WAR had broken out and the theatre of it was closer to the borders of Russia. On all sides could be heard curses upon the enemy of the human race, Bonaparte; in the villages there were levies of recruits and reserve men, and from the theatre of war came news of the most conflicting kind, false as usual, and hence variously interpreted.
The life of the old Prince Bolkonsky, of Prince Andrey, and of Princess Marya was greatly changed since the year 1805.
In 1806 the old prince had been appointed one of the eight commanders-in-chief, created at that time for the equipment of the militia throughout all Russia. In spite of his weakness and age, which had been particularly noticeable during the time when he believed his son to have been killed, the old prince did not think it right to refuse a duty to which he had been appointed by the Emperor himself, and this new field for his activity gave him fresh energy and strength. He was continually away on tours about the three provinces that were put under his command; he was punctilious to pedantry in the performance of his duties, severe to cruelty with his subordinates, and entered into the minutest details of the work himself. Princess Marya no longer took lessons in mathematics from her father, and only went into her father's room on the mornings when he was at home, accompanied by the wet nurse and little Prince Nikolay (as his grandfather called him). The baby, Prince Nikolay, with his wet nurse and the old nurse Savishna, occupied the rooms that had been his mother's, and Princess Marya spent most of her time in the nursery taking a mother's place to her little nephew, to the best of her powers. Mademoiselle Bourienne, too, appeared to be passionately fond of the child, and Princess Marya often sacrificed herself by giving up to her friend the pleasure of dandling and playing with the little angel (as she called the baby).
Near the altar of the church at Bleak Hills was a little chapel over the tomb of the little princess, and in the chapel had been placed a marble monument brought from Italy, representing an angel with its wings parted about to take flight for heaven. The angel had the upper lip lifted as though about to smile, and one day Prince Andrey and Princess Marya, as they came out of the chapel, confessed to one another that, strange to say, the face of the angel reminded them of the face of the little princess. But what was stranger, though this Prince Andrey did not confess to his sister, was that in the expression the sculptor had chanced to put into the angel's face, Prince Andrey read the same words of reproach which he had read then on the face of his dead wife: “Ah, why have you done this to me? …”
Soon after Prince Andrey's return, the old prince made over a part of the property to him, giving him Bogutcharovo, a large estate about thirty miles from Bleak Hills. Partly to escape the painful memories associated with Bleak Hills, partly because Prince Andrey did not always feel equal to bearing with his father's peculiarities, and partly from a craving for solitude, Prince Andrey made use of Bogutcharovo, established himself there and spent the greater part of his time there.
After the Austerlitz campaign, Prince Andrey had grimly resolved never to serve again in the army. And when war broke out and all were bound to serve, he took service under his father in the levying of the militia, so as to escape active service. Since the campaign of 1805 the old prince and his son had as it were exchanged parts. The old prince, stimulated by activity, expected the best results from the present campaign. Prince Andrey, on the contrary, taking no part in the war, and secretly regretting his inaction, saw in it nothing but what was bad.
On the 26th of February, 1807 the old prince set off on a tour of inspection. Prince Andrey was staying at Bleak Hills, as he usually did in his father's absence. Little Nikolushka had been ill for the last three days. The coachman, who had driven the old prince away, returned bringing papers and letters from the town for Prince Andrey. The valet with the letters not finding the young prince in his study, went to Princess Marya's apartments, but he was not there either. The valet was told that the prince had gone to the nursery. “If you please, your excellency, Petrusha has come with some papers,” said one of the nursery maids, addressing Prince Andrey, who was sitting on a child's little chair. Screwing up his eyes, he was with trembling hands pouring drops from a medicine bottle into a glass half full of water.
“What is it?” he said angrily, and his hand shaking, he accidentally poured too many drops from the bottle into the glass. He tipped the medicine out of the glass on to the floor and asked for some more water. The maid gave it him.
In the room were a couple of armchairs, a child's crib, a table and a child's table and a little chair, on which Prince Andrey was sitting. The windows were curtained, and on the table a single candle was burning, screened by a note-book, so that the light did not fall on the crib.
“My dear,” said Princess Marya, turning to her brother from beside the crib where she was standing, “it would be better to wait a little…later.”
