Yes, yes, Blagovo was telling me,鈥� he turned briskly to me without giving me his hand. But listen, what can I give you? What sort of posts have I got? You are a queer set of people!鈥� he went on aloud in a tone as though he were giving me a lecture. A score of you keep coming to me every day; you imagine I am the head of a department! I am constructing a railway-line, my friends; I have employment for heavy labour: I need mechanics, smiths, navvies, carpenters, well-sinkers, and none of you can do anything but sit and write! You are all clerks.鈥�

How happy I am! How happy I am!鈥�

Better-than-nothing!鈥�

Yes.鈥�

Why don鈥檛 you come to see me?鈥� she asked, raising her clear, clever eyes, and I was utterly confused with delight and stood stiffly upright before her, as I used to stand facing my father when he was going to beat me; she looked into my face and I could see from her eyes that she understood why I was confused.

Yes.鈥