Анна Каренина

Chapter 27

           

           “Idon’tagreethatit’snecessaryorpossibletoraisethelevelofagriculturestillhigher,”saidLevin.“Idevotemyselftoit,andIhavemeans,butIcandonothing.Astothebanks,Idon’tknowtowhomthey’reanygood.Formypart,anyway,whateverI’vespentmoneyoninthewayofhusbandry,ithasbeenaloss:stockaloss,machineryaloss.”

           “That’strueenough,”thegentlemanwiththegraywhiskerschimedin,positivelylaughingwithsatisfaction.

           “AndI’mnottheonlyone,”pursuedLevin.“Imixwithalltheneighboringlandowners,whoarecultivatingtheirlandonarationalsystem;theyall,withrareexceptions,aredoingsoataloss.Come,tellushowdoesyourlanddodoesitpay?”saidLevin,andatonceinSviazhsky’seyeshedetectedthatfleetingexpressionofalarmwhichhehadnoticedwheneverhehadtriedtopenetratebeyondtheouterchambersofSviazhsky’smind.

           Moreover,thisquestiononLevin’spartwasnotquiteingoodfaith.MadameSviazhskayahadjusttoldhimatteathattheyhadthatsummerinvitedaGermanexpertinbookkeepingfromMoscow,whoforaconsiderationoffivehundredroubleshadinvestigatedthemanagementoftheirproperty,andfoundthatitwascostingthemalossofthreethousandoddroubles.Shedidnotremembertheprecisesum,butitappearedthattheGermanhadworkeditouttothefractionofafarthing.

           Thegray-whiskeredlandownersmiledatthementionoftheprofitsofSviazhsky’sfamling,obviouslyawarehowmuchgainhisneighborandmarshalwaslikelytobemaking.

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