V. I. Lenin

1893

1

To:   HIS MOTHER [2]

October 5

Yesterday, Mother dearest, I received your letter of
October 2. At long last I have found myself a good room, or
so it seems; there are no other lodgers and the landlady
has a small family; the door between my room and their drawing-room is papered over, so that sounds are faint.
The room is clean and light. There is a good entrance. Since,
in addition, it is not far from the centre (only some 15
minutes’ walk from the library) I am, quite satisfied.

I saw Tillo yesterday and today. He did not get the ticket and, unfortunately, cannot get it because the person
he was counting on is not here. Incidentally, he says that
when his own position in the provisional railway administration is more secure, perhaps he will be able to. That,
it seems, will not be soon.

I went to Volkov Cemetery soon after my arrival— everything, the cross and wreath, is
intact. [3]

Your loving,

V. Ulyanov

Please send me some money, mine is nearly at an end. [1]

I have been informed from Samara that the fee for the Grafov
case (the Kazan case that I conducted in Samara) has been
promised for November. That will give me 70 rubles (if the promise is fulfilled, and what chance there is of that,
I don’t know). I have been promised a job in a consulting
lawyer’s office here, but when that will be arranged (and
whether it will be arranged) I do not know.

Write and tell me about the state of your finances; did
you get anything from Auntie? Did you get the September
rent from Krushvits? Is there much left of the deposit (500 rubles) after moving and settling
down? [4]

I am now, for the first time in St. Petersburg, keeping
a cash-book to see how much I actually spend. It turned
out that for the month August 28 to September 27 I spent
altogether 54 rubles 30 kopeks, not including payment for
things (about 10 rubles) and expenses for a court case (also
about 10 rubles) which I shall probably conduct. It is true
that part of this 54 rubles was spent on things that do not
have to be bought every month (galoshes, clothes, books,
an abacus, etc.), but even discounting that (16 rubles),
the expenditure is still excessive—38 rubles in a month.
Obviously I have not been living carefully; in one month
I have spent a ruble and 36 kopeks on the horse trams, for
instance. When I get used to the place I shall probably
spend less.