Monday—municipal children's asylums (free)
Tuesdays, Friday, Saturday—males
Wednesday, Thursday—females
Price for washing adults—50kop.gold children—25kop.gold
DISDEPOPINSTRUCT [Footnote: That is "District Department for popular instruction"—in "Russian," Uotnarobraz.]
Times: Lent of the eighth year of the World War and of the downfall of European Civilisation (see Spengler)—and sixth Lent since the great Russian Revolution; in other words: March, Spring, breaking-up of the ice—when the Russian Empire exploded in the great revolution the way Rupert's drops explode, casting off—Estia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Monarchy, Chernov, Martov, the Dardanelles—- Russian Civilisation,—Russian blizzards—-
—and when—-
—Europe—
was:
—nothing but one Ersatz
from end to end—
(Ersatz—a German word
—means the adverb
"instead.")
Place: there is no place of action. Russia, Europe, the world, fraternity.
Dramatis personæ: there are none. Russia, Europe, the world, belief, disbelief,—civilisation, blizzards, thunderstorms, the image of the Holy Virgin. People,—men in overcoats with collars turned up, go- alones, of course;—women;—but women are my sadness,—to me who am a romanticist—
—the only thing, the most beautiful, the greatest joy.