(^594595)
how everything becomes of no consequence. When you understand
that you will die tomorrow, if not today, and nothing will be left, then
everything is so unimportant! And I consider my idea very important,
but it turns out really to be as unimportant too, even if it were carried
out, as doing for that bear. So one goes on living, amusing oneself with
hunting, with work—anything so as not to think of death!”
Stepan Arkadyevitch smiled a subtle affectionate smile as he lis-
tened to Levin.
“Well, of course! Here you’ve come round to my point. Do you
remember you attacked me for seeking enjoyment in life? Don’t be so
severe, O moralist!”
“No; all the same, what’s fine in life is...” Levin hesitated— “oh, I
don’t know. All I know is that we shall soon be dead.”
“Why so soon?”
“And do you know, there’s less charm in life, when one thinks of
death, but there’s more peace.”
“On the contrary, the finish is always the best. But I must be
going,” said Stepan Arkadyevitch, getting up for the tenth time.
“Oh, no, stay a bit!” said Levin, keeping him. “Now, when shall we
see each other again? I’m going tomorrow.”
“I’m a nice person! Why, that’s just what I came for! You simply
must come to dinner with us today. Your brother’s coming, and Karenin,
my brother-in-law.”
“You don’t mean to say he’s here?” said Levin, and he wanted to
inquire about Kitty. He had heard at the beginning of the winter that
she was at Petersburg with her sister, the wife of the diplomat, and he
did not know whether she had come back or not; but he changed his
mind and did not ask. “Whether she’s coming or not, I don’t care,” he
said to himself.
“So you’ll come?”
“Of course.”
“At five o’clock, then, and not evening dress.”
And Stepan Arkadyevitch got up and went down below to the
new head of his department. Istinct had not misled Stepan
Arkadyevitch. The terrible new head turned out to be an extremely
amenable person, and Stepan Arkadyevitch lunched with him and
stayed on, so that it was four o’clock before he got to Alexey
Alexandrovitch.
barré
(Barré)
#1