m I saying this? you know everything, of course.'

At that instant a bell rang in the house.

'Ah! _la cloche du diner_!' cried Mlle. Boncourt, '_rentrons_.'

'_Quel dommage_,' thought the old French lady to herself as she mounted
the balcony steps behind Volintsev and Natalya, '_quel dommage que ce
charmant garcon ait si peu de ressources dans la conversation_,' which
may be translated, 'you are a good fellow, my dear boy, but rather a
fool.'

The baron did not arrive to dinner. They waited half-an-hour for him.
Conversation flagged at the table. Sergei Pavlitch did nothing but gaze
at Natalya, near whom he was sitting, and zealously filled up her
glass with water. Pandalevsky tried in vain to entertain his neighbour,
Alexandra Pavlovna; he was bubbling over with sweetness, but she hardly
refrained from yawning.

Bassistoff was rolling up pellets of bread and thinking of nothing at
all; even Pigasov was silent, and when Darya Mihailovna remarked to him
that he had not been very polite to-day, he replied crossly, 'When am
I polite? that's not in my line;' and smiling grimly he added, 'have a
little patience; I am only kvas, you know, _du simple_ Russian kvas; but
your Gentleman of the Bedchamber----'

'Bravo!' cried Darya Mihailovna, 'Pigasov is jealous, he is jealous
already!'

But Pigasov made her no rejoinder, and only gave her a rather cross
look.

Seven o'clock struck, and they were all assembled again in the
drawing-room.

'He is not coming, clearly,' said Darya Mihailovna.

But, behold, the rumble of a carriage was heard: a small tarantass
drove into the court, and a few instants later a footman entered the
drawing-room and gave Darya Mihailovna a note on a silver salver. She
glanced through it, and turning to the footman asked:

'But where is the gentleman who brought this letter?'

'He is sitting in the carriage. Shall I ask him to come up?'

'Ask him to do so.'

The man went out.

'Fancy, how vexatious!' continued Darya Mihailovna, 'the baron has
received a summons to return at once to Petersburg. He has sent me
his essay by a certain Mr. Rudin, a friend of his. The baron wanted to
introduce him to me--he speaks very highly of him. But how vexatious it
is! I had hoped the baron would stay here for some time.'

'Dmitri Nikolaitch Rudin,' announced the servant

III

A man of about thirty-five entered, of a tall, somewhat stooping
figure, with crisp curly hair and swarthy complex