all interested in the fact that the money that he received was not his wages but his share of the profits of the association.
It was true that Rezunof and his associates did not give the field a second plowing, as they had been advised to do, and excused themselves on the ground that they had no time. It was true that the muzhiks of this company, although they had agreed to take this work under the new conditions, called this land, not common land, but shared land, and the muzhiks and Rezunof himself said to Levin: "If you would take money for the land it would be less bother to you and that would let us out."
Moreover, these muzhiks kept putting off under various pretexts the building of the cattle-yard and barn, and did not get it done till winter, though they had agreed to build it immediately.
It was true that Shuraef tried to exchange for a trifle with the muzhiks the products of the gardens which he had undertaken to manage. He evidently had a wrong notion and a purposely wrong notion of the conditions under which he had taken the land.
It was true that often in talking with the muzhiks and explaining to them all the advantages of the undertaking, Levin was conscious that all they heard was the sound of his voice, that they were firmly convinced that they were too shrewd to let him deceive them. He was especially conscious of this when talking with the cleverest of the muzhiks, Rezunof. He noticed in the man's eye a gleam which betrayed evident scorn for Levin and a firm conviction that if any one was to be cheated it was not he — Rezunof.
But, in spite of all these drawbacks, Levin felt that he was making progress, and that if he rigorously kept his accounts and persevered he should be able to show his associates at the end of the year that the new order of things could bring excellent results.
All this business, together with his work in connection with the rest of his estate, which still remained in his own hands, and together with his work in the library
