A Hero of Our Time

g a double lorgnette. Epaulettes of incredible size were bent backwards and upwards in the shape of a cupid's wings; his boots creaked; in his left hand he held cinnamon-coloured kid gloves and

e made me burst out laughing, if such a procee

hief, which was twisted into a very high stiffener for his cravat, and the bristles of which supported his chin, stuck out an inch over his collar. It seemed to him to

s terribly these last few days?" he said, r

repeating a pet phrase of one of the cleverest rogu

Oh, the cursed Jew!... How it cuts me unde

do you want? You are reeki

nd. Give

er his cravat, his pocket

ing to danc

hink

f the mazurka with Princess Mary, an

er to dance the m

yet

re not fore

his forehead. "Good-bye... I will g

is forage-c

or inn-whichever you prefer-people were thronging. The windows were lighted up, the strains of

espair! I have been the indispensable person of the fifth act; unwillingly I have played the pitiful part of an executioner or a traitor. What object has fate had in this?... Surely, I have not been appointed by destiny to be an author of middle-class tragedies and family romances, or t

d myself in a crowd of men, and

absent-mindedly and looking about her, her fan laid to her lips. Impatience was depicted upon her face, her e

tski was saying. "You have changed

casting a rapid glance at him, in which

thing is impossible! Whoever has seen you once

op"

what you have so often listened to with

ke repetitions," she

t, would give me the right to hope... No, it would have been better for me to have remained for e

the cloak is much mo

wed to Princess Mary. She blush

n, that the grey cloak suits Mons

nswered: "he is more youthful-

n old man; he thinks that the deep traces of passions upon his countenance take the place of t

has always been most ridiculous, yet not so long ago he

eyes down and

er with her or vis-a-vis. He devoured her with his eyes, sighed, and wearied her

om you," he said, coming

ha

urka with her?" he asked in a s

n? It is not a

ted such a thing from that chit-that fl

epaulettes, but why accuse her? What fault is it

give me

o strive after something-that I ca

but not quite," he said

chose her every minute: obviously a conspiracy against me-all the better! Sh

ice; the second time she drew

night," she said to me w

i is to bla

, n

, that I promised myself that I would

Mary into her carriage, I rapidly pressed her little h

aloon very well sat

d been talking about me. Since the last ball many of them have been sulky with me, especially the captain of dragoons; and now, it se

catch every glance, the meaning of every word, to guess intentions, to crush conspiracies, to pretend to be deceived and suddenly

whispering and exchanging win