During this interval Pierre noticed that Prince Vasili left the chair on which he had been leaning, and--with an air which intimated that he knew what he was about and if others did not understand him it was so much the worse for them--did not go up to the dying man, but passed by him, joined the eldest princess, and moved with her to the side of the room where stood the high bedstead with its silken hangings.

On leaving the bed both Prince Vasili and the princess passed out by a back door, but returned to their places one after the other before the service was concluded.

Pierre paid no more attention to this occurrence than to the rest of what went on, having made up his mind once for all that what he saw happening around him that evening was in some way essential.