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128. It is pleasant to a man who is a theorist to observe how egotism plays with his ideas when he comes to put them into practice."

I intend to forewarn the reader about all things, and therefore I shall tell him not to suppose that this monologue spoken by Lopukhóf contains a mysterious hint on the part of the author as to some important motive in the further development of the relations between Lopukhóf and Viéra Pavlovna. Viéra Pavlovna's life will not be undermined by being deprived of the means of shining in society and of dressing expensively; and her relations to Lopukhóf will not be demoralized by a "pernicious feeling of gratefulness." I am not one of those artists in whose every word is hidden some kind of a spring. I am only relating what people have done and thought. If any kind of an action, conversation, monologue, is necessary for the characterizing of a person or a situation, I relate it, even though it may respond with no results in the further development of my story.

"Now, Aleksandr, you must not complain because I am behind you in our work. I shall be ahead of you."

"Why? Are you through with that young woman's affair?"

"I am."

"Is she going to be a governess at the B.s'?"

"No, she is not going to be a governess. It has been arranged otherwise. She will now be able for a while to live a tolerable life in her own family."

"Well, that's good. It is pretty tough to be a governess. And now, brother, I am done with the optic nerve and I am going to take up the next pair, and how far have you got along?"

"I shall have to finish the work at—." And here came a series of anatomical and physiological terms.

" is now the twenty-eighth of April; he said that he should be through by the first of July. Let us say the tenth; but that is not the first. Well, we can take the tenth; or, so as to get nearer, I'll suppose it's the fifteenth. No, I'll take the tenth, after all. Now, how many days are left? To-day should not be counted; there are only five hours of it left. There are two days more in April; May,