Sergey Ivanovitch's position was still more difficult from the fact that, since he had finished his book, he had had no more literary work to do, such as had hitherto occupied the greater part of his time.

Sergey Ivanovitch was clever, cultivated, healthy, and energetic, and he did not know what use to make of his energy.

Conversations in drawing rooms, in meetings, assemblies, and committees--everywhere where talk was possible--took up part of his time.

But being used for years to town life, he did not waste all his energies in talk, as his less experienced younger brother did, when he was in Moscow.

He had a great deal of leisure and intellectual energy still to dispose of.