He looked at the count, who still gazed at the spot where Pierre's face had been before he sat down.

Anna Mikhaylovna indicated by her attitude her consciousness of the pathetic importance of these last moments of meeting between the father and son.

This lasted about two minutes, which to Pierre seemed an hour.

Suddenly the broad muscles and lines of the count's face began to twitch.

The twitching increased, the handsome mouth was drawn to one side (only now did Pierre realize how near death his father was), and from that distorted mouth issued an indistinct, hoarse sound.