Page:Hours Spent in Prison.djvu/76

 and played along the dusty corridor; all was mysterious and strange. His father, who was a large land surveyor, died when Leonidas was still at the public school. From this time he suffered poverty both at school and at the University.

During his first University Term at St. Petersburg he often starved, but not so much out of real poverty as from lack of experience. Sometimes he went without food for two days. At that period he wrote his first narration about a hungry student. He was affected to tears while writing it, and when the editor returned him his MS. his colleagues laughed at the author.

He finished his education at the University of Moscow, where he became more successful. His companions commenced helping him; also “the Committee of Help” rendered him some