precede her to her arm-chair, the other chairs would make a
scraping sound, and, with a feeling as though a cold shiver (the
precursor of appetite) were running down one's back, one would
seize upon one's damp, starched napkin, nibble a morsel or two of
bread, and, rubbing one's hands softly under the table, gaze with
eager, radiant impatience at the steaming plates of soup which
the butler was beginning to dispense in order of ranks and ages
or according to the favour of our grandmother.

On the present occasion, however, I was conscious of neither
excitement nor pleasure when I went in to luncheon. Even the
mingled chatter of Mimi, the girls, and St. Jerome about the
horrible boots of our Russian tutor, the pleated dresses worn by
the young Princesses Kornakoff, and so forth (chatter which at
any other time would have filled me with a sincerity of contempt
which I should have been at no pains to conceal--at all events so
far as Lubotshka and Katenka were concerned), failed to shake the
benevolent frame of mind into which I had fallen. I was unusually
good-humoured that day, and listened to everything with a smile
and a studied air of kindness. Even when I asked for the kvas I
did so politely, while I lost not a moment in agreeing with St.
Jerome when he told me that it was undoubtedly more correct to
say "Je peux" than "Je puis." Yet, I must confess to a certain
disappointment at finding that no one paid any particular
attention to my politeness and good-humour. After luncheon,
Lubotshka showed me a paper on which she had written down a list
of her sins: upon which I observed that, although the idea was
excellent so far as it went, it would be still better for her to
write down her sins on her SOUL--"a very different matter."