“ ’Mamma, does he really love me? What do you think? Did men love you like this? And he’s so nice, he really is nice! Though he’s not really my type—he’s a bit . . . sort of narrow, like a clock on the wall . . . Do you know what I mean? . . . Narrow, you know, all grey and pale . . .’
‘You do say some silly things,’ said the countess.
Natasha persisted. ‘Don’t you understand? Nikolay would. Now, take Bezukhov—he’s blue, dark blue with a bit of red, and his shape is square.’
‘You flirt with him, too,’ said the countess with a laugh.
‘No, I don’t. He’s a freemason. I’ve just found out. He’s a very nice man—dark blue with some red. How can I explain it?’ ”
——Leo Tolstoy, War & Peace, 1869; translated by Anthony Briggs, 2005. (p. 491)