te not a single instant!'
He said that this thought weighed so upon him and became such a terrible
burden upon his brain that he could not bear it, and wished they would
shoot him quickly and have done with it."

The prince paused and all waited, expecting him to go on again and
finish the story.

"Is that all?" asked Aglaya.

"All? Yes," said the prince, emerging from a momentary reverie.

"And why did you tell us this?"

"Oh, I happened to recall it, that's all! It fitted into the
conversation--"

"You probably wish to deduce, prince," said Alexandra, "that moments of
time cannot be reckoned by money value, and that sometimes five minutes
are worth priceless treasures. All this is very praiseworthy; but may I
ask about this friend of yours, who told you the terrible experience of
his life? He was reprieved, you say; in other words, they did restore to
him that 'eternity of days.' What did he do with these riches of time?
Did he keep careful account of his minutes?"

"Oh no, he didn't! I asked him myself. He said that he had not lived a
bit as he had intended, and had wasted many, and many a minute."

"Very well, then there's an experiment, and the thing is proved; one
cannot live and count each moment; say what you like, but one CANNOT."

"That is true," said the prince, "I have thought so myself. And yet, why
shouldn't one do it?"

"You think, then, that you could live more wisely than other people?"
said Aglaya.

"I have had that idea."

"And you have it still?"

"Yes--I have it still," the prince replied.

He had contemplated Aglaya until now, with a pleasant though rather
timid smile, but as the last words fell from his lips he began to laugh,
and looked at her merrily.

"You are not very modest!" said she.

"But how brave you are!" said he. "You are laughing, and I--that man's
tale impressed me so much, that I dreamt of it afterwards; yes, I dreamt
of those five minutes..."

He looked at his listeners again with that same serious, searching
expression.

"You are not angry with me?" he asked suddenly, and with a kind of
nervous hurry, although he looked them straight in the face.

"Why should we be angry?" they cried.

"Only because I seem to be giving you a lecture, all the time!"

At this they laughed heartily.

"Please don't be angry with me," continued the prince. "I know very well
that I have seen less of life than other people, and have less knowledge
of it. I must appear to spe