Chapter 1
This chapter begins with some musings on how Man's state in the garden of Eden was idle, and so we still delight in idleness, but also feel guilty about it since we need to work. If we could only find a state in which we accomplished our tasks while being in a state of idleness, we could be truly happy. Tbh, that's how I feel on public transport, especially when I have my kindle and/or Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia to hand. It's also how Nikolai feels about being in the army, but he hurries back home when his mother sends a message informing him that they will lose their entire estate if he doesn't come and take matters in hand. He comes home to find nothing much has changed, except his parents and older and snippier, and Sonya is still in love with him, which is cheering. Petya is now thirteen and his voice is breaking, which is the biggest change, after Natasha, who is mooning about over Andrew. She's doing it in a dramatic way, and is otherwise as even-tempered, calm, and cheerful as she's ever been, which make Nikolai a bit skeptical about their romance and whether the marriage will actually happen. He finds that his mother also has doubts.
Chapter 2
On his third day back, Nikolai decides to get the unpleasant business of the accounts over with and goes off to shout at Mitenka, the family's account manager. It doesn't necessarily start with shouting, but it quickly ends up that way. Nikolai kicks Mitenka out, calling him a robber and a wretch. Later, his father explains that Nikolai had misunderstood the accounts, and everyone is embarrassed, including Count Ilya, who knows he's been mismanaging the estate. Nikolai gives up on managing money and focuses on hunting instead.
Chapter 3
It's winter now, and it's been decided to give the hounds a few days off from hunting, and to start again on the sixteenth of September (In Russia, everything from August onwards is wintry). Nikolai is about to head out wolf-hunting with Daniel the Huntmaster when Natasha comes in, in a complete state. She and Petya want to go hunting too, and Petya bellows "no barrier bars a Russian's path!" with all the might of a teenager. Nikolai tries to put them off, but Natasha sends Daniel to fetch her horse.
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