Part Seven: Chapter 3

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Levin had on this visit to town seen a great deal of his oldfriend at the university, Professor Katavasov, whom he had notseen since his marriage. He liked in Katavasov the clearness andsimplicity of his conception of life. Levin thought that theclearness of Katavasov's conception of life was due to thepoverty of his nature; Katavasov thought that thedisconnectedness of Levin's ideas was due to his lack ofintellectual discipline; but Levin enjoyed Katavasov's clearness,and Katavasov enjoyed the abundance of Levin's untrained ideas,and they liked to meet and to discuss.

　　Levin had read Katavasov some parts of his book, and he had likedthem. On the previous day Katavasov had met Levin at a publiclecture and told him that the celebrated Metrov, whose articleLevin had so much liked, was in Moscow, that he had been muchinterested by what Katavasov had told him about Levin's work, andthat he was coming to see him tomorrow at eleven, and would bevery glad to make Levin's acquaintance.

　　"You're positively a reformed character, I'm glad to see," saidKatavasov, meeting Levin in the little drawing room. "I heardthe bell and thought: Impossible that it can be he at the exacttime!... Well, what do you say to the Montenegrins now? They'rea race of warriors."

　　"Why, what's happened?" asked Levin.

　　Katavasov in a few words told him the last piece of news from thewar, and going into his study, introduced Levin to a short,thick-set man of pleasant appearance. This was Metrov. Theconversation touched for a brief space on politics and on howrecent events were looked at in the higher spheres in Petersburg.Metrov repeated a saying that had reached him through a mosttrustworthy source, reported as having been uttered on thissubject by the Tsar and one of the ministers. Katavasov hadheard also on excellent authority that the Tsar had saidsomething quite different. Levin tried to imagine circumstancesin which both sayings might have been uttered, and theconversation on that topic dropped.

　　"Yes, here he's written almost a book on the natural conditionsof the laborer in relation to the land," said Katavasov; "I'm nota specialist, but I, as a natural science man, was pleased athis not taking mankind as something outside biological laws; but,on the contrary, seeing his dependence on his surroundings, andin that dependence seeking the laws of his development."

　　"That's very interesting," said Metrov.

　　"What I began precisely was to write a book on agriculture; butstudying the chief instrument of agriculture, the laborer," saidLevin, reddening, "I could not help coming to quite unexpectedresults."

　　And Levin began carefully, as it were, feeling his ground, toexpound his views. He knew Metrov had written an article againstthe generally accepted theory of political economy, but to whatextent he could reckon on his sympathy with his own new views hedid not know and could not guess from the clever and serene faceof the learned man.

　　"But in what do you see the special characteristics of theRussian laborer?" said Metrov; "in his biologicalcharacteristics, so to speak, or in the condition in which he isplaced?"

　　Levin saw that there was an idea underlying this question withwhich he did not agree. But he went on explaining his own ideathat the Russian laborer has a quite special view of the land,different from that of other people; and to support thisproposition he made haste to add that in his opinion thisattitude of the Russian peasant was due to the consciousness ofhis vocation to people vast unoccupied expanses in the East.

　　"One may easily be led into error in basing any conclusion on thegeneral vocation of a people," said Metrov, interrupting Levin."The condition of the laborer will always depend on his relationto the land and to capital."

　　And without letting Levin finish explaining his idea, Metrovbegan expounding to him the special point of his own theory.

　　In what the point of his theory lay, Levin did not understand,because he did not take the trouble to understand. He saw thatMetrov, like other people, in spite of his own article, in whichhe had attacked the current theory of political economy, lookedat the position of the Russian peasant simply from the point ofview of capital, wages, and rent. He would indeed have beenobliged to admit that in the eastern--much the larger--part ofRussia rent was as yet nil, that for nine-tenths of the eightymillions of the Russian peasants wages took the form simply offood provided for themselves, and that capital does not so farexist except in the form of the most primitive tools. Yet it wasonly from that point of view that he considered every laborer,though in many points he differed from the economists and had hisown theory of the wage-fund, which he expounded to Levin.

