“M.  Panshine can come with us, I suppose?” asked Maria Dmitrievna.

“Of course,” replied Lavretsky.  “But would it not be better for us to keep to our family circle?”

“But I think—­” began Maria Dmitrievna, adding, however, “Well, just as you like.”

It was settled that Lenochka and Shurochka should go.  Marfa Timofeevna refused to take part in the excursion.

“It’s a bore to me, my dear,” she said, “to move my old bones; and there’s nowhere, I suppose, in your house where I could pass the night; besides, I never can sleep in a strange bed.  Let these young folks caper as they please.”

Lavretsky had no other opportunity of speaking with Liza alone, but he kept looking at her in a manner that pleased her, and at the same time confused her a little.  She felt very sorry for him.  When he went away, he took leave of her with a warm pressure of the hand.  She fell into a reverie as soon as she found herself alone.

XXIV.[A]

[Footnote A:  Omitted in the French translation.]

On entering the drawing-room, after his return home, Lavretsky met a tall, thin man, with a wrinkled but animated face, untidy grey whiskers, a long, straight nose, and small, inflamed eyes.  This individual, who was dressed in a shabby blue surtout, was Mikhalevich, his former comrade at the University.  At first Lavretsky did not recognize him, but he warmly embraced him as soon as he had made himself known.  The two friends had not seen each other since the old Moscow days.  Then followed exclamations and questions.  Memories long lost to sight came out again into the light of day.  Smoking pipe after pipe in a hurried manner, gulping down his tea, and waving his long hands in the air, Mikhalevich related his adventures.  There was nothing very brilliant about them, and he could boast of but little success in his various enterprises; but he kept incessantly laughing a hoarse, nervous laugh.  It seemed that about a month previously he had obtained a post in the private counting-house of a rich brandy-farmer,[A] at about three hundred versts from O., and having heard of Lavretsky’s return from abroad, he had turned out of his road for the purpose of seeing his old friend again.  He spoke just as jerkingly as he used to do in the days of youth, and he became as noisy and as warm as he was in the habit of growing then.  Lavretsky began to speak about his own affairs, but Mikhalevich stopped him, hastily stammering out, “I have heard about it, brother; I have heard about it.  Who could have expected it?” and then immediately turned the conversation on topics of general interest.

[Footnote A:  One of the contractors who used to purchase the right of supplying the people with brandy.]