- Okay, fast forward 3 days now. A whole bunch of carriages are hanging out in front of the Slobodsky Palace.
- The Slobodsky Palace was, well, a palace where all the members of the nobility would have their little meetings.
- In one room, a bunch of nobles are hanging out, and in another, a bunch of merchants. There's not really a whole lot happening.
- Pierre is there, dressed in his nobleman's uniform (which doesn't quite fit right). The whole assembly reminds him of the French Revolution and Rousseau's Social Contract.
- The sovereign's manifesto is read, everybody gets excited about it for a few minutes, and then they go back to loitering and talking.
- A guy in an old navy officer's uniform starts talking, and people gather around to listen. Pierre and Count Ilya Andreich (who's also there) both go and listen.
- The man is talking about the best way to gather an army (voluntary militias or a draft), another noble tries to change the conversation, and then Pierre decides to speak.
- He tries to be cool and switch between French and Russian, but he's kind of awkward about it and the group starts to disperse.
- Andreich is pleased, but Pierre's old pal Stepan Stepanovich Apraksin isn't. He begins shouting at Pierre.
- Another guy that Pierre recognizes also chimes in, and says that there really isn't any time to be debating things. The enemy is fast approaching.
- Eventually, the "debate" turns into a mess, and Pierre doesn't get to respond.
- It's not that what Pierre is saying is wrong, the narrator tells us; it's just that in matters like these the crowd always wants a good guy and a bad guy, and the crowd has decided that Pierre is the bad guy.
- Eventually, many of the nobles approach the table where the old dignitaries are sitting.
- The orators take their turns speaking, with people shouting to add their two cents as Pierre watches.