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At that moment Boris clearly realized what he had before

surmised, that in the army, besides the subordination and

discipline prescribed in the military code, which he and the

others knew in the regiment, there was another, more important,

subordination, which made this tight-laced, purple-faced general

wait respectfully while Captain Prince Andrew, for his own

pleasure, chose to chat with Lieutenant Drubetskoy. More than

ever was Boris resolved to serve in future not according to the

written code, but under this unwritten law. He felt now that

merely by having been recommended to Prince Andrew he had already

risen above the general who at the front had the power to

annihilate him, a lieutenant of the Guards. Prince Andrew came up

to him and took his hand.

"I am very sorry you did not find me in yesterday. I was fussing

about with Germans all day. We went with Weyrother to survey the

dispositions. When Germans start being accurate, there's no end

to it!"