Book Six: 1808-10 - Chapter IV

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Prince Andrew arrived in Petersburg in August, 1809. It was the timewhen the youthful Speranski was at the zenith of his fame and hisreforms were being pushed forward with the greatest energy. Thatsame August the Emperor was thrown from his caleche, injured hisleg, and remained three weeks at Peterhof, receiving Speranski everyday and no one else. At that time the two famous decrees were beingprepared that so agitated society- abolishing court ranks andintroducing examinations to qualify for the grades of CollegiateAssessor and State Councilor- and not merely these but a whole stateconstitution, intended to change the existing order of government inRussia: legal, administrative, and financial, from the Council ofState down to the district tribunals. Now those vague liberal dreamswith which the Emperor Alexander had ascended the throne, and which hehad tried to put into effect with the aid of his associates,Czartoryski, Novosiltsev, Kochubey, and Strogonov- whom he himselfin jest had called his Comite de salut public- were taking shape andbeing realized.

　　Now all these men were replaced by Speranski on the civil side,and Arakcheev on the military. Soon after his arrival Prince Andrew,as a gentleman of the chamber, presented himself at court and at alevee. The Emperor, though he met him twice, did not favor him witha single word. It had always seemed to Prince Andrew before that hewas antipathetic to the Emperor and that the latter disliked hisface and personality generally, and in the cold, repellent glancethe Emperor gave him, he now found further confirmation of thissurmise. The courtiers explained the Emperor's neglect of him by HisMajesty's displeasure at Bolkonski's not having served since 1805.

　　"I know myself that one cannot help one's sympathies andantipathies," thought Prince Andrew, "so it will not do to presentmy proposal for the reform of the army regulations to the Emperorpersonally, but the project will speak for itself."

　　He mentioned what he had written to an old field marshal, a friendof his father's. The field marshal made an appointment to see him,received him graciously, and promised to inform the Emperor. A fewdays later Prince Andrew received notice that he was to go to seethe Minister of War, Count Arakcheev.

　　On the appointed day Prince Andrew entered Count Arakcheev's waitingroom at nine in the morning.

　　He did not know Arakcheev personally, had never seen him, and all hehad heard of him inspired him with but little respect for the man.

　　"He is Minister of War, a man trusted by the Emperor, and I need notconcern myself about his personal qualities: he has beencommissioned to consider my project, so he alone can get itadopted," thought Prince Andrew as he waited among a number ofimportant and unimportant people in Count Arakcheev's waiting room.

　　During his service, chiefly as an adjutant, Prince Andrew had seenthe anterooms of many important men, and the different types of suchrooms were well known to him. Count Arakcheev's anteroom had quite aspecial character. The faces of the unimportant people awaitingtheir turn for an audience showed embarrassment and servility; thefaces of those of higher rank expressed a common feeling ofawkwardness, covered by a mask of unconcern and ridicule ofthemselves, their situation, and the person for whom they werewaiting. Some walked thoughtfully up and down, others whispered andlaughed. Prince Andrew heard the nickname "Sila Andreevich" and thewords, "Uncle will give it to us hot," in reference to CountArakcheev. One general (an important personage), evidently feelingoffended at having to wait so long, sat crossing and uncrossing hislegs and smiling contemptuously to himself.

　　But the moment the door opened one feeling alone appeared on allfaces- that of fear. Prince Andrew for the second time asked theadjutant on duty to take in his name, but received an ironical lookand was told that his turn would come in due course. After some othershad been shown in and out of the minister's room by the adjutant onduty, an officer who struck Prince Andrew by his humiliated andfrightened air was admitted at that terrible door. This officer'saudience lasted a long time. Then suddenly the grating sound of aharsh voice was heard from the other side of the door, and theofficer- with pale face and trembling lips- came out and passedthrough the waiting room, clutching his head.

　　After this Prince Andrew was conducted to the door and the officeron duty said in a whisper, "To the right, at the window."

　　Prince Andrew entered a plain tidy room and saw at the table a manof forty with a long waist, a long closely cropped head, deepwrinkles, scowling brows above dull greenish-hazel eyes and anoverhanging red nose. Arakcheev turned his head toward him withoutlooking at him.

　　"What is your petition?" asked Arakcheev.

　　"I am not petitioning, your excellency," returned Prince Andrewquietly.

　　Arakcheev's eyes turned toward him.

　　"Sit down," said he. "Prince Bolkonski?"

　　"I am not petitioning about anything. His Majesty the Emperor hasdeigned to send your excellency a project submitted by me..."

　　"You see, my dear sir, I have read your project," interruptedArakcheev, uttering only the first words amiably and then- againwithout looking at Prince Andrew- relapsing gradually into a tone ofgrumbling contempt. "You are proposing new military laws? There aremany laws but no one to carry out the old ones. Nowadays everybodydesigns laws, it is easier writing than doing."

　　"I came at His Majesty the Emperor's wish to learn from yourexcellency how you propose to deal with the memorandum I havepresented," said Prince Andrew politely.

　　"I have endorsed a resolution on your memorandum and sent it tothe committee. I do not approve of it," said Arakcheev, rising andtaking a paper from his writing table. "Here!" and he handed it toPrince Andrew.

　　Across the paper was scrawled in pencil, without capital letters,misspelled, and without punctuation: "Unsoundly constructed becauseresembles an imitation of the French military code and from theArticles of War needlessly deviating."

　　"To what committee has the memorandum been referred?" inquiredPrince Andrew.

　　"To the Committee on Army Regulations, and I have recommended thatyour honor should be appointed a member, but without a salary."

　　Prince Andrew smiled.

　　"I don't want one."

　　"A member without salary," repeated Arakcheev. "I have thehonor... Eh! Call the next one! Who else is there?" he shouted, bowingto Prince Andrew.