And one of these arguments, in which Katavassov had obviously considered that he came off victorious, was the first thing Levin thought of as he recognized him.

`No, whatever I do, I won't argue and give utterance to my ideas lightly,' he thought.

Getting out of the wagonette and greeting his brother and Katavassov, Levin asked about his wife.

`She has taken Mitia to Kolok' (a copse near the house). `She meant to have him out there because it's so hot indoors,' said Dolly. Levin had always advised his wife not to take the baby to the wood, thinking it unsafe, and he was not pleased to hear this.

`She rushes about from place to place with him,' said the Prince, smiling. `I advised her to try putting him in the icehouse.'

`She meant to come to the apiary. She thought you would be there. We are going there,' said Dolly.

`Well, and what are you doing?' said Sergei Ivanovich, falling back from the rest and walking beside him.

`Oh, nothing special. Busy as usual with the land,' answered Levin. `Well, and what about you? Come for long? We have been expecting you for such a long time.'

`Only for a fortnight. I've a great deal to do in Moscow.'

At these words the brothers' eyes met, and Levin, in spite of the desire he always had, stronger than ever just now, to be on affectionate and still more open terms with his brother, felt an awkwardness in looking at him. He dropped his eyes and did not know what to say.

Casting over the subjects of conversation that would be pleasant to Sergei Ivanovich, and would keep him off the subject of the Servian war and the Slavonic question, at which he had hinted by alluding to what he had to do in Moscow, Levin began to talk of Sergei Ivanovich's book.

`Well, have there been any reviews of your book?' he asked.

Sergei Ivanovich smiled at the intentional character of the question.

`No one is interested in that now, and I least of all,' he said. `Just look, Darya Alexandrovna, we shall have a shower,' he added, pointing with a sunshade at the white rain clouds that showed above the aspen treetops.

And these words were enough to reestablish again between the brothers that tone - hardly hostile, but chilly - which Levin had been so longing to avoid.

Levin went up to Katavassov.

`It was jolly of you to make up your mind to come,' he said to him.

`I've been intending to a long while. Now we shall have some discussion - we'll see to that. Have you been reading Spencer?'

`No, I've not finished reading him,' said Levin. `But I don't need him now.'

`How's that? That's interesting. Why so?'

`I mean that I'm fully convinced that the solution of the problems that interest me I shall never find in him and his like. Now...'