- Marya comes to Moscow in the winter and visits the Rostovs.
- A good time is not had by all.
- Nikolai is cold to her, and the Countess is kind of mean too.
- Sonya is happy to see Nikolai treat Marya so obnoxiously.
- Countess Rostov, meanwhile, forces Nikolai to make a return visit – that’s the polite thing to do. (It’s basically like calling someone back in the days before phones.)
- He doesn't want to, but goes anyway.
- Ten minutes into this visit he gets up to leave.
- Marya takes things into her own hands and confronts him about why he’s giving her the cold shoulder.
- Nikolai avoids answering, but she immediately figures out that he’s embarrassed to suddenly be dirt poor when she is so rich. It would seem money-grubbing to go after her.
- Marya won’t let it go though, and keeps demanding to know why he’s brushing her off...and this works.
- Nikolai looks into her eyes and…