Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev Page B

it.’
    ‘And do Germans always talk sense?’ said Pavel Petrovich, and his face took on a detached and distant expression as if he
     had gone off to some empyrean height.
    ‘Not all of them,’ said Bazarov with a small yawn; he clearly did not want to continue the conversation.
    Pavel Petrovich gave Arkady a look, as if wanting to say to him: ‘Your friend’s polite, you must admit.’
    ‘As far as I’m concerned,’ he began again, not without some effort, ‘I for my sins am not too keen on the Germans. I’m not
     talking now of the Russian Germans: we know what kind of beast they are. But I don’t care for the German Germans. In the past
     they weren’t so bad; they then had – well, Schiller, or
Goethe
… My brother here is particularly fond of him… But they’re now nothing but chemists and materialists…’
    ‘A decent chemist is worth twenty times any poet,’ interrupted Bazarov.

    ‘Really,’ said Pavel Petrovich and slightly raised his eyebrows as if he felt sleepy. ‘So you don’t acknowledge art?’
    ‘The art of making money or getting rid of piles?’ exclaimed Bazarov with a scornful smile.
    ‘Well, well. That’s your little joke. So you must reject everything? Let’s assume that. That means, you only believe in science?’
    ‘I’ve already told you I don’t believe in anything. And what is science – science in general? There are sciences, as there
     are trades and professions; but science in general terms doesn’t exist at all.’
    ‘Very good. And do you have such a negative attitude to the other rules accepted in human society?’
    ‘What is this, a cross-examination?’ asked Bazarov.
    Pavel Petrovich went slightly pale… Nikolay Petrovich thought he should enter the conversation.
    ‘One day we’ll talk to you about this in a bit more detail, dear Yevgeny Vasilyich. We’ll learn what you think and tell you
     what we think. For my part I’m very pleased you’re studying the natural sciences. I’ve heard Liebig 1 has made amazing discoveries about the fertilizing of fields. You can help me in my agricultural work: you can give me some
     useful advice.’
    ‘I’m at your service, Nikolay Petrovich. But we’ve a long way to get to Liebig! We need first to learn the alphabet and then
     tackle a book. But we haven’t yet got to
A
.’
    ‘Yes, I see you really are a nihilist,’ thought Nikolay Petrovich. ‘All the same, do let me come to you if I need to,’ he
     added aloud. ‘But now, Brother, I think it’s time for us to go and talk to the bailiff.’
    Pavel Petrovich got up from his chair.
    ‘Yes,’ he said, not looking at anyone, ‘it’s a pity to have been living like this for five years in the country, far away
     from great minds! You just become an utter fool. You try not to forget what you’ve been taught, and then – whoosh! – it turns
     out that it’s all nonsense and you’re told that sensible people don’t bother any more with such rubbish and that you’re just
     a backward idiot. What can one do! The young are clearly cleverer than we are.’

    Pavel Petrovich slowly turned on his heels and slowly went away. Nikolay Petrovich went off after him.
    ‘Is he always like that?’ Bazarov coolly asked Arkady as soon as the door had closed behind the two brothers.
    ‘Look, Yevgeny, you really were too rough with him,’ said Arkady. ‘You insulted him.’
    ‘So, why should I indulge these provincial aristocrats! It’s all just vanity, dandyism, the little ways of a society lion.
     Well, he should have continued his service career in Petersburg, if that’s what he wanted… Anyway, let’s not bother with him!
     Do you know, I’ve discovered a quite rare specimen of water beetle,
Dytiscus marginatus
. I’ll show it to you.’
    ‘I promised I’d tell you his story,’ Arkady began.
    ‘The story of the beetle?’
    ‘Stop it, Yevgeny. My uncle’s story. You’ll see he’s not the man you think him. He deserves sympathy rather than