Book 2 Chapter 23 The Public Prosecutor

When Nekhludoff knew Selenin as a student, he was a good son, a
true friend, and for his years an educated man of the world, with
much tact; elegant, handsome, and at the same time truthful and
honest. He learned well, without much exertion and with no
pedantry, receiving gold medals for his essays. He considered the
service of mankind, not only in words but in acts, to be the aim
of his young life. He saw no other way of being useful to
humanity than by serving the State. Therefore, as soon as he had
completed his studies, he systematically examined all the
activities to which he might devote his life, and decided to
enter the Second Department of the Chancellerie, where the laws
are drawn up, and he did so. But, in spite of the most scrupulous
and exact discharge of the duties demanded of him, this service
gave no satisfaction to his desire of being useful, nor could he
awake in himself the consciousness that he was doing "the right
thing."

This dissatisfaction was so much increased by the friction with
his very small-minded and vain fellow officials that he left the
Chancellerie and entered the Senate. It was better there, but the
same dissatisfaction still pursued him; he felt it to be very
different from what he had expected, and from what ought to be.

And now that he was in the Senate his relatives obtained for him
the post of Gentleman of the Bedchamber, and he had to go in a
carriage, dressed in an embroidered uniform and a white linen
apron, to thank all sorts of people for having placed him in the
position of a lackey. However much he tried he could find no
reasonable explanation for the existence of this post, and felt,
more than in the Senate, that it was not "the right thing," and
yet he could not refuse it for fear of hurting those who felt
sure they were giving him much pleasure by this appointment, and
because it flattered the lowest part of his nature. It pleased
him to see himself in a mirror in his gold-embroidered uniform,
and to accept the deference paid him by some people because of
his position.