Chapter 5 chapter Five

While awaiting his admission to the committee, Prince Andrei renewed his friendships with some old friends, especially with those whom he knew to be powerful and of great use to him.He felt in Petersburg at this moment, as he felt on the eve of the battle, tormented by a disturbing curiosity that irresistibly drew him to the upper classes, where a prospect was drawn, where millions of people lived. Fate depends on it.From the resentment of the aged, from the curiosity of the uninformed, from the prudence of the expert, from the hustle and bustle of the people, from the formation of countless committees which he heard daily, he felt, before his eyes, In 1809, here in Petersburg, a large-scale civil war was brewing.The commander-in-chief in command of this war was a man he was not familiar with, mysterious, and in his opinion, a man of genius—Speransky.Whether it was reforms with which he was unfamiliar, or Speranski, the leading activist, interested him intensely, the question of military doctrine immediately took a backseat in his consciousness.

Prince Andrew was in the most favorable position, and he was well received by all circles of Petersburg society at that time.The reformists entertained him warmly and entertained him, firstly because he was brilliant and knowledgeable, and famous all over the world, and secondly because he liberated the peasants and gained the reputation of a free thinker.The disgruntled elders condemned its reform measures and simply asked for sympathy from him, the son of old Bolkonsky.He was well received by women and society, and because he was an unmarried man, rich and distinguished, and rumored to have been killed in battle and the tragic death of his wife, he was almost regarded as a novelty in the glory of romance.In addition, all those who knew him before all said with one voice that in the past five years, he has improved, his personality has become milder, and he has become more mature. He no longer has the shortcomings of falsehood, arrogance, and sarcasm that he used to have. There is a serene attitude that grows with age.Everyone was talking about him, showing concern for him, and wanting to meet him.

The next day, after Prince Andrew had called on Count Arakcheyev, he had been at Count Kochubey's in the evening.He told Count Kochubey about his visit to Sila Andreitch (Kochubey did the same with the veiled sneer that Prince Andrei had noticed in the anteroom of the Minister of War. called Arakcheyev). "Moncher, you cannot fail to involve Mikhail Mikhailovich (Speransky's name and paternal title) even in this matter. C'estle grandfaiseur, let me tell him. He promises Come here tonight..." "What have military regulations to do with Speransky?" asked Prince Andrew.

Kochubey smiled and shook his head, as if surprised by Bolkonsky's naivety. "I spoke to him the other day about you," continued Kochubey, "about your free peasants..." "Yes, you, did the prince free your peasants?" said an old man from the time of Empress Catherine, turning her face contemptuously to Bolkonsky. "There will be no income from the small estates," replied Bolkonski, trying to make his actions inconspicuous in front of him, so as not to irritate the old man for no reason. "Vouscraignezd'e Btreenretard," said the old man, looking at Kochubey.

-------- ①French: My dear. ②French: He is a steward. ③ French: You are afraid that you will not be able to catch up. "One thing I do not understand," continued the old man, "is that if they are given liberty, who will plow the land? It is easy to make laws, but difficult to administer affairs. Now, count, I want to ask you, if everyone took the exam , then who will be the head of the court?" "I think those who pass the exam will be the chiefs," Kochubey replied, crossing his legs and looking around. "Look, Priyanichnikov works for me, he's a very good man, a man of excellence, but he's sixty years old, isn't he going to take the exam too? . . . "

"Yes, this is tricky, because education is still far from widespread, but..." Count Kochubey didn't finish his sentence, grabbed Prince Andrei's hand, and went to greet the person who came in. He is tall and tall, bald, with fair hair, about forty years old, with a broad forehead and protruding oblong face, which is snow-white and surprisingly white.The man who entered was wearing a blue tuxedo with a cross around his neck and a Gold Star on his left breast.He is Speranski.Prince Andrew recognized him at once, and his heart skipped a beat, as often happens at critical moments of his life.Whether it was respect, jealousy, or anticipation—he had no way of knowing.Speranski's whole body was of a peculiar type from which he was instantly recognizable.In the society in which Prince Andrei lived, he had never seen such calm and confident clumsy and slow movements, he had never seen anyone whose half-opened and half-closed eyes were slightly moist. With such a firm and gentle gaze, I have never seen anyone have such a hearty and meaningless smile, and no one has such a calm, deep, shrill voice, mainly because I don't have such a delicate snow-white face, especially those slightly The soft and white arms that are too wide and fat.Prince Andrei only saw such white and tender faces as those of soldiers who had been hospitalized for a long time.This was Speranski, the Minister of State, the informant to the king, the king's companion at Erfurt, where he more than once had an audience with the king and conversed with him.

