CHAPTER VIII
When the professor was gone, Sergeï Ivanovitch turned to his brother.
"I am very glad to see you. Shall you stay long? How are things on the estate?"
Levin knew that his elder brother took little interest in the affairs of the estate, and only asked out of courtesy; and so in reply he merely spoke of the sale of wheat, and the money he had received.
It had been his intention to speak with his brother about his marriage project, and to ask his advice; but, after the conversation with the professor, and in consequence of the involuntarily patronizing tone in which his brother had asked about their affairs,—for their real estate had never been divided and Levin managed it as a whole,—he felt that he could not begin to talk about his project of marriage. He had an instinctive feeling that his brother would not look upon it as he should wish him to.
"How is it with the zemstvo?" asked Sergeï Ivanovitch, who took a lively interest in these provincial assemblies, to which he attributed great importance.
"Fact is, I don't know ...."
"What! are n't you a member of the assembly?"
"No, I am no longer a member: I have not been going and don't intend to go any more," said Levin.
"It's too bad," murmured Sergeï Ivanovitch, frowning.
Levin, in justification, described what had taken place at the meetings of his district assembly.
"But it is forever thus," exclaimed Sergeï Ivanovitch, interrupting. "We Russians are always like this. Possibly it is one of our good traits that we are willing to see our faults, but we exaggerate them; we take delight in irony, which comes natural to our language. If such rights as we have, if our provincial institutions, were given to any other people in Europe,—Germans or English,—I tell you, they would derive liberty from them; but we only turn them into sport."
"But what is to be done?" asked Levin, penitently. "It was my last attempt. I tried with all my heart; I cannot do it. I am helpless."
"Not helpless!" said Sergeï Ivanovitch; "you did not look at the matter in the right light."
"Perhaps not," replied Levin, in a melancholy tone.
"Do you know, brother Nikolaï has been in town again?"
Nikolaï was Konstantin Levin's own brother, and Sergeï Ivanovitch's half-brother, standing between them in age. He was a ruined man, who had wasted the larger part of his fortune, had mingled with the strangest and most disgraceful society, and had quarreled with his brothers.
"What did you say?" cried Levin, startled. "How did you know?"
"Prokofi saw him in the street."
"Here in Moscow? Where is he?" and Levin stood up, as if with the intention of instantly going to find him.
"I am sorry that I told you this," said Sergeï Ivanovitch, shaking his head when he saw his younger brother's emotion. "I sent out to find where he was staying; and I sent him his letter of credit on Trubin, the amount of which I paid. This is what he wrote me in reply," and Sergeï Ivanovitch handed his brother a note which he took from a letter-press.
Levin read the letter, which was written in the strange hand which he knew so well:—
I humbly beg to be left in peace. It is all that I ask from my dear brothers.
Nikolaï Levin.
Konstantin, without lifting his head, stood motionless before his brother with the letter in his hand.
The desire arose in his heart now to forget his unfortunate brother, and the consciousness that it would be wrong.
"He evidently wants to insult me," continued Sergeï Ivanovitch; "but that is impossible. I wish with all my soul that I might help him, and yet I know that I shall not succeed."
"Yes, yes," replied Levin. "I understand, and I appreciate your treatment of him; but I am going to him."
"Go, by all means, if it will give you any pleasure," said Sergeï Ivanovitch; "but I would not advise it. Not on my account, because I fear that he might make a quarrel between us, but, on your own account, I advise you not to go. He can't be helped. However, do as you think best."
"Perhaps he can't be helped, but I feel especially at this moment .... this is quite another reason. .... I feel that I could not be contented ...."
"Well, I don't understand you," said Sergeï Ivanovitch; "but one thing I do understand," he added: "this is a lesson in humility. Since brother Nikolaï has become the man he is, I look with greater indulgence on what people call 'abjectness.' .... Do you know what he has done?" ....
"Akh! it is terrible, terrible," replied Levin.
Having obtained from his brother's servant Nikolaï's address, Levin set out to find him, but on second thought changed his mind, and postponed his visit till evening. Before all, he must decide the question that had brought him to Moscow, in order that his mind might be free. He had therefore gone directly to Oblonsky; and, having learned where he could find the Shcherbatskys, he went where he was told that he would meet Kitty.