"It's splendid as exercise, only you'll hardly be able to stand it," said Sergey Ivanovitch, without a shade of irony.

"I've tried it.

It's hard work at first, but you get into it.

I dare say I shall manage to keep it up..." "Really! what an idea! But tell me, how do the peasants look at it? I suppose they laugh in their sleeves at their master's being such a queer fish?" "No, I don't think so; but it's so delightful, and at the same time such hard work, that one has no time to think about it.

" "But how will you do about dining with them? To send you a bottle of Lafitte and roast turkey out there would be a little awkward.