CHAPTER V.

Whether it was because there were fewer peasants present, or because he was not occupied with himself, but with the matter in hand, Nekhludoff felt no agitation when the seven peasants chosen from the villagers responded to the summons.

He first of all expressed his views on private ownership of land.

“As I look upon it,” he said, “land ought not to be the subject of purchase and sale, for if land can be sold, then those who have money will buy it all in and charge the landless what they please for the use of it.  People will then be compelled to pay for the right to stand on the earth,” he added, quoting Spencer’s argument.

“There remains to put on wings and fly,” said an old man with smiling eyes and gray beard.

“That’s so,” said a long-nosed peasant in a deep basso.

“Yes, sir,” said the ex-soldier.

“The old woman took some grass for the cow.  They caught her, and to jail she went,” said a good-natured, lame peasant.

“There is land for five miles around, but the rent is higher than the land can produce,” said the toothless, angry old man.

“I am of the same opinion as you,” said Nekhludoff, “and that is the reason I want to give you the land.”

“Well, that would be a kind deed,” said a broad-shouldered old peasant with a curly, grayish beard like that of Michael Angelo’s Moses, evidently thinking that Nekhludoff intended to rent out the land.

“That is why I came here.  I do not wish to own the land any longer, but it is necessary to consider how to dispose of it.”

“You give it to the peasants—­that’s all,” said the toothless, angry peasant.

For a moment Nekhludoff was confused, seeing in these words doubt of the sincerity of his purpose.  But he shook it off, and took advantage of the remark to say what he intended.

“I would be only too glad to give it,” he said, “but to whom and how shall I give it?  Why should I give it to your community rather than to the Deminsky community?” Deminsky was a neighboring village with very little land.

They were all silent.  Only the ex-soldier said, “Yes, sir.”

“And now tell me how would you distribute the land?”

“How?  We would give each an equal share,” said an oven-builder, rapidly raising and lowering his eyebrows.

“How else?  Of course divide it equally,” said a good-natured, lame peasant, whose feet, instead of socks, were wound in a white strip of linen.

This decision was acquiesced in by all as being satisfactory.

“But how?” asked Nekhludoff, “are the domestics also to receive equal shares?”

“No, sir,” said the ex-soldier, assuming a cheerful mood.  But the sober-minded tall peasant disagreed with him.

“If it is to be divided, everybody is to get an equal share,” after considering awhile, he said in a deep basso.