“But I had supposed that laying aside my pen and saying farewell to my readers, I should be heard⁠ ⁠…”

“No, no, we want to hear you, we want to,” a few voices from the front row plucked up spirit to exclaim at last.

“Read, read!” several enthusiastic ladies’ voices chimed in, and at last there was an outburst of applause, sparse and feeble, it is true.

“Believe me, Karmazinov, everyone looks on it as an honour⁠ ⁠…” the marshal’s wife herself could not resist saying.