salvation; but if
her son should refuse the wife she should propose to him, every hope of
reinstating their fortune would vanish. The young lady whom she had in
view was the daughter of people of the highest respectability, whom the
Rostows had known from her infancy: Julie Karaguine, who, by the death
of her second brother, had suddenly come into great wealth.

The countess herself wrote to Mme. Karaguine to ask her whether she
could regard the match with favor, and received a most flattering
answer. Indeed, Mme. Karaguine invited Nicolas to her house at Moscow,
to give her daughter an opportunity of deciding for herself.

Nicolas had often heard his mother say, with tears in her eyes, that her
dearest wish was to see him married. The fulfilment of this wish would
sweeten her remaining days, she would say, adding covert hints as to a
charming girl who would exactly suit him. One day she took the
opportunity of speaking plainly to him of Julie's charms and merits, and
urged him to spend a short time in Moscow before Christmas. Nicolas, who
had no difficulty in guessing what she was aiming at, persuaded her to
be explicit on the matter, and she owned frankly that her hope was to
see their sinking fortunes restored by his marriage with her dear Julie!

"Then, mother, if I loved a penniless girl, you would desire me to
sacrifice my feelings and my honor--to marry solely for money?"

"Nay, nay; you have misunderstood me," she said, not knowing how to
excuse her mercenary hopes. "I wish only for your happiness!" And then,
conscious that this was not her sole aim, and that she was not perfectly
honest, she burst into tears.

"Do not cry, mamma; you have only to say that you really and truly
desire it, and you know I would give my life to see you happy; that I
would sacrifice everything, even my feelings."

But this was not his mother's notion. She asked no sacrifice, she would
have none; she would sooner have sacrificed herself, if it had been
possible.

"Say no more about it; you do not understand," she said, drying away her
tears.

"How could she think of such a marriage?" thought Nicolas. "Does she
think that because Sonia is poor I do not love her? And yet I should be
a thousand times happier with her than with a doll like Julie."

He stayed in the country, and his mother did not revert to the subject.
Still, as she saw the growing intimacy between Nicolas and Sonia, she
could not help worrying Sonia about ever