Book 2 Chapter 15 An Average Statesman

Count Ivan Michaelovitch listened to Nekhludoff as he was wont to
listen to the reports of the permanent secretary of his
department, and, having heard him, said he would give him two
notes, one to the Senator Wolff, of the Appeal Department. "All
sorts of things are reported of him, but dans tous les cas c'est
un homme tres comme ii faut," he said. "He is indebted to me, and
will do all that is possible." The other note Count Ivan
Michaelovitch gave Nekhludoff was to an influential member of the
Petition Committee. The story of Theodosia Birukoff as told by
Nekhludoff interested him very much. When Nekhludoff said that he
thought of writing to the Empress, the Count replied that it
certainly was a very touching story, and might, if occasion
presented itself, he told her, but he could not promise. Let the
petition be handed in in due form.

Should there be an opportunity, and if a petit comite were called
on Thursday, he thought he would tell her the story. As soon as
Nekhludoff had received these two notes, and a note to Mariette
from his aunt, he at once set off to these different places.

First he went to Mariette's. He had known her as a half-grown
girl, the daughter of an aristocratic but not wealthy family, and
had heard how she had married a man who was making a career, whom
Nekhludoff had heard badly spoken of; and, as usual, he felt it
hard to ask a favour of a man he did not esteem. In these cases
he always felt an inner dissension and dissatisfaction, and
wavered whether to ask the favour or not, and always resolved to
ask. Besides feeling himself in a false position among those to
whose set he no longer regarded himself as belonging, who yet
regarded him as belonging to them, he felt himself getting into
the old accustomed rut, and in spite of himself fell into the
thoughtless and immoral tone that reigned in that circle. He felt
that from the first, with his aunt, he involuntarily fell into a
bantering tone while talking about serious matters.