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408 Among other efforts, Pierre in person had accosted a limping half-deaf old book-stall man, not very far from the Apostles'. 'Have you the "Chronometrics," my friend?' forgetting the exact title.

'Very bad, very bad!' said the old man, rubbing his back;—'has had the chronic-rheumatics ever so long; what's good for 'em?'

Perceiving his mistake, Pierre replied that he did not know what was the infallible remedy.

'Whist! let me tell ye, then, young 'un,' said the old cripple, limping close up to him, and putting his mouth in Pierre's ear—'Never catch 'em!—now's the time, while you're young:—never catch 'em!'

By and by the blue-eyed, mystic-mild face in the upper window of the old gray tower began to domineer in a very remarkable manner upon Pierre. When in his moods of peculiar depression and despair; when dark thoughts of his miserable condition would steal over him; and black doubts as to the integrity of his unprecedented course in life would most malignantly suggest themselves; when a thought of the vanity of his deep book would glidingly intrude; if glancing at his closet-window that mystic-mild face met Pierre's; under any of these influences the effect was surprising, and not to be adequately detailed in any possible words.

Vain! vain! vain! said the face to him. Fool! fool! fool! said the face to him. Quit! quit! quit! said the face to him. But when he mentally interrogated the face as to why it thrice said Vain! Fool! Quit! to him; here there was no response. For that face did not respond to anything. Did I not say before that that face was something separate, and apart; a face by itself? Now, anything which is thus a thing by itself never responds to any other thing. If to affirm, be to expand one's isolated self; and if to deny, be to contract