An old man, a servant of the princesses, sat in a corner knitting a stocking.
Pierre had never been in this part of the house and did not even know of the existence of these rooms.
Anna Mikhaylovna, addressing a maid who was hurrying past with a decanter on a tray as "my dear" and "my sweet," asked about the princess' health and then led Pierre along a stone passage.
The first door on the left led into the princesses' apartments.