Summary

Fevvers rides through St. Petersburg in a luxurious carriage. The night is beautiful, and the sparkle of the new-fallen snow reminds her of diamonds. The Grand Duke meets her at the door, as he has dismissed his servants for the night. She does not worry for her safety, and tells the carriage to return precisely at 11:30.

The Duke’s house is hard and cold: marble and crystal, mirrors and gold. Fevvers feels that money is wasted on the rich, as she would prefer an abode that is warm and inviting, and her wealth would engender generosity of spirit. She also believes, in her philosophical meanderings, that poverty is wasted on the poor, as they cannot seem to make the best of things, and when money does come their way they waste it as frivolously as the wealthy. She occasionally wishes people could just abandon money...