MY ANGEL, BARBARA ALEXIEVNA,—I hasten to inform you, Oh light of my life, that my hopes are rising again. But, little daughter of mine—do you really mean it when you say that I am to indulge in no more borrowings? Why, I could not do without them. Things would go badly with us both if I did so. You are ailing¹. Consequently, I tell you roundly that I MUST borrow, and that I must continue to do so.  
Also, I may tell you that my seat in the office is now next to that of a certain Emelia Ivanovitch. He is not the Emelia whom you know, but a man who, like myself, is a privy² councillor, as well as represents, with myself, the senior and oldest official in our department. Likewise he is a good, disinterested³ soul, and one that is not over-talkative, though a true bear in appearance and demeanour. Industrious⁴, and possessed⁵ of a handwriting purely⁶ English, his caligraphy is, it must be confessed, even worse than my own. Yes, he is a good soul. At the same time, we have never been intimate with one another. We have done no more than exchange greetings on meeting or parting, borrow one another’s penknife if we needed one, and, in short, observe such bare civilities as convention demands. Well, today he said to me, “Makar Alexievitch, what makes you look so thoughtful?” and inasmuch as I could see that he wished me well, I told him all—or, rather, I did not tell him EVERYTHING, for that I do to no man (I have not the heart to do it); I told him just a few scattered⁷ details concerning my financial straits. “Then you ought to borrow,” said he. “You ought to obtain a loan of Peter Petrovitch, who does a little in that way. I myself once borrowed some money of him, and he charged me fair and light interest.” Well, Barbara, my heart leapt within me at these words. I kept thinking and thinking,—if only God would put it into the mind of Peter Petrovitch to be my benefactor⁸ by advancing me a loan! I calculated that with its aid I might both repay my landlady⁹ and assist yourself and get rid of my surroundings (where I can hardly sit down to table without the rascals¹⁰ making jokes about me). ............