Markovna. If
he was successful, at an enormous deprivation, in cutting out of his
beggarly income some chance rouble, he would take Sonka into her room,
but this was not at all a joy either for him or for her: after a
momentary happiness--the physical possession of each other--they cried,
reproached each other, quarreled with characteristic Hebraic,
theatrical gestures, and always after these visits Sonka the Rudder
would return into the drawing room with swollen, reddened eyelids.

But most frequently of all he had no money, and would sit whole
evenings through near his mistress, patiently and jealously awaiting
her when Sonka through chance was taken by some guest. And when she
would return and sit down beside him, he would, without being
perceived, overwhelm her with reproaches, trying not to turn the
general attention upon himself and without turning his head in her
direction. And in her splendid, humid, Hebraic eyes during these
conversations there was always a martyr-like but meek expression.

There arrived a large company of Germans, employed in an optical shop;
there also arrived a party of clerks from the fish and gastronomical
store of Kereshkovsky, and two young people very well known in the
Yamas--both bald, with sparse, soft, delicate hairs around the bald
spots: Nicky the Book-keeper and Mishka the Singer--so were they both
called in the houses. They also were met very cordially, just like Karl
Karlovich of the optical shop and Volodka of the fish store--with
raptures, cries and kisses, flattering to their self-esteem. The spry
Niurka would jump out into the foyer, and, having informed herself as
to who had come, would report excitedly, after her wont:

"Jennka, your husband has come!"

Or:

"Little Manka, your lover has come!"

And Mishka the Singer, who was no singer at all, but the owner of a
drug warehouse, at once, upon entering, sang out in a vibrating,
quavering, goatish voice:

"They fe-e-e-l the tru-u-u-u-uth!
Come thou daw-aw-aw-aw-ning..."

which he perpetrated at every visit of his to Anna Markovna.

Almost incessantly they played the quadrille, waltz, polka, and danced.
There also arrived Senka--the lover of Tamara--but, contrary to his
wont, he did not put on airs, did not go in for "ruination," did not
order a funeral march from Isaiah Savvich, and did not treat the girls
to chocolate ... For some reason he was gloomy, limped on his right
leg, and sought to attrac