or deceived a
three-year-old child, or hit a bound person? And why does it seem to me
to-day that I myself am guilty of the evil of prostitution--guilty in
my silence, my indifference, my indirect permission? What am I to do,
Platonov!" exclaimed the student with grief in his voice.

Platonov kept silent, squinting at him with his little narrow eyes. But
Jennie unexpectedly said in a caustic tone:

"Well, you do as one Englishwoman did ... A certain red-haired
clodhopper came to us here. She must have been important, because she
came with a whole retinue ... all some sort of officials ... But before
her had come the assistant of the commissioner, with the precinct
inspector Kerbesh. And the assistant directly forewarned us, just like
that: 'If you stiffs, and so on and so on, will let out even one little
rude word, or something, then I won't leave one stone upon another of
your establishment, while I'll flog all the wenches soundly in the
station-house and make 'em rot in jail!' Well, at last this galoot
came. She gibbered and she gibbered something in a foreign language,
all the time pointed to heaven with her hand, and then distributed a
five-kopeck Testament to every one of us and rode away. Now you ought
to do the same, dearie."

Platonov burst into loud laughter. But seeing the naive and sad face of
Lichonin, who did not seem to understand, nor even suspect mockery, he
restrained his laughter and said seriously:

"You won't accomplish anything, Lichonin. While there will be property,
there will also be poverty. While marriage exists, prostitution also
will not die. Do you know who will always sustain and nourish
prostitution? It is the so-called decent people, the noble
paterfamiliases, the irreproachable husbands, the loving brothers. They
will always find a seemly motive to legitimize, normalize and put a
wrapper all around paid libertinage, because they know very well that
otherwise it would rush in a torrent into their bedrooms and nurseries.
Prostitution is for them a deflection of the sensuousness of others
from their personal, lawful alcove. And even the respectable
paterfamilias himself is not averse to indulge in a love debauch in
secret. And really, it is palling to have always the one and the same
thing the wife, the chambermaid, and the lady on the side. Man, as a
matter of fact, is a poly--and exceedingly so--a polygamous animal. And
to his rooster-like amatory instincts it will always be sweet to