently) decorated (to adorn; to honor with medals), and luxurious (full of costly comfort) dining (eating dinner) room. Everything from the table napkins (a table cloth for the lap) to the silver, china, and glass bore that imprint (a pressed mark) of newness (being new) found in the households (all who live in a house) of the newly (recently) married. Halfway (at the middle point) through supper (the evening meal) Prince Andrew leaned (to tilt against; thin) his elbows (the arm's joint) on the table and, with a look of nervous (easily shaken) agitation (troubled excitement) such as Pierre had never before seen on his face, began to talk—as one who has long had something on his mind and suddenly determines to speak out.

“Never, never marry (to take in marriage), my dear fellow! That’s my advice: never marry (to take in marriage) till you can say to yourself that you have done all you are capable of, and until you have ceased (to stop) to love the woman of your choice and have seen her plainly (clearly; simply) as she is, or else you will make a cruel (hard-hearted) and irrevocable (beyond recall) mistake. Marry (to take in marriage) when you are old and good for nothing—or all that is good and noble (high-born; morally lofty) in you will be lost. It will all be wasted on trifles (a thing of no importance). Yes! Yes! Yes! Don’t look at me with such surprise. If you marry (to take in marriage) expecting anything from yourself in the future, you will feel at every step that for you all is ended, all is closed except the drawing room, where you will be ranged side by side with a court lackey (a liveried manservant) and an idiot (a fool)!... But what’s the good?...” and he waved his arm.

Pierre took off his spectacles (a grand sight; glasses for the eyes), which made his face seem different and the good-natured (kindly by nature) expression still more apparent (plain to see), and gazed (a long steady look) at his friend in amazement (great wonder).

“My wife,” continued Prince Andrew, “is an excellent woman, one of those rare women with whom a man’s honor is safe; but, O God, what would I not give now to be unmarried (not married)! You are the first and only one to whom I mention this, because I like you.”

As he said this Prince Andrew was less than ever like that Bolkónski (the family name of Prince Andrew and Princess Mary) who had lolled (to lounge at ease) in Anna Pávlovna (the Petersburg hostess)’s easy chairs and with half-closed (partly closed) eyes had uttered (complete; to speak) French phrases (a group of words) between his teeth. Every muscle (the body's moving flesh) of his thin (of little thickness) face was now quivering (to tremble finely) with nervous (easily shaken) excitement (stirred-up feeling); his eyes, in which the fire of life had seemed extinguished (put out), now flashed (a sudden burst of light) with brilliant light. It was evident (plain to see) that the more lifeless (without life) he seemed at ordinary (usual; common) times, the more impassioned (filled with passion) he became in these moments of almost morbid (sickly gloomy) irritation (annoyance).

“You don’t understand why I say this,” he continued, “but it is the whole story of life. You talk of Bonaparte (Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French) and his career,” said he (though Pierre had not mentioned Bonaparte), “but Bonaparte when he worked went step by step toward his goal. He was free, he had nothing but his aim to consider, and he reached it. But tie yourself up with a woman and, like a chained convict (to prove guilty; a condemned prisoner), you lose all freedom! And all you have of hope and strength merely (only) weighs (to measure heaviness) you down and torments (torturing pain) you with regret (sorrow over what is done). Drawing rooms, gossip (idle talk of others), balls, vanity (empty pride), and triviality (empty smallness)—these are the enchanted (under a spell; delighted) circle I cannot escape from. I am now going to the war, the greatest war there ever was, and I know nothing and am fit for nothing. I am very amiable (friendly and pleasant) and have a caustic (bitingly sharp) wit (quickness of mind),” continued Prince Andrew, “and at Anna Pávlovna’s they listen to me. And that stupid set without whom my wife cannot exist, and those women.... If you only knew what those society women are, and women in general! My father is right. Selfish (caring only for oneself), vain (useless; empty-proud), stupid, trivial (of small importance) in everything—that’s what women are when you see them in their true colors! When you meet them in society it seems as if there were something in them, but there’s nothing, nothing, nothing! No, don’t marry (to take in marriage), my dear fellow; don’t marry (to take in marriage)!” concluded (to end; to decide) Prince Andrew.

