"Excuse me, your excellency, for venturing to trouble you.

But if you direct us to apply to her excellency, would you graciously oblige us with her address?" Alexey Alexandrovitch pondered, as it seemed to the clerk, and all at once, turning round, he sat down at the table.

Letting his head sink into his hands, he sat for a long while in that position, several times attempted to speak and stopped short.