“Oh, please, do as I say, what nonsense you keep talking, you have kept putting things off, and see what's come of it!” said Prince Andrey in an exasperated whisper, evidently meaning to wound his sister.
“My dear, it's really better not to wake him, he has fallen asleep,” said the princess in a voice of entreaty.
Prince Andrey got up and went on tiptoe to the crib with the glass in his hand.
“Should we really not wake him?” he said, hesitating.
“As you think—really…I believe so…but as you think,” said Princess Marya, obviously intimidated and ashamed that her opinion should triumph. She drew her brother's attention to the maid, who was summoning him in a whisper.
It was the second night that they had been without sleep looking after the baby, who was feverish. Mistrusting their own household doctor and expecting the doctor they had sent from the town, they had spent all that time trying first one remedy and then another. Agitated and worn out by sleeplessness, they vented their anxiety on each other, found fault with each other, and quarrelled.
“Petrusha with papers from your papa,” whispered the maid. Prince Andrey went out.
“Damn them all!” he commented angrily, and after listening to the verbal instructions sent him from his father, and taking the correspondence and his father's letter, he went back to the nursery. “Well?” queried Prince Andrey.
“No change, wait a little, for God's sake. Karl Ivanitch always says sleep is better than anything,” Princess Marya whispered with a sigh. Prince Andrey went up to the baby and felt him. He was burning hot. “Bother you and your Karl Ivanitch!” He took the glass with the drops of medicine in it and again went up to the crib.
“Andryusha, you shouldn't!” said Princess Marya. But he scowled at her with an expression of anger and at the same time of anguish, and bent over the child with the glass.
“But I wish it,” he said. “Come, I beg you, give it him…”
Princess Marya shrugged her shoulders but obediently she took the glass, and calling the nurse, began giving the child the medicine. The baby screamed and wheezed. Prince Andrey, scowling and clutching at his head, went out of the room and sat down on the sofa in the adjoining one.
The letters were still in his hand. Mechanically he opened them and began to read. The old prince in his big, sprawling hand, making use of occasional abbreviations, wrote on blue paper as follows:
“I have this moment received, through a special messenger, very joyful news, if it's not a falsehood. Bennigsen has gained it seems a complete victory over Bonaparte near Eylau. In Petersburg every one's jubilant and rewards have been sent to the army without stint. Though he's a German—I congratulate him. Commander in Kortchevo, a certain Handrikov, I can't make out what he's about; full contingent of men and regulation provision not yet arrived. Gallop over at once and say I'll have his head off if it's not all here within the week. I have a letter too about the Prussian battle at Preussisch-Eylau from Petenka, he took part in it,—it's true. If people don't meddle who've no business to meddle, even a German beats Bonaparte. They say he's running away in great disorder. Mind you gallop over to Kortchevo and do the business without delay!”
Prince Andrey sighed and broke open the other letter. It was a letter from Bilibin, two sheets covered with fine handwriting. He folded it up without reading it, and read through once more his father's letter, ending with the words: “Mind you gallop over to Kortchevo and do the business without delay!”
“No, excuse me, I'm not going now till the child is better,” he thought, and going to the door he glanced into the nursery. Princess Marya was still standing at the crib, softly rocking the baby. “Oh, and what was the other unpleasant thing he writes about?” Prince Andrey thought of the contents of his father's letter. “Yes. Our troops have gained a victory over Bonaparte precisely when I'm not in the army. Yes, yes, everything mocks at me…well and welcome too…” and he began reading the letter in French from Bilibin. He read, not understanding half of it, read simply to escape for one moment from thinking of what he had too long, too exclusively and too anxiously been dwelling upon.
