After I had spoken, Nikitin, taking me aside, told me that he thought that Andrey Vassilievitch would be better at Mittoevo.

"He is a little in the way here," he said.
"Certainly he does his best, but this is not his place." Nikitin wore the same preoccupied air as the others.--"Whatever you do," he said, "don't let Andrey know that I spoke to you." Andrey Vassilievitch, on his side with much nervousness and self-importance, told me that he thought that Nikitin was suffering from overwork and needed a complete rest.

"You know, Ivan Andreievitch, he is really not at all well; I sleep in the same room.

He talks in his sleep, fancies that he sees things ...

very odd--although this hot weather ...