4–10 May 1857

Got up at nine, wrote a little note to Annenkov, gadded about, and didn’t even read. The Englishwoman, Dora . . . “ nothing, nothing, silence ! ” Neck, arm, laughter ! Went to Montreux and met B — a ; also “ nothing ! ” Spring. My eye is better. Spent evening at Meshch^rski's, very pleasant. L. N. came out to accompany me.

Got up late. Did literally nothing all day. In the morning to Montreux and the baths. A charming blue-eyed Swiss girl. Wrote a reply to a letter I received from Turgenev. The English are morally naked people and go about like that without shame. After dinner walked with R. and P. and visited the cemetery. A splendid evening. The scenery here leaves me extremely cold. In the evening sang with M. Ya. in the twilight. An idiot girl who gazed at the sky. A cold, moonlight night. A consumptive Corsican.

Rose late, read Kiesewetter. It is good. Had scarcely time to go to the baths. Had dinner at the Pdshchins’ and went with them into Savoy. Enchanting. Meillerie. The Custom-house official. Bobillard. Cretin. Wildness, poverty and poetry ; arrived at eleven, tired but well.

Wrote a little of The Deranged from the beginning again. At the baths the Galdkhov girls have tired me out. It is so dirty that soap has no effect. The General gave me maitrank to drink. We went by boat to Basset, where we sat and walked about till one in the morning.

Got up at eight, not well. Wrote a little of The Demented . Baths. After dinner read L'Histoire de France . Received a letter from Bdtkin and Druzhfnin, a flattering and very pleasant one. Piishchina has become too much attached to me. Walked about in Basset.

Woke up at eight feeling well. Wrote three letters : to Mdsha, to Kolbasin, and to Vdsenka. Went to the baths. Wrote a very little. The German woman and Piishchina interrupted me.

Went early to the baths. Preparations. Made Baumgarten’s acquaintance, a cautiously embittered German. Went to Geneva with Ryabov and Piishchin. felt rather du'l and my head ached. A. Tolstdya was going to a concert and took me with her. Abominable, M. Henri. A bad artist with excessively long hair. My head abhed.