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"I must confess I don't quite understand him. He offers you ten

thousand, and yet says he is not well off. He says he is going

away, and in ten minutes he forgets he has said it. Then he says

he is going to be married and has already fixed on the girl....

No doubt he has a motive, and probably a bad one. But it's odd

that he should be so clumsy about it if he had any designs

against you.... Of course, I refused this money on your account,

once for all. Altogether, I thought him very strange.... One

might almost think he was mad. But I may be mistaken; that may

only be the part he assumes. The death of Marfa Petrovna seems to

have made a great impression on him."