Nun betrieb er ein Geschäft in Petersburg, das anfangs sich sehr gut angelassen hatte, seit langem aber schon zu stocken schien, wie der Freund bei seinen immer seltener werdenden Besuchen klagte.
Now he ran a business in Petersburg, which had got off to a very good start, but now seemed to have been stagnating for a long time, as the friend complained during his visits, which became more and more rare.