OBLOMOV 135

touch of surprise : " Only five o'clock, yet already it is dark in the courtyard ! " " Yes," some one would answer, " 'tis always dark by this time. The long even- ings are beginning to draw in." In spring, contrariwise, the company would fall to expressing surprise and grati- fication at the thought that the long days were approaching. Yet, had you inquired what the long days meant to them, they could not possibly have told you ! After this episode silence would resume its sway, until, perhaps, in snuffing the candle, some one would chance to extinguish it. Upon that every one would give a start, and one of the company would be sure to ejaculate : " An unexpected guest is making his way in our direction." In fact, it was not an uncommon phenomenon for the incident to give rise to a lengthy conversation. Time, at Oblomoyka^ was reckoned. mostly by_festivals, by the seasons .o year, and _by various farnily_ jind domestic events no reference whatsoever bemgjnade to months or to the days of a month^ This liriay have partly arisen from the fact that none but old Oblomov were capable of dis- tinguishing between the names of the months

and the dates in a given month.