a hermit, and in so complete a seclusion that it had been
possible, as stated in the letter, for Fedka to lodge with him for so
many days, even while an active search was being made for him. The chief
thing that worried every one was the impossibility of discovering a
connecting-link in this chaos.

There is no saying what conclusions and what disconnected theories our
panic-stricken townspeople would have reached, if the whole mystery had
not been suddenly solved next day, thanks to Lyamshin.

He broke down. He behaved as even Pyotr Stepanovitch had towards the end
begun to fear he would. Left in charge of Tolkatchenko, and afterwards
of Erkel, he spent all the following day lying in his bed with his face
turned to the wall, apparently calm, not uttering a word, and scarcely
answering when he was spoken to. This is how it was that he heard
nothing all day of what was happening in the town. But Tolkatchenko,
who was very well informed about everything, took into his head by
the evening to throw up the task of watching Lyamshin which Pyotr
Stepanovitch had laid upon him, and left the town, that is, to put it
plainly, made his escape; the fact is, they lost their heads as Erkel
had predicted they would. I may mention, by the way, that Liputin had
disappeared the same day before twelve o'clock. But things fell out so
that his disappearance did not become known to the authorities till
the evening of the following day, when, the police went to question his
family, who were panic-stricken at his absence but kept quiet from fear
of consequences. But to return to Lyamshin: as soon as he was left alone
(Erkel had gone home earlier, relying on Tolkatchenko) he ran out of
his house, and, of course, very soon learned the position of affairs.
Without even returning home he too tried to run away without knowing
where he was going. But the night was so dark and to escape was so
terrible and difficult, that after going through two or three streets,
he returned home and locked himself up for the whole night. I believe
that towards morning he attempted to commit suicide but did not succeed.
He remained locked up till midday--and then suddenly he ran to the
authorities. He is said to have crawled on his knees, to have sobbed and
shrieked, to have kissed the floor crying out that he was not worthy to
kiss the boots of the officials standing before him. They soothed him,
were positively affable to him. His examination lasted, I am told, fo