hief. Dawn
after dawn saw him leaving the green tables of either the "Nobility" or
the Yacht clubs; and, as if to applaud his defection, fate decreed that
Ivan could not lose. Baccarat, roulette, piquet, even whist,--Ivan won
at them all, till one drawer in his escritoire was stuffed full of
lightly won notes.

The Countess Dravikine, it seemed, was highly pleased at her nephew's
return to what she considered the only proper society for a member of
her family. And it was probably through some communication of hers that,
during the second week in April, Ivan was astonished at the receipt of a
very good-humored letter from his father, containing much specious
advice upon his conduct, together with the intelligence that,
henceforth, his allowance should be doubled. At this time of his life,
indeed, Ivan might have thrown money into the street by handsful and
still have felt no want. But, as if to add mockery to the situation,
this Ivan was the least extravagant of young men. His wants were
singularly few; and the chief items in his expenditure consisted in the
lending of money to his brother officers; all of whom eventually paid
their debts.

There was one thing, one brief but delightful incident, indirectly
brought about by Madame Dravikine, which Ivan had to cherish during the
long months that ensued.

During the whole of this winter of her cousin's introduction to the
great world, Mademoiselle Nathalie Alexeiovna had remained shut away
from any possible encounter, in the Catherine Institute. As the spring
advanced, however, Mademoiselle Nathalie's mother began to receive
rather disturbing reports concerning the health of the young girl. She
was neither eating nor sleeping; she looked pale and worn; and she lay
on her bed during all the hours of recreation. So Madame la Comtesse
finally sacrificed a charming luncheon and a musical, and went, one
afternoon, to see her daughter for herself. The sight did not prove
reassuring. Nathalie was certainly not well. And the outcome was that,
upon the advice of a doctor, the young lady obtained one month's leave
from her studies and returned home to amuse herself, agreeably, under
the wing of her mother, in the house in the Serghievskaia.

In spite of these things, the details of home life proved less diverting
than the young lady had hoped. To her, accustomed for so many years to a
regular routine of life and the continual companionship of girls of her
own age, the fashionabl