But when he read novels, told improperanecdotes, went to see funny vaudevilles in the French theatreand gaily repeated the jokes, everybody admired and encouragedhim.
So, when Nekhludoff hadtalked of the serious matters of life, of God, truth, riches, andpoverty, all round him thought it out of place and even ratherfunny, and his mother and aunts called him, with kindly irony,notre cher philosophe.
Believing in his own self he wasalways exposing himself to the censure of those around him believing others he had their approval. Believingothers there was nothing to decide everything had been decidedalready, and decided always in favour of the animal I and againstthe spiritual. This he haddone because it was too difficult to live believing one's self believing one's self, one had to decide every question not infavour of one's own animal life, which is always seeking for easygratifications, but almost in every case against it. He not only did not feel any desire topossess her, but the very thought of it filled him with horror.The fears of the more poetical Sophia Ivanovna, that Dmitri, withhis thoroughgoing, resolute character, having fallen in love witha girl, might make up his mind to marry her, without consideringeither her birth or her station, had more ground.Īnd all this terrible change had come about because he had ceasedto believe himself and had taken to believing others. His aunt, Mary Ivanovna, was afraid Dmitriwould form an intimacy with Katusha but her fears weregroundless, for Nekhludoff, himself hardly conscious of it, lovedKatusha, loved her as the pure love, and therein lay hissafetyhis and hers. They noticed it, andbecame frightened, and even wrote to Princess Elena Ivanovna,Nekhludoff's mother. Theserelations continued between Nekhludoff and Katusha during thewhole time of his first visit to his aunts'. Their lips puckered, and they felt a kindof dread of something that made them part quickly. Their eyes at once began tosay something very different and far more important than whattheir mouths uttered. These talks in Matrona Pavlovna's presence were the pleasantest.When they were alone it was worse. The poisoning was committed by Maslova alone therefore he beggedthe jury to acquit Kartinkin and Botchkova of stealing the money or if they could not acquit them of the theft, at least to admitthat it was done without any participation in the poisoning. In conclusion the advocate remarked, with a thrust at the publicprosecutor, that "the brilliant observations of that gentleman onheredity, while explaining scientific facts concerning heredity,were inapplicable in this case, as Botchkova was of unknownparentage." The public prosecutor put something down on paperwith an angry look, and shrugged his shoulders in contemptuoussurprise.
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