Part One: Chapter 25

by Leo Tolstoy

　　"So you see," pursued Nikolay Levin, painfully wrinkling hisforehead and twitching.

　　It was obviously difficult for him to think of what to say anddo.

　　"Here, do you see?"... He pointed to some sort of iron bars,fastened together with strings, lying in a corner of the room."Do you see that? That's the beginning of a new thing we'regoing into. It's a productive association..."

　　Konstantin scarcely heard him. He looked into his sickly,consumptive face, and he was more and more sorry for him, and hecould not force himself to listen to what his brother was tellinghim about the association. He saw that this association was amere anchor to save him from self-contempt. Nikolay Levin wenton talking:

　　"You know that capital oppresses the laborer. The laborers withus, the peasants, bear all the burden of labor, and are so placedthat however much they work they can't escape from their positionof beasts of burden. All the profits of labor, on which theymight improve their position, and gain leisure for themselves,and after that education, all the surplus values are taken fromthem by the capitalists. And society's so constituted that theharder they work, the greater the profit of the merchants andlandowners, while they stay beasts of burden to the end. Andthat state of things must be changed," he finished up, and helooked questioningly at his brother.

　　"Yes, of course," said Konstantin, looking at the patch of redthat had come out on his brother's projecting cheek bones.

　　"And so we're founding a locksmiths' association, where all theproduction and profit and the chief instruments of productionwill be in common."

　　"Where is the association to be?" asked Konstantin Levin.

　　"In the village of Vozdrem, Kazan government."

　　"But why in a village? In the villages, I think, there is plentyof work as it is. Why a locksmiths' association in a village?"

　　"Why? Because the peasants are just as much slaves as they everwere, and that's why you and Sergey Ivanovitch don't like peopleto try and get them out of their slavery," said Nikolay Levin,exasperated by the objection.

　　Konstantin Levin sighed, looking meanwhile about the cheerlessand dirty room. This sigh seemed to exasperate Nikolay stillmore.

　　"I know your and Sergey Ivanovitch's aristocratic views. I knowthat he applies all the power of his intellect to justifyexisting evils."

　　"No; and what do you talk of Sergey Ivanovitch for?" said Levin,smiling.

　　"Sergey Ivanovitch? I'll tell you what for!" Nikolay Levinshrieked suddenly at the name of Sergey Ivanovitch. "I'll tellyou what for.... But what's the use of talking? There's only onething.... What did you come to me for? You look down on this,and you're welcome to,--and go away, in God's name go away!" heshrieked, getting up from his chair. "And go away, and go away!"

　　"I don't look down on it at all," said Konstantin Levin timidly."I don't even dispute it."

　　At that instant Marya Nikolaevna came back. Nikolay Levinlooked round angrily at her. She went quickly to him, andwhispered something.

　　"I'm not well; I've grown irritable," said Nikolay Levin, gettingcalmer and breathing painfully; "and then you talk to me ofSergey Ivanovitch and his article. It's such rubbish, suchlying, such self-deception. What can a man write of justice whoknows nothing of it? Have you read his article?" he askedKritsky, sitting down again at the table, and moving back offhalf of it the scattered cigarettes, so as to clear a space.

　　"I've not read it," Kritsky responded gloomily, obviously notdesiring to enter into the conversation.

　　"Why not?" said Nikolay Levin, now turning with exasperation uponKritsky.

　　"Because I didn't see the use of wasting my time over it."

　　"Oh, but excuse me, how did you know it would be wasting yourtime? That article's too deep for many people--that's to sayit's over their heads. But with me, it's another thing; I seethrough his ideas, and I know where its weakness lies."

　　Everyone was mute. Kritsky got up deliberately and reached hiscap.

　　"Won't you have supper? All right, good-bye! Come roundtomorrow with the locksmith."

　　Kritsky had hardly gone out when Nikolay Levin smiled and winked.

　　"He's no good either," he said. "I see, of course..."

　　But at that instant Kritsky, at the door, called him...

　　"What do you want now?" he said, and went out to him in thepassage. Left alone with Marya Nikolaevna, Levin turned to her.

　　"Have you been long with my brother?" he said to her.

　　"Yes, more than a year. Nikolay Dmitrievitch's health has becomevery poor. Nikolay Dmitrievitch drinks a great deal," she said.

　　"That is...how does he drink?"

　　"Drinks vodka, and it's bad for him."

　　"And a great deal?" whispered Levin.

　　"Yes," she said, looking timidly towards the doorway, whereNikolay Levin had reappeared.

　　"What were you talking about?" he said, knitting his brows, andturning his scarred eyes from one to the other. "What was it?"

　　"Oh, nothing," Konstantin answered in confusion.

