Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART TWO CHAPTER 16
“Oh, don’t trouble about the money. I’ve come to see you to talk it over.”
“What is there to talk over? But do sit down.”
“I don’t mind if I do,” said Ryabinin, sitting down and leaning his elbows on the
back of his chair in a position of the intensest discomfort to himself. “You must knock
it down a bit, prince. It would be too bad. The money is ready conclusively to the
last farthing. As to paying the money down, there’ll be no hitch there.”
Levin, who had meanwhile been putting his gun away in the cupboard, was just
going out of the door, but catching the merchant’s words, he stopped.
“Why, you’ve got the forest for nothing as it is,” he said. “He came to me too late,
or I’d have fixed the price for him.”
Ryabinin got up, and in silence, with a smile, he looked Levin down and up.
“Very close about money is Konstantin Dmitrievitch,” he said with a smile, turning
to Stepan Arkadyevitch; “there’s positively no dealing with him. I was bargaining
for some wheat of him, and a pretty price I offered too.”
“Why should I give you my goods for nothing? I didn’t pick it up on the ground,
nor steal it either.”
“Mercy on us! nowadays there’s no chance at all of stealing. With the open courts
and everything done in style, nowadays there’s no question of stealing. We are just
talking things over like gentlemen. His excellency’s asking too much for the forest. I
can’t make both ends meet over it. I must ask for a little concession.”
“But is the thing settled between you or not? If it’s settled, it’s useless haggling;
but if it’s not,” said Levin, “I’ll buy the forest.”
The smile vanished at once from Ryabinin’s face. A hawklike, greedy, cruel expression
was left upon it. With rapid, bony fingers he unbuttoned his coat, revealing
a shirt, bronze waistcoat buttons, and a watch chain, and quickly pulled out a fat old
pocketbook.
“Here you are, the forest is mine,” he said, crossing himself quickly, and holding
out his hand. “Take the money; it’s my forest. That’s Ryabinin’s way of doing business;
he doesn’t haggle over every half-penny,” he added, scowling and waving the
pocketbook.
“I wouldn’t be in a hurry if I were you,” said Levin.
“Come, really,” said Oblonsky in surprise. “I’ve given my word, you know.”
Levin went out of the room, slamming the door. Ryabinin looked towards the
door and shook his head with a smile.
“It’s all youthfulness–positively nothing but boyishness. Why, I’m buying it, upon
my honor, simply, believe me, for the glory of it, that Ryabinin, and no one else,
should have bought the copse of Oblonsky. And as to the profits, why, I must make
what God gives. In God’s name. If you would kindly sign the title-deed...”
Within an hour the merchant, stroking his big overcoat neatly down, and hooking
up his jacket, with the agreement in his pocket, seated himself in his tightly covered
trap, and drove homewards.
“Ugh, these gentlefolks!” he said to the clerk. “They–they’re a nice lot!”
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