Chapter 76 Part Two - Fourteen

Nekhludoff had three things to do in Petersburg: to appeal to the Privy Council for a review of the Maslova case; Go to the hall to demand the release of Shustova, and let a mother meet with her son who is imprisoned in the fortress.Vera had written to him about it.He combined these two things and counted them as the third.Then there are the cases of sectarians who were forced to leave their families and go into exile in the Caucasus for reading and explaining the Gospels.He did not so much agree to them as he made up his mind to make the case clear. Since Nekhludoff's last visit to Maslennikov, and especially his return to his hometown, he had not just decided, but felt with all his heart that he hated the circle in which he lived, hated the circle in which he lived for the protection of the minority. The circle in which the happiness of the people has forced millions to suffer and has tried to cover it up.Those in that circle do not see and do not see their suffering, and therefore do not see the cruelty and sin of their own lives.Nekhludoff now associates with people in that circle, and cannot help feeling disgusted and reproaching himself.However, long-term living habits attracted him to that circle, and his relatives and friends also attracted him.And mainly because in order to do the only thing he cared about now - helping Maslova and all the other victims he wanted to help, he had to turn to people in that circle, although they not only did not command him respect, but often made him indignant and contemptuous.

Nekhludoff came to Petersburg to live with his aunt, Countess Charsky.His uncle was a minister.As soon as he arrived at his aunt's house, he fell into the core of the aristocratic society with which he was incompatible.This disgusted him, but he could do nothing about it.If I stay in a hotel instead of my aunt's house, I will offend my aunt.And he knows that his aunt has a wide range of contacts, which may be extremely helpful to him in all kinds of things he has to run around. "Oh, what have I heard about you? It's very strange," said my aunt to him, buying him coffee as soon as he arrived. "You are Howard! You help criminals create pure thought. Logical categories and mathematical concepts are pure thought to build certain, inspect prisons, and redress unjust prisons."

"No, I didn't even think about doing it." "That's good. But there seems to be some love affair involved. Well, tell me!" Nekhludoff described his relationship with Maslova from beginning to end. "I remember, I remember, poor Ellen told me that when you lived with those two old women, they seemed to want you to marry their adopted daughter," said Countess Charsky, who always looked down on Nekhliu. Dove's two aunts. "...Is it her so? Is she still pretty now?" -------- ①John Howard (1726-1790)——British philanthropist, who carried out activities to improve the prison system.

② Refers to Nekhludoff's mother. This aunt is sixty years old, in good health, full of energy, high spirits, and a good talker.She was tall and fat, with black hair on her lips.Nekhludoff liked her, and from childhood he had been influenced by her vivacity and cheerfulness. "No, Auntie, that matter is over. I just want to help her now, because first, she was wrongly sentenced, and I am responsible, and besides, I am even more responsible for what she has done in her life. I I feel like I should do everything in my power to run for her." "But why do I hear that you are going to marry her?"

"Yes, I had the idea, but she didn't want to." Countess Charsky raised her eyebrows, lowered her eyes, and looked silently at her nephew in astonishment.Her face suddenly changed, showing a happy look. "Well, she's smarter than you. Why, what a fool you are! Do you really want to marry her?" "certainly." "Would you still want to marry her after she's done that business?" "More willing. Because I'm the one to blame." "Hmph, what a fool you are," said my aunt, suppressing a laugh. "A complete idiot, but I like a complete idiot like you," she repeated, particularly fond of the word "idiot" because she thought it was an accurate indication of her nephew's intellect and state of mind. "What a coincidence," she went on. "Alyn runs a wonderful Magdalene asylum. I went to it once. They're disgusting. I came back and washed it from head to toe. But Alyn puts all her heart into it. We'll Leave her, your woman, to her. There is no better way than Alin to make them change from evil to good."

-------- ①Originally refers to the good prostitutes in the New Testament Luke. "But she's been sentenced to hard labor. I've come to run for her and ask for the sentence to be revoked. That's the first thing I've come to ask you for." "That's right! So where does her case belong?" "The Privy Council." "The Privy Council? By the way, my dear cousin Lyovushka is in the Privy Council. But he works in the Ministry of Fools there, as a proclamation officer. I don't know any real Privy Councillors. God only knows." Who are they: if they are not Germans, Gai, Fei, De, everything, Ivanov, Semyonov, Nikitin, or Ivanenko Well, Simonenko, Nikitinko, all kinds of people from another world. Well, I'll just tell my husband anyway. He knows them. He knows everybody. I'll tell him Yes. But you have to make it clear to him yourself that he never understands me. No matter what I say, he always doesn't understand it.

