Chapter 16

           SergeyIvanovitch,beingpracticedinargument,didnotreply,butatonceturnedtheconversationtoanotheraspectofthesubject.

           “Oh,ifyouwanttolearnthespiritofthepeoplebyarithmeticalcomputation,ofcourseit’sverydifficulttoarriveatit.Andvotinghasnotbeenintroducedamongusandcannotbeintroduced,foritdoesnotexpressthewillofthepeople;butthereareotherwaysofreachingthat.Itisfeltintheair,itisfeltbytheheart.Iwon’tspeakofthosedeepcurrentswhichareastirinthestilloceanofthepeople,andwhichareevidenttoeveryunprejudicedman;letuslookatsocietyinthenarrowsense.Allthemostdiversesectionsoftheeducatedpublic,hostilebefore,aremergedinone.Everydivisionisatanend,allthepublicorganssaythesamethingoverandoveragain,allfeelthemightytorrentthathasovertakenthemandiscarryingtheminonedirection.”

           “Yes,allthenewspapersdosaythesamething,”saidtheprince.“That’strue.Butsoitisthesamethingthatallthefrogscroakbeforeastorm.Onecanhearnothingforthem.”

           “Frogsornofrogs,I’mnottheeditorofapaperandIdon’twanttodefendthem;butIamspeakingoftheunanimityintheintellectualworld,”saidSergeyIvanovitch,addressinghisbrother.Levinwouldhaveanswered,buttheoldprinceinterruptedhim.

           “Well,aboutthatunanimity,that’sanotherthing,onemaysay,”saidtheprince.“There’smyson-in-law,StepanArkadyevitch,youknowhim.He’sgotaplacenowonthecommitteeofacommissionandsomethingorother,Idon’tremember.