Anna Karenina - Part 8

Sergey Ivanovitch and Katavasov had their replies ready, and both

began speaking at the same time.

"But the point is, my dear fellow, that there may be cases when

the government does not carry out the will of the citizens and

then the public asserts its will," said Katavasov.

But evidently Sergey Ivanovitch did not approve of this answer.

His brows contracted at Katavasov's words and he said something

else.

"You don't put the matter in its true light. There is no

question here of a declaration of war, but simply the expression

of a human Christian feeling. Our brothers, one with us in

religion and in race, are being massacred. Even supposing they

were not our brothers nor fellow-Christians, but simply

children, women, old people, feeling is aroused and Russians go

eagerly to help in stopping these atrocities. Fancy, if you were

going along the street and saw drunken men beating a woman or a

child--I imagine you would not stop to inquire whether war had

been declared on the men, but would throw yourself on them, and

protect the victim."

"But I should not kill them," said Levin.

"Yes, you would kill them."

"I don't know. If I saw that, I might give way to my impulse of

the moment, but I can't say beforehand. And such a momentary

impulse there is not, and there cannot be, in the case of the

oppression of the Slavonic peoples."

"Possibly for you there is not; but for others there is," said

Sergey Ivanovitch, frowning with displeasure. "There are

traditions still extant among the people of Slavs of the true

faith suffering under the yoke of the 'unclean sons of Hagar.'

The people have heard of the sufferings of their brethren and

have spoken."

"Perhaps so," said Levin evasively; "but I don't see it. I'm one

of the people myself, and I don't feel it."

"Here am I too," said the old prince. "I've been staying abroad

and reading the papers, and I must own, up to the time of the

Bulgarian atrocities, I couldn't make out why it was all the

Russians were all of a sudden so fond of their Slavonic brethren,

while I didn't feel the slightest affection for them. I was very

much upset, thought I was a monster, or that it was the influence

of Carlsbad on me. But since I have been here, my mind's been

set at rest. I see that there are people besides me who're only

interested in Russia, and not in their Slavonic brethren. Here's

Konstantin too."