Page 745 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

Chapter 29

The carrying out of Levin’s plan presented many
difficulties; but he struggled on, doing his utmost, and
attained a result which, though not what he desired, was
enough to enable him, without self-deception, to believe
that the attempt was worth the trouble. One of the chief
difficulties was that the process of cultivating the land was
in full swing, that it was impossible to stop everything and
begin it all again from the beginning, and the machine had
to be mended while in motion.
When on the evening that he arrived home he
informed the bailiff of his plans, the latter with visible
pleasure agreed with what he said so long as he was
pointing out that all that had been done up to that time
was stupid and useless. The bailiff said that he had said so a
long while ago, but no heed had been paid him. But as for
the proposal made by Levin—to take a part as shareholder
with his laborers in each agricultural undertaking— at this
the bailiff simply expressed a profound despondency, and
offered no definite opinion, but began immediately talking
of the urgent necessity of carrying the remaining sheaves
of rye the next day, and of sending the men out for the

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