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"Up comes the Grand Duchess with some ambassador or other, and,

as ill-luck would have it, she begins talking to him about the

new helmets. The Grand Duchess positively wanted to show the new

helmet to the ambassador. They see our friend standing there."

(Petritsky mimicked how he was standing with the helmet.) "The

Grand Duchess asked him to give her the helmet; he doesn't give

it to her. What do you think of that? Well, everyone's winking at

him, nodding, frowning-give it to her, do! He doesn't give it to

her. He's mute as a fish. Only picture it!... Well, the ...

what's his name, whatever he was ... tries to take the helmet

from him ... he won't give it up!... He pulls it from him, and

hands it to the Grand Duchess. 'Here, your Highness,' says he,

'is the new helmet.' She turned the helmet the other side up,

And-just picture it!-plop went a pear and sweetmeats out of it,

two pounds of sweetmeats!... He'd been storing them up, the

darling!"