A Gentleman in Moscow

Around midnight on June 21, 1954, Viktor Stepanovich, against the wishes of his wife, takes a bus to the old St. Petersburg Station. He ponders how he’s moved to do it not only for Sofia but also for the Count, and also “because it felt right to do so” (452). Acting on a conviction, he believes, is “a pleasure that had become increasingly rare” (452).

The Count, in a trench coat and fedora, meets Viktor in the café. A fight breaks out between fruit sellers; when it’s over, the accordion player resumes his song. The Count describes a scene in Casablanca in which policemen drag a thief out of a bar; the bar owner comforts the customers and asks the band to keep playing. The Count questions Osip’s belief that this act demonstrates “his indifference to the fates of other men” (453).

The next morning, KGB officers go to the Metropol to speak with the Count, who is nowhere to be found. At their daily meeting, Emile and Andrey discuss where the Count—and Manager Leplevsky—could be. A mailroom clerk brings them each an envelope containing a letter of thank you and as well as four gold coins.