“I took leave of K. and went to Petersburg.  It is a long journey from K. to Petersburg, and that I might not be bored on the journey I took a reserved compartment and—­well—­of course, I took my singer.  We set off, and all the way we were eating, drinking champagne, and—­tra-la—­la!  But behold, at last we reach the intellectual center.  I arrived on the very day the result was declared, and had the satisfaction, my dear sir, of celebrating my own success:  my work received the first prize.  Hurrah!  Next day I went out along the Nevsky and spent seventy kopecks on various newspapers.  I hastened to my hotel room, lay down on the sofa, and, controlling a quiver of excitement, made haste to read.  I ran through one newspaper—­nothing.  I ran through a second—­nothing either; my God!  At last, in the fourth, I lighted upon the following paragraph:  ’Yesterday the well-known provincial actress so-and-so arrived by express in Petersburg.  We note with pleasure that the climate of the South has had a beneficial effect on our fair friend; her charming stage appearance...’ and I don’t remember the rest!  Much lower down than that paragraph I found, printed in the smallest type:  first prize in the competition was adjudged to an engineer called so-and-so.’  That was all!  And to make things better, they even misspelt my name:  instead of Krikunov it was Kirkutlov.  So much for your intellectual center!  But that was not all....  By the time I left Petersburg, a month later, all the newspapers were vying with one another in discussing our incomparable, divine, highly talented actress, and my mistress was referred to, not by her surname, but by her Christian name and her father’s....

“Some years later I was in Moscow.  I was summoned there by a letter, in the mayor’s own handwriting, to undertake a work for which Moscow, in its newspapers, had been clamoring for over a hundred years.  In the intervals of my work I delivered five public lectures, with a philanthropic object, in one of the museums there.  One would have thought that was enough to make one known to the whole town for three days at least, wouldn’t one?  But, alas! not a single Moscow gazette said a word about me There was something about houses on fire, about an operetta, sleeping town councilors, dr unken shop keepers—­about everything; but about my work, my plans, my lectures—­mum.  And a nice set they are in Moscow!  I got into a tram....  It was packed full; there were ladies and military men and students of both sexes, creatures of all sorts in couples.

“’I am told the town council has sent for an engineer to plan such and such a work!’ I said to my neighbor, so loudly that all the tram could hear.  ‘Do you know the name of the engineer?’

“My neighbor shook his head.  The rest of the public took a cursory glance at me, and in all their eyes I read:  ‘I don’t know.’

“’I am told that there is someone giving lectures in such and such a museum?’ I persisted, trying to get up a conversation.  ’I hear it is interesting.’