"Paul," cried the Countess from behind the screen, "send me a new novel; no matter what. Only see that it is not in the style of the present day."
"What style would you like, grandmother?"
"A novel in which the hero strangles neither his father nor his mother, and in which no one gets drowned. Nothing frightens me so much as the idea of getting drowned."
PAUL AND LISAVETA.
"But how is it possible to find you such a book? Do you want it in Russian?"
"Are there any novels in Russian? However, send me something or other. You won't forget?"