Speranski did not glance from one person to another, as he can't help sweeping his eyes when he enters a large audience, nor did he speak hastily.He spoke in a low voice, trusting that everyone would listen to him, and looking only at the faces of his interlocutors. Prince Andrei watched with particular attention every word and every movement of Speransky.As is often the case with people, especially those who criticize others severely, when Prince Andrey met a newcomer, especially the famous Speransky whom he knew well, he Always look forward to discovering the perfect personality in him.

Speranski told Kochubey that he deeply regretted not arriving earlier because of the delay at the palace.He did not say that the king had delayed him.Prince Andrei noticed this affected modesty.When Kochubey called out Prince Andrew's name to him, Speransky, still smiling, slowly moved his eyes to Bolkonsky, who began to look at him silently. "I'm glad to know you, and like everyone else, I've heard about you for a long time." he said. Kochubey said a few words about Arakcheyev's reception of Bolkonsky.Speranski smiled again. "The director of the Military Doctrine Committee is a good friend of mine—Mr. Magnitsky," he said, spelling out every syllable and every word. "If you like, I can lead you Go and get acquainted with him. (He is silent for a moment.) I hope you will find his sympathy, and his willingness to promote all reasonable causes."

A small circle immediately formed around Speranski.The old man who spoke about his official, Pryanichnikov, also put questions to Speransky. Prince Andrei did not take part in the conversation, but was observing the movements of Speransky, a man who had not so long been an insignificant cadet, and who now holds the fate of Russia in his fat, white hands, Bolkons Kee thought to himself.Speransky answered the old man's questions with a contemptuous and uncharacteristically calm manner which surprised Prince Andrey.He seemed to speak a word of mercy to him from that immeasurable height.Speranski smiled when the old man started talking loudly, and said he couldn't judge whether the king's favorite things were good or bad.

Speransky got up after speaking a little while in the public group, went up to Prince Andrew, and called him across the room.Apparently he thought it necessary to socialize with Bolkonski. "The venerable old man has dragged me into an exciting conversation, duke, during which I had no time to speak to you," he said, with a mild and contemptuous smile, as if in a smile He confessed that both he and Prince Andrew understood that the people with whom he had just spoken were nobodies.This attitude satisfied Prince Andrew. "I have known you for a long time: firstly, because you have set us the first example in solving your peasant problems, and I hope that more followers will follow this example; One of the High Pages, the new instructions concerning ranks at court are causing gossip, and the High Court do not consider themselves humiliated by it."

"Yes," said Prince Andrei, "my father did not want me to have such a right. I started in the lower ranks." "My father is a man of an older generation, and obviously of superior standing to our contemporaries, who condemned such measures, which only restore old justice." "I think, however, that this accusation is justified," said Prince Andrei, who began to feel the influence of Speransky on him, and tried to oppose it.He is unwilling to agree with him in every respect, he intends to refute.Prince Andrei, who was usually fluent and eloquent, found it difficult to express his thoughts when he was talking to Speransky.He was too interested in his observations of the personality of this famous man. "Perhaps a reason for personal vanity," Speranski put in softly. "Partly for the country," said Prince Andrew. "What do you mean? . . . " said Speransky quietly, lowering his eyes. "I am an admirer of Montesquieu," said Prince Andrew, "his thought is le principle des monarchies est I'nonneur, meparaitin contestable. CertainsdroitsetprivilegesdelanoblessemeparaissenteBtredesmoyensdesoutenircesentiment". ① Speranski's pale face had lost its original smile, so that his face looked better.Perhaps he found Prince Andrew's ideas very interesting. "Sivousenvisagezlaquestionsouscepointdevue." He began, apparently, to speak French more slowly than Russian, but with great composure.Honor, l'honneur, he says, cannot be maintained by a superior position that is injurious to service, and honor, l'honneur, is either the passive conception of refraining from reprehensible actions, or the zealous aggression to win approval and rewards a source of. -------- ①French: Honor is the foundation of the monarchy, I think there is no doubt about it.Some of the rights and superiority of the nobility seem to me a means of maintaining this vanity. ②French: If you look at the problem from this point of view. His arguments are concise and to the point. "This system of honor, of the source of zeal and enterprise, is a system like the Legionl'honneur of the great Emperor Napoleon, which is not only harmless but conducive to success, but it is not the superiority and power of rank or court. " "I will not argue, but it cannot be denied that the predominance and power of the court served the same purpose," said Prince Andrew. "Every courtier thinks that he is bound to perform his duties in a manner worthy of his name." "But you don't want to take advantage of your privileged position, Duke," said Speranski, smiling as if to show that he wanted to politely end a debate that had embarrassed his interlocutor. "If you come to our house on Wednesday," he added, "after my consultation with Magnitsky, I will tell you what interests you, and besides, I will have an opportunity to talk to you in more detail. ’” He closed his eyes, bowed, alafrancaise ②, and walked out of the hall without saying goodbye, trying not to attract attention. -------- ①French: Legion of Honor. ② French: Follow the French way.