Volume 1, Book I, Chapter XVI

This one's old vs. young in some ways

Did I mention that it's August 26th?

So still at the birthday. There has been a declaration or maifesto of war. A German count is speaking in its favor. When Shinshin asks what's the point of war, he answers "'Pecause, my tear sir,' he said, pronouncing the b as p and the d as a t, 'pecause the emperoro knows that". Brilliant dialect for the next paragraph. The German gets a little excited in favor of war, for the old hussars (note to self: look up "hussar"), and asks Nikolai to back him up. Marya Dmitrievna calls from the other end of the table (women at one end, men at the other) to the Count to find out what's going on, and he replies his son, his son! is going to war. She replies she has 4 sons in the war and it's just as easy to die anywhere else - God's will.

Natasha gets dared something, and at this point stands up and asks what's for dessert. Which is a no-no and shocks the adults. And she keeps at it, past the point of shock to where the adults laugh because she keeps harping at Marya Dmitrievna even after she's told she'll get no ice cream at all, or carrot. And she gets her pineapple ice cream. Everyone laughs.

That Natasha, she's a special one. I think we're getting that.

hus⋅sar
  /hʊˈzɑr/ [hoo-zahr]

1. (originally) one of a body of Hungarian light cavalry formed during the 15th century.
2. a member of a class of similar troops, usually with striking or flamboyant uniforms, in European armies.

So, flamboyantly uniformed armies. For a fashionable war, I suppose. How romantic they were.