　　Levin listened reluctantly, and at first made objections. Hewould have liked to interrupt Metrov, to explain his own thought,which in his opinion would have rendered further exposition ofMetrov's theories superfluous. But later on, feeling convincedthat they looked at the matter so differently, that they couldnever understand one another, he did not even oppose hisstatements, but simply listened. Although what Metrov was sayingwas by now utterly devoid of interest for him, he yet experienceda certain satisfaction in listening to him. It flattered hisvanity that such a learned man should explain his ideas to him soeagerly, with such intensity and confidence in Levin'sunderstanding of the subject, sometimes with a mere hintreferring him to a whole aspect of the subject. He put this downto his own credit, unaware that Metrov, who had already discussedhis theory over and over again with all his intimate friends,talked of it with special eagerness to every new person, and ingeneral was eager to talk to anyone of any subject thatinterested him, even if still obscure to himself.

　　"We are late though," said Katavasov, looking at his watchdirectly Metrov had finished his discourse.

　　"Yes, there's a meeting of the Society of Amateurs today incommemoration of the jubilee of Svintitch," said Katavasov inanswer to Levin's inquiry. "Pyotr Ivanovitch and I were going.I've promised to deliver an address on his labors in zoology.Come along with us, it's very interesting."

　　"Yes, and indeed it's time to start," said Metrov. "Come withus, and from there, if you care to, come to my place. I shouldvery much like to hear your work."

　　"Oh, no! It's no good yet, it's unfinished. But I shall be veryglad to go to the meeting."

　　"I say, friends, have you heard? He has handed in the separatereport," Katavasov called from the other room, where he wasputting on his frock coat.

　　And a conversation sprang up upon the university question, whichwas a very important event that winter in Moscow. Three oldprofessors in the council had not accepted the opinion of theyounger professors. The young ones had registered a separateresolution. This, in the judgment of some people, was monstrous,in the judgment of others it was the simplest and most just thingto do, and the professors were split up into two parties.

　　One party, to which Katavasov belonged, saw in the opposite partya scoundrelly betrayal and treachery, while the opposite partysaw in them childishness and lack of respect for the authorities.Levin, though he did not belong to the university, had severaltimes already during his stay in Moscow heard and talked aboutthis matter, and had his own opinion on the subject. He tookpart in the conversation that was continued in the street, asthey all three walked to the buildings of the old university.

　　The meeting had already begun. Round the cloth-covered table, atwhich Katavasov and Metrov seated themselves, there were somehalf-dozen persons, and one of these was bending close over amanuscript, reading something aloud. Levin sat down in one ofthe empty chairs that were standing round the table, and in awhisper asked a student sitting near what was being read. Thestudent, eyeing Levin with displeasure, said:

　　"Biography."

　　Though Levin was not interested in the biography, he could nothelp listening, and learned some new and interesting facts aboutthe life of the distinguished man of science.

　　When the reader had finished, the chairman thanked him and readsome verses of the poet Ment sent him on the jubilee, and said afew words by way of thanks to the poet. Then Katavasov in hisloud, ringing voice read his address on the scientific labors ofthe man whose jubilee was being kept.

　　When Katavasov had finished, Levin looked at his watch, saw itwas past one, and thought that there would not be time before theconcert to read Metrov his book, and indeed, he did not now careto do so. During the reading he had thought over theirconversation. He saw distinctly now that though Metrov's ideasmight perhaps have value, his own ideas had a value too, andtheir ideas could only be made clear and lead to something ifeach worked separately in his chosen path, and that nothing wouldbe gained by putting their ideas together. And having made uphis mind to refuse Metrov's invitation, Levin went up to him atthe end of the meeting. Metrov introduced Levin to the chairman,with whom he was talking of the political news. Metrov told thechairman what he had already told Levin, and Levin made the sameremarks on his news that he had already made that morning, butfor the sake of variety he expressed also a new opinion which hadonly just struck him. After that the conversation turned againon the university question. As Levin had already heard it all,he made haste to tell Metrov that he was sorry he could not takeadvantage of his invitation, took leave, and drove to Lvov's.