ich Kirillov lived and drank tea, and laughter and strange
cries came from it. Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch went towards the light, but
stood still in the doorway without going in. There was tea on the table.
In the middle of the room stood the old woman who was a relation of the
landlord. She was bareheaded and was dressed in a petticoat and a
hare-skin jacket, and her stockingless feet were thrust into slippers.
In her arms she had an eighteen-months-old baby, with nothing on but its
little shirt; with bare legs, flushed cheeks, and ruffled white hair. It
had only just been taken out of the cradle. It seemed to have just been
crying; there were still tears in its eyes. But at that instant it was
stretching out its little arms, clapping its hands, and laughing with a
sob as little children do. Kirillov was bouncing a big red india-rubber
ball on the floor before it. The ball bounced up to the ceiling, and back
to the floor, the baby shrieked "Baw! baw!" Kirillov caught the "baw",
and gave it to it. The baby threw it itself with its awkward little hands,
and Kirillov ran to pick it up again.

At last the "baw" rolled under the cupboard. "Baw! baw!" cried the
child. Kirillov lay down on the floor, trying to reach the ball with his
hand under the cupboard. Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch went into the room. The
baby caught sight of him, nestled against the old woman, and went off
into a prolonged infantile wail. The woman immediately carried it out of
the room.

"Stavrogin?" said Kirillov, beginning to get up from the floor with the
ball in his hand, and showing no surprise at the unexpected visit. "Will
you have tea?"

He rose to his feet.

"I should be very glad of it, if it's hot," said Nikolay
Vsyevolodovitch; "I'm wet through."

"It's hot, nearly boiling in fact," Kirillov declared delighted. "Sit
down. You're muddy, but that's nothing; I'll mop up the floor later."

Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch sat down and emptied the cup he handed him
almost at a gulp.

"Some more?" asked Kirillov.

"No, thank you."

Kirillov, who had not sat down till then, seated himself facing him, and
inquired:

"Why have you come?"

"On business. Here, read this letter from Gaganov; do you remember, I
talked to you about him in Petersburg."

Kirillov took the letter, read it, laid it on the table and looked at
him expectantly.

"As you know, I met this Gaganov for the first time in my life a month
ago, in Petersburg," Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch