"That's so," said a long-nosed peasant in a deep basso.
"Yes, sir," said the ex-soldier.
"The old woman took some grass for the cow. They caught her, and to jail she went," said a good-natured, lame peasant.
"There is land for five miles around, but the rent is higher than the land can produce," said the toothless, angry old man.
"I am of the same opinion as you," said Nekhludoff, "and that is the reason I want to give you the land."
"Well, that would be a kind deed," said a broad-shouldered old peasant with a curly, grayish beard like that of Michael Angelo's Moses, evidently thinking that Nekhludoff intended to rent out the land.
"That is why I came here. I do not wish to own the land any longer, but it is necessary to consider how to dispose of it."
"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.