having　been　told　me　by　Lubotshka　or　Katenka；　he　would　always
  remark：
  〃Hm！　So　you　actually　care　about　talking　to　them？　I　can　see　you
  are　a　duffer　still〃and　one　needed　to　see　and　near　him　to
  appreciate　the　profound；　immutable　contempt　which　echoed　in　this
  remark。　He　had　been　grown…up　now　two　years；　and　was　in　love　with
  every　good…looking　woman　that　he　met；　yet；　despite　the　fact　that
  he　came　in　daily　contact　with　Katenka　（who　during　those　two　years
  had　been　wearing　long　dresses；　and　was　growing　prettier　every
  day）；　the　possibility　of　his　falling　in　love　with　her　never
  seemed　to　enter　his　head。　Whether　this　proceeded　from　the　fact
  that　the　prosaic　recollections　of　childhood　were　still　too　fresh
  in　his　memory；　or　whether　from　the　aversion　which　very　young
  people　feel　for　everything　domestic；　or　whether　from　the　common
  human　weakness　which；　at　a　first　encounter　with　anything　fair　and
  pretty；　leads　a　man　to　say　to　himself；　〃Ah！　I　shall　meet　much
  more　of　the　same　kind　during　my　life；〃　but　at　all　events　Woloda
  had　never　yet　looked　upon　Katenka　with　a　man's　eyes。
  All　that　summer　Woloda　appeared　to　find　things　very　wearisomea
  fact　which　arose　out　of　that　contempt　for　us　all　which；　as　I　have
  said；　he　made　no　effort　to　conceal。　His　expression　of　face　seemed
  to　be　constantly　saying；　〃Phew！　how　it　bores　me　to　have　no　one　to
  speak　to！〃　The　first　thing　in　the　morning　he　would　go　out
  shooting；　or　sit　reading　a　book　in　his　room；　and　not　dress　until
  luncheon　time。　Indeed；　if　Papa　was　not　at　home；　he　would　take　his
  book　into　that　meal；　and　go　on　reading　it　without　addressing　so
  much　as　a　single　word　to　any　one　of　us；　who　felt；　somehow；　guilty
  in　his　presence。　In　the　evening；　too；　he　would　stretch　himself　on
  a　settee　in　the　drawing…room；　and　either　go　to　sleep；　propped　on
  his　elbow；　or　tell　us　farcical　storiessometimes　stories　so
  improper　as　to　make　Mimi　grow　angry　and　blush；　and　ourselves　die
  with　laughter。　At　other　times　he　would　not　condescend　to　address
  a　single　serious　word　to　any　member　of　the　family　except　Papa　or
  （occasionally）　myself。　Involuntarily　I　offended　against　his　view
  of　girls；　seeing　that　I　was　not　so　afraid　of　seeming　affectionate
  as　he；　and；　moreover；　had　not　such　a　profound　and　confirmed
  contempt　for　young　women。　Yet　several　times　that　summer；　when
  driven　by　lack　of　amusement　to　try　and　engage　Lubotshka　and
  Katenka　in　conversation；　I　always　encountered　in　them　such　an
  absence　of　any　capacity　for　logical　thinking；　and　such　an
  ignorance　of　the　simplest；　most　ordinary　matters　（as；　for
  instance；　the　nature　of　money；　the　subjects　studied　at
  universities；　the　effect　of　war；　and　so　forth）；　as　well　as　such
  indifference　to　my　explanations　of　such　matters；　that　these
  attempts　of　mine　only　ended　in　confirming　my　unfavourable　opinion
  of　feminine　ability。
  I　remember　one　evening　when　Lubotshka　kept　repeating　some
  unbearably　tedious　passage　on　the　piano　about　a　hundred　times　in
  succession；　while　Woloda；　who　was　dozing　on　a　settee　in　the
  drawing…room；　kept　addressing　no　one　in　particular　as
  he　muttered；　〃Lord！　how　she　murders　it！　WHAT　a　musician！　WHAT　a
  Beethoven！〃　（he　always　pronounced　the　composer's　name　with
  especial　irony）。　〃Wrong　again！　Nowa　second　time！　That's　it！〃
  and　so　on。　Meanwhile　Katenka　and　I　were　sitting　by　the　tea…table；
  and　somehow　she　began　to　talk　about　her　favourite　subjectlove。
  I　was　in　the　right　frame　of　mind　to　philosophise；　and　began　by
  loftily　defining　love　as　the　wish　to　acquire　in　another　what　one
  does　not　possess　in　oneself。　To　this　Katenka　retorted　that；　on
  the　contrary；　love　is　not　love　at　all　if　a　girl　desires　to　marry
  a　man　for　his　money　alone；　but　that；　in　her　opinion；　riches　were
  a　vain　thing；　and　true　love　only　the　affection　which　can　stand
  the　test　of　separation　（this　I　took　to　be　a　hint　concerning　her
  love　for　Dubkoff）。　At　this　point　Woloda；　who　must　have　been
  listening　all　the　time；　raised　himself　on　his　elbow；　and　cried
  out　some　rubbish　or　another；　and　I　felt　that　he　was　right。
  Apart　from　the　general　faculties　（more　or　less　developed　in
  different　persons）　of　intellect；　sensibility；　and　artistic
  feeling；　there　also　exists　（more　or　less　developed　in　different
  circles　of　society；　and　especially　in　families）　a　private　or
  individual　faculty　which　I　may　call　APPREHENSION。　The　essence　of
  this　faculty　lies　in　sympathetic　appreciation　of　proportion；　and
  in　identical　understanding　of　things。　Two　individuals　who　possess