He deliberately pretended not to understand.Everyone can understand it, but he can't understand it. " At this moment a footman in stockings brought a letter on a silver tray. "It happened to be a letter from Allin. Now you can hear Kisewitt's speech." "Who is Kiesewaite?" "Kiesewitt? Come tonight. You will know who he is. He speaks so touchingly that even an unrepentant criminal will kneel down, weep bitterly, and sincerely repent." However strange it was, and however out of tune it was with Countess Charsky's temper, she was a fanatical believer in the doctrine that the spirit of Christianity lay in the atonement.She often went to the meeting places where this doctrine was preached, and sometimes called the believers into her home.This fashionable doctrine negates not only all religious rites and icons, but also the sacraments, yet Countess Charsky had icons in every room, even over her bed, and she Participate in all church ceremonies, and do not think this contradicts the theory of atonement.

"By the way, let your Magdalene hear him, and she will be converted," said the countess. "You must stay home to-night. You listen to his sermon. This is a remarkable figure. " "I am not interested in such matters, Auntie." "I tell you, it's very interesting. You must come. So tell me, what else do you want me to do? Tell me all about it!" "Also, there is another matter over there in the fortress." "Over there at the fortress? Well, I can write you a letter and you go over there to Baron Chrismut. He's a fine man. You'll know for yourself. He's your father's colleague. He's just obsessed with Guan Xing. But that's okay. He's a nice guy. What's the matter with you over there?"

"I asked them to allow a mother to see her son there. But I've heard that it's not Krismut's business, it's Chervyansky's." "I don't like Chervyansky, but he's Mariette's husband. You can take care of her, she'll help me. She's lovely." "I'm going to intercede for another woman. She's been in prison for months, and no one knows why." "No, she must know why. They know it very well. They all deserve what they deserve, these guys with shaved heads." "We don't know if you deserve it. But they're suffering. You're a Christian, believe the Gospel, and have such a hard heart..."

"That's irrelevant. The Gospel is the Gospel, and what's hated is what's hated. As I say, I hate nihilists, especially nihilists with cropped hair, and it wouldn't be nice if I pretended to like them." "Why on earth do you hate them?" "After the events of March 1, do you still ask why?" -------- ① Refers to the assassination of Tsar Alexander II by Narodnaya Volya on March 1, 1881. "Not all of those women participated in the March 1 incident." "It's not the same. Why do they meddle in their own business? That's not a woman's business."

"Then why do you think that Marietta can have a hand in that kind of thing?" said Nekhludoff. "Mariette? Mariette is Mariette. But God knows what she means. A frivolous woman who wants to teach everyone a lesson." "It's not teaching people, it's just trying to help the people." "Without them, people would know who to help and who not to help." "However, you must know that the common people are very poor. Here, I just came back from the countryside. The peasants are working hard and can't get enough to eat, but we live a life of extravagance. Is this reasonable?" Nekhliu Dove couldn't help being influenced by his aunt's kindness, and spoke out what was in his heart. "Then do you want me to go to work instead of eating?" "No, I don't want you to have nothing to eat," answered Nekhludoff, with a smile. "I just want everyone to work and everyone to eat." Auntie frowned again, lowered her eyes, and looked at him curiously. "My dear nephew, you will not end well," she said. "Why is that?" At this moment a tall, broad-shouldered general entered the room. This was Countess Charsky's husband, a retired minister. "Ah, Dmitri, hello," he said, offering Nekhludoff to kiss his shaved cheek. "When did you come?" He silently kissed his wife's forehead. "Oh, he is such a rare man," said Countess Charsky to her husband. "He told me to wash clothes by the river and live on potatoes. He's a complete fool, but you'd better do him what he asks of you. He's a complete fool," she added. "Did you hear that Kaminskaya is said to be in such a state of grief that it is feared that her life will be lost," she said to her husband, "you had better go and see her." "Yes, it's dreadful," said the husband. "Okay, you go and talk to him, I'm going to write." No sooner had Nekhludoff entered the room adjoining the drawing-room than she called to him: "Will you write a letter to Marie, then?" "Please, Auntie." "Then I'll leave a blank space on the paper, and you write about the short-haired woman yourself, and Mariette will send her husband to do it. He will. You don't think I'm mean. They, the ones under your protection, are horrible, but I don't want them to suffer. God bless them! You go. But you must stay at home tonight. You can listen to Kisewett Said. We will say our prayers together. It will do you great good if you don't object. I know that Ellen and you are very behind in this respect. Good-bye, then."