m neither a suicide nor a thief," answered David, "but what is
true is true: in Siberia there are good people, better than you and I.
Who knows that better than you do?"

My father uttered a little cry, took a step back, looked at David,
spat on the floor, crossed himself and went out.

"Didn't you like that?" asked David, sticking out his tongue. Then he
tried to rise, but he was still too weak. "I must have hit something,"
he said, groaning and frowning. "I remember the current carried me
against a pier.--Have you seen Raissa?" he asked suddenly.

"No I have not seen her. Stop! I remember now. Wasn't she standing on
the shore near the bridge? Yes--a black dress, a yellow handkerchief
on her head--that was she."

"Well, you did see her?"

"I don't know. After that--I--you jumped in then."

David became restless: "Alexis, my dear friend, go to her at once:
tell her I'm well--that there's nothing the matter. To-morrow I'll go
and see hen Go at once, please, to oblige me." He stretched out
both arms toward me. His red hair had dried into all sorts of funny
ringlets, but his look of entreaty was only the more genuine. I took
my hat and left the house, trying to avoid my father's eye lest I
should remind him of his promise.

XXI.

And indeed I thought on my way to the Latkins how it was possible that
I did not notice Raissa. Where had she disappeared to? She must have
seen--Suddenly I remembered that at the very moment David was falling
a heartrending shriek had sounded in my ears. Was it not she? But
in that case why did I not see her? Before the hovel in which Latkin
lived was an empty space covered with nettles and surrounded by a
broken, tottering fence. I had hardly got over this fence--for there
was no gate or entrance--before my eyes were greeted with this sight:
On the lowest step in front of the house sat Raissa, her elbows on
her knