“Why not?”
“No. In Russia such a thing is impossible. And in student circles most particularly. This young girl living in this neighbourhood without salary was probably some sort of student.”
“Why? She might have been a governess out of work or a poor clerk. Besides I thought people were always committing suicide in Russia.”
“That is of course a gross exaggeration. There are certainly suicides in Russia as everywhere. But in Russia suicide, which does certainly occur in abnormally high frequency amongst the young intelligentsia, arises from trouble of spirit . They are psychopath. There comes some spiritual crisis and—phwtt—. … It is characteristic of the educated Slav mind to lose itself in face of abstractive insolubilities. But for need of twenty-five shillings . I find in this something peculiarly horrible. In midst of your English civilisation it is pure-barbaric.”
“There has not been any civilisation in the world yet. We are still all living in caves.” The quotation sounded less convincing than at Wimpole Street. …
“That is too superficial. Pardon me, but it