"Why do other people see things and I never see anything at all? Take my
place, Sonia; you must look for yourself and for me, too. I am so
frightened; if I could but know!"

Sonia sat down and fixed her eyes on the mirror.

"Sofia Alexandrovna will be sure to see something," whispered Douniacha;
"but you always are laughing at such things." Sonia heard the remark and
Natacha's whispered reply: "Yes, she is sure to see something; she did
last year." Three minutes they waited in total silence. "She is sure to
see something," Natacha repeated, trembling.

Sonia started back, covered her face with one hand, and cried out:

"Natacha!"

"You saw something? What did you see?" And Natacha rushed forward to
hold up the glass.

But Sonia had seen nothing; her eyes were getting dim, and she was on
the point of giving it up when Natacha's exclamation had stopped her;
she did not want to disappoint them; but there is nothing so tiring as
sitting motionless. She did not know why she had called out and hidden
her face.

"Did you see him?" asked Natacha.

"Yes; stop a minute. I saw him," said Sonia, not quite sure whether
"him" was to mean Nicolas or Prince André. "Why not make them believe