band, suddenly turned crimson and brought his fist down upon the
table with such violence that two actresses in the next dressing-room
felt faint.

"And you believe it?" cried Bluebeard. "You believe this worthless
rascal? O-oh! Would you like me to kill him like a dog? Would you
like it? I will turn him into a beefsteak! I'll blow his brains
out!"

And all the persons who were promenading that evening in the town
park by the Summer theatre describe to this day how just before the
fourth act they saw a man with bare feet, a yellow face, and
terror-stricken eyes dart out of the theatre and dash along the
principal avenue. He was pursued by a man in the costume of Bluebeard,
armed with a revolver. What happened later no one saw. All that is
known is that Murkin was confined to his bed for a fortnight after
his acquaintance with Blistanov, and that to the words "I am a man
in delicate health, rheumatic" he took to adding, "I am a wounded
man. . . ."

JOY

IT was twelve o'clock at night.

Mitya Kuldarov, with excited face and ruffled hair, flew into his
parents' flat, and hurriedly ran through all the rooms. His parents
had already gone to bed. His sister was in bed, finishing the last
page of a novel. His schoolboy brothers were asleep.

"Where have you come from?" cried his parents in amazement. "What
is the matter with you?

"Oh, don't ask! I never expected it; no, I never expected it! It's
. . . it's positively incredible!"

Mitya laughed and sank into an armchair, so overcome by happiness
that he could not stand on his legs.

"It's incredible! You can't imagine! Look!"

His sister jumped out of bed and, throwing a quilt round her, went
in to her brother. The schoolboys woke up.

"What's the matter? You don't look like yourself!"

"It's because I am so delighted, Mamma! Do you know, now all Russia
knows of me! All Russia! Till now only you knew that there was a
registration clerk called Dmitry Kuldarov, and now all Russia knows
it! Mamma! Oh, Lord!"

Mitya jumped up, ran up and down all the rooms, and then sat down
again.

"Why, what has happened? Tell us sensibly!"

"You live like wild beasts, you don't read the newspapers and take
no notice of what's published, and there's so much that is interesting
in the papers. If anything happens it's all known at once, nothing
is hidden! How happy I am! Oh, Lord! You know it's only celebrated
people whose names are published in the papers, and now they ha