“Why should you know? Live as the bird flies. If it wants to move its right wing, it moves it. If it wants to fly round a tree, it does so.” “Yes, a bird may do that, but I’m not a bird; I’m a man,” said Soloveitchik with naive earnestness. Sanine laughed outright, and for a moment the merry sound echoed through the gloomy courtyard. Soloveitchik shook his head. “No,” he murmured sadly, “all that’s only talk. You can’t tell me how I ought to live. Nobody can tell me that.” “That’s very true. Nobody can tell you that. The art of living implies a talent; and he who does not possess that talent perishes or makes shipwreck of his life.” “How calmly you say that! As if you knew everything! Pray don’t be offended, but have you always been like that—always so calm?” asked Soloveitchik, keenly interested. “Oh! no; though certainly my temperament has usually been calm enough, but there were times when I was harassed by doubts of all kinds. At one time, indeed, I dreamed that the ideal life for me was the Christian life.” Sanine paused, and Soloveitchik leaned forward eagerly as if to hear something of the utmost importance. “At that time I had a comrade, a student of mathematics, Ivan Lande by name. He was a wonderful man, of indomitable moral force; a Christian, not from conviction, but by nature. In his life all Christianity was mirrored. If struck, he did not strike back; he treated every man as his brother, and in woman he did not recognize the sexual attraction. Do you remember Semenoff?” Soloveitchik nodded, as with childish pleasure. “Well, at that time Semenoff was very ill. He was living in the Crimea, where he gave lessons. There, solitude and the presentiment of his approaching death drove him to despair. Lande heard of this, and determined to go thither and save this lost soul. He had no money, and no one was willing to lend any to a reputed madman. So he went on foot, and, after walking over a thousand versts, died on the way, and thus sacrificed his life for others.” “And you, oh! do tell me,” cried Soloveitchik with flashing eyes, “do you recognize the greatness of such a man?”