indeed was no rare occurrence with them; it did not mean much for
Konstantin Diomiditch to be moved and dissolve into tears. And who
would not have been pleased to have on his arm a pretty, young and
graceful woman? Of Alexandra Pavlovna the whole of her district was
unanimous in declaring that she was charming, and the district was not
wrong. Her straight, ever so slightly tilted nose would have been
enough alone to drive any man out of his senses, to say nothing of her
velvety dark eyes, her golden brown hair, the dimples in her smoothly
curved cheeks, and her other beauties. But best of all was the sweet
expression of her face; confiding, good and gentle, it touched and
attracted at the same time. Alexandra Pavlovna had the glance and the
smile of a child; other ladies found her a little simple. . . . Could
one wish for anything more?

'Darya Mihailovna sent you to me, did you say?' she asked Pandalevsky.

'Yes; she sent me,' he answered, pronouncing the letter _s_ like the
English _th_. 'She particularly wishes and told me to beg you very
urgently to be so good as to dine with her to-day. She is expecting a
new guest whom she particularly wishes you to meet'

'Who is it?'

'A certain Muffel, a baron, a gentleman of the bed-chamber from
Petersburg. Darya Mihailovna made his acquaintance lately at the
Prince Garin's, and speaks of him in high terms as an agreeable and
cultivated young man. His Excellency the baron is interested, too, in
literature, or more strictly speaking----ah! what an exquisite
butterfly! pray look at it!----more strictly speaking, in political
economy. He has written an essay on some very interesting question,