Anna Karenina

Chapter 8

When the professor had gone, Sergey Ivanovitch turned to his brother.

”Delighted that you've come. For some time, is it? How's your farminggetting on?”

Levin knew that his elder brother took little interest in farming, andonly put the question in deference to him, and so he only told him aboutthe sale of his wheat and money matters.

Levin had meant to tell his brother of his determination to get married,and to ask his advice; he had indeed firmly resolved to do so. But afterseeing his brother, listening to his conversation with the professor,hearing afterwards the unconsciously patronizing tone in which hisbrother questioned him about agricultural matters (their mother'sproperty had not been divided, and Levin took charge of both theirshares), Levin felt that he could not for some reason begin to talk tohim of his intention of marrying. He felt that his brother would notlook at it as he would have wished him to.

”Well, how is your district council doing?” asked Sergey Ivanovitch, whowas greatly interested in these local boards and attached greatimportance to them.

”I really don't know.”

”What! Why, surely you're a member of the board?”

”No, I'm not a member now; I've resigned,” answered Levin, ”and I nolonger attend the meetings.”

”What a pity!” commented Sergey Ivanovitch, frowning.

Levin in self-defense began to describe what took place in the meetingsin his district.

”That's how it always is!” Sergey Ivanovitch interrupted him. ”WeRussians are always like that. Perhaps it's our strong point, really,the faculty of seeing our own shortcomings; but we overdo it, we comfortourselves with irony which we always have on the tip of our tongues. AllI say is, give such rights as our local self-government to any otherEuropean people--why, the Germans or the English would have worked theirway to freedom from them, while we simply turn them into ridicule.”

”But how can it be helped?” said Levin penitently. ”It was my lasteffort. And I did try with all my soul. I can't. I'm no good at it.”

”It's not that you're no good at it,” said Sergey Ivanovitch; ”it isthat you don't look at it as you should.”

”Perhaps not,” Levin answered dejectedly.

”Oh! do you know brother Nikolay's turned up again?”

This brother Nikolay was the elder brother of Konstantin Levin, andhalf-brother of Sergey Ivanovitch; a man utterly ruined, who haddissipated the greater part of his fortune, was living in the strangestand lowest company, and had quarreled with his brothers.

”What did you say?” Levin cried with horror. ”How do you know?”

”Prokofy saw him in the street.”

”Here in Moscow? Where is he? Do you know?” Levin got up from his chair,as though on the point of starting off at once.

”I am sorry I told you,” said Sergey Ivanovitch, shaking his head at hisyounger brother's excitement. ”I sent to find out where he is living,and sent him his IOU to Trubin, which I paid. This is the answer he sentme.”

And Sergey Ivanovitch took a note from under a paper-weight and handedit to his brother.

Levin read in the queer, familiar handwriting: ”I humbly beg you toleave me in peace. That's the only favor I ask of my graciousbrothers.--Nikolay Levin.”

Levin read it, and without raising his head stood with the note in hishands opposite Sergey Ivanovitch.

There was a struggle in his heart between the desire to forget hisunhappy brother for the time, and the consciousness that it would bebase to do so.

”He obviously wants to offend me,” pursued Sergey Ivanovitch; ”but hecannot offend me, and I should have wished with all my heart to assisthim, but I know it's impossible to do that.”

”Yes, yes,” repeated Levin. ”I understand and appreciate your attitudeto him; but I shall go and see him.”

”If you want to, do; but I shouldn't advise it,” said Sergey Ivanovitch.”As regards myself, I have no fear of your doing so; he will not makeyou quarrel with me; but for your own sake, I should say you would dobetter not to go. You can't do him any good; still, do as you please.”

”Very likely I can't do any good, but I feel--especially at such amoment--but that's another thing--I feel I could not be at peace.”

”Well, that I don't understand,” said Sergey Ivanovitch. ”One thing I dounderstand,” he added; ”it's a lesson in humility. I have come to lookvery differently and more charitably on what is called infamous sincebrother Nikolay has become what he is ... you know what he did...”

”Oh, it's awful, awful!” repeated Levin.

After obtaining his brother's address from Sergey Ivanovitch's footman,Levin was on the point of setting off at once to see him, but on secondthought he decided to put off his visit till the evening. The firstthing to do to set his heart at rest was to accomplish what he had cometo Moscow for. From his brother's Levin went to Oblonsky's office, andon getting news of the Shtcherbatskys from him, he drove to the placewhere he had been told he might find Kitty.