e in his mouth directly. . . . Ha-ha-ha! His eyes, you
know, Vassitchka, were as black, as black, like coals, such an
amusing little Tatar face, so funny and silly! I kept him in order,
didn't I just!"

"I can fancy . . ." mumbled her husband, rolling up pellets of
bread.

"That's stupid, Vassitchka! I know what is in your mind! I know
what you are thinking . . . But I assure you even when we were on
our expeditions I never let him overstep the limits. For instance,
if we rode to the mountains or to the U-Chan-Su waterfall, I would
always say to him, 'Suleiman, ride behind! Do you hear!' And he
always rode behind, poor boy. . . . Even when we . . . even at the
most dramatic moments I would say to him, 'Still, you must not
forget that you are only a Tatar and I am the wife of a civil
councillor!' Ha-ha. . . ."

The little lady laughed, then, looking round her quickly and assuming
an alarmed expression, whispered:

"But Yulia! Oh, that Yulia! I quite see, Vassitchka, there is no
reason why one shouldn't have a little fun, a little rest from the
emptiness of conventional life! That's all right, have your fling
by all means--no one will blame you, but to take the thing
seriously, to get up scenes . . . no, say what you like, I cannot
understand that! Just fancy, she was jealous! Wasn't that silly?
One day Mametkul, her _grande passion_, came to see her . . . she
was not at home. . . . Well, I asked him into my room . . . there
was conversation, one thing and another . . . they're awfully
amusing, you know! The evening passed without our noticing it. . . .
All at once Yulia rushed in. . . . She flew at me and at Mametkul
--made such a scene . . . fi! I can't understand that sort of
thing, Vassitchka."

Vassitchka cleared his throat, frowned, and walked up and down the
room.

"You had a gay time there, I must say," he growled with a disdainful
smile.

"How stu-upid that is!" cried Natalya Mihalovna, offended. "I know
what you are thinking about! You always have such horrid ideas! I
won't tell you anything! No, I won't!"

The lady pouted and said no more.

OVERDOING IT

GLYEB GAVRILOVITCH SMIRNOV, a land surveyor, arrived at the station
of Gnilushki. He had another twenty or thirty miles to drive before
he would reach the estate which he had been summoned to survey. (If
the driver were not drunk and the horses were not bad, it would
hardly be twenty miles, but if the driver had had a drop and his
steeds were