them terrible.  It is said that the Pougatcheffs, the Razins [leaders of rebellions in Russia:  Stonka Razin in the 17th and Pougatcheff in the 18th century] are terrible.  These are a thousand times more terrible,” he continued, in his thoughts.  “If a psychological problem were set to find means of making men of our time—­Christian, humane, simple, kind people—­perform the most horrible crimes without feeling guilty, only one solution could be devised:  to go on doing what is being done.  It is only necessary that these people should he governors, inspectors, policemen; that they should be fully convinced that there is a kind of business, called government service, which allows men to treat other men as things, without human brotherly relations with them, and also that these people should be so linked together by this government service that the responsibility for the results of their actions should not fall on any one of them separately.  Without these conditions, the terrible acts I witnessed to-day would be impossible in our times.  It all lies in the fact that men think there are circumstances in which one may deal with human beings without love; and there are no such circumstances.  One may deal with things without love.  One may cut down trees, make bricks, hammer iron without love; but you cannot deal with men without it, just as one cannot deal with bees without being careful.  If you deal carelessly with bees you will injure them, and will yourself be injured.  And so with men.  It cannot be otherwise, because natural love is the fundamental law of human life.  It is true that a man cannot force another to love him, as he can force him to work for him; but it does not follow that a man may deal with men without love, especially to demand anything from them.  If you feel no love, sit still,” Nekhludoff thought; “occupy yourself with things, with yourself, with anything you like, only not with men.  You can only eat without injuring yourself when you feel inclined to eat, so you can only deal with men usefully when you love.  Only let yourself deal with a man without love, as I did yesterday with my brother-in-law, and there are no limits to the suffering you will bring on yourself, as all my life proves.  Yes, yes, it is so,” thought Nekhludoff; “it is good; yes, it is good,” he repeated, enjoying the freshness after the torturing heat, and conscious of having attained to the fullest clearness on a question that had long occupied him.

CHAPTER XLI.

TARAS’S STORY.

The carriage in which Nekhludoff had taken his place was half filled with people.  There were in it servants, working men, factory hands, butchers, Jews, shopmen, workmen’s wives, a soldier, two ladies, a young one and an old one with bracelets on her arm, and a severe-looking gentleman with a cockade on his black cap.  All these people were sitting quietly; the bustle of taking their places was long over; some sat cracking and eating sunflower seeds, some smoking, some talking.