God be with you! I, Peter, I will pray for both of you." Tears
interrupted her, and she went away; I wished to follow her into the
house, but I was not master of myself, and I went to my own quarters.
I was plunged in melancholy, when Saveliitch came to interrupt my
reflections.

"There, my lord," said he, presenting me a sheet of paper all covered
with writing, "see if I am a spy on my master, and if I try to embroil
father and son."

I took the paper from his hand; it was his reply to my father's letter.

I could not help smiling at the old man's letter. I was in no
condition to write to my father, and to calm my mother his letter
seemed sufficient.

From that day, Marie scarcely spoke to me, and even tried to avoid
me. The Commandant's house became insupportable, and I accustomed
myself, little by little, to remain alone in my room. At first
Basilia reasoned with me, but seeing my persistency she let me alone.
I saw Ivan Mironoff only when the service required it. I had but
rare interviews with Alexis, for whom my antipathy increased, because
I thought I discovered in him a secret enmity which confirmed my
suspicions. Life became a burden; I gave myself up to a melancholy
which was fed by solitude and inaction. Love burned on in silence
and tortured me, more and more. I lost all taste for reading and
literature; I let myself become completely depressed; and I feared
that I should either become a lunatic or rush into dissipation, when
events occurred that had great influence on my life and give a strong
and healthy tone to my mind.