peasant in a deep basso.

"Yes, sir," said the ex-soldier.

"The old woman took some grass for the cow. They caught her, and to
jail she went," said a good-natured, lame peasant.

"There is land for five miles around, but the rent is higher than the
land can produce," said the toothless, angry old man.

"I am of the same opinion as you," said Nekhludoff, "and that is the
reason I want to give you the land."

"Well, that would be a kind deed," said a broad-shouldered old peasant
with a curly, grayish beard like that of Michael Angelo's Moses,
evidently thinking that Nekhludoff intended to rent out the land.

"That is why I came here. I do not wish to own the land any longer,
but it is necessary to consider how to dispose of it."

"You give it to the peasants--that's all," said the toothless, angry
peasant.

For a moment Nekhludoff was confused, seeing in these words doubt of
the sincerity of his purpose. But he shook it off, and took advantage
of the remark to say what he intended.

"I would be only too glad to give it," he said, "but to whom and how
shall I give it? Why should I give it to your community rather than to
the Deminsky community?" Deminsky was a neighboring village with very
little land.

They were all silent. Only the ex-soldier said, "Yes, sir."

"And now tell me how would you distribute the land?"

"How? We would give each an equal share," said an oven-builder,
rapidly raising and lowering his eyebrows.

"How else? Of course divide it equally," said a good-natured, lame
peasant, whose feet, instead of socks, were wound in a white strip of
linen.

This decision was acquiesced in by all as being satisfactory.

"But how?" asked Nekhludoff, "are the domestics also to receive equal
shares?"

"No, sir," said the ex-soldier, assuming a cheerful mood. But the
sober-minded tall peasant disagreed with him.

"If it is to be divided, everybody is to get an equal share," after
considering awhile, he said in a deep basso.

"That is impossible," said Nekhludoff, who was already prepared with
his objection. "If everyone was to get an equal share, then those who
do not themselves work would sell their shares to the rich. Thus the
land would again get into the hands of the rich. Again, the people
that worked their own shares would multiply, and the landlords would
again get the landless into their power."

"Yes, sir," the ex-soldier hastily assented.

"The selling of land should be prohibited; o