Summary

In the chapter “An Actress, an Apparition, an Apiary,” the Count and Mishka met in the Shalyapin on the first anniversary of the Count’s imprisonment in the Metropol. Even though it seemed a sad anniversary to mark, the Count wondered why he and others imprisoned felt the need to mark the passing of time. He came to the conclusion that they did so because it gave them an idea of how time was passing in the real world and also gave them a sense of having survived another year of hardship.

As the Count was on his way to his hair appointment before meeting Mishka, he saw a willowy woman with two large hunting dogs entering the lobby of the hotel. The Count noticed she had no control over the dogs. To make matters worse, the...