have grown, my boy! I only recognized you by your walk. Well, shall
we have dinner together? Where can we get a good meal here?"

"I hardly think I will have the time," answered Nekhludoff, who wished
to get rid of his friend without offending him. "What brings you
here?" he asked.

"Business, my boy. Guardianship affairs. I am a guardian, you know. I
have charge of Samanoff's business--the rich Samanoff, you know. He is
a spendthrift, and there are fifty-four thousand acres of land!" he
said with particular pride, as if he had himself made all these acres.
"The affairs were fearfully neglected. The land was rented to the
peasants, who did not pay anything and were eighty thousand rubles in
arrears. In one year I changed everything, and realized seventy per
cent. more for the estate. Eh?" he asked, with pride.

Nekhludoff recalled a rumor that for the very reason that Shenbok
squandered his own wealth and was inextricably in debt, he was
appointed guardian over a rich old spendthrift, and was now evidently
obtaining an income from the guardianship.

Nekhludoff refused to take dinner with Shenbok, or accompany him to
the horse races, to which the latter invited him, and after an
exchange of commonplaces the two parted.

"Is it possible that I was like him?" thought Nekhludoff. "Not
exactly, but I sought to be like him, and thought that I would thus
pass my life."

* * * * *