story. At the name of Lavretsky, Maria Dmitrievna became nervous and
turned pale, but went forward to receive him.

"How are you? how are you, my dear cousin?" she exclaimed, with an
almost lachrymose voice, dwelling on each word she uttered. "How glad
I am to see you!"

"How are you, my good cousin?" replied Lavretsky, with a friendly
pressure of her outstretched hand. "Is all well with you?"

"Sit clown, sit down, my dear Fedor Ivanovich. Oh, how delighted I am!
But first let me introduce my daughter Liza."

"I have already introduced myself to Lizaveta Mikhailovna,"
interrupted Lavretsky.

"Monsieur Panshine--Sergius Petrovich Gedeonovsky. But do sit down. I
look at you, and, really, I can scarcely trust my eyes. But tell me
about your health; is it good?"

"I am quite well, as you can see. And you, too, cousin--if I can say
so without bringing you bad luck[A]--you are none the worse for these
seven years."

[Footnote A: A reference to the superstition of the "evil eye," still
rife among the peasants in Russia. Though it has died out among the
educated classes, yet the phrase, "not to cast an evil eye," is still
made use of in conversation.]

"When I think what a number of years it is since we last saw one