战事剧烈起来了，战区已接近俄国近界。到处都可以听见诅咒人类公敌波拿巴的怨声、农村正募集民兵和新兵，从战区传来互相矛盾的消息，一如平日，消息与事实不符，因此众说纷纭，莫衷一是。
自从一八○五年以来，博尔孔斯基老公爵、安德烈公爵和公爵小姐玛丽亚的生活发生了许多变化。
一八○六年，老公爵被任命为当时俄国后备军八大总司令之一。老公爵虽然年老体弱，在他以为儿子阵亡的那段时间，他显得分外衰老，但他认为地自己无权去拒绝国王委派的职务。重新从事活动使他倍觉兴奋，身体也变得健壮起来。他经常出巡由他负责管辖的三个省份，执行任务时极为认真，对待部属严厉到残忍的程度，而且事事都亲自办理，不疏忽最为微末的细节。公爵小姐玛丽亚已不再向父亲学习数学课程了，只是当父亲在家的时候，每天早上她才由奶母陪伴，带着小公爵尼古拉（公公这样称呼他）到父亲书斋去走走。吃奶的公爵尼古拉和奶母及保姆萨维什娜一同住在已故的公爵夫人房里，公爵小姐玛丽亚常在儿童室度过大半天时间，尽力地代替小侄的去世的母亲。布里安小组似乎也热爱小孩，公爵小姐玛丽亚常常放弃自己的权利，让她的女友也享受一下照看小天使（她这样称呼小侄儿）和同他嬉戏的乐趣。
矮小的公爵夫人坟墓上方的小礼拜堂坐落在童山教堂的祭坛旁边，小礼拜堂里竖立着一块从意大利运来的大理石纪念碑，上面镌刻着展翅欲飞的天使图。天使的上嘴唇微微翅起，仿佛要微笑似的。有一次，安德烈公爵和公爵小姐玛丽亚从小礼拜堂走出来，二人心里都承认，令人奇怪的是，这个天使的面孔使他们想起这个死者的面孔。但是，从那个艺术家无意中给天使的面孔塑造的表情中，安德烈公爵看出他那时从死去的妻子脸上看出的既温顺又含有责备意味的言语：“唉，为什么你们这样对待我呢？……”这也就令人觉得更加奇特了，关于此事安德烈公爵没有告诉他妹妹。
安德烈公爵回来后不久，老公爵让儿子分开来过，把博古恰罗沃、离童山四十俄里的一大片领地分给他了。部分地由于与童山有关的沉痛的回忆，部分地由于安德烈公爵并非经常觉得自己能够忍受父亲的脾气，部分地由于他需要一个僻静的环境，因此安德烈公爵充分利用博古恰罗沃，在那里兴建房屋，在博古恰罗沃度过了大部分时光。
奥斯特利茨战役后，安德烈公爵毅然决定永远不再服兵役，战争爆发的时候，人人都要服兵役，为了避免服现役，他在父亲领导下担任募集民兵的职务。一八○五年的战役后，老公爵和儿子好像交换了角色。老公爵在工作中显得精神振奋，他期待目前的战役一切顺利；安德烈公爵却相反，他没有参战，在他隐秘的灵魂深处，为他所看见的不良景象而感到遗憾。
一八○七年二月二十六日，老公爵离开家园乘车前往管辖区视察，在父亲离开的时候，安德烈公爵多半待在童山。小尼古卢什卡已有四天身体不舒服。送走老公爵的马车夫已从城里回来，他给安德烈公爵带来了公文及信件。
老仆人拿着信在书斋里没有碰见年轻的公爵，他走进公爵小姐玛利亚的房间，但是他也不在那儿。有人对老仆人说，公爵到儿童室去了。
“大人，请看，彼得鲁沙把公文给带来了，”一个女仆——保姆的助手，把脸转向安德烈公爵说，他坐在一张儿童坐的小椅子上，皱起眉头，他用两只巍颠颠的手从玻璃瓶里把药水滴入盛着一半水的高脚杯里。
“是怎么回事？”他怒气冲冲地说，一个不小心，手抖动了一下往高脚杯里多倒了一点药水。他把高脚杯里的药水洒在地板上，又要一点水。女仆把水递给他了。
房间里摆着一张儿童床、两只箱笼、两把安乐椅、桌子、儿童茶几，还有一把安德烈公爵正坐着的小椅子。窗户已经挂上窗帘了，桌上点燃着一支蜡烛，用已装钉的乐谱挡住烛光，省得光线投射到小床上。
