"But how can he settle accounts when we are getting into debt all the time? Money or no money, yet the winter here has cost eighty thousand rubles, and now there isn't a silver ruble in the house. And all owing to his kind-heartedness. You see, he's such a simple bárin that it would be hard to find his equal: that's the very reason that he's going to ruin,--going to ruin, all for nothing." And the old man almost wept. Nekhliudof woke up about eleven, and called me in. "They haven't sent me any money yet," says he. "But it isn't my fault. Shut the door," says he. I shut the door. "Here," says he, "take my watch or this diamond pin, and pawn it. They will give you more than one hundred and eighty rubles for it, and when I get my money I will redeem it," says he. "No matter, sir," says I. "If you don't happen to have any money, it's no consequence; let me have the watch if you don't mind. I can wait for your convenience." I can see that the watch is worth more than three hundred. Very good. I pawned the watch for a hundred rubles, and carried him the ticket. "You will owe me eighty rubles," says I, "and you had better redeem the watch." And so it happened that he still owed me eighty rubles. After that he began to come to us again every day. I don't know how matters stood between him and the prince, but at all events he kept coming with him all the time, or else they would go and play cards up-stairs with Fedotka. And what queer accounts those three men kept between them! this one would lend money to the other, the other to the third, yet who it was that owed the money you never could find out. And in this way he kept on coming our way for well-nigh two years; only it was to be plainly seen that he was a changed man, such a devil-may-care manner he assumed at times. He even went so far at times as to borrow a ruble of me to pay a hack-driver; and yet he would still play with the prince for a hundred rubles stake. He grew gloomy, thin, sallow. As soon as he came he used to order a little glass of absinthe, take a bite of something, and drink some port wine, and then he would grow more lively. He came one time before dinner; it happened to be carnival time, and he began to play with a hussar. Says he, "Do you want to play for a stake?" "Very well," says he. "What shall it be?" "A bottle of Claude Vougeaux? What do you say?" "All right." Very good. The hussar won, and they went off for their dinner. They sat down at table, and then Nekhliudof says, "Simon, a bottle of Claude Vougeaux, and see that you warm it to the proper point." Simon went out, brought in the dinner, but no wine. "Well," says he, "where's the wine?" Simon hurried out, brought in the roast. "Let us have the wine," says he. Simon makes no reply. "What's got into you? Here we've almost finished dinner, and no wine. Who wants to drink with dessert?" Simon hurried out. "The landlord," says he, "wants to speak to you."