The Brothers Karamazovthere were many such fairs in the year.
Perezvon ran about in the wildest spirits, sniffing about
first one side, then the other. When he met other dogs they
zealously smelt each other over according to the rules of ca-
nine etiquette.
‘I like to watch such realistic scenes, Smurov,’ said Kolya
suddenly. ‘Have you noticed how dogs sniff at one another
when they meet? It seems to be a law of their nature.’
‘Yes; it’s a funny habit.’
‘No, it’s not funny; you are wrong there. There’s nothing
funny in nature, however funny it may seem to man with
his prejudices. If dogs could reason and criticise us they’d
be sure to find just as much that would be funny to them, if
not far more, in the social relations of men, their masters —
far more, indeed. I repeat that, because I am convinced that
there is far more foolishness among us. That’s Rakitin’s idea
— a remarkable idea. I am a Socialist, Smurov.’
‘And what is a Socialist?’ asked Smurov.
‘That’s when all are equal and all have property in com-
mon, there are no marriages, and everyone has any religion
and laws he likes best, and all the rest of it. You are not old
enough to understand that yet. It’s cold, though.’
‘Yes, twelve degrees of frost. Father looked at the ther-
mometer just now.’
‘Have you noticed, Smurov, that in the middle of winter
we don’t feel so cold even when there are fifteen or eighteen
degrees of frost as we do now, in the beginning of winter,
when there is a sudden frost of twelve degrees, especially
when there is not much snow. It’s because people are not