The lady began swelling again. . . . Looking round him wildly Pavel
Vassilyevitch got up, yelled in a deep, unnatural voice, snatched
from the table a heavy paper-weight, and beside himself, brought
it down with all his force on the authoress's head. . . .

* * * * *

"Give me in charge, I've killed her!" he said to the maidservant
who ran in, a minute later.

The jury acquitted him.


A MYSTERY

ON the evening of Easter Sunday the actual Civil Councillor, Navagin,
on his return from paying calls, picked up the sheet of paper on
which visitors had inscribed their names in the hall, and went with
it into his study. After taking off his outer garments and drinking
some seltzer water, he settled himself comfortably on a couch and
began reading the signatures in the list. When his eyes reached the
middle of the long list of signatures, he started, gave an ejaculation
of astonishment and snapped his fingers, while his face expressed
the utmost perplexity.

"Again!" he said, slapping his knee. "It's extraordinary! Again!
Again there is the signature of that fellow, goodness knows who he
is! Fedyukov! Again!"