Pagina 853 di 2288

What Vronsky attacked first as being the easiest was his

pecuniary position. Writing out on note paper in his minute hand

all that he owed, he added up the amount and found that his debts

amounted to seventeen thousand and some odd hundreds, which he

left out for the sake of clearness. Reckoning up his money and

his bank book, he found that he had left one thousand eight

hundred roubles, and nothing coming in before the New Year.

Reckoning over again his list of debts, Vronsky copied it,

dividing it into three classes. In the first class he put the

debts which he would have to pay at once, or for which he must in

any case have the money ready so that on demand for payment there

could not be a moment's delay in paying. Such debts amounted to

about four thousand: one thousand five hundred for a horse, and

two thousand five hundred as surety for a young comrade,

Venovsky, who had lost that sum to a cardsharper in Vronsky's

presence.