east. Suddenly I heard
the dining-room echo to a merry peal of laughter from Valentina
Ignatievna, and the General reply to that outburst:

"'Ah, that man! Ah, these servants of ours! Why, the fellow would do
ANYTHING for a piatak '[A silver five-kopeck piece, equal in value to 2
1/4 pence.]

"To this my beloved one retorted:

"'Oh, uncle, uncle! Is it only a piatak that I am worth?

And then I heard the doctor put in:

"'What was it you gave him?'

"'Merely some soda and tartaric acid. To think of the fun that we shall
have!'"

Here, closing his eyes, Kalinin remained silent for a moment, whilst
the moist breeze sighed as it drove dense, wet mist against the black
branches of the trees.

"At first my feeling was one of overwhelming joy at the thought that at
least not DEATH was to be my fate. For I may tell you that, so far from
being harmful, soda and tartaric acid are frequently taken as a remedy
against drunken headache. Then the thought occurred to me: 'But, since
I am not a tippler, why should such a joke have been played upon ME?'
However, from that moment I began to feel easier, and when the company
had sat down to dinner, and, amid a general silence, I was handing
round the soup, the doctor tasted his portion, and, raising his head
with a frown, inquired:

"'Forgive me, but what soup is this?'

"'Ah!' I inwardly reflected. 'Soon, good gentlefolk, you will see how
your jest has miscarried.'

"Aloud I replied--replied with complete boldness:

"'Do not fear, sir. I have taken the powder myself.'

Upon this the General and his wife, who were still in ignorance that
the jest had gone amiss, began to titter, but the others said nothing,
though Valentina Ignatievna's eyes grew rounder and rounder, until in
an undertone she murmured:

"'Did you KNOW that the stuff was harmless?'

"'I did not,' I replied. 'At least, not at the moment of my drinking
it.'

"Whereafter falling headlong to the floor, I lost consciousness."

Kalinin's small face had become painfully contracted, and grown old and
haggard-looking. Rolling over on to his breast before the languishing
fire, he waved a hand to dissipate the smoke which was lazily drifting
slant-wise.

"For seventeen days did I remain stretched on a sick-bed, and was
attended by the doctor in person. One day, when sitting by my side, he
inquired:

"'I presume your intention was to poison yourself, you foolish fellow?'

"Yes, merely THAT was what he call