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In both cases the conditions of agriculture are firmly

established; but among us now, when everything has been turned

upside down and is only just taking shape, the question what form

these conditions will take is the one question of importance in

Russia," thought Levin.

The shooting turned out to be worse than Levin had expected. The

marsh was dry and there were no grouse at all. He walked about

the whole day and only brought back three birds, but to make up

for that-he brought back, as he always did from shooting, an

excellent appetite, excellent spirits, and that keen,

intellectual mood which with him always accompanied violent

physical exertion. And while out shooting, when he seemed to be

thinking of nothing at all, suddenly the old man and his family

kept coming back to his mind, and the impression of them seemed

to claim not merely his attention, but the solution of some

question connected with them.