Volume II, Book II, Chapter V

This is a very short one - barely a page.

Pierre is sitting at home, trying to figure "the meaning of a square, one side of which represented God, another the moral, the third the physical, and the fourth their mixture."

The world is just littered with metaphysical symbols, isn't it? I've never seen that one.

Anyhow, as he is contemplating this, and about to move South to avoid the sovereign's interest in the duel, Vassily bursts in, chattering. He tries to convince Pierre that it's all a misunderstanding, and why didn't he contact him?, etc. He even tries to get him to write a letter to Helene. Pierre knows this is his moment. He cannot capitulate if he wants to live the spiritual life that he is being shown by the Mason's. He knows he cannot be rude, but he cannot give in.

So he says "Go" menacingly, and shows Vassily the door. I love that the voice is described as outside of him: "the menacing voice said once more".

The next week, Pierre leaves for Kiev and Odessa.

I never got around to writing about the history of art, which is mixes up in politics and Russian history, of the Russian people that I saw on the plane from NY. Part of it that I found interesting said that Petersburg is the head of Russia, Moscow is the heart, and Kiev is the mother. It's the birth of the church in Russia. It will be interesting to see what he does there....