Chapter 8 chapter eight

The fighting has intensified, and the war zone is approaching the borders of Russia.Here and there were complaints against Bonaparte, the Enemy of Mankind, militias and recruits were being raised in the countryside, and conflicting reports came from the war zones, which, as usual, did not correspond to the facts, so that there was no consensus. Since 1805 many changes had taken place in the lives of old Prince Bolkonski, Prince Andrew, and Princess Maria. In 1806, the old prince was appointed as one of the eight commanders-in-chief of the Russian reserve army at that time.Although the old duke was old and frail, he looked extremely old when he thought his son was killed in battle, but he believed that he had no right to refuse the duties assigned by the king.Getting back into the action stimulated him and made him stronger.He often tours the three provinces under his jurisdiction. He is extremely serious when performing tasks, treats his subordinates harshly to the point of cruelty, and handles everything personally without neglecting the smallest details.Princess Marya no longer took mathematics lessons from her father, and only when her father was at home, accompanied by her nurse, she took little Prince Nicholas (as his father-in-law called him) to his father's study every morning.The nursing Prince Nicholas lived with his nurse and nurse Savishna in the room of the late princess, and Princess Maria often spent most of the day in the nursery, doing her best to replace her nephew's dead mother.The Bourienne group also seemed to love children, and Princess Maria often relinquished her rights to allow her girlfriend the enjoyment of looking after the little angel (as she called her nephew) and playing with him.

In the chapel above the little Duchess's grave, next to the altar of Bald Hill Church, stands a marble monument from Italy of an angel on wings.The angel's upper lip fluttered slightly, as if about to smile.Once, when Prince Andrew and Princess Marya came out of the chapel, the source of the mistake was not in ordinary language itself, but in people's lack of clarity. Remember the face of this dead man.But from the expression that the artist had inadvertently fashioned on the angel's face, Prince Andrei saw the meek and reproachful words he had then seen on the face of his dead wife: "Oh, why did you treat me like this?" What about me? . . . " This made it all the more strange that Prince Andrew had not told his sister about this.

Not long after Prince Andrew's return, the old prince sent his son away and gave him a large estate at Bogucharovo, forty versts from the Bald Mountains.Partly because of the painful memories of the Bald Mountains, partly because Prince Andrey did not always find himself able to bear his father's temper, and partly because he needed a quiet environment, Prince Andrey made full use of Bogucharovo, Built houses there and spent most of his time in Bogucharovo. After the Battle of Austerlitz, Prince Andrei decided never to do military service, which was required of everyone when war broke out, and to avoid active service, he took up the task of raising the militia under his father's leadership.After the campaign of 1805, the old duke and his son seem to have switched roles.The old prince was in high spirits at work, looking forward to success in the present campaign; on the contrary, Prince Andrei, who did not fight, regretted in his secret soul what he had seen.

On February 26, 1807, the old prince left his home and drove to inspect the jurisdiction. When his father was away, Prince Andrei mostly stayed at Bald Mountain.Nikolushka Jr. has been unwell for four days.The coachman who had driven off the old prince had returned from the city, and he brought papers and letters to Prince Andrew. The old servant did not meet the young prince in his study with the letter, and went into Princess Mary's room, but he was not there either.Someone told the old servant that the prince had gone to the nursery. "Look, my lord, Petrusha has brought you the papers," said one of the maids, the nurse's assistant, turning to Prince Andrey, who was sitting on a small child's chair, frowning, With two shaking hands, he dripped the potion from the glass bottle into the goblet half filled with water.

