A cell able cell,  a lamp for me; a narro and flo bulked out of the gloom.

    quot;I s a noose out of my bed linen and ,quot; I said.

    quot;O; said t, fixing upon me wide and suddenly melanc;O. You are a woman of ;

    And il I submitted to ts  I may not o my unspoken demand, t clapped his hands.

    quot;to assuage your loneliness, madame. . .quot;

    A knocking and clattering be glides a soubrette from an operetta, -broakes me a moment to recognise tle cap, e stockings, ticoats. S sinkles as sowards me on iny wheels.

    quot;Not; said t.

    My maid ed, bo seam at trudes t delicately balanced system of cords and pulleys in the world.

    quot;e s,quot; t said. quot;e surround ourselves instead, for utility and pleasure,  no less convenient t gentlemen.quot;

    ttecento minuet, and offered me tion of s my c makes me cougs tole mirror.

    I sa not my o t of my fat on  ts palace as t. , you self-deluding fool, are you crying still? And drunk, too. ossed back umbler away.

    Seeing my astonis, t took t, polis ,  back to me. Now all I saw was myself, , pale enougo need my maids supply of rouge.

    I urn in ts footsteps patter doone passage. Meano poting une but, as it turned out, s inexible; soon s more languorously, al  sloation of fatigue, il tes separated t of tune and plopped like single raindrops and, as if sleep aken  last so sleep, I ion but to do so too. I dropped on the narrow bed as if felled.

    time passed but I do not knoured tray a  it doook from it a little so me.

    I turned away my head.

    quot;O; Suc cracked crously unfastened t lay a single diamond earring, perfect as a tear.

    I snapped t and tossed it into a corner. t must urbed t as if to reprimand me, letting out a rippling fart of gavotte. till again.

    quot;Very ; said t, put out. And indicated it ime for me to visit my  again.  let me le natural ligerior of t I could not tell .

    You  t  sa ured calm, tifling air remained just as it , still traced ture on the same fire burned.

    take off my clot girl? Is t all you  of me?

    quot;t of a young ladys skin t no man ; stammered t.

    I ing bargain. t  so little  give it; I did not need to speak for t to understand me.

    A tear came from s ribboned weig say, ing claws.

    tear caugside my door.

    arrived again  er in to t one lay. t ttered  but did not offer to lead me to t again. Instead, iatingly and confided: quot;My master, e to go riding.quot;

    quot;s t;

    ion of a gallop and, to my amazement, tunelessly croaked: quot;tantivy! tantivy! a-ing ;

    quot;Ill run ao ty.quot;

    quot;O; ;Are you not a woman of ;

    clicked and jangled into tation of life. So to fetc over ic arm my riding . Of all t, t Id left berunk in a loft in try side Petersburg t  long ago, before, even,  out on to t my old nurse  perfect to t button on t sleeve, turned t in my  sprinted tremble in its frame; s across Europe to me? At ed t  democracy of magic  in common? Or, so accept it as proof of to me: t, if you hing is possible?

    quot;tantivy,quot; suggested t, evidently c t. t out to me and I alloo so it as if reluctantly, alto get out into thly palace, even in such company.

    t t day in; I sa it ing for us, striking sparks from tiles ient ablemates lolled at ease among trae speeco keep out trutted about, pecking at ears of corn. ttle black gelding  resonated inside t roof as in a sounding box and I kneo ride.

    I alures, sucivity in tional restraint of energy at trung ers. I lirruped and o my sing  lips. ttle s trompe loeil foliage beneated o  o  a grave grey mare. No natural o o a spar.

    Cold, t morning, yet dazzling er sunlig ina. t t seemed to go  speak carried it inside  it out at  stirred t did not lift ts.

    A bereft landscape in ter lay all about us, tracting itself toated s irreconcilable cry.

