- Natasha and Pierre talk in their own special shorthand. They understand each other without needing to finish their sentences.
- Natasha gets Pierre to say that he prefers her to all women, including Marya.
- Pierre wants to know Natasha’s opinion about the argument earlier. He tells her about his doings in Petersburg, and she has a weird thought that this politically important man is also her husband, whom she knows in this domestic setting.
- They talk about Platon and how he would approve of Pierre’s doings.
- Then the baby starts crying and Natasha leaves.
- Meanwhile, Nikolenka is reliving the night.
- He has a dream where he and Pierre are marching at the head of an army against Nikolai’s forces. Then Pierre turns into his father and Nikolenka feels his father’s approval.
- He wakes up enthused and happy, committed to doing something to make Pierre and his dad proud of him.
- And so the torch is passed to the next generation.