X
Loskutnaya, Room 33****Moscow, June 3–4, Tuesday, 2 a.m.
My lovely darling Anyechka, to-day I again received a dear little letter from you, and am very grateful to you that you do not forget your Fedichka. Since your letters began coming frequently I really do feel more peaceful and happier about you. I am also glad because of the children.
This morning Lopatin came to me and brought the programme of the dates and ceremonies. I gave him 17 roubles to order the wreaths at the Town Hall (two wreaths). Zolotariov is not here yet. After this came a certain barrister Soloviov and introduced himself. He is a learned man, and came only to speak about mystical religious problems (a new craze.) After that came Grigorovich and Viskovatov, and then Yuriev. We all attacked Yuriev terribly for his letter to Katkov and scolded him awfully. Then I lunched with Grigorovich and Viskovatov in the Moscow Tavern and there made the acquaintance of the actor Samarin; the old fellow is sixty-four; he was all the while making speeches to me. He will act at the Poushkin Celebration the Poor Knight, in costume. (He took it away from me.) The Moscow Tavern is always very crowded, and it is seldom that people do not turn round and look at me: every one knows, every one knows who I am. Samarin told many stories about the artistic life of Moscow.
Then, straight from lunch, we drove to the general meeting of the committee of the ‘Lovers of Literature’ for the settling of the final programme of the morning sittings and the evening festivities. Turgenev, Kovalevsky, Chayev, Grot, Bartenev, Yuriev, Polivanov, Kalachov, and others were there. Everything has been settled to our common satisfaction. Turgenev was rather nice to me, and Kovalevsky (a large fat carcass and enemy of our way of thinking) gazed at me fixedly all the time. I am to read on the second day of the morning sessions, June 8th, and at the evening festivity of the 6th I am to read (music has been allowed) the Pimen scene (from Poushkin’s Boris Godounov.) Many are to read, nearly all. Turgenev, Grigorovich, Pisemsky, and others. On the second evening, the 8th, I shall recite three poems by Poushkin (the second part of the Western Slavs, and the She-Bear), and in the finale, at the conclusion of the festivity, I shall read Poushkin’s Prophet,—a little poem awfully difficult to read aloud; they have purposely put me in the finale in order to produce an effect—I wonder if I shall?
Sharp at ten I returned home and found two cards from Souvorin saying that he will come at 10. The two cards were a mistake (they had stuck together), and as I thought from the second that he had already called and found me out, I drove to his hotel, the Slavianky Bazaar (not far from here), and I found him and his wife at tea. He was awfully pleased. The ‘Lovers of Literature’ have put him on the black list for his articles just as they have Katkov. He was not even given an admission card for the morning sessions. I had one card (Varya’s), which she had refused, and I offered it to him. He was delighted. He will pay them off later. He said that Burenin too was here. — At Chayev’s we made an appointment for to-morrow at the Armoury at one o’clock in the afternoon, where he will show us everything. Grigorovich and Viskovatov also wished to come. But I wonder if they will. They went away after nine straight from the session to the Hermitage and insisted tremendously that I should come, too, but I went to Souvorin. When Souvorin heard that we were going to-morrow to the Armoury Chamber he asked me to take him and his wife there, and afterwards suggested that we should all dine together at the Moscow Tavern, he and his wife, myself, Grigorovich and Viskovatov, and then drive to the Hermitage. He, poor thing, seems to be tied to his wife. He will certainly be at the evening sessions, where one pays for admission. The rehearsal of the reading for the pupils of the schools has been abandoned.
After to-morrow, the 5th, the trials begin; all delegates are to appear at the Town Hall in frock-coats, and I am afraid I shall not have time to write to you. To-morrow a trainful of Petersburg delegates arrive at our Loskutnaya. On the 8th all will be over; so on the 9th I ’ll pay my visits, and on the 10th I leave—at what hour I will write later. Maikov telegraphed that he was coming. Polonsky too. Now, that is all, my precious, so expect me on the 11th, and this I believe is for certain. Souvorin is asking for my speech. I positively do not know who to give it to or how to arrange it. Wait till he hears me at the reading.
I warmly embrace you, my Anka. I kiss you a great many times for much—much and much. I kiss the little ones and bless them. You write that you have dreams, and that I do not love you. And I keep on having very bad dreams, nightmares every night about your being unfaithful to me with others. God knows it torments me terribly. I kiss you a thousand times.
Wholly your F. DOSTOEVSKY.
Kiss the children.