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Prince Andrew arrived in Petersburg in August, 1809. It was
the time when the youthful Speranski 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 caleche,
injured his leg, and remained three weeks at Peterhof, receiving
Speranski 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 Councilor- 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 Strogonov- whom he himself in jest had called his Comite de
salut public- were taking shape and being 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 a levee. The Emperor, though he met him twice, did not
favor him with a single word. It had always seemed to Prince Andrew
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 Bolkonski's not having
served since 1805.
"I know myself that one cannot help one's sympathies
and antipathies," thought Prince Andrew, "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 Andrew received notice that he
was to go to see the Minister of War, Count Arakcheev.
On the appointed day Prince Andrew entered Count Arakcheev's
waiting 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 Andrew as he waited among
a number of important and unimportant people in Count Arakcheev's
waiting room.
During his service, chiefly as an adjutant, Prince Andrew
had seen the anterooms of many important men, and the different
types of such rooms were well known to him. Count Arakcheev's
anteroom 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 Andrew heard the nickname "Sila Andreevich"
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 Andrew 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 Andrew
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 Andrew was conducted to the door and the
officer on duty said in a whisper, "To the right, at the
window."
Prince Andrew 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 toward him
without looking at him.
"What is your petition?" asked Arakcheev.
"I am not petitioning, your excellency," returned
Prince Andrew quietly.
Arakcheev's eyes turned toward him.
"Sit down," said he. "Prince Bolkonski?"
"I am not petitioning about anything. His Majesty the
Emperor has deigned to send your excellency a project submitted
by me..."
"You see, my dear sir, I have read your project,"
interrupted Arakcheev, uttering only the first words amiably and
then- again without looking at Prince Andrew- 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 Andrew 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 Andrew.
Across the paper was scrawled in pencil, without capital letters,
misspelled, 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 Andrew.
"To the Committee on Army Regulations, and I have recommended
that your 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 the honor... Eh! Call the next one! Who else is there?"
he shouted, bowing to Prince Andrew.
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