"You give it to the peasants--that's all," said the toothless, angry peasant. For a moment Nekhludoff was confused, seeing in these words doubt of the sincerity of his purpose. But he shook it off, and took advantage of the remark to say what he intended. "I would be only too glad to give it," he said, "but to whom and how shall I give it? Why should I give it to your community rather than to the Deminsky community?" Deminsky was a neighboring village with very little land. They were all silent. Only the ex-soldier said, "Yes, sir." "And now tell me how would you distribute the land?" "How? We would give each an equal share," said an oven-builder, rapidly raising and lowering his eyebrows. "How else? Of course divide it equally," said a good-natured, lame peasant, whose feet, instead of socks, were wound in a white strip of linen. This decision was acquiesced in by all as being satisfactory. "But how?" asked Nekhludoff, "are the domestics also to receive equal shares?" "No, sir," said the ex-soldier, assuming a cheerful mood. But the sober-minded tall peasant disagreed with him. "If it is to be divided, everybody is to get an equal share," after considering awhile, he said in a deep basso. "That is impossible," said Nekhludoff, who was already prepared with his objection. "If everyone was to get an equal share, then those who do not themselves work would sell their shares to the rich. Thus the land would again get into the hands of the rich. Again, the people that worked their own shares would multiply, and the landlords would again get the landless into their power." "Yes, sir," the ex-soldier hastily assented. "The selling of land should be prohibited; only those that cultivate it themselves should be allowed to own it," said the oven-builder, angrily interrupting the soldier. To this Nekhludoff answered that it would be difficult to determine whether one cultivated the land for himself or for others. Then the sober-minded old man suggested that the land should be given to them as an association, and that only those that took part in cultivating it should get their share. Nekhludoff was ready with arguments against this communistic scheme, and he retorted that in such case it would be necessary that all should have plows, that each should have the same number of horses, and that none should lag behind, or that everything should belong to society, for which the consent of every one was necessary. "Our people will never agree," said the angry old man. "There will be incessant fighting among them," said the white-bearded peasant with the shining eyes. "The women will scratch each other's eyes out." "The next important question is," said Nekhludoff, "how to divide the land according to quality. You cannot give black soil to some and clay and sand to others." "Let each have a part of both," said the oven-builder.