glue his strained and closing
eyelids, yawned without opening his mouth, and stared at Mme.
Murashkin. She grew misty and swayed before his eyes, turned into
a triangle and her head pressed against the ceiling. . . .

VALENTIN No, let me depart.

ANNA _(in dismay)_: Why?

VALENTIN _(aside)_: She has turned pale! _(To her)_ Do not force
me to explain. Sooner would I die than you should know the reason.

ANNA _(after a pause)_: You cannot go away. . . .

The lady began to swell, swelled to an immense size, and melted
into the dingy atmosphere of the study--only her moving mouth was
visible; then she suddenly dwindled to the size of a bottle, swayed
from side to side, and with the table retreated to the further end
of the room . . .

VALENTIN _(holding ANNA in his arms)_: You have given me new life!
You have shown me an object to live for! You have renewed me as the
Spring rain renews the awakened earth! But . . . it is too late,
too late! The ill that gnaws at my heart is beyond cure. . . .

Pavel Vassilyevitch started and with dim and smarting eyes stared
at the reading lady; for a minute he gazed fixedly as though
understanding nothing. . . .

SCENE XI.--_The same. The_ BARON _and the_ POLICE INSPECTOR _with
assistants._

VALENTIN: Take me!

ANNA: I am his! Take me too! Yes, take me too! I love him, I love
him more than life!

BARON: Anna Sergyevna, you forget that you are ruining your father
. . . .

The lady began swelling again. . . . Looking round him wildly Pavel
Vassilyevitch got up, yelled in a deep, unnatural voice, snatched
from the table a heavy paper-weight, and beside himself, brought
it down with all his force on the authoress's head. . . .

* * * * *

"Give me in charge, I've killed her!" he said to the maidservant
who ran in, a minute later.

The jury acquitted him.

A MYSTERY

ON the evening of Easter Sunday the actual Civil Councillor, Navagin,
on his return from paying calls, picked up the sheet of paper on
which visitors had inscribed their names in the hall, and went with
it into his study. After taking off his outer garments and drinking
some seltzer water, he settled himself comfortably on a couch and
began reading the signatures in the list. When his eyes reached the
middle of the long list of signatures, he started, gave an ejaculation
of astonishment and snapped his fingers, while his face expressed
the utmost perplexity.

"Again!" he said,