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"I must tell you one thing about myself, my dear Rodion

Romanovitch," Porfiry Petrovitch continued, moving about the room

and again avoiding his visitor's eyes. "You see, I'm a bachelor,

a man of no consequence and not used to society; besides, I have

nothing before me, I'm set, I'm running to seed and... and have

you noticed, Rodion Romanovitch, that in our Petersburg circles,

if two clever men meet who are not intimate, but respect each

other, like you and me, it takes them half an hour before they

can find a subject for conversation--they are dumb, they sit

opposite each other and feel awkward. Everyone has subjects of

conversation, ladies for instance... people in high society

always have their subjects of conversation, c'est de rigueur, but

people of the middle sort like us, thinking people that is, are

always tongue-tied and awkward. What is the reason of it?