Oh, no, unlucky 13.
Nikolai hasn't seen Dolokhov or been able to get a hold of him, and he receives an invite to meet Dolokhov at the English hotel at 9. DOlokhov basically goads him into playing cards with him, and quickly, Nikolai has lost 1600 of the 2000 roubles that his father gave him to last the next 5 months.
Dolokhov is evil. He just says that people have said he's a card sharp - Nikolai even notes the torn corner of the 7 of hearts that he needs and sees it dealt to the top of the deck - as if Dolokhov does not know this already. Ugh. This can't be good.
This chapter is written so well - your heart is in your throat. Dolokhov is a great villain - spurned and ready for vengeance. You can see since Sonya turned him down that he feels he has a reason, but you just wish that Pierre had taken care of him in the duel. He's going to poison everyone with his own poison. Nikolai notes that, when bored with life, "Dolkhov felt the necessity of getting out of it by some strange, most often cruel, act."
Oh, yuck. This makes me stomach hurt.
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