“Don’t scold us. You must know he went down _there_ yesterday and to-day, and he has withdrawn. He ‘sneaked’ like anything about Nadia and me. They’ve shut her up. There was such a row, but we wouldn’t give way—and, my word, how the fellow drinks! He was always talking about you; but, of course, he is no companion for you. You are, more or less, a respectable sort of man, and must have belonged to society at some time of your life, though you seem to have retired into private life just now. Is it poverty, or what? I couldn’t make head or tail of Pavel Pavlovitch’s story.” “Oh! Then it was he who gave you those interesting details about me?” “Yes; don’t be cross about it. It’s better to be a citizen than ‘a swell’ any-day! The thing is one does not know whom to respect in Russia nowadays! Don’t you think it a diseased feature of the times, in Russia, that one doesn’t know whom to respect?” “Quite so, quite so. Well, go on about Pavel Pavlovitch——” “Well, he sat down in the railway carriage and began singing, then he cried a bit. It was really disgusting to see the fellow. I hate fools! Then he began to throw money to beggars ‘for the repose of Liza’s soul,’ he said. Is that his wife?” “Daughter.” “What’s the matter with your hand?” “I cut it.” “H’m! Never mind, cheer up! It’ll be all right soon! I am glad that fellow has gone, you know,—confound him! But I bet anything he’ll marry as soon as he arrives at his place.” “Well, what of that? You are going to marry, too!” “I! That’s quite a different affair! What a funny man you are! Why, if _you_ are fifty, he must be sixty! Well, ta-ta! Glad I met you—can’t come in—don’t ask me—no time!” He started off at a run, but turned a minute after and came back. “What a fool I am!” he cried, “I forgot all about it—he sent you a letter. Here it is. How was it you didn’t see him off? Ta-ta!” Velchaninoff returned home and opened the letter, which was sealed and addressed to himself.