“我的亲人，”公爵小姐玛丽亚站在小床旁边，把脸转向哥哥说，“最好等一下……以后……”
“哎呀，行个好，你总是说些蠢话，你总是叫我一个劲儿等，你看等着倒霉啦。”安德烈公爵恶狠狠地轻声说，显然他想刺激妹妹的痛处。
“我的亲人，说真的，最好你不要吵醒他，他睡熟了。”公爵小姐用央求的声音说。
安德烈公爵站起来，拿着高脚杯，踮起脚尖走到小床前。
“也许真的不要把他吵醒吗？”他犹豫不决地说。
“听你的便，——说真的……我想……随你的便。”公爵小姐玛丽亚说，显然是因为她的看法占了上风，她感到腼腆和害臊似的。她向她哥哥指指那个轻声喊他的女仆。
他们俩接连两夜没有睡觉，照料着发烧的男孩。这几个昼夜他们不信任自己的家庭医生，等候着派人进城去请来的医生，他们一会儿采用这种药，一会儿采用那种药。他们由于不眠而疲惫不堪，胆战心惊，彼此把痛苦推在对方身上，彼此非难，吵起来了。
“彼德鲁沙带来公爵的公文。”女仆低声地说。安德烈公爵走出去。
“那儿怎么啦！”他气忿地说，听了父亲发出的口头命令，拿起递给他的公文封套和一封父亲的信，回到儿童室去了。
“怎么啦？”安德烈公爵问道。
“还是那个样子，请看在上帝份上，等等吧。卡尔·伊万内奇总是这么说：睡眠最可贵。”公爵小姐玛丽亚叹息着，放低嗓门说。
安德烈公爵走到小孩跟前，摸了摸他。他还在发烧。
“您和您的卡尔·伊万内奇都滚开吧！”他拿起一只滴满药水的高脚杯，又向面前走来了。
“安德烈，用不着啦！”公爵小姐玛丽亚说。
可是他凶狠地、同时苦恼地对着她现出阴郁的神色，拿着高脚杯向孩子弯下腰来。
“可是我想这样做，”他说，“喂，我请求你，让他把药喝下去。”
公爵小姐玛丽亚耸耸肩，但是顺从地拿起一只高脚杯，把保姆叫来，开始让小孩喝药。这孩子哭喊起来，发出了嘶哑的声音。安德烈公爵蹙起额角，双手抱着头，走出房门，在隔壁房里的沙发上坐下来。
他手里还拿着几封信。他机械地拆开信来看。老公爵在那蓝色的纸上用粗而长的字体，有几处还用略语符号，书写如后：
“若非谎言与虚构，我刻正通过信使获得一则极大喜讯。贝尼格森在普鲁士——艾劳大捷，仿佛已彻底战败波拿巴。彼得堡上上下下都在狂欢。奖赏源源不断送往军中。贝尼格森虽系德意志人，予亦祝贺之。某个自称为汉德里科夫的科尔切瓦区首长，不了解他做什么，补充人员暨食粮至今尚未一一交清。你瞬即疾驰前去，并且告知，于一周之内准备就绪，否则即以斩首论处。我尚且获得彼坚卡的（彼得的小名）来函，言及他曾参与普鲁士——艾劳战役，——诚然与事实相符。如果确无一人干预不宜干预的事情，那末德意志人亦可歼灭波拿巴。据闻波拿巴溃乱不堪，正在仓皇逃命中。你酌情立即驰往科尔切瓦执行使命！”
安德烈公爵叹一口气，拆开另一个封套。这是比利宾寄来的一封用蝇头小字写满两小页的信。他没有看这封信，把它折起来，又看了他父亲写的信，信的末尾有一句这样的话：
“驰往科尔切瓦，执行使命！”
“不，请您原谅，小孩还没有复原，现在我不能离开他。”他走到门边，想了想，朝儿童室瞥了一眼。公爵小姐玛丽亚还站在床前，轻轻地摇着小孩让他安睡。
“是啊，他究竟写了什么讨厌的话？”安德烈公爵想起他父亲信中的内容。“是啊，正是在我不服兵役的时候，我军打败了波拿巴。是啊，是啊，他还在开我的玩笑……得啦，随便怎么样……”于是他开始念比利宾的法文信。他念着，有一半没有看懂，他念信只是为了要自己不再去想他太长久地、异常痛苦地想起的事情，即使有一分钟不想也行。
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