set on it?"

"It is your goods; you name the price."

Nekhludoff set the price, and though much lower than the prevailing
price, the peasants began to bargain, finding it high. He expected
that his offer would be accepted with pleasure, but there was no sign
of satisfaction. Only when the question was raised whether the whole
community would take the land, or have individual arrangements did he
know that it was profitable for them. For there resulted fierce
quarrels between those who wished to exclude the weak ones and bad
payers from participating in the land, and those whom it was sought to
exclude. But the German finally arranged the price and time of
payment, and the peasants, noisily talking, returned to the village.

The price was about thirty per cent. lower than the one prevailing in
the district, and Nekhludoff's income was reduced to almost one-half,
but, with money realized from the sale of the timber and yet to be
realized from the sale of the stock, it was amply sufficient for him.
Everything seemed to be satisfactory, and yet Nekhludoff felt sad and
lonesome, but, above all, his conscience troubled him. He saw that
although the peasants spoke words of thanks, they were not satisfied
and expected something more. The result was that while he deprived
himself of much, he failed to do that which the peasants expected.

On the following day, after the contract was signed, Nekhludoff, with
an unpleasant feeling of having left something undone, seated himself
in the "dandy" three-horse team and took leave of the peasants, who
were shaking their heads in doubt and dissatisfaction. Nekhludoff was
dissatisfied with himself--he could not tell why, but he felt sad, and