Mademoiselle Bourienne, also roused to great excitement by Anatole's arrival, thought in another way.

Of course, she, a handsome young woman without any definite position, without relations or even a country, did not intend to devote her life to serving Prince Bolkonski, to reading aloud to him and being friends with Princess Mary.

Mademoiselle Bourienne had long been waiting for a Russian prince who, able to appreciate at a glance her superiority to the plain, badly dressed, ungainly Russian princesses, would fall in love with her and carry her off; and here at last was a Russian prince.

Mademoiselle Bourienne knew a story, heard from her aunt but finished in her own way, which she liked to repeat to herself.