  this　faculty　and　belong　to　the　same　social　circle　or　the　same
  family　apprehend　an　expression　of　feeling　precisely　to　the　same
  point；　namely；　the　point　beyond　which　such　expression　becomes
  mere　phrasing。　Thus　they　apprehend　precisely　where　commendation
  ends　and　irony　begins；　where　attraction　ends　and　pretence　begins；
  in　a　manner　which　would　be　impossible　for　persons　possessed　of　a
  different　order　of　apprehension。　Persons　possessed　of　identical
  apprehension　view　objects　in　an　identically　ludicrous；　beautiful；
  or　repellent　light；　and　in　order　to　facilitate　such　identical
  apprehension　between　members　of　the　same　social　circle　or　family；
  they　usually　establish　a　language；　turns　of　speech；　or　terms　to
  define　such　shades　of　apprehension　as　exist　for　them　alone。　In
  our　particular　family　such　apprehension　was　common　to　Papa；
  Woloda；　and　myself；　and　was　developed　to　the　highest　pitch；
  Dubkoff　also　approximated　to　our　coterie　in　apprehension；　but
  Dimitri；　though　infinitely　more　intellectual　than　Dubkoff；　was
  grosser　in　this　respect。　With　no　one；　however；　did　I　bring　this
  faculty　to　such　a　point　as　with　Woloda；　who　had　grown　up　with　me
  under　identical　conditions。　Papa　stood　a　long　way　from　us；　and
  much　that　was　to　us　as　clear　as　〃two　and　two　make　four〃　was　to
  him　incomprehensible。　For　instance；　I　and　Woloda　managed　to
  establish　between　ourselves　the　following　terms；　with　meanings　to
  correspond。　Izium　＇Raisins。＇　meant　a　desire　to　boast　of　one's
  money；　shishka　＇Bump　or　swelling。＇　（on　pronouncing　which　one　had
  to　join　one's　fingers　together；　and　to　put　a　particular　emphasis
  upon　the　two　sh's　in　the　word）　meant　anything　fresh；　healthy；　and
  comely；　but　not　elegant；　a　substantive　used　in　the　plural　meant
  an　undue　partiality　for　the　object　which　it　denoted；　and　so
  forth；　and　so　forth。　At　the　same　time；　the　meaning　depended
  considerably　upon　the　expression　of　the　face　and　the　context　of
  the　conversation；　so　that；　no　matter　what　new　expression　one　of
  us　might　invent　to　define　a　shade　of　feeling　the　other　could
  immediately　understand　it　by　a　hint　alone。　The　girls　did　not
  share　this　faculty　of　apprehension；　and　herein　lay　the　chief
  cause　of　our　moral　estrangement；　and　of　the　contempt　which　we
  felt　for　them。
  It　may　be　that　they　too　had　their　〃apprehension；〃　but　it　so
  little　ran　with　ours　that；　where　we　already　perceived　the
  〃phrasing；〃　they　still　saw　only　the　feelingour　irony　was　for
  them　truth；　and　so　on。　At　that　time　I　had　not　yet　learnt　to
  understand　that　they　were　in　no　way　to　blame　for　this；　and　that
  absence　of　such　apprehension　in　no　way　prevented　them　from　being
  good　and　clever　girls。　Accordingly　I　looked　down　upon　them。
  Moreover；　having　once　lit　upon　my　precious　idea　of　〃frankness；〃
  and　being　bent　upon　applying　it　to　the　full　in　myself；　I　thought
  the　quiet；　confiding　nature　of　Lubotshka　guilty　of　secretiveness
  and　dissimulation　simply　because　she　saw　no　necessity　for　digging
  up　and　examining　all　her　thoughts　and　instincts。　For　instance；
  the　fact　that　she　always　signed　the　sign　of　the　cross　over　Papa
  before　going　to　bed；　that　she　and　Katenka　invariably　wept　in
  church　when　attending　requiem　masses　for　Mamma；　and　that　Katenka
  sighed　and　rolled　her　eyes　about　when　playing　the　pianoall
  these　things　seemed　to　me　sheer　make…believe；　and　I　asked　myself：
  〃At　what　period　did　they　learn　to　pretend　like　grown…up　people；
  and　how　can　they　bring　themselves　to　do　it？〃
  XXX
  HOW　I　EMPLOYED　MY　TIME
  Nevertheless；　the　fact　that　that　summer　I　developed　a　passion　for
  music　caused　me　to　become　better　friends　with　the　ladies　of　our
  household　than　I　had　been　for　years。　In　the　spring；　a　young　fellow
  came　to　see　us；　armed　with　a　letter　of　introduction；　who；　as　soon
  as　ever　he　entered　the　drawing…room；　fixed　his　eyes　upon　the
  piano；　and　kept　gradually　edging　his　chair　closer　to　it　as　he
  talked　to　Mimi　and　Katenka。　After　discoursing　awhile　of　the
  weather　and　the　amenities　of　country　life；　he　skilfully　directed
  the　conversation　to　piano…tuners；　music；　and　pianos　generally；
  and　ended　by　saying　that　he　himself　playedand　in　truth　he　did
  sit　down　and　perform　three　waltzes；　with　Mimi；　Lubotshka；　and
  Katenka　grouped　about　the　instrument；　and　watching　him　as　he　did
  so。　He　never　came　to　see　us　again；　but　his　playing；　and　his
  attitude　when　at　the　piano；　and　the　way　in　which　he　kept　shaking
  his　long　hair；　and；　most　of　all；　the　manner　in　which　he　was　able
  to　execute　octaves　with　his　left　hand　as　he　first　of　all　pl