Page:Complete Works of Count Tolstoy - 18.djvu/145

 to-morrow, so to speak, and then you use it all up, so to speak.

. This is above the capital. The money is not touched.

. Not touched? How not touched? You take it, and it is, so to speak, not touched? You pour flour, so to speak, into a box, so to speak, or into the granary, and take the flour out again,—well, will it remain untouched, so to speak? There is something wrong, they are cheating you, so to speak. You had better find out, or they will cheat you. How can it be untouched? You are taking away, so to speak,—and it is not touched!

. I don't know about that. Iván Moséich advised us to do it. "Put the money into the bank," says he, "then the money will be safe, and you will get interest on it."

(through eating). That is correct. I used to live at the house of a merchant: he did it the same way. All one has to do is to put the money in, and then lie on the oven and receive money.

. You are saying some wonderful things, so to speak. How is one to receive it, so to speak? You receive it, so to speak, and from whom do they get the money, so to speak?

. The bank gives us the money.

. What is that? A woman can't make it out. Look here! I will explain it to you. Listen! Let us suppose, for example, you have money, and I, for example, have my land lying fallow; it is spring, and I have no seed; or I have to pay the taxes. So I come to you, and say: "Akím, give me ten roubles! I will have the harvest in by St. Mary's Intercession and then I will give it back to you, with a tithe for the accommodation." You, for example, see that I can be flayed, having a horse or a cow, so you say: "Give me two or three roubles for