hem? Give me a twenty-copeck piece, somebody!"
And Hippolyte leapt from his chair.

"Here you are," said Lebedeff, handing him one; he thought the boy had
gone mad.

"Vera Lukianovna," said Hippolyte, "toss it, will you? Heads, I read,
tails, I don't."

Vera Lebedeff tossed the coin into the air and let it fall on the table.

It was "heads."

"Then I read it," said Hippolyte, in the tone of one bowing to the fiat
of destiny. He could not have grown paler if a verdict of death had
suddenly been presented to him.

"But after all, what is it? Is it possible that I should have just
risked my fate by tossing up?" he went on, shuddering; and looked round
him again. His eyes had a curious expression of sincerity. "That is
an astonishing psychological fact," he cried, suddenly addressing
the prince, in a tone of the most intense surprise. "It is... it
is something quite inconceivable, prince," he repeated with growing
animation, like a man regaining consciousness. "Take note of it,
prince, remember it; you collect, I am told, facts concerning capital
punishment... They told me so. Ha, ha! My God, how absurd!" He sat
down on the sofa, put his elbows on the table, and laid his head on
his hands. "It is shameful--though what does it matter to me if it is
shameful?

"Gentlemen, gentlemen! I am about to break the seal," he continued, with
determination. "I-I--of course I don't insist upon anyone listening if
they do not wish to."

With trembling fingers he broke the seal and drew out several sheets of
paper, smoothed them out before him, and began sorting them.

"What on earth does all this mean? What's he going to read?" muttered
several voices. Others said nothing; but one and all sat down and
watched with curiosity. They began to think something strange might
really be about to happen. Vera stood and trembled behind her father's
chair, almost in tears with fright; Colia was nearly as much alarmed
as she was. Lebedeff jumped up and put a couple of candles nearer to
Hippolyte, so that he might see better.

"Gentlemen, this--you'll soon see what this is," began Hippolyte, and
suddenly commenced his reading.

"It's headed, 'A Necessary Explanation,' with the motto, 'Apres moi
le deluge!' Oh, deuce take it all! Surely I can never have seriously
written such a silly motto as that? Look here, gentlemen, I beg to give
notice that all this is very likely terrible nonsense. It is only a few
ideas of mine. If you think that t