ed on slavery, and some of the
unhappy men, who had only four days in the year of respite from their
eternal labour, talked loudly of the happiness Gregory had enjoyed since
he had obtained his freedom.

"Bah!" said Ivan, on whom the brandy had begun to take effect, "there are
some slaves who are freer than their masters."

"What do you mean?" said Gregory, pouring him out another glass of
brandy.

"I meant to say happier," said Ivan quickly.

"It is difficult to prove that," said Gregory doubtingly.

"Why difficult? Our masters, the moment they are born, are put into the
hands of two or three pedants, one French, another German, and a third
English, and whether they like them or not, they must be content with
their society till they are seventeen, and whether they wish to or not,
must learn three barbarous languages, at the expense of our noble Russian
tongue, which they have sometimes completely forgotten by the time the
others are acquired. Again, if one of them wishes for some career, he
must become a soldier: if he is a sublieutenant, he is the slave of the
lieutenant; if he is a lieutenant, he is the slave of the captain, and
the captain of the major, and so on up to the emperor, who is nobody's
slave, but who one fine day is surprised at the table, while walking, or
in his bed, and is poisoned, stabbed, or strangled. If he chooses a
civil career, it is much the same. He marries a wife, and does not love
her; children come to him he knows not how, whom he has to provide for;
he must struggle incessantly to provide for his family if he is poor, and
if he is rich to prevent himself being robbed by his steward and cheated
by his tenants. Is this life? While we, gentlemen, we are born, and
that is the only pain we cost our mothers--all the rest is the master's
concern. He provides for us, he chooses our calling, always easy enough
to learn if we are not quite idiots. Are we ill? His doctor attends us
gratis; it is a loss to him if we die. Are we well? We have our four
certain meals a day, and a good stove to sleep near at night. Do we fall
in love? There is never any hindrance to our marriage, if the woman loves
us; the master himself asks us to hasten our marriage, for he wishes us
to have as many children as possible. And when the children are born, he
does for them in their turn all he has done for us. Can you find me many
great lords as happy as their slaves?"

"All this is true," said Gregory,