He told us gay stories of his life in St.Petersburg; of the pranks he had played in the Florentine Carnival; of his journey to the American States, and his narrow escape from the matrimonial clutches of a Boston heiress.
Heliobas listened to him with a sort of indulgent kindness, only smiling now and then at the preposterous puns the young man would insist on making at every opportunity that presented itself.
"You are a lucky fellow, Ivan," he said at last.

"You like the good things of life, and you have got them all without any trouble on your own part.

You are one of those men who have absolutely nothing to wish for." Prince Ivan frowned and pulled his dark moustache with no very satisfied air.
"I am not so sure about that," he returned.

"No one is contented in this world, I believe.

There is always something left to desire, and the last thing longed for always seems the most necessary to happiness." "The truest philosophy," said Heliobas, "is not to long for anything in particular, but to accept everything as it comes, and find out the reason of its coming." "What do you mean by 'the reason of its coming' ?" questioned Prince Ivan.