course I may be mistaken, but I fancy I have a
certain capacity for the line I've chosen, and that power of any
sort in my hands, if it is to be, will be better than in the
hands of a good many people I know," said Serpuhovskoy, with
beaming consciousness of success; "and so the nearer I get to it,
the better pleased I am."

"Perhaps that is true for you, but not for everyone. I used to
think so too, but here I live and think life worth living not
only for that."

"There it's out! here it comes!" said Serpuhovskoy, laughing.
"Ever since I heard about you, about your refusal, I began....
Of course, I approved of what you did. But there are ways of
doing everything. And I think your action was good in itself,
but you didn't do it quite in the way you ought to have done."

"What's done can't be undone, and you know I never go back on
what I've done. And besides, I'm very well off."

"Very well off--for the time. But you're not satisfied with
that. I wouldn't say this to your brother. He's a nice child,
like our host here. There he goes!" he added, listening to the
roar of "hurrah!"--"and he's happy, but that does not satisfy
you."

"I didn't say it did satisfy me."

"Yes, but that's not the only thing. Such men as you are
wanted."

"By whom?"

"By whom? By society, by Russia. Russia needs men; she needs a
party, or else everything goes and will go to the dogs."

"How do you mean? Bertenev's party against the Russian
communists?"

"No," said Serpuhovskoy, frowning with vexation at being
suspected of such an absurdity. "_Tout ca est une blague_.
That's always been and always will be. There are no communists.
But intriguing people have to invent a noxious, dangerous party.
It's an old trick. No, what's wanted is a powerful party of
independent men like you and me."

"But why so?" Vronsky mentioned a few men who were in power.
"Why aren't they independent men?"

"Simply because they have not, or have not had from birth, an
independent fortune; they've not had a name, they've not been
close to the sun and center as we have. They can be bought
either by money or by favor. And they have to find a support for
themselves in inventing a policy. And they bring forward some
notion, some policy that they don't believe in, that does harm;
and the whole policy is really only a means to a government house
and so much income. _Cela n'est pas plus fin que ca_, when you get
a peep at their cards. I may