My indulgent reader will easily understand that in addition to a certain sense of fear which I experienced, the greatest delight and even joyous emotion soon came upon me--for I saw that eternal chaos was defeated and the triumphant hymn of bright harmony was rising to the skies....
Not without a sense of pride I shall mention the modest offerings by which my kind admirers were striving to express to me their feelings of love and adoration.

I am not afraid of calling out a smile on the lips of my readers, for I feel how comical it is--I will say that among the offerings brought me at first were fruit, cakes, all kinds of sweet-meats.

But I am afraid, however, that no one will believe me when I say that I have actually declined these offerings, preferring the observance of the prison regime in all its rigidness.
At the last lecture, a kind and honourable lady brought me a basketful of live flowers.

To my regret, I was compelled to decline this present, too.
"Forgive me, madam, but flowers do not enter into the system of our prison.

I appreciate very much your magnanimous attention--I kiss your hands, madam--" I said, "but I am compelled to decline the flowers.
Travelling along the thorny road to self-renunciation, I must not caress my eyes with the ephemeral and illusionary beauty of these charming lilies and roses.