on't we cut
down our parks for timber?" said Levin, returning to a thought
that had struck him.

"Why, as you said, to keep the fire in. Besides that's not work
for a nobleman. And our work as noblemen isn't done here at the
elections, but yonder, each in our corner. There's a class
instinct, too, of what one ought and oughtn't to do. There's the
peasants, too, I wonder at them sometimes; any good peasant tries
to take all the land he can. However bad the land is, he'll work
it. Without a return too. At a simple loss."

"Just as we do," said Levin. "Very, very glad to have met you,"
he added, seeing Sviazhsky approaching him.

"And here we've met for the first time since we met at your
place," said the landowner to Sviazhsky, "and we've had a good
talk too."

"Well, have you been attacking the new order of things?" said
Sviazhsky with a smile.

"That we're bound to do."

"You've relieved your feelings?"

Chapter 30

Sviazhsky took Levin's arm, and went with him to his own friends.
This time there was no avoiding Vronsky. He was standing with
Stepan Arkadyevitch and Sergey Ivanovitch, and looking straight
at Levin as he drew near.

"Delighted! I believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you...at
Princess Shtcherbatskaya's," he said, giving Levin his hand.

"Yes, I quite remember our meeting," said Levin, and blushing
crimson, he turned away immediately, and began talking to his
brother.

With a slight smile Vronsky went on talking to Sviazhsky,
obviously without the slightest inclination to enter into
conversation with Levin. But Levin, as he talked to his brother,
was continually looking round at Vronsky, trying to think of
something to say to him to gloss over his rudeness.

"What are we waiting for now?" asked Levin, looking at Sviazhsky
and Vronsky.

"For Snetkov. He has to refuse or to consent to stand," answered
Sviazhsky.

"Well, and what has he done, consented or not?"

"That's the point, that he's done neither," said Vronsky.

"And if he refuses, who will stand then?" asked Levin, looking at
Vronsky.

"Whoever chooses to," said Sviazhsky.

"Shall you?" asked Levin.

"Certainly not I," said Sviazhsky, looking confused, and turning
an alarmed glance at the malignant gentleman, who was standing
beside Sergey Ivanovitch.

"Who then? Nevyedovsky?" said Levin, feeling he was putting his
foot into it.

But this was worse still. Nevyedovsky and Sviazhsky were the two