________________________________________________
_ "So you see," pursued Nikolay Levin, painfully wrinkling his
forhead and twitching.
It was obviously difficult for him to think of what to say and
do.
"Here, do you see?"...He pointed to some sort of iron bars,
fastened togethr with strings, lying in a corner of the room.
"Do you see that? That's the beginning of a new thing we're
going 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 he
could not force himself to listen to what his brother was telling
him about the association. He saw that this association was a
mere anchor to save him from self-copntempt. Nikolay Levin went
on talking.
"You know that capital oppresses the laborer. The laborers with
us, the peasants, bear all the burden of labor, and are so placed
that however much they work they can't escapte from their
position of beasts of burden. All the profits of labor, on which
they might improve their position, and gain leisure for
themselves, and after that education, all the surplus values are
taken from them by the capitalists. And society's so constituted
that the harder they work, the greater the profit of the
merchants and landowners, while they stay beasts of burden to the
end. And that state of things must be changed," he finished up,
and he looked questioningly at his brother.
"Yes, of course," said Konstantin, looking at the patch of red
that had come out on his brother's projecting cheek bones.
"And so we're founding a locksmiths' association, where all the
production and profit and the chief instruments of production
will 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 plenty
of work as it is. Why a locksmiths' association in a village?"
"Why? Because the peasants are just as much slaves as they ever
were, and that's why you and Sergey Ivanovitch don't like people
to try and get them out of their slavery," said Nikolay Levin,
exasperated by the objection.
Konstantin Levin sighed, looking meanwhile about the cheerless
and dirty room. This sigh seemed to exasperate Nikolay still
more.
"I know your and Sergey Ivanovitch's aristocratic views. I know
that he applies all the power of his intellect to justify
existing evils."
"No; and what do you talk of Sergey Ivanovitch for?" said Levin,
smiling.
"Sergey Ivanovitch? I'll tell you what for!" Nikolay Levin
shrieked suddenly at the name of Sergey Ivanovitch. "I'll tell
you what for...But what's the use of talking? There's only one
thing...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!" he
shrieked, 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 instnat Marya Nikolaevna came back Nikolay Levin looked
round angrily at her. She went quickly to him, and whispered
something.
"I'm not well; I've grown irritable," said Nikolay Levin, getting
calmer and breathing painfuly; "and then you talk to me of Sergey
Ivanovitch and his article. It's such rubbish, such lying, such
self-deception. What can a man write of justic who knows nothing
of it? Have you read his article?" he asked Kritsky, sitting
down again at the table, and moving back off half of it the
scattered cigarettes, so as to clear a space.
"I've not read it," Kritsky responded gloomily, obviously not
desiring to enter into the conversation.
"Why not?" said Nikolay Levin, now turning with exasperation upon
Kritsky.
"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 your
time? That article's too deep for many people--that's to say
it's over their heads. But with me, it's another thing; I see
through his ideas, and I know where its weakness lies."
Every one was mute. Kritsky got up deliberately and reached his
cap.
"Won't you have supper? All right, good-bye! Come round
tomorrow 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 the
passage. 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 become
very 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, where
Nikolay Levin had reappeared.
"What were you talking about?" he said, knitting his brows, and
turning 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 your
talking to her. She's a wench, and you're a gentleman," he said
with a jerk of the neck. "You understand everythng, I see, and
have taken stock of everything, and look with commiseration on my
shortcomings," he began again, raising his voice.
"Nikolay Dmitrievitch, Nikolay Dmitirevitch," whispered Marya
Nikolaevna, again going up to him.
"Oh, very well, very well!...But where's the supper? Ah, here it
is," he said, seeing a waiter with a tray. "Here, set it here,"
he added angrily, and promptly seizing the vodka, he poured out a
glassful and drank it greedily. "Like a drink?" he turned 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 a
drink. Tell me what you're doing," he wnt on, greedily muching a
piece of bread, and pouring out another glassful. "How are you
living?"
"I live alone in the country, as I used to. I'm busy looking
after the land," answered Konstantin, watching with horror the
greediness with which his brother ate and drank, and trying to
conceal 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 mess
of my life. But this I've said, and I say still, that if my
share had been givben me when I needed it, my whole life would
have been different."
Konstantin made haste to change the conversation.
"Do you know your little Vanya's with me, a clerk in the
countinghouse at Pokrovskoe."
Nikolay jerked his neck, and sank into thought.
"Yes, tell me what's going on at Pokrovskoe. Is the house
standing still, and the birch trees, and our schoolroom? And
Philip the gardener, is he living? How I remember the arbor and
the seat! Now mind and don't alter anything in the house, but
make haste and get married, and make everything as it used to be
agains. Then I'll come and see you, if your wife is nice."
"But come to me now," said Levin. "How nicely we would arrange
it!"
I'd come and see you if I were sure I should not find Sergey
Ivanovitch."
"You wouldn't find him there. I live quite independently of
him."
"Yes, but say what you like, you will have to choose between me
and 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, I
tell you that in your quarrel with Sergey Ivanovitch I take
neither 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 more
because..."
"Why, why?"
Konstantin could not say that he valued it more because Nikolay
was unhappy, and needed affection. But Nikolay knew that this
was just what he meant to say, and scowling he took up the vodka
again.
"Enough, Nikolay Dmitrievitch!" said Marya Nikolaevna, stretching
out 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 was
at once reflected on Nikolay's face, and she took the bottle.
"And do you suppose she understands nothing?" said Nikolay. "She
understands it all better than any of us. Isn't it true there's
something good and sweet in her?"
"Were you never before in Moscow?" Konstantin said to her, for
the sade of saying something.
"Only you mustn't be polite and stiff with her. It frightens
her. No one ever spoke to her so but the justices of the peace
who 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, rural
councils, what hideiousness it all is!"
And he began to enlarge on his encounters with the new
institutions.
Konstantin Levin heard him, and the disbielief in the sense of
all public institutions, which he shared with him, and often
expressed, 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't
like it," he said, letting his scared eyes rest on his brother's
eyes. "Here one would think that to get out of all the baseness
and the mess, one's own and other people's, would be a good
thing, and yet I'm afraid of death, awfully afraid of death." He
shuddered. "But do drink something. Would you like some
champagne? Or shall be 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 bugun to falter, and he passed abruptly from one
subject to another. Konstantin with the help of Masha persuaded
him not to go out anywhere, and got him to bed hopelessly drunk.
Masha promised to write to Konstantin in case of need, and to
persuade Nikolay Levin to go and stay with his brother. _
Read next: Part One: Chapter 26
Read previous: Part One: Chapter 24
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