THE JUDGES. 3/4 half wigs human hair
The president, who had to take the chair, had arrived early. Thepresident was a tall, stout man, with long grey whiskers. Thoughmarried, he led a very loose life, and his wife did the same, sothey did not stand in each other's way. This morning he hadreceived a note from a Swiss girl, who had formerly been agoverness in his house, and who was now on her way from SouthRussia to St. Petersburg. She wrote that she would wait for himbetween five and six p.m. in the Hotel Italia. This made him wishto begin and get through the sitting as soon as possible, so asto have time to call before six p.m. on the little red-hairedClara Vasilievna, with whom he had begun a romance in the countrylast summer. He went into a private room, latched the door, tooka pair of dumb-bells out of a cupboard, moved his arms 20 timesupwards, downwards, forwards, and sideways, then holding thedumb-bells above his head, lightly bent his knees three times.
"Nothing keeps one going like a cold bath and exercise," he said,feeling the biceps of his right arm with his left hand, on thethird finger of which he wore a gold ring. He had still to do themoulinee movement (for he always went through those two exercisesbefore a long sitting), when there was a pull at the door. Thepresident quickly put away the dumb-bells and opened the door,saying, "I beg your pardon."