of expense, and so, to please the public, there will be one or two
quadrilles in masks and fancy dresses, representing well-known literary
schools. This humorous idea was suggested by Karmazinov. He has been a
great help to me. Do you know he's going to read us the last thing he's
written, which no one has seen yet. He is laying down the pen, and will
write no more. This last essay is his farewell to the public. It's a
charming little thing called 'Merci.' The title is French; he thinks
that more amusing and even subtler. I do, too. In fact I advised it. I
think Stepan Trofimovitch might read us something too, if it were quite
short and... not so very learned. I believe Pyotr Stepanovitch and some
one else too will read something. Pyotr Stepanovitch shall run round
to you and tell you the programme. Better still, let me bring it to you
myself."

"Allow me to put my name down in your subscription list too. I'll tell
Stepan Trofimovitch and will beg him to consent."

Varvara Petrovna returned home completely fascinated. She was ready
to stand up for Yulia Mihailovna through thick and thin, and for some
reason was already quite put out with Stepan Trofimovitch, while he,
poor man, sat at home, all unconscious.

"I'm in love with her. I can't understand how I could be so mistaken in
that woman," she said to Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch and Pyotr Stepanovitch,
who dropped in that evening.

"But you must make peace with the old man all the same," Pyotr
Stepanovitch submitted. "He's in despair. You've quite sent him to
Coventry. Yesterday he met your carriage and bowed, and you turned away.
We'll trot him out, you know; I'm reckoning on him for something, and he
may still be useful."

"Oh, he'll read something."

"I don't mean only that. And I was meaning to drop in on him to-day. So
shall I tell him?"

"If you like. I don't know, though, how you'll arrange it," she said
irresolutely. "I was meaning to have a talk with him myself, and wanted
to fix the time and place."

She frowned.

"Oh, it's not worth while fixing a time. I'll simply give him the
message."

"Very well, do. Add that I certainly will fix a time to see him though.
Be sure to say that too."

Pyotr Stepanovitch ran off, grinning. He was, in fact, to the best of
my recollection, particularly spiteful all this time, and ventured upon
extremely impatient sallies with almost every one. Strange to say, every
one, somehow, forgave him. It was generally accept