“Well, have you seen him?” said Alexey Alexandrovitch with a malignant smile.

“Of course; he was at our sitting yesterday.  He seems to know his work capitally, and to be very energetic.”

“Yes, but what is his energy directed to?” said Alexey Alexandrovitch.  “Is he aiming at doing anything, or simply undoing what’s been done?  It’s the great misfortune of our government—­this paper administration, of which he’s a worthy representative.”

“Really, I don’t know what fault one could find with him.  His policy I don’t know, but one thing—­he’s a very nice fellow,” answered Stepan Arkadyevitch.  “I’ve just been seeing him, and he’s really a capital fellow.  We lunched together, and I taught him how to make, you know that drink, wine and oranges.  It’s so cooling.  And it’s a wonder he didn’t know it.  He liked it awfully.  No, really he’s a capital fellow.”

Stepan Arkadyevitch glanced at his watch.

“Why, good heavens, it’s four already, and I’ve still to go to Dolgovushin’s!  So please come round to dinner.  You can’t imagine how you will grieve my wife and me.”

The way in which Alexey Alexandrovitch saw his brother-in-law out was very different from the manner in which he had met him.

“I’ve promised, and I’ll come,” he answered wearily.

“Believe me, I appreciate it, and I hope you won’t regret it,” answered Stepan Arkadyevitch, smiling.

And, putting on his coat as he went, he patted the footman on the head, chuckled, and went out.

“At five o’clock, and not evening dress, please,” he shouted once more, turning at the door.

Chapter 9

It was past five, and several guests had already arrived, before the host himself got home.  He went in together with Sergey Ivanovitch Koznishev and Pestsov, who had reached the street door at the same moment.  These were the two leading representatives of the Moscow intellectuals, as Oblonsky had called them.  Both were men respected for their character and their intelligence.  They respected each other, but were in complete and hopeless disagreement upon almost every subject, not because they belonged to opposite parties, but precisely because they were of the same party (their enemies refused to see any distinction between their views); but, in that party, each had his own special shade of opinion.  And since no difference is less easily overcome than the difference of opinion about semi-abstract questions, they never agreed in any opinion, and had long, indeed, been accustomed to jeer without anger, each at the other’s incorrigible aberrations.

They were just going in at the door, talking of the weather, when Stepan Arkadyevitch overtook them.  In the drawing room there were already sitting Prince Alexander Dmitrievitch Shtcherbatsky, young Shtcherbatsky, Turovtsin, Kitty, and Karenin.