February 4

It was a superbly picturesque dream of a

...jam-session in a pride of gay guys moving so pliantly in their queer mantles of feathers and slouch hats but I had nothing to do with the action and was only watching my Ukrainian crony Twoic doing his level best to obtain admittance to their chest-shaven company where everything went so creamy and velvety from violet to purple to crimson to white ...

One attack in the morning—not very long though.

Lenic came to the club with the news about the competition announced by the government. They wanna have a nice design for the Republic's coat of arms. Lenic showed his drawing and launched an agitated harangue about that double timer – his sham partner. The lowgrade buster burned the road racing to the Special Jury and presented this inimitable design as his patent idea executed by a painter of no account.

(..."Negroes system" of Dumas-perě is still alive and kicking...)

In her comment, Rita said the meanest thing was to keep people down here. All those self-proclaimed ministers and the wide specter of half-criminals putting their hands on fire-arms might like to stay, but why should we?

After the Club I carried the envelope with Sahtik's letter and Ahshaut's photo in it to the Main Post Office.

In the afternoon Etehry, a young girl from the Underground, came to our place to trim Roozahna's and Ahshaut's hair.

I puzzled out one more version of the gas jet. This try seems to be more successful. It burns bright enough and there's no gas smell, only I could not tame its darn flickering.

One page by Joyce translated.

At times Roozahna becomes simply ungovernable, eager to rip-roaringly butt her finger into every pie whatsoever. Today I decided to punish her by completely ignoring for at least ten days.

Sahtik washed the kids. Then she and I played backgammon.

At the water-walk the handcart behaved quite fine.

The mother-in-law is baking breads. Ahshaut will be left to sleep home. Roozahna keeps to the Underground.

Sahtik, perhaps, will also stay home – she has been getting better today and the recovery process should be backed up.

Good night.