e one sort distinguished from the others? And
are not all these rules of politeness bad, if they do not extend to all
sorts of people? And is not what we call politeness an illusion, and a
very ugly illusion?

LYOFF TOLSTOY.

Question: Which is the most "beastly plague," a cattle-plague case for a
farmer, or the ablative case for a school-boy?

LYOFF TOLSTOY.

Answers are requested to the following questions:

Why do Ustyusha, Masha, Alyona, Peter, etc., have to bake, boil, sweep,
empty slops, wait at table, while the gentry have only to eat, gobble,
quarrel, make slops, and eat again?

LYOFF TOLSTOY.

My Aunt Tanya, when she was in a bad temper because the coffee-pot had
been spilt or because she had been beaten at croquet, was in the habit
of sending every one to the devil. My father wrote the following story,
"Susoitchik," about it.

The devil, not the chief devil, but one of the rank and file, the one
charged with the management of social affairs, Susoitchik by name, was
greatly perturbed on the 6th of August, 1884. From the early morning
onward, people kept arriving who had been sent him by Tatyana Kuzminsky.

The first to arrive was Alexander Mikhailovitch Kuzminsky; the second
was Misha Islavin; the third was Vyatcheslaf; the fourth was Seryozha
Tolstoy, and last of all came old Lyoff Tolstoy, senior, accompanied
by Prince Urusof. The first visitor, Alexander Mikhailovitch, caused
Susoitchik no surprise, as he often paid Susoitchik visits in obedience
to the behests of his wife.

"What, has your wife sent you again?"

"Yes," replied the presiding judge of the district-court, shyly, not
knowing what explanation he could give of the cause of his visit.

"You come here very often. What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing in particular; she just sent her compliments," murmured
Alexander Mikhailovitch, departing from the exact truth with some
effort.

"Very good, very good; come whenever you like; she is one of my best
workers."

Before Susoitchik had time to show the judge out, in came all the
children, laughing and jostling, and hiding one behind the other.

"What brought you here, youngsters? Did my little Tanyitchka send you?
That's right; no harm in coming. Give my compliments to Tanya, and
tell her that I am always at her service. Come whenever you like. Ol