In the morning, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, awake first, got himself out of bed as he had been able to do for some years now despite his two wounds, one from the battle at Austerlitz and a second, much worse one, from the battle at Borodino. He was met outside his wife’s chambers by his manservant, Tikhon.

Once Tikhon had helped him into his squirrel-fur dressing gown, Prince Andrei walked with his cane to tea alone. He used his cane only at first in the morning when he was a bit stiff and needed to find again an even balance to his gait.