War and Peace Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter 12

In which a tender-eyed niece and her cousin, newly resolved to join the army, embody the restless vigour and delicate affections of youth beneath the watchful gaze of their elders, whose conversation drifts from friendship's sacrifices to the anxieties that shadow youthful promises. As the evening wanes and departing guests stir reflections on upbringing and the cautious hopes parents cherish, the drawing room settles once more into the quiet afterglow of young hearts laid bare.