Page:The Novels of Ivan Turgenev (volume V).djvu/35

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SMOKE

Petersburg, to the military school, and look at the golden board; whose name stands first there? The name of Voroshilov, Semyon Yakovlevitch! But, Gubaryov, Gubaryov, my dear fellow! It 's to him we must fly! I absolutely worship that man! And I 'm not alone, every one 's at his feet! Ah, what a work he is writing, O—О—O ! . . .'

'What is his work about?' inquired Litvinov.

'About everything, my dear boy, after the style of Buckle, you know . . . but more profound, more profound. . . . Everything will be solved and made clear in it?'

'And have you read this work yourself?'

'No, I have not read it, and indeed it 's a secret, which must not be spread about; but from Gubaryov one may expect everything, everything! Yes!' Bambaev sighed and clasped his hands. 'Ah, if we had two or three intellects like that growing up in Russia, ah, what mightn't we see then, my God! I tell you one thing, Grisha; whatever pursuit you may have been engaged in in these latter days—and I don't even know what your pursuits are in general — whatever your convictions may be—I don't know them either—from him, Gubaryov, you will find something to learn. Unluckily, he is not here for long. We must make the most of him, we must go. To him, to him!'

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