第460页 / 共2288页

"Then you've as good as given away your forest for nothing," said

Levin gloomily.

"How do you mean for nothing?" said Stepan Arkadyevitch with a

good-humored smile, knowing that nothing would be right in

Levin's eyes now.

"Because the forest is worth at least a hundred and fifty roubles

the acre," answered Levin.

"Oh, these farmers!" said Stepan Arkadyevitch playfully. "Your

tone of contempt for us poor townsfolk!... But when it comes to

business, we do it better than anyone. I assure you I have

reckoned it all out," he said, "and the forest is fetching a very

good price-so much so that I'm afraid of this fellow's crying

off, in fact. You know it's not 'timber,'" said Stepan

Arkadyevitch, hoping by this distinction to convince Levin

completely of the unfairness of his doubts. "And it won't run to

more than twenty-five yards of fagots per acre, and he's giving

me at the rate of seventy roubles the acre."