standard of manners.... Three o'clock is a different matter; then one
has to make concessions to public opinion--if only this ball survives
till three o'clock. Varvara Petrovna has not kept her word, though, and
hasn't sent flowers. H'm! She has no thoughts for flowers, _pauvre mere!_
And poor Liza! Have you heard? They say it's a mysterious story...
and Stavrogin is to the front again.... H'm! I would have gone home
to bed... I can hardly keep my eyes open. But when is this 'literary
quadrille' coming on?"

At last the "literary quadrille" began. Whenever of late there had been
conversation in the town on the ball it had invariably turned on this
literary quadrille, and as no one could imagine what it would be like,
it aroused extraordinary curiosity. Nothing could be more unfavourable
to its chance of success, and great was the disappointment.

The side doors of the White Hall were thrown open and several masked
figures appeared. The public surrounded them eagerly. All the occupants
of the refreshment-bar trooped to the last man into the hall. The masked
figures took their places for the dance. I succeeded in making my way to
the front and installed myself just behind Yulia Mihailovna, Von Lembke,
and the general. At this point Pyotr Stepanovitch, who had kept away
till that time, skipped up to Yulia Mihailovna.

"I've been in the refreshment-room all this time, watching," he
whispered, with the air of a guilty schoolboy, which he, however,
assumed on purpose to irritate her even more. She turned crimson with
anger.

"You might give up trying to deceive me now at least, insolent man!"
broke from her almost aloud, so that it was heard by other people. Pyotr
Stepanovitch skipped away extremely well satisfied with himself.

It would be difficult to imagine a more pitiful, vulgar, dull and
insipid allegory than this "literary quadrille." Nothing could be
imagined less appropriate to our local society. Yet they say it was
Karmazinov's idea. It was Liputin indeed who arranged it with the help
of the lame teacher who had been at the meeting at Virginsky's. But
Karmazinov had given the idea and had, it was said, meant to dress up
and to take a special and prominent part in it. The quadrille was
made up of six couples of masked figures, who were not in fancy dress
exactly, for their clothes were like every one else's. Thus, for
instance, one short and elderly gentleman wearing a dress-coat--in fact,
dressed like every one