Page 787 - war-and-peace

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 sub-
mitted by me..’
‘You see, my dear sir, I have read your project,’ inter-
rupted Arakcheev, uttering only the first words amiably
and thenagain without looking at Prince Andrewrelaps-
ing 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 memo-
randum 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.

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