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PRINCE ANDREI arrived in Petersburg in August 1809. It was the time when the youthful Speransky was at the zenith of his fame* and his reforms were being pushed forward with the greatest energy. That same August the Emperor was thrown from his calèche, injured his leg, and remained three weeks at Peterhof, receiving Speransky every day and no one else. At that time the two famous decrees* were being prepared that so agitated society—abolishing court ranks and introducing examinations to qualify for the grades of Collegiate Assessor and State Councillor*—and not merely these but a whole State constitution, intended to change the existing order of government in Russia: legal, administrative, and financial, from the Council of State down to the district tribunals. Now those vague liberal dreams with which the Emperor Alexander had ascended the throne, and which he had tried to put into effect with the aid of his associates, Czartoryski, Novosiltsev, Kochubey, and Stroganov—whom he himself in jest had called his Committee of Public Welfare—were taking shape and being realized.

Now all these men were replaced by Speransky on the civil side and Arakcheev* on the military. Soon after his arrival Prince Andrei, as a gentleman of the chamber, presented himself at court and at a levee. The Emperor, though he met him twice, did not favour him with a single word. It had always seemed to Prince Andrei before that he was antipathetic to the Emperor and that the latter disliked his face and personality generally, and in the cold, repellent glance the Emperor gave him, he now found further confirmation of this surmise. The courtiers explained the Emperor’s neglect of him by his Majesty’s displeasure at Bolkonsky’s not having served since 1805.

‘I know myself that one cannot help one’s sympathies and antipathies,’ thought Prince Andrei, ‘so it will not do to present my proposal for the reform of the army regulations to the Emperor personally, but the project will speak for itself.’ He mentioned what he had written to an old field-marshal, a friend of his father’s. The field-marshal made an appointment to see him, received him graciously, and promised to inform the Emperor. A few days later Prince Andrei received notice that he was to go to see the Minister of War, Count Arakcheev.

On the appointed day Prince Andrei entered Count Arakcheev’s ante-room at nine in the morning.

He did not know Arakcheev personally, had never seen him, and all he had 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 not concern myself about his personal qualities: he has been commissioned to consider my project, so he alone can get it adopted,’ thought Prince Andrei as he waited among a number of important and unimportant people in Count Arakcheev’s ante-room.

During his service, chiefly as an adjutant, Prince Andrei had seen the ante-rooms of many important men, and the different types of such rooms were well known to him. Count Arakcheev’s ante-room had quite a special character. The faces of the unimportant people awaiting their turn for an audience showed embarrassment and servility; the faces of those of higher rank expressed a common feeling of awkwardness, covered by a mask of unconcern and ridicule of themselves, their situation, and the person for whom they were waiting. Some walked thoughtfully up and down, others whispered and laughed. Prince Andrei heard the nickname ‘Sila Andreich’ and the words, ‘Uncle will give it to us hot,’ in reference to Count Arakcheev. One general (an important personage) evidently feeling offended at having to wait so long, sat crossing and uncrossing his legs and smiling contemptuously to himself.

But the moment the door opened one feeling alone appeared on all faces—that of fear. Prince Andrei for the second time asked the adjutant on duty to take in his name, but received an ironical look and was told that his turn would come in due course. After some others had been shown in and out of the minister’s room by the adjutant on duty, an officer who struck Prince Andrei by his humiliated and frightened air was admitted at that terrible door. This officer’s audience lasted a long time. Then suddenly the grating sound of a harsh voice was heard from the other side of the door, and the officer—with pale face and trembling lips—came out and passed through the waiting-room clutching his head.

After this Prince Andrei was conducted to the door and the officer on duty said in a whisper, ‘To the right, at the window.’ Prince Andrei entered a plain tidy room, and saw at the table a man of forty with a long waist, a long closely cropped head, deep wrinkles, scowling brows above dull greenish-hazel eyes, and an overhanging red nose. Arakcheev turned his head towards him without looking at him.

‘What is your petition?’ asked Arakcheev.

‘I am not petitioning, your Excellency,’ returned Prince Andrei quietly.

Arakcheev’s eyes turned towards him.

‘Sit down,’ said he. ‘Prince Bolkonsky?’

‘I am not petitioning about anything. His Majesty the Emperor has deigned to send your Excellency a project submitted by me …’ ‘You see, most kind sir, I have read your project,’ interrupted Arakcheev, uttering only the first words amiably and then—again without looking at Prince Andrei—relapsing gradually into a tone of grumbling contempt. ‘You are proposing new military laws? There are many laws but no one to carry out the old ones. Nowadays everybody designs laws, it is easier writing than doing.’ ‘I came at his Majesty the Emperor’s wish to learn from your Excellency how you propose to deal with the memorandum I have presented,’ said Prince Andrei politely.

‘I have endorsed a resolution on your memorandum and sent it to the Committee. I do not approve of it,’ said Arakcheev rising and taking a paper from his writing-table. ‘Here!’ and he handed it to Prince Andrei.

Across the paper was scrawled in pencil, without capital letters, misspelt, and without punctuation: ‘Unsoundly constructed because resembles an imitation of the French military code and from the Articles of War needlessly deviating.’ ‘To what Committee has the memorandum been referred?’ inquired Prince Andrei.

‘To the Committee on Army Regulations, and I have recommended that your honour should be appointed a member, but without a salary.’ Prince Andrei smiled.

‘I don’t want one.’

‘A member without salary,’ repeated Arakcheev. ‘I have the honour … Eh! Call the next one! Who else is there?’ he shouted, bowing to Prince Andrei.