登陆注册
15463200000141

第141章 PART III(20)

"The good of it! Well, I want just to see a ray of the sun," said Hippolyte. Can one drink to the sun's health, do you think, prince?""Oh, I dare say one can; but you had better be calm and lie down, Hippolyte--that's much more important.

"You are always preaching about resting; you are a regular nurse to me, prince. As soon as the sun begins to 'resound' in the sky --what poet said that? 'The sun resounded in the sky.' It is beautiful, though there's no sense in it!--then we will go to bed. Lebedeff, tell me, is the sun the source of life? What does the source, or 'spring,' of life really mean in the Apocalypse?

You have heard of the 'Star that is called Wormwood,' prince?""I have heard that Lebedeff explains it as the railroads that cover Europe like a net."Everybody laughed, and Lebedeff got up abruptly.

"No! Allow me, that is not what we are discussing!" he cried, waving his hand to impose silence. "Allow me! With these gentlemen ... all these gentlemen," he added, suddenly addressing the prince, "on certain points ... that is ..." He thumped the table repeatedly, and the laughter increased. Lebedeff was in his usual evening condition, and had just ended a long and scientific argument, which had left him excited and irritable. On such occasions he was apt to evince a supreme contempt for his opponents.

"It is not right! Half an hour ago, prince, it was agreed among us that no one should interrupt, no one should laugh, that each person was to express his thoughts freely; and then at the end, when everyone had spoken, objections might be made, even by the atheists. We chose the general as president. Now without some such rule and order, anyone might be shouted down, even in the loftiest and most profound thought. . . .""Go on! Go on! Nobody is going to interrupt you!" cried several voices.

"Speak, but keep to the point!"

"What is this 'star'?" asked another.

I have no idea," replied General Ivolgin, who presided with much gravity.

"I love these arguments, prince," said Keller, also more than half intoxicated, moving restlessly in his chair. "Scientific and political." Then, turning suddenly towards Evgenie Pavlovitch, who was seated near him: "Do you know, I simply adore reading the accounts of the debates in the English parliament. Not that the discussions themselves interest me; I am not a politician, you know; but it delights me to see how they address each other 'the noble lord who agrees with me,' 'my honourable opponent who astonished Europe with his proposal,' 'the noble viscount sitting opposite'--all these expressions, all this parliamentarism of a free people, has an enormous attraction for me. It fascinates me, prince. I have always been an artist in the depths of my soul, Iassure you, Evgenie Pavlovitch."

"Do you mean to say," cried Gania, from the other corner, "do you mean to say that railways are accursed inventions, that they are a source of ruin to humanity, a poison poured upon the earth to corrupt the springs of life?"Gavrila Ardalionovitch was in high spirits that evening, and it seemed to the prince that his gaiety was mingled with triumph. Of course he was only joking with Lebedeff, meaning to egg him on, but he grew excited himself at the same time.

"Not the railways, oh dear, no!" replied Lebedeff, with a mixture of violent anger and extreme enjoyment. "Considered alone, the railways will not pollute the springs of life, but as a whole they are accursed. The whole tendency of our latest centuries, in its scientific and materialistic aspect, is most probably accursed.""Is it certainly accursed? ... or do you only mean it might be?

That is an important point," said Evgenie Pavlovitch.

"It is accursed, certainly accursed!" replied the clerk, vehemently.

"Don't go so fast, Lebedeff; you are much milder in the morning,"said Ptitsin, smiling.

"But, on the other hand, more frank in the evening! In the evening sincere and frank," repeated Lebedeff, earnestly. "More candid, more exact, more honest, more honourable, and ... although I may show you my weak side, I challenge you all; you atheists, for instance! How are you going to save the world? How find a straight road of progress, you men of science, of industry, of cooperation, of trades unions, and all the rest?

How are you going to save it, I say? By what? By credit? What is credit? To what will credit lead you?""You are too inquisitive," remarked Evgenie Pavlovitch.

"Well, anyone who does not interest himself in questions such as this is, in my opinion, a mere fashionable dummy.""But it will lead at least to solidarity, and balance of interests," said Ptitsin.

"You will reach that with nothing to help you but credit? Without recourse to any moral principle, having for your foundation only individual selfishness, and the satisfaction of material desires?

Universal peace, and the happiness of mankind as a whole, being the result! Is it really so that I may understand you, sir?""But the universal necessity of living, of drinking, of eating--in short, the whole scientific conviction that this necessity can only be satisfied by universal co-operation and the solidarity of interests--is, it seems to me, a strong enough idea to serve as a basis, so to speak, and a 'spring of life,' for humanity in future centuries," said Gavrila Ardalionovitch, now thoroughly roused.

"The necessity of eating and drinking, that is to say, solely the instinct of self-preservation...""Is not that enough? The instinct of self-preservation is the normal law of humanity...""Who told you that?" broke in Evgenie Pavlovitch.

"It is a law, doubtless, but a law neither more nor less normal than that of destruction, even self-destruction. Is it possible that the whole normal law of humanity is contained in this sentiment of self-preservation?""Ah!" cried Hippolyte, turning towards Evgenie Pavlovitch, and looking at him with a queer sort of curiosity.

同类推荐
  • 万氏秘传外科心法

    万氏秘传外科心法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 台湾私法物权编

    台湾私法物权编

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 辽纪

    辽纪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 释禅波罗蜜次第法门

    释禅波罗蜜次第法门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 经义考

    经义考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 校草别靠近:撩妹的方式简单点

    校草别靠近:撩妹的方式简单点

    遇上这样一个任性校草,单单实在是不甘愿,心里苦逼至极。“蛋蛋,让我撩你。”“啊!叶云泽你走开!!我不叫蛋蛋,认错人了!”叶云泽一步步靠近,然后…咚!
  • 诡墓异盗

    诡墓异盗

    盗墓多以地域分,你不知道的东魂张家,西魄胡家,南阴莫家,北灵齐家,鬼腔萧家……除了为财,还有很多被历史掩盖的秘密,但直到现在,仍有寻找它们的人。千矶胎、缚蛟龙、胎烛龙纹玉……女人说她就是我,小孩说他也是我,还有一个和我长得一模一样的人,到底谁才是我,又或者我是谁……重逢后的兄弟,这场同生共死,稍纵即逝,由我来领悟你刀锋般凛冽,前面的路很危险,谁来解长梦,或接长梦……
  • 天医神术

    天医神术

    巨大的星球封印着创世神的败笔。何为二十五天境,何为二十五天道,何为神性。妖法,秘法,法术,鬼法,巫术,谁能独领风骚。
  • 王爷爱上我和他

    王爷爱上我和他

    第一次写小说。纯属个人幻想的故事。希望读者亲们喜欢。无论是腐男腐女还是喜欢古代言情的纯情读者,还是众多小鲜肉与EXO和TFBOYS的粉丝你们都可以看看哦,不喜欢可以给意见,请不要毒舌打击作者弱小的心。么么哒
  • 冷王独爱,废柴蛮妃

    冷王独爱,废柴蛮妃

    一朝穿越,小演员成了异界大陆的废柴三小姐!异世重生,什么贤良淑德,温柔似水跟她都没有半毛钱关系。日常爱好也就是养养小兽上上冷王,高调放肆又猖狂。玩得起扮猪吃老虎,忍得了冷嘲跟热讽,能击退死皮赖脸的蛇蝎美女,躲得过不怀好意的风流浪子。某位下人禀告:“王,有男人对王妃图谋不轨。”“谁吃了熊心豹子屎?站出来,孤王保证不打残他!直接打死。”“王,不好了,王妃去邻国杀人放火了,您看要不要派人劝……?”“蠢才,愣着干嘛?赶紧增添援手,杀个片甲不留。”冷王上去就是一脚!本文为女强玄幻爽文,喜欢的亲们不要吝啬,收藏留言推荐一条龙!
  • 《陌上殇之雪薇》

    《陌上殇之雪薇》

    雪四月的春夜。漫天飞雪。晶莹璀璨的雪花在玉石阁台上飞舞,旋转着,轻笑着在抚琴的雪衣男子衣襟、袖袍间跳跃出最幸福的笑颜。雪花在雪衣男子身旁,竟似是有生命的,柔柔依恋,闪亮跳跃在他的眉梢、唇角盈雪缭绕间。雪衣男子仿佛是天地间最耀眼的一道光芒。耀眼的绝美的光芒。雪。琴声。忽而清澈透明,酣畅淋漓。清越如泉水。忽而古朴浑厚,淡泊高远,婉转幽深。浑厚似松涛。琴声中又似有一股幽怨,一股惊艳,一股尘世间至沉至痛的恨意,一股红尘中最爱最怜的欣喜。这是一个如花的男子。他的名字,叫千莲殇。
  • 上古世纪之新的征程

    上古世纪之新的征程

    两千年前,一场神与英雄之间爆发的战争,让原本生活安逸的原大陆种族们被迫离开这片充满了光辉的大陆,迁途到了遥远的诺伊亚大陆和哈里拉大陆!两千年后,当种族之间再次爆发战争之时,那个曾经被各大种族遗忘了的破碎记忆再次将人们唤醒,从而踏上了寻找一条寻找上古之谜的回归之路!
  • 北海有鱼夏有乔木

    北海有鱼夏有乔木

    如果一切可以重来或者说一切还未结束,我们是不是就不会像现在这般不知所措
  • 凰绝天下

    凰绝天下

    她,诞生于现代社会的王族角落。她,见证了王的绝情与冷血,亲眼看见娘亲在面前被万蛇吞噬。她,十年磨一剑,带着一颗坚冰般的心和两个出生入死的同伴血刃仇人。修行已满,记忆重现,灵魂归位,四尊重聚,君临天下。同甘共苦的三人行,为爱痴狂的赤子心,要怎样能够让那关上心门的女子重新开启心灵?这是寻心之旅,也是一队杀手在生死线上的传奇。求推荐求收藏求评论~~~各种求啊=v=
  • 妃你不可之十里红妆