　　"Oh, if you don't want to say, don't. Only it's no good yourtalking to her. She's a wench, and you're a gentleman," he saidwith a jerk of the neck. "You understand everything, I see, andhave taken stock of everything, and look with commiseration on myshortcomings," he began again, raising his voice.

　　"Nikolay Dmitrievitch, Nikolay Dmitrievitch," whispered MaryaNikolaevna, again going up to him.

　　"Oh, very well, very well!... But where's the supper? Ah, hereit is," he said, seeing a waiter with a tray. "Here, set ithere," he added angrily, and promptly seizing the vodka, hepoured out a glassful and drank it greedily. "Like a drink?" heturned to his brother, and at once became better humored.

　　"Well, enough of Sergey Ivanovitch. I'm glad to see you, anyway.After all's said and done, we're not strangers. Come, have adrink. Tell me what you're doing," he went on, greedily munchinga piece of bread, and pouring out another glassful. "How are youliving?"

　　"I live alone in the country, as I used to. I'm busy lookingafter the land," answered Konstantin, watching with horror thegreediness with which his brother ate and drank, and trying toconceal that he noticed it.

　　"Why don't you get married?"

　　"It hasn't happened so," Konstantin answered, reddening a little.

　　"Why not? For me now...everything's at an end! I've made a messof my life. But this I've said, and I say still, that if myshare had been given me when I needed it, my whole life wouldhave been different."

　　Konstantin made haste to change the conversation.

　　"Do you know your little Vanya's with me, a clerk in thecountinghouse at Pokrovskoe."

　　Nikolay jerked his neck, and sank into thought.

　　"Yes, tell me what's going on at Pokrovskoe. Is the housestanding still, and the birch trees, and our schoolroom? AndPhilip the gardener, is he living? How I remember the arbor andthe seat! Now mind and don't alter anything in the house, butmake haste and get married, and make everything as it used to beagain. Then I'll come and see you, if your wife is nice."

　　"But come to me now," said Levin. "How nicely we would arrangeit!"

　　I'd come and see you if I were sure I should not find SergeyIvanovitch."

　　"You wouldn't find him there. I live quite independently ofhim."

　　"Yes, but say what you like, you will have to choose between meand him," he said, looking timidly into his brother's face.

　　This timidity touch Konstantin.

　　"If you want to hear my confession of faith on the subject, Itell you that in your quarrel with Sergey Ivanovitch I takeneither side. You're both wrong. You're more wrong externally,and he inwardly."

　　"Ah, ah! You see that, you see that!" Nikolay shouted joyfully.

　　"But I personally value friendly relations with you morebecause..."

　　"Why, why?"

　　Konstantin could not say that he valued it more because Nikolaywas unhappy, and needed affection. But Nikolay knew that thiswas just what he meant to say, and scowling he took up the vodkaagain.

　　"Enough, Nikolay Dmitrievitch!" said Marya Nikolaevna, stretchingout her plump, bare arm towards the decanter.

　　"Let it be! Don't insist! I'll beat you!" he shouted.

　　Marya Nikolaevna smiled a sweet and good-humored smile, which wasat once reflected on Nikolay's face, and she took the bottle.

　　"And do you suppose she understands nothing?" said Nikolay. "Sheunderstands it all better than any of us. Isn't it true there'ssomething good and sweet in her?"

　　"Were you never before in Moscow?" Konstantin said to her, forthe sake of saying something.

　　"Only you mustn't be polite and stiff with her. It frightensher. No one ever spoke to her so but the justices of the peacewho tried her for trying to get out of a house of ill-fame.Mercy on us, the senselessness in the world!" he cried suddenly."These new institutions, these justices of the peace, ruralcouncils, what hideousness it all is!"

　　And he began to enlarge on his encounters with the newinstitutions.

　　Konstantin Levin heard him, and the disbelief in the sense ofall public institutions, which he shared with him, and oftenexpressed, was distasteful to him now from his brother's lips.

　　"In another world we shall understand it all," he said lightly.

　　"In another world! Ah, I don't like that other world! I don'tlike it," he said, letting his scared eyes rest on his brother'seyes. "Here one would think that to get out of all the basenessand the mess, one's own and other people's, would be a goodthing, and yet I'm afraid of death, awfully afraid of death." Heshuddered. "But do drink something. Would you like somechampagne? Or shall we go somewhere? Let's go to the Gypsies!Do you know I have got so fond of the Gypsies and Russian songs."

　　His speech had begun to falter, and he passed abruptly from onesubject to another. Konstantin with the help of Masha persuadedhim not to go out anywhere, and got him to bed hopelessly drunk.

　　Masha promised to write to Konstantin in case of need, and topersuade Nikolay Levin to go and stay with his brother.