Noticing that all eyes were turned on him he raised his head and smiled a smile of childlike artlessness.

"Don't take any notice," said Lidia Ivanovna, and she lightly moved a chair up for Alexey Alexandrovitch.

" I have observed..." she was beginning, when a footman came into the room with a letter.

Lidia Ivanovna rapidly ran her eyes over the note, and excusing herself, wrote an answer with extraordinary rapidity, handed it to the man, and came back to the table.

" I have observed," she went on, "that Moscow people, especially the men, are more indifferent to religion than anyone.