"Lida is at home, doing penance for her sins!" laughed Sanine.

"What nonsense!" exclaimed Novikoff testily. "I've got to see a
patient..."

"Who is quite able to die without your help," said Ivanoff. "For that
matter, we can polish off the vodka without your help, either."

"Suppose I get drunk?" thought Novikoff. "All right! I'll come," he
said.

As they went away, Yourii could hear at a distance Ivanoff's gruff bass
voice and Sanine's careless, merry laugh. He walked once more along the
boulevard. Girlish voices called to him through the dusk. Sina
Karsavina and the school-mistress Dubova were sitting on a bench. It
was now getting dark, and their figures were hardly discernible. They
wore dark dresses, were without hats, and carried books in their hands.
Yourii hastened to join them.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"At the library," replied Sina.

Without speaking, her companion moved to make room for Yourii who would
have preferred to sit next to Sina, but, being shy, he took a seat
beside the ugly schoolteacher, Dubova.

"Why do you look so utterly miserable?" asked Dubova, pursing up her
thin, dry lips, as was her wont.

"What makes you think that I am miserable? On the contrary I am in
excellent spirits. Somewhat bored, perhaps."

"Ah! that's because you've nothing to do," said Dubova.