Moreover, though he had long lived in very close relations with the peasants, as their master, mediator, and above all as their adviser (the peasants trusted him, and would often come thirty miles to consult him), he had no definite opinion concerning them. Had he been asked whether he knew the people, he would have been just as much at a loss for a reply as he was for a reply to the question whether he liked them.
Inoltre, pur vivendo da tempo nei più stretti rapporti coi contadini, e come padrone e come arbitro e soprattutto come consigliere (i contadini avevano fiducia in lui e venivano a lui per consiglio sin da quaranta verste all’intorno), non era riuscito a formarsene, peraltro, un concetto preciso, e si sarebbe trovato imbarazzato a rispondere alla domanda se li amasse oppure no.