When I stop drinking tea and eating bread and butter, I say: "I have had enough." But when I stop reading poems or novels, I say: "No more of that, no more of that." * * * * * A solicitor lends money at a high rate of interest, and justifies himself because he is leaving everything to the University of Moscow. * * * * * A little sexton, with radical views: "Nowadays our fellows crawl out from all sorts of unexpected holes." * * * * * The squire N. always quarrels with his neighbors who are Molokans[1]; he goes to court, abuses and curses them; but when at last they leave, he feels there is an empty place; he ages rapidly and pines away. [Footnote 1: Molokans are a religious sect in Russia.] * * * * * Mordukhanov. * * * * * With N. and his wife there lives the wife's brother, a lachrymose young man who at one time steals, at another tells lies, at another attempts suicide; N. and his wife do not know what to do, they are afraid to turn him out because he might kill himself; they would like to turn him out, but they do not know how to manage it. For forging a bill he gets into prison, and N. and his wife feel that they are to blame; they cry, grieve. She died from grief; he too died some time later and everything was left to the brother who squandered it and got into prison again. * * * * * Suppose I had to marry a woman and live in her house, I would run away in two days, but a woman gets used so quickly to her husband's house, as though she had been born there. * * * * * Well, you are a Councillor; but whom do you counsel? God forbid that any one should listen to your counsels. * * * * * The little town of Torjok. A sitting of the town council. Subject: the raising of the rates. Decision: to invite the Pope to settle down in Torjok--to choose it as his residence. * * * * * S.'s logic: I am for religious toleration, but against religious freedom; one cannot allow what is not in the strict sense orthodox. * * * * * St. Piony and Epinach. ii March, Pupli 13 m. * * * * * Poetry and works of art contain not what is needed but what people desire; they do not go further than the crowd and they express only what the best in the crowd desire. * * * * * A little man is very cautious; he sends even letters of congratulation by registered post in order to get a receipt. * * * * * Russia is an enormous plain across which wander mischievous men. * * * * * Platonida Ivanovna. * * * * *