that two years ago I had encountered a man
at whom, in 1812, a French 'hero' fired for the mere fun of discharging
his musket. That man was then a boy of ten and his family are still
residing in Moscow."

"Impossible!" the Frenchman spluttered. "No French soldier would fire
at a child!"

"Nevertheless the incident was as I say," I replied. "A very respected
ex-captain told me the story, and I myself could see the scar left on
his cheek."

The Frenchman then began chattering volubly, and the General supported
him; but I recommended the former to read, for example, extracts from
the memoirs of General Perovski, who, in 1812, was a prisoner in the
hands of the French. Finally Maria Philipovna said something to
interrupt the conversation. The General was furious with me for having
started the altercation with the Frenchman. On the other hand, Mr.
Astley seemed to take great pleasure in my brush with Monsieur, and,
rising from the table, proposed that we should go and have a drink
together. The same afternoon, at four o'clock, I went to have my
customary talk with Polina Alexandrovna; and, the talk soon extended to
a stroll. We entered the Park, and approached the Casino, where Polina
seated herself upon a bench near the fountain, and sent Nadia away to a
little distance to play with some other children. Mischa also I
dispatched to play by the fountain, and in this fashion we--that is to
say, Polina and myself--contrived to find ourselves alone.

Of course, we began by talking on business matters. Polina seemed
furious when I handed her only 700 gulden, for she had thought to
receive from Paris, as the proceeds of the pledging of her diamonds, at
least 2000 gulden, or even more.

"Come what may, I MUST have money," she said. "And get it somehow I
will--otherwise I shall be ruined."

I asked her what had happened during my absence.

"Nothing; except that two pieces of news have reached us from St.
Petersburg. In the first place, my grandmother is very ill, and
unlikely to last another couple of days. We had this from Timothy
Petrovitch himself, and he is a reliable person. Every moment we are
expecting to receive news of the end."

"All of you are on the tiptoe of expectation?" I queried.

"Of course--all of us, and every minute of the day. For a
year-and-a-half now we have been looking for this."

"Looking for it?"

"Yes, looking for it. I am not her blood relation, you know--I am
merely the General's step-dau