had entered into a compact together: "We consider ourselves MORALLY
BOUND to do this." The same impression was produced by my
communication to the student-census-takers, when I said to them, that
while taking our statistics, we should follow up, in addition to the
objects of the census, the object of benevolence. When we discussed
this, I observed that they were ashamed to look the kind-hearted man,
who was talking nonsense, in the eye. My article produced the same
impression on the editor of the newspaper, when I handed it to him;
on my son, on my wife, on the most widely different persons. All
felt awkward, for some reason or other; but all regarded it as
indispensable to applaud the idea itself, and all, immediately after
this expression of approbation, began to express their doubts as to
its success, and began for some reason (and all of them, too, without
exception) to condemn the indifference and coldness of our society
and of every one, apparently, except themselves.

In the depths of my own soul, I still continued to feel that all this
was not at all what was needed, and that nothing would come of it;
but the article was printed, and I prepared to take part in the
census; I had contrived the matter, and now it was already carrying
me a way with it.



CHAPTER IV.



At my request, there had been assigned to me for the census, a
portion of the Khamovnitchesky quarter, at the Smolensk market, along