“It seems funny to me,” said Pierre, “that you, you should consider yourself incapable (unable) and your life a spoiled (ruined; indulged) life. You have everything before you, everything. And you....”

He did not finish his sentence, but his tone (a sound's quality; a manner) showed how highly he thought of his friend and how much he expected of him in the future.

“How can he talk like that?” thought Pierre. He considered his friend a model of perfection (perfect completeness) because Prince Andrew possessed (to own; to hold) in the highest degree just the very qualities Pierre lacked, and which might be best described as strength of will. Pierre was always astonished (greatly surprised) at Prince Andrew’s calm manner of treating everybody, his extraordinary (beyond the ordinary) memory, his extensive (wide-reaching) reading (he had read everything, knew everything, and had an opinion about everything), but above all at his capacity for work and study. And if Pierre was often struck by Andrew’s lack of capacity for philosophical (of philosophy; calmly wise) meditation (deep quiet thought) (to which he himself was particularly addicted (given over to a habit)), he regarded (to look upon; respect) even this not as a defect (a flaw; to desert one's side) but as a sign of strength.

Even in the best, most friendly and simplest (most simple) relations of life, praise (words of approval) and commendation (praise) are essential, just as grease (soft animal fat) is necessary to wheels that they may run smoothly (without roughness).

“My part is played out,” said Prince Andrew. “What’s the use (use: habit; custom — the old sense here) of talking about me? Let us talk about you,” he added after a silence (absence of sound), smiling at his reassuring (to give back confidence) thoughts.

That smile was immediately reflected (to throw back; to think over) on Pierre’s face.

“But what is there to say about me?” said Pierre, his face relaxing (to loosen; rest) into a careless (without care), merry (full of cheer) smile. “What am I? An illegitimate (born out of marriage; against law) son!” He suddenly blushed (to redden with shame) crimson (deep red), and it was plain (simple; clear; a flat land) that he had made a great effort to say this. “Without a name and without means... And it really...” But he did not say what “it really” was. “For the present I am free and am all right. Only I haven (a safe shelter)’t the least idea what I am to do; I wanted to consult (to seek counsel) you seriously.”

Prince Andrew looked kindly (kind; gently) at him, yet his glance (a quick look)—friendly and affectionate (full of warm love) as it was—expressed a sense of his own superiority (standing above others).

“I am fond (loving) of you, especially as you are the one live man among our whole set. Yes, you’re all right! Choose what you will; it’s all the same. You’ll be all right anywhere. But look here: give up visiting those Kurágins (the Kurágin family) and leading that sort of life. It suits you so badly (in a bad way)—all this debauchery (wild, shameless living), dissipation (idle, wasteful pleasure), and the rest of it!”

“What would you have, my dear fellow?” answered Pierre, shrugging (to lift the shoulders) his shoulders. “Women, my dear fellow; women!”

“I don’t understand it,” replied Prince Andrew. “Women who are comme (of trade; trading) il faut (proper — French, from comme il faut), that’s a different matter; but the Kurágins’ set of women, ‘women and wine’ I don’t understand!”

Pierre was staying at Prince Vasíli (Prince Vasíli Kurágin, the smooth court intriguer) Kurágin (the family name of Prince Vasíli and his children)’s and sharing the dissipated (wasted in idle pleasure) life of his son Anatole (Anatole Kurágin, Prince Vasíli's handsome, dissolute son), the son whom they were planning to reform by marrying (to take in marriage) him to Prince Andrew’s sister.

“Do you know?” said Pierre, as if suddenly struck by a happy thought, “seriously, I have long been thinking of it.... Leading such a life I can’t decide or think properly about anything. One’s head aches (a dull steady pain), and one spends all one’s money. He asked me for tonight, but I won’t go.”

“You give me your word of honor not to go?”

“On my honor!”