The day after his interview with Count Arakchéev, Prince Andréy spent the evening at Count Kochubéy’s. He told the count of his interview with Síla Andréevich (Kochubéy spoke of Arakchéev by that nickname with the same vague irony Prince Andréy had noticed in the Minister of War’s anteroom).

“ Mon cher , even in this case you can’t do without Mikháil Mikháilovich. He manages everything. I’ll speak to him. He has promised to come this evening.”

“What has Speránski to do with the army regulations?” asked Prince Andréy.

Kochubéy shook his head smilingly, as if surprised at Bolkónski’s simplicity.

“We were talking to him about you a few days ago,” Kochubéy continued, “and about your freed plowmen.”