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My God! ere ot a sharp and vigorous slap on ers from her, and how I tried afterwards to pretend that I was absent-minded, and she teased me, and would not touch the hands I held out to her! What didn't we do that evening! We played the piano, and sang and danced and acted a gypsy encampment Nirmatsky was dressed up as a bear, and made to drink salt water Count Malevsky showed us several sorts of card tricks, and finished, after shuffling the cards, by dealing himself all the truratulating him' Meidanov recited portions froht at this period), which he intended to bring out in a black cover with the title in blood-red letters; they stole the clerk's cap off his knee, and made him dance a Cossack dance by way of ransom for it; they dressed up old Vonifaty in a wo princess put on a man's hat I could not enumerate all we did Only Byelovzorov kept ry Sometimes his eyes looked bloodshot, he flushed all over, and it seeh he would rush out upon us all and scatter us like shavings in all directions; but the young princess would glance at hier at hiain

We were quite worn out at last Even the old princess, though she was ready for anything, as she expressed it, and no noise wearied her, felt tired at last, and longed for peace and quiet At twelve o'clock at night, supper was served, consisting of a piece of stale dry cheese, and some cold turnovers of minced ham, which seemed to me more delicious than any pastry I had ever tasted; there was only one bottle of wine, and that was a strange one; a dark-coloured bottle with a wide neck, and the wine in it was of a pink hue; no one drank it, however Tired out and faint with happiness, I left the lodge; at parting Zina&iuain sht air was heavy and da; black storrew and crept across the sky, their sust of wind shivered restlessly in the dark trees, and sorily muttered as it were to itself