    A profound sense of strangeness sloo possess me. I kne, in any ainer and ter for c t of tted oo a different logic til my fato ts by ain fearfulness still; but, I  mucionality just as t to all t exactly like t one single soul in t ion all around me, ts and riders, bot amongst us not one soul, eit religions in tate categorically t not beasts nor antial tes of Eden and let Eve and umble out. Understand, t t say I privately engaged in metapion as o tainly meditated on ture of my oate,  and sold, passed from o  clockted only tative life amongst men t the doll-maker had given her?

    Yet, as to true nature of tyle t made me recall  out ing on  I ion.

    e came to t  see across it, so still er t it scarcely seemed to floo drink. t cleared , about to speak;  privacy, beyond a brake of er-bare rushes, a hedge of reeds.

    quot;If you  let  your clot;

    I involuntarily shook my head --

    quot;-- you must, t of my master, naked.quot;

    ted me; all at once I  t I could bear t of ever  me keenly, as if urging me. t my feet. I was far from home.

    quot;You,quot; said t, quot;must.quot;

    refuse, I nodded. t broug a gust of t  ers cloak to screen irred. tiger  t is not reciprocal. t learn to run igers.

    A great, feline, tary of bars terrible  . le tread. ting vewin suns.

    I felt my breast ripped apart as if I suffered a marvellous  moved foro cover up er no I said: quot;No.quot; tiger sat still as a , in t y to do me no  Petersburg, t of tivity. Not y.

    I tened my jacket, to s I le, for no man   s ted my fingers so; and a certain trepidation lest ttle article of ery before  not be, in itself, grand enougo satisfy ations of us, since t e during time ing. ttered in the river.

    I se skin, my red nipples, and turned to coo, eously curious as to ture of  loure. till again.

    t off toget on iger running before  I  liberty for t time in my life. ter sun began to tarnised from turned to t mounted again on o all appearances, a man, o tracks t we  behind us.

    t did not return me to my cell but, instead, to an elegant, if old-fasreasury of Oriental carpets, tintinnabulation of cut-glass clered ruck rainboic s of my diamond earrings, t lay on my neable at ive maid stood ready ending to fix ts in my ears, I took t it  of one of its magic fits again and I did not see my o but t of my fat first I t  me. tification.

    , I sa table  no a tremendous pile of banknotes. My fatances ly barbered, smart need glass of sparkling  convenient to . t ly, as if it  been a sig runks ure. Could he so easily leave me here?

    te on table  quite clearly. quot;tely.quot; Some  iated a liaison on trengt at all. For, at t moment, t knocked at my door to announce t I mig any time er, and tle gratuity, ts morning gift, in wo pack me up and send me off.

    t asked politely  t I y at t opportunity inued bonnily to beam. I  of my fater.

    quot;Leave me alone,quot; I said to t.

    need to lock took off my riding , left it , o my s, my arms dropped to my sides. I omed to nakedness. I o my o to take off all my clot t ed a little t I o give  it is not natural for o go naked, not since first ripping off my o and tood poised in tion of life, co te meat of contract and, if s see me, t place, cake no account of your existence.

    And it seemed my entire life, since I  t gaze of eyes like ark, except for ears. I  return to o keep me from ting  raced along to  t to guide me.

    No response to my tentative rap on his door.

    t e creature, covered e muzzle, tlest creature in ttle to see my fine furs and je deal of tender ceremony, removed to a pack of black squeaking rats t rattled immediately doairs on ttle feet and  to sig bos room.

    t on ed on eacy  . t lay broken in pieces on ticks tered from tinguisuck by its oo telpiece lit tigers eyes.

    ip of ail tc t bethe gnawed and bloody bones. he will gobble you up.

    Nursery fears made fles and most arc. t and e, so a peaceable kingdom in e need not be my extinction.

    still as stone. ened of me than I was of him.

    I squatted on t straretc my  t, loo smell my fear; .

    Sloowards me.

    A tremendous t makes turn, filled ttle room; o purr.

    t tters batter til t apart and let in te ligiles came craso tyard far beloions of ions of to dance. I t: quot;It egrate.quot;

    o me, until I felt t of  my ongue, abrasive as sandpaper. quot;;

    And eacroke of ongue ripped off skin after successive skin, all t be patina of surned back to er and trickled down my siful fur.