On the Eve

buy some books, and he wanted to seize the opportunity to see Insarov and have some conversation with him. The idea had occurre

s shirt sleeves, with a skein of grey thread on his shoulder, thrust out from a high casement window a dirty, dull, unshorn face, with a blackened eye; and a black and hornless goat, clambering up on to a dung heap, turned round, bleated plaintively, and went on chewing the cud faster than before. A woman in an old cloak, and shoes trodden down at heel, took pity at last on Bersenyev and pointed out Insarov's lodging to him. Bersenyev found him at home. He had taken a room with the very tailor who had stared down so indifferently at the

nd he seated himself o

inting to a pile of papers and books on the floor, 'I ha

ll more clearly marked in his appearance; he was a young man of five-and-twenty, spare and sinewy, with a hollow chest and knotted fingers; he had sharp features, a hooked nose, blue-black hair, a low forehead, small,

your old lodging?'

, and nearer to

to stay in the town in summer! You should have take

d offered Bersenyev a pipe, adding: 'Exc

egan smokin

ouse near Kuntsovo, very cheap and very room

gain made

n cloud, 'that if any one could be found-you, for instance, I thought of-who would care, who would cons

es on him. 'You propose my s

room to spare t

etrovitch; but I expect my

o you

ving in a country house. It's impo

nse in that way,' he went on. 'Your lodging here would remain for you, let us suppose; but the

ng. Bersenyev bega

irl there is there! There is an intimate friend of mine staying there too, a man of great talent; I am sure you would get on with him. [The Russian loves to be hospitable-of his friends if he can offer nothing else.] Re

room. 'Let me know,' he said, 'how

d silver

any rooms

iv

n that one room cos

really it's utterly unnecessary

s head: 'I can only take advantage of your offer if you agree to take the sum we have reckoned. Twenty ro

really I am asha

impossible, An

but what an obstin

gain made

mother, a woman far gone with child, made her appearance, also wearing a kerchief on her head, but a very diminutive one. Insarov informed her that he was going to stay at a cottage near Kuntsovo, but should keep on his lodging and leave all his things in their keeping; the tailor's wife too seemed scared and went

rted him to the door with cordial good manners, not common in Russia; and, when he w