Reading an (awful, devastating, humiliating) Russian translation of S.Schiff's "Vera", I cannot keep from making a supposition that "April 1, 1854" on the cover letter, which accompanied a final draft of "Drugie Berega" to Checkov Publishing, was not a charming slip (English ed., page 199) or "verina opiska" (Russian ed., p.267, "charming" is not translated) but a charming joke. The First of April in Russia is a traditional day of practical jokes. I thought it is also celebrated in US as International Fool's Day.