He has such a solemn face that it
sounded a little severe and you took him seriously! Calm yourself!
Efimia Pavlovna, darling, we are just going, won't you tell us our
fortunes at cards? You are such a good hand at it. Snandulia, do get the
cards, please!"

Fimishka glanced at her husband, who seemed completely reassured, so she
too quieted down.

"I have quite forgotten how to tell fortunes, my dear. It is such a long
time since I held the cards in my hand."

But quite of her own accord she took an extraordinary, ancient pack of
cards out of Snandalia's hand.

"Whose fortune shall I tell?"

"Why everybody's, of course!" Paklin exclaimed. "What a dear old
thing......... You can do what you like with her," he thought. "Tell us
all our fortunes, granny dear," he said aloud. "Tell us our fates, our
characters, our futures, everything!"

She began shuffling the cards, but threw them down suddenly.

"I don't need cards!" she exclaimed. "I know all your characters
without that, and as the character, so is the fate. This one," she said,
pointing to Solomin, "is a cool, steady sort of man. That one," she
said, pointing threateningly at Markelov, "is a fiery, disastrous man."
(Pufka put her tongue out at him.) "And as for you," she looked at
Paklin, "there is no need to tell you--you know quite well that you're
nothing but a giddy goose! And that one--"

She pointed to Nejdanov, but hesitated.

"Well?" he asked; "do please tell me what sort of a man I am."

"What sort of a man are you," Fimishka repeated slowly. "You are
pitiable--that is all!"

"Pitiable! But why?"

"Just so. I pity you--that is all I can say."

"But why do you pity me?"

"Because my eyes tell me so. Do you think I am a fool? I am cleverer
than you, in spite of your red hair. I pity you--that is all!"

There was a brief silence--they all looked at one another, but did not
utter a word.

"Well, goodbye, dear friends," Paklin exclaimed. "We must have bored
you to death with our long visit. It is time for these gentlemen to be
going, and I am going with them. Goodbye, thanks for your kindness."

"Goodbye, goodbye, come again. Don't be on ceremony," Fomishka and
Fimishka exclaimed together. Then Fomishka suddenly drawled out:

"Many, many, many years of life. Many--"

"Many, many," Kalliopitch chimed in quite unexpectedly, when opening the
door for the young men to pass out.

The whole four suddenly found themselves in the street before t