“Well, I don’t know about that,” said Nekhludoff.  “I went there twice, and felt very much depressed.”

“Do you know, you ought to get acquainted with the Countess Passek,” continued Maslennikoff, growing talkative.  “She has given herself up entirely to this sort of work.  Elle fait beaucoup de bien.  Thanks to her—­and, perhaps I may add without false modesty, to me—­everything has been changed, changed in such a way that the former horrors no longer exist, and they are really quite comfortable there.  Well, you’ll see.  There’s Fanarin.  I do not know him personally; besides, my social position keeps our ways apart; but he is positively a bad man, and besides, he takes the liberty of saying such things in the court—­such things!”

“Well, thank you,” Nekhludoff said, taking the paper, and without listening further he bade good-day to his former comrade.

“And won’t you go in to see my wife?”

“No, pray excuse me; I have no time now.”

“Dear me, why she will never forgive me,” said Maslennikoff, accompanying his old acquaintance down to the first landing, as he was in the habit of doing to persons of not the greatest, but the second greatest importance, with whom he classed Nekhludoff; “now do go in, if only for a moment.”

But Nekhludoff remained firm; and while the footman and the door-keeper rushed to give him his stick and overcoat, and opened the door, outside of which there stood a policeman, Nekhludoff repeated that he really could not come in.

“Well, then; on Thursday, please.  It is her ‘at-home.’  I will tell her you will come,” shouted Maslennikoff from the stairs.

CHAPTER LI.

THE CELLS.

Nekhludoff drove that day straight from Maslennikoff’s to the prison, and went to the inspector’s lodging, which he now knew.  He was again struck by the sounds of the same piano of inferior quality; but this time it was not a rhapsody that was being played, but exercises by Clementi, again with the same vigour, distinctness, and quickness.  The servant with the bandaged eye said the inspector was in, and showed Nekhludoff to a small drawing-room, in which there stood a sofa and, in front of it, a table, with a large lamp, which stood on a piece of crochet work, and the paper shade of which was burnt on one side.  The chief inspector entered, with his usual sad and weary look.

“Take a seat, please.  What is it you want?” he said, buttoning up the middle button of his uniform.

“I have just been to the vice-governor’s, and got this order from him.  I should like to see the prisoner Maslova.”

“Markova?” asked the inspector, unable to bear distinctly because of the music.

“Maslova!”

“Well, yes.”  The inspector got up and went to the door whence proceeded Clementi’s roulades.

“Mary, can’t you stop just a minute?” he said, in a voice that showed that this music was the bane of his life.  “One can’t hear a word.”