Part 3 Chapter 14

CONVERSATIONS IN PRISON.

Expecting to have a private talk with Katusha, as usual, after tea, Nekhludoff sat by the side of Kryltzoff, conversing with him. Among other things he told him the story of Makar's crime and about his request to him. Kryltzoff listened attentively, gazing at Nekhludoff with glistening eyes.

"Yes," said Kryltzoff suddenly, "I often think that here we are going side by side with them, and who are they? The same for whose sake we are going, and yet we not only do not know them, but do not even wish to know them. And they, even worse than that, they hate us and look upon us as enemies. This is terrible."

"There is nothing terrible about it," broke in Novodvoroff. "The masses always worship power only. The government is in power, and they worship it and hate us. To-morrow we shall have the power, and they will worship us," he said with his grating voice. At that moment a volley of abuse and the rattle of chains sounded from behind the wall, something was heard thumping against it and screaming and shrieking, some one was being beaten, and some one was calling out, "Murder! help!"

"Hear them, the beasts! What intercourse can there be between us and such as them?" quietly remarked Novodvoroff.

"You call them beasts, and Nekhludoff was just telling me about such an action!" irritably retorted Kryltzoff, and went on to say how Makar was risking his life to save a fellow-villager. "That is not the action of a beast, it is heroism."

"Sentimentality!" Novodvoroff ejaculated ironically; "it is difficult for us to understand the emotions of these people and the motives on which they act. You see generosity in the act, and it may be simply jealousy of that other criminal."

"How is it that you never wish to see anything good in another?" Mary Pavlovna said suddenly, flaring up.

"How can one see what does not exist!"

"How does it not exist, when a man risks dying a terrible death?"

"I think," said Novodvoroff, "that if we mean to do our work, the first condition is that" (here Kondratieff put down the book he was reading by the lamplight and began to listen attentively to his master's words) "we should not give way to fancy, but look at things as they are. We should do all in our power for the masses, and expect nothing in return. The masses can only be the object of our activity, but cannot be our fellow-workers as long as they remain in that state of inertia they are in at present," he went on, as if delivering a lecture. "Therefore, to expect help from them before the process of development--that process which we are preparing them for--has taken place is an illusion."

"What process of development?" Kryltzoff began, flushing all over. "We say that we are against arbitrary rule and despotism, and is this not the most awful despotism?"

"No despotism whatever," quietly rejoined Novodvoroff. "I am only saying that I know the path that the people must travel, and can show them that path."

"But how can you be sure that the path you show is the true path? Is this not the same kind of despotism that lay at the bottom of the Inquisition, all persecutions, and the great revolution? They, too, knew the one true way, by means of their science."

"Their having erred is no proof of my going to err; besides, there is a great difference between the ravings of idealogues and the facts based on sound, economic science." Novodvoroff's voice filled the room; he alone was speaking, all the rest were silent.

"They are always disputing," Mary Pavlovna said, when there was a moment's silence.

"And you yourself, what do you think about it?" Nekhludoff asked her.

"I think Kryltzoff is right when he says we should not force our views on the people."

"And you, Katusha?" asked Nekhludoff with a smile, waiting anxiously for her answer, fearing she would say something awkward.

"I think the common people are wronged," she said, and blushed scarlet. "I think they are dreadfully wronged."

"That's right, Maslova, quite right," cried Nabatoff. "They are terribly wronged, the people, and they must not he wronged, and therein lies the whole of our task."

"A curious idea of the object of revolution," Novodvoroff remarked crossly, and began to smoke.

"I cannot talk to him," said Kryltzoff in a whisper, and was silent.

"And it is much better not to talk," Nekhludoff said.