"What's going on?" He said angrily, accidentally shaking his hands and pouring a little more medicine into the goblet.He spilled the potion in the goblet on the floor and asked for more water.The maid handed him the water. In the room were a cot, two cots, two easy chairs, a table, a children's coffee table, and a small chair in which Prince Andrew was sitting.Curtains were drawn over the windows, and a candle was burning on the table, whose light was shielded by a stapled score of music, so that the light would not fall on the cot. "My darling," said Princess Marya, standing by the crib, turning her face to her brother, "it would be better to wait . . . later . . . "

"Oh, do me a favor, you're always talking stupid things, you're always telling me to wait, it's bad luck waiting," said Prince Andrey in a vicious whisper, evidently wanting to irritate his sister's sore spots. "My darling, indeed, it would be best if you didn't wake him, he's fast asleep," said the princess in a begging voice. Prince Andrew got up, took the goblet, and went on tiptoe to the cot. "Maybe really don't wake him up?" he said hesitantly. "It's up to you--really... I want... to go along with you," said Princess Marya, apparently feeling shy and ashamed because her opinion had the upper hand.She pointed to her brother the maid who called him softly.

The two of them stayed up for two nights, tending to the feverish boy.During these days and nights they did not trust their family doctor, and waited for the doctor sent to the city to bring them in. They used this medicine now and then that medicine.Weary and frightened by sleeplessness, they blamed each other for their pain, blamed each other, and quarreled. "Pedrusha has brought the prince's papers," said the maid in a low voice.Prince Andrew went out. "What's the matter there!" he said angrily, and following his father's verbal orders, he took the envelope and a letter from his father and went back to the nursery.

"What's the matter?" asked Prince Andrew. "Still the same, for God's sake, wait. Karl Ivanitch always says: sleep is the most precious thing," said Princess Marya, sighing, in a low voice. Prince Andrew went up to the child and touched him.He still has a fever. "Go away, you and your Karl Ivanitch!" He took up a goblet dripping with liquid medicine, and approached him again. "Andrei, there is no need!" said Princess Marya. But he gave her a sullen look, fierce and at the same time distressed, and bent over the child with his goblet. "But I want to do it," he said. "Well, I beg you, let him drink it."

Princess Marya shrugged her shoulders, but obediently took a goblet, called the nurse, and began to give the child medicine.The child cried out and made a hoarse sound.Prince Andrew frowned, put his head in his hands, went out of the room, and sat down on the sofa in the adjoining room. He still had some letters in his hand.He opened the letter mechanically and read it.The old prince wrote on the blue paper in thick and long characters, with abbreviated symbols in several places, and wrote as follows: "If it weren't for lies and fiction, I'm getting great news through the messenger. Bennigsen's victory in Prussia-Eylau, it seems that Bonaparte has been completely defeated. Petersburg is reveling. The rewards continue to flow Sent to the army. Although Bennigsen is a German, I also congratulate him. A certain head of the Korcheva District who calls himself Handrikov does not know what he is doing. The supplementary personnel and food have not yet been handed over. Clear. You go at a gallop immediately and tell that it will be ready within a week, or you will be punished by beheading. I have also received a letter from Bitenka (Peter's nickname) saying that he participated in the Prussian-Eylau battle ,—indeed it corresponds to the facts. The Germans could have annihilated Bonaparte, too, if no one intervened where it was inappropriate to intervene. Bonaparte is said to be in a state of disarray and is fleeing for his life. You have the discretion to drive to Corcheva at once. Carry out the mission!"

Prince Andrew sighed and opened another envelope.It was a letter from Bilibin that filled two small pages in petty print.He did not read the letter, folded it, and read the letter from his father, at the end of which there was this sentence: "Run to Korcheva, on a mission!" "No, please forgive me, the child has not recovered, and I cannot leave him now." He walked to the door, thought for a while, and glanced at the nursery.Princess Marya was still standing by the bed, gently rocking the child to sleep. "Yes, what the hell did he write?" Prince Andrew recalled his father's letter. "Yes, it was when I was out of military service that our army defeated Bonaparte. Yes, yes, he was still making fun of me... Come on, whatever..." And he began to read the Libin's French letter.He read, half of which he didn't understand, just to keep himself from thinking, not even for a minute, what he had been thinking about so long and so painfully.