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RUDIN ‘Oh, I never heard of him. But, really, Dmitri, with your intelligence, how was it you did not suspect that to be a business man was not the business for you?’

‘I know, brother, that it was not; but, then, what is the business for me? But if you had seen Kurbyev! Do not, pray, fancy him as some empty-headed chatterer. They say I was eloquent once. I was simply nothing beside him. He was a man of wonderful learning and knowledge,—an intellect, brother, a creative intellect, for business and commercial enterprises. His brain seemed seething with the boldest, the most unexpected schemes. I joined him and we decided to turn our powers to a work of public utility.’

‘What was it, may I know?’

Rudin dropped his eyes.

‘You will laugh at it, Mihail.

‘Why should I? No, I will not laugh.’

‘We resolved to make a river in the K province fit for navigation,’ said Rudin with an embarrassed smile.

‘Really! This Kurbyev was a capitalist, then?’ 243