War and Peace, Book 6: 1808–10, Chapter 13 summary

What happens

1. Natásha interrupts her mother’s prayers and settles into her bed for an affectionate nighttime conversation.
2. The countess says Borís is unsuitable for marriage and warns that their closeness damages Natásha’s standing and torments him.
3. Natásha refuses to give up his visits, although she says she does not intend to marry him.
4. Natásha describes Borís and Bezúkhov through shapes and colors, then leaves when her father calls.
5. In her room, Natásha imagines a wise man praising her beauty, intelligence, talents, and voice before she falls asleep.
6. The next day, the countess speaks privately with Borís, who stops visiting the Rostóvs.

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What to notice

Natásha separates the pleasure of Borís’s company from marriage. Her mother treats that separation as harmful rather than harmless.

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