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ging fifty roubles from Dolly, he set off for Petersburg.
Stepan Arkadyevitch sat in Karenin’s study listening to his report
on the causes of the unsatisfactory position of Russian finance, and
only waiting for the moment when he would finish to speak about his
own business or about Anna.
“Yes, that’s very true,” he said, when Alexey Alexandrovitch took
off the pince-nez, without which he could not read now, and looked
inquiringly at his former brother-in-law, “that’s very true in particular
cases, but still the principle of our day is freedom.”
“Yes, but I lay down another principle, embracing the principle of
freedom,” said Alexey Alexandrovitch, with emphasis on the word
“embracing,” and he put on his pince-nez again, so as to read the
passage in which this statement was made. And turning over the
beautifully written, wide-margined manuscript, Alexey Alexandrovitch
read aloud over again the conclusive passage.
“I don’t advocate protection for the sake of private interests, but for
the public weal, and for the lower and upper classes equally,” he said,
looking over his pince-nez at Oblonsky. “But THEY cannot grasp
that, THEY are taken up now with personal interests, and carried
away by phrases.”
Stepan Arkadyevitch knew that when Karenin began to talk of
what THEY were doing and thinking, the persons who would not
accept his report and were the cause of everything wrong in Russia,
that it was coming near the end. And so now he eagerly abandoned
the principle of free-trade, and fully agreed. Alexey Alexandrovitch
paused, thoughtfully turning over the pages of his manuscript.
“Oh, by the way,” said Stepan Arkadyevitch, “I wanted to ask you,
some time when you see Pomorsky, to drop him a hint that I should be
very glad to get that new appointment of secretary of the committee of
the amalgamated agency of the southern railways and banking com-
panies.” Stepan Arkadyevitch was familiar by now with the title of the
post he coveted, and he brought it out rapidly without mistake.
Alexey Alexandrovitch questioned him as to the duties of this new
committee, and pondered. He was considering whether the new com-
mittee would not be acting in some way contrary to the views he had
been advocating. But as the influence of the new committee was of a
very complex nature, and his views were of very wide application, he
could not decide this straight off, and taking off his pince-nez, he said:
“Of course, I can mention it to him; but what is your reason pre-
cisely for wishing to obtain the appointment?”
“It’s a good salary, rising to nine thousand, and my means...”
“Nine thousand!” repeated Alexey Alexandrovitch, and he frowned.
The high figure of the salary made him reflect that on that side Stepan
Arkadyevitch’s proposed position ran counter to the main tendency of
his own projects of reform, which always leaned towards economy.
“I consider, and I have embodied my views in a note on the subject,
that in our day these immense salaries are evidence of the unsound
economic assiette of our finances.”
“But what’s to be done?” said Stepan Arkadyevitch. “Suppose a
bank director gets ten thousand—well, he’s worth it; or an engineer
gets twenty thousand—after all, it’s a growing thing, you know!”
“I assume that a salary is the price paid for a commodity, and it
ought to conform with the law of supply and demand. If the salary is
fixed without any regard for that law, as, for instance, when I see two
engineers leaving college together, both equally well trained and effi-
cient, and one getting forty thousand while the other is satisfied with
two; or when I see lawyers and hussars, having no special qualifica-
tions, appointed directors of banking companies with immense sala-