Anna Karenina - LimpidSoft

PART EIGHT CHAPTER 16
observance of that law of right and wrong which has been revealed to every man,
and therefore he could not wish for war or advocate war for any general objects
whatever. He said as Mihalitch did and the people, who had expressed their feeling
in the traditional invitations of the Varyagi: “Be princes and rule over us. Gladly we
promise complete submission. All the labor, all humiliations, all sacrifices we take
upon ourselves; but we will not judge and decide.” And now, according to Sergey
Ivanovitch’s account, the people had foregone this privilege they had bought at such
a costly price.
He wanted to say too that if public opinion were an infallible guide, then why
were not revolutions and the commune as lawful as the movement in favor of the
Slavonic peoples? But these were merely thoughts that could settle nothing. One
thing could be seen beyond doubt–that was that at the actual moment the discussion
was irritating Sergey Ivanovitch, and so it was wrong to continue it. And Levin
ceased speaking and then called the attention of his guests to the fact that the storm
clouds were gathering, and that they had better be going home before it rained.
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