聂赫留朵夫通常总是在喝过茶、吃完饭以后同玛丝洛娃单独谈话。这会儿，他坐在克雷里卓夫旁边，同他聊天，心里也作着这样的打算。聂赫留朵夫顺便告诉他玛卡尔向他提出的要求，还讲了玛卡尔犯罪的经过。克雷里卓夫目光炯炯地盯着聂赫留朵夫的脸，用心听他讲。

“是啊，”克雷里卓夫忽然说。“我常常这样想：我们同他们一起赶路，肩并肩地一起赶路——‘他们’究竟是些什么人？我们不辞辛劳长途跋涉，就是为了他们。不过，我们并不认识他们，也不想认识他们。他们呢，更糟糕，他们还恨我们，把我们看作敌人。瞧，这有多可怕。”

“这有什么可怕，”诺伏德伏罗夫一直听着他们谈话，这时插嘴说。“群众总是只崇拜权力，”他用尖锐刺耳的声音说。

“政一府掌权，他们崇拜政一府，仇恨我们。一旦我们掌了权，他们就会崇拜我们了……”

这时隔墙突然传来一阵咒骂声、撞墙声、锁链的哐啷声、尖一叫一声和呐喊声。有人在挨打，有人在叫喊：“救命啊！”

“您瞧，他们这帮野兽！我们怎么能同他们一交一朋友呢？”诺伏德伏罗夫平静地说。

“你说他们是野兽。可是你听听，刚才聂赫留朵夫讲给我们听的那件事吧，”克雷里卓夫怒气冲冲地说，接着就讲了玛卡尔怎样冒着生命危险营救同乡。“这非但不是野兽干得出来的事，简直是侠义行为。”

“你也真是太多情了！”诺伏德伏罗夫挖苦说。“我们很难理解他们的情绪和他们的动机。你以为这是他心肠好，说不定他是在嫉妒那个苦役犯呢。”

“你怎么总是不愿看到人家身上一点好的地方呢！”谢基尼娜突然激动地说（她对谁都你我相称）。

“不存在的东西是无法看到的。”

“人家不惜冒横死的危险，怎么还说不存在呢？”

“我想，”诺伏德伏罗夫说，“我们要是想干我们的事业，”玛尔凯本来在灯下看书，这时放下书，也留神地听他的老师说话。“那么，最重要的就是不要一胡一思乱想，而应该面对现实。应该尽全力为群众工作，但不要指望从他们那里得到什么。群众是我们工作的对象，但只要他们一天象现在这样浑浑噩噩，他们就一天不能成为我们的同志，”他象发表演说似地讲道。“就因为这个缘故，在我们还没有帮助他们完成发展过程以前，要指望他们来帮助我们，那纯粹是幻想。”

“什么发展过程？”克雷里卓夫脸涨得通红，说。“我们常说，我们反对飞扬跋扈和骄横霸道，难道这不就是最可怕的霸道吗？”

“根本不是什么霸道，”诺伏德伏罗夫冷静地回答。“我只是说，我知道人民应该走哪条路，并且能向他们指出这条路。”

“可是你凭什么相信你指出的道路是正确的？难道这不就是产生过宗教裁判所①和大革命屠一杀的那种霸道吗？他们当年也认为那是符合科学的唯一正确道路呢。”

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①中世纪天主教会的侦察和审判机构。主要设置在法国、意大利、西班牙等国，在镇压异教徒的名义下残酷迫害参加反封建斗争的人、进步思想家和自然科学家，对他们实行秘密审讯、严刑拷打、火刑、流放等酷刑。

“他们迷失方向，并不能证明我也迷失方向。再说，思想家的空想同经济学的数字是两回事。”

诺伏德伏罗夫的声音震动了整个牢房。只有他一个人在说话，其余的人都不作声。

“老是争论个没完没了的，”诺伏德伏罗夫停了停，谢基尼娜就说。

“那么您对这事有什么看法呢？”聂赫留朵夫问谢基尼娜。

“我认为克雷里卓夫说得对，不该把我们的观点强加到人民头上。”

“那么您呢，卡秋莎？”聂赫留朵夫笑眯眯地问，等玛丝洛娃回答，但又担心她说出什么不得体的话来。

“我认为老百姓总是受欺负，”她脸涨得通红，说，“老百姓太受欺负了。”

“说得对，玛丝洛娃，说得对，”纳巴托夫叫道，“老百姓尽受欺负。可不能再让他们受欺负了。我们的全部工作就是为了这个目标。”

“这可把革命任务想得太奇怪了，”诺伏德伏罗夫说，接着不再作声，只气冲冲地吸着烟。

“跟他真是谈不拢，”克雷里卓夫低声说，接着也不再作声。

“最好还是别谈，”聂赫留朵夫说。