The Awakening eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 403 pages of information about The Awakening.

The Awakening eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 403 pages of information about The Awakening.
embrace, and that, as a part of a huge organism, man’s aim should be to conserve the life of that organism and the lives of all its parts.  He therefore considered it a crime to destroy life; was against war, executions, the killing in any manner not only of human beings, but of animals.  He also had his theory of marriage, according to which the breeding of people was man’s lower function, his higher function consisting in conserving life already existing.  He found confirmation of this idea in the existence of phagocites in the blood.  Bachelors, according to him, were the same phagocites whose function was to help the weak, sickly parts of the organism.  And true to his convictions, he had been performing this function since he became convinced of the truth of the theory, although as a youth he had led a different life.  He called himself, as well as Maria Pablovna, a phagocite of the world.

His love for Katiousha did not violate this theory, since it was purely platonic.  He assumed that such love not only did not prevent his phagocite activity, but aided it.

And it was this man who, falling in love with Katiousha, had a decisive influence over her.  With the instincts of a woman, Maslova soon discovered it, and the consciousness that she could arouse the feeling of love in such a remarkable man raised her in her own estimation.  Nekhludoff offered to marry her out of magnanimity, and the obligation for the past, but Simonson loved her as she was now, and loved her simply because he loved her.  She felt, besides, that he considered her an unusual woman, distinguished from all other women, and possessing high moral qualities.  She did not know exactly what those qualities were, but, at all events, not to deceive him, she endeavored with all her power to call forth her best qualities and, necessarily, be as good as she could be.

CHAPTER IV.

Nekhludoff managed to see Maslova only twice between Nijhni and Perm—­once in Nijhni while the prisoners were being placed on a net-covered lighter, and again in the office of the Perm prison.  On both occasions he found her secretive and unkind.  When he asked her about her prison conditions, or whether she wanted anything, she became confused and answered evasively and, as it seemed to him, with that hostile feeling of reproach which she had manifested before.  And this gloomy temper, due only to the persecutions to which she was being subjected by the men, tormented him.

But at their very first meeting in Tomsk she became again as she was before her departure.  She no longer frowned or became confused when she saw him, but, on the contrary, met him cheerfully and simply, thanking him for what he had done for her, especially for bringing her in contact with her present company.

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
The Awakening from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.