Volume V Part 87 (2/2)
”Well said; but hness if you admit the possibility of a happy eternity after an unhappy death, or of an unhappy doom after a happy death?”
”Such suppositions are inconceivable The happiness of futurity lies in the ecstasy of the soul in feeling freed from the trammels of matter, and unhappiness is the doom of a soul which was full of reh, for my punishment forbids my farther speech”
”Tell me, at least, what is the nature of your punish weariness Farewell”
After this long and fanciful digression the reader will no doubt be obliged byto this world
Count Panin told me that in a few days the empress would leave for her country house, and I deter that it would be for the last tiarden for a fewto leave, when the eround floor of the palace, where she alking up and doith Gregorovitch and a otten to ask you,” she said, graciously, ”if you believe the new calculation of the calendar to be exempt from error?”
”No, your majesty; but the error is so minute that it will not produce any sensible effect for the space of nine or ten thousand years”
”I thought so; and in ed any mistake at all The Pope, however, hadout his reform than I should have with es and customs”
”Nevertheless, I am sure your ine the grief ofable to celebrate the numerous saints' days, which would fall on the eleven days to be suppressed You have only one saint for each day, but we have a dozen at least I doms are attached to their ancient laws I have heard that your Republic of Venice begins the year in March, and that seems to me, as it were, a monuins more naturally in March than in January--but does not this usage cause some confusion?”
”None at all, your majesty The letters M V, which we adjoin to all dates in January and February, render all mistakes impossible”
”Venice is also noteworthy for its peculiar syste form under which it portrays its patron saint, and by the five Latin words hich the Evangelist is invoked, in which, as I ara standing But is it true that you do not distinguish between the day and night hours?”
”It is, yourof the night”
”Such is the force of custom, which makes us admire what other nations think ridiculous You see no inconvenience in your division of the day, which strikes me as most inconvenient”
”You would only have to look at your watch, and you would not need to listen for the cannon shot which announces the close of day”
”Yes, but for this one advantage you have over us, we have two over you
We know that at twelve o'clock it is either ht”
The czarina spoke to ames of chance, and asked if the Genoa Lottery had been established there ”I have been asked,” she added, ”to allow the lottery to be established in my own dominions; but I should never permit it except on the condition that no stake should be below a rouble, and then the poor people would not be able to risk their money in it”
I replied to this discreet observation with a profound inclination of the head, and thus ended ned thirty-five years without cole mistake of any ireat sovereigns, though the htly, as one of the most notable of dissolute woave an entertain up with a fine display of fireworks, a present from my friend Melissino My supper for thirty was exquisite, and my ball a brilliant one In spite of the tenuity of ratitude for the kindness they had lavished on me
I left Russia with the actress Valville, and I must here tell the reader how I cao to the French play, and to find myself seated next to an extremely pretty lady as unknown toto the play or actors, and I was ihted with her spirited answers Her expression char her if she were a Russian
”No, thank God!” she replied, ”I am a Parisian, and an actress by occupation My name is Valville; but I don't wonder I am unknown to you, for I have been only a month here, and have played but once”
”How is that?”
”Because I was so unfortunate as to fail to win the czarina's favour