yes did not
twinkle, and seemed to be turned inwards. Having finished what I had to
say, I turned to him with a query as to what he thought of it.

"It's all a foolish business," said he.

"Why?"

"Your whole society is foolish, and nothing good can come out of it," he
repeated with conviction.

"Why not? Why is it a stupid business to help thousands, at any rate
hundreds, of unfortunate beings? Is it a bad thing, according to the
Gospel, to clothe the naked, and feed the hungry?"

"I know, I know, but that is not what you are doing. Is it necessary to
render assistance in that way? You are walking along, and a man asks you
for twenty kopeks. You give them to him. Is that alms? Do you give
spiritual alms,--teach him. But what is it that you have given? It was
only for the sake of getting rid of him."

"No; and, besides, that is not what we are talking about. We want to
know about this need, and then to help by both money and deeds; and to
find work."

"You can do nothing with those people in that way."

"So they are to be allowed to die of hunger and cold?"

"Why should they die? Are there many of them there?"

"What, many of them?" said I, thinking that he looked at the matter so
lightly because he was not aware how vast was the number of these people.

"Why, do you know," said I, "I believe that there are twenty thousand of
these cold and hungry people in Moscow. And how about Petersburg and the
other cities?"

He smiled.

"Twenty thousand! And how many households are there in Russia alone, do
you think? Are there a million?"

"Well, what then?"

"What then?" and his eyes flashed, and he grew animated. "Come, let us
divide them among ourselves. I am not rich, I will take two persons on
the spot. There is the lad whom you took into your kitchen; I invited
him to come to my house, and he did not come. Were there ten times as
many, let us divide them among us. Do you take some, and I will take
some. We will work together. He will see how I work, and he will learn.
He will see how I live, and we will sit down at the same table together,
and he will hear my words and yours. This charity society of yours is
nonsense."

These simple words impressed me. I could not but admit their justice;
but it seemed to me at that time, that, in spite of their truth, still
that which I had planned might possibly prove of service. But the
further I carried this business, the more I associated wi