第236章

第236章intheyear1808theemperoralexandervisitederfurtforanotherinterviewwiththeemperornapoleon;andinthehighestpetersburgsocietyagreatdealwassaidofthegreatsignificanceofthismeeting.

in1809theamitybetweenthetwosovereignsoftheworld,asnapoleonandalexanderusedtobecalled,hadbecomesoclosethatwhennapoleondeclaredwarthatyearwithaustria,arussiancorpscrossedthefrontiertoco-operatewiththeiroldenemybonaparteagainsttheiroldally,theaustrianemperor;soclosethatinthehighestsocietytherewastalkofapossiblemarriagebetweennapoleonandoneofthesistersoftheemperoralexander.but,apartfromforeignpolicy,theattentionofrussiansocietywasatthattimedrawnwithspecialinteresttotheinternalchangestakingplaceinalldepartmentsofthegovernment.

lifemeanwhile,theactuallifeofmenwiththeirrealinterestsofhealthandsickness,labourandrest,withtheirinterestsofthought,science,poetry,music,love,affection,hatred,passion,wentitsway,asalways,independently,apartfromthepoliticalamityorenmityofnapoleonbonaparte,andapartfromallpossiblereforms.

princeandreyhadspenttwoyearswithoutabreakinthecountry.allthoseprojectswhichpierrehadattemptedonhisestates,andchangingcontinuallyfromoneenterprisetoanother,hadnevercarriedouttoanyrealresult—allthoseprojectshadbeencarriedoutbyprinceandreywithoutdisplaytoanyoneandwithoutanyperceptibleexertion.hepossessedinthehighestdegreethequalitypierrelacked,thatpracticaltenacitywhich,withoutfussoranygreateffortonhispart,setthingsinworkingorder.

ononeestateofhis,threehundredserfsweretransformedintofreecultivators（itwasoneofthefirstexamplesinrussia）,inothersforcedlabourwasreplacedbypaymentofrent.onbogutcharovoatrainedmidwifehadbeenengagedathisexpensetoassistthepeasant-womeninchildbirth,andapriest,atafixedsalary,wasteachingthechildrenofthepeasantsandhouseservantstoreadandwrite.

halfhistimeprinceandreyspentatbleakhillswithhisfatherandhisson,whowasstillinthenursery.theotherhalfhepassedathisbogutcharovoretreat,ashisfathercalledhisestate.inspiteoftheindifferencetoalltheexternaleventsoftheworldthathehadshowntopierre,hestudiouslyfollowedthem,receivedmanybooks,and,tohisownsurprise,whenpeoplecomingfreshfrompetersburg,theveryvortexoflife,visitedhimorhisfather,henoticedthatthosepeople,inknowledgeofallthatwaspassinginhomeandforeignpolitics,werefarbehindhim,thoughhehadneverleftthecountry.

besideslookingafterhisestates,andmuchgeneralreadingofthemostvariedkind,princeandreywasbusilyengagedatthistimeuponacriticalsurveyofourtwolatedisastrouscampaignsandthecompositionofaproposalforreformsinourarmyrulesandregulations.

inthespringof1809princeandreysetofftovisittheryazanestates,theheritageofhisson,whosetrusteehewas.