8–14 December 1856

Got up at eleven. Drove out to make purchases, and to the Staff. Gymnastics. Dined at home. Read the delightful Solpoten. Drove to Comte Ori ; excellent. Annenkov, Botkin, and Dolgoriikov, came to see me. To-morrow to Konstantinov.

Got up late — always sleeplessness. The tiresome Tishk£vich called. Went to Konstantinov’s. Met Nechaev. Then loafed about till dinner, which I had at Dusseau’s. Slept. Read a little of Auerbach and went to Shcherbdtov’s. Krasnokiitski — and the whole evening was out of tune. Shcherbatov’s character is like Mftenka’s : changeably tender, weak, and capable of cruelty. A Methodist.

From two to eight in the morning read ’Auerbach’s dejjghtful Befehle. Was awakened by Olkhin — a terrible fool with sweet eyes. Revised Youth over again. Gymnastics. Vatetka got angry. Dined at Donats. Druzhfnin was great. Comte Ori — wonderful. To Sh^vich's — it was pleasant there. Had a pained letter from Vaterya and to my shame am glad of it.

Read Lear. It moved me but little. Gymnastics. Dined at home. To Botkin’s. Found Annenkov and Druzhfnin there. Supped. Feel very sad.

In the morning corrected the first booklet of Youth. Wrote a last letter to Valery a. Gym- nastics. Dmed alone at Dusseau’s. To Bdtkin’s. Medi- tated at home ; to Druzhfnin’s, pleasant. P. is not good. I feel very sad. Dreamt of a slaughter on the floor and a brown woman on my chest : she was stooping down naked, and whispered something.

Got up late. Hardly had time to revise a section of Youth and to let Maykov go before it was time for gymnastics. Dined at Stolypin’s ; treated Koval£vski condescendingly — wrong. Did not find Tur- geneva or Botkin in, and spent the evening at Bezobrazova’s comfortably. She is a woman, so it is pleasant to be with her.

Sleepless till six. Zubkov came. Corrected a booklet. Went to Gymnastics. Dined at Botkin’s. Chatted pleasantly at Maykov’s in the evening.