Part 1, Chapters 21-24 Summary

While Pierre dances with Natasha at the Rostovs' Count Bezuhov suffers a sixth and final stroke. Bezuhov's doctors tell Vasili and the princesses that he may not last the night, so the priest comes and administers last rites. Prince Vasili talks to the eldest princess about the state of Bezuhov's affairs. Although Pierre is the Count's son, because he is illegitimate, he should inherit nothing. All of the Count's estate should go to his other direct heirs (the three princesses and Prince Vasili). Vasili has discovered that Count Bezuhov has applied to the Emperor for a document changing Pierre's illegitimacy to legitimacy, which the tsar will, of course, grant to a man in Bezuhov's position. Vasili asks the princess if she has seen the paper because Vasili wants to make certain it is destroyed before the Count dies. The...