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old man I made friends with there! You can’t fancy how delightful he
was!”
“Well, so you’re content with your day. And so am I. First, I solved
two chess problems, and one a very pretty one—a pawn opening. I’ll
show it you. And then—I thought over our conversation yesterday.”
“Eh! our conversation yesterday?” said Levin, blissfully dropping
his eyelids and drawing deep breaths after finishing his dinner, and
absolutely incapable of recalling what their conversation yesterday
was about.
“I think you are partly right. Our difference of opinion amounts to
this, that you make the mainspring self-interest, while I suppose that
interest in the common weal is bound to exist in every man of a certain
degree of advancement. Possibly you are right too, that action founded
on material interest would be more desirable. You are altogether, as
the French say, too primesautiere a nature; you must have intense,
energetic action, or nothing.”
Levin listened to his brother and did not understand a single word,
and did not want to understand. He was only afraid his brother might
ask him some question which would make it evident he had not heard.
“So that’s what I think it is, my dear boy,” said Sergey Ivanovitch,
touching him on the shoulder.
“Yes, of course. But, do you know? I won’t stand up for my view,”
answered Levin, with a guilty, childlike smile. “Whatever was it I was
disputing about?” he wondered. “Of course, I’m right, and he’s right,
and it’s all first-rate. Only I must go round to the counting house and
see to things.” He got up, stretching and smiling. Sergey Ivanovitch
smiled too.
“If you want to go out, let’s go together,” he said, disinclined to be
parted from his brother, who seemed positively breathing out fresh-
ness and energy. “Come, we’ll go to the counting house, if you have to
go there.”
“Oh, heavens!” shouted Levin, so loudly that Sergey Ivanovitch
was quite frightened.
“What, what is the matter?”
“How’s Agafea Mihalovna’s hand?” said Levin, slapping himself
on the head. “I’d positively forgotten her even.”
“It’s much better.”
“Well, anyway I’ll run down to her. Before you’ve time to get your
hat on, I’ll be back.”
And he ran downstairs, clattering with his heels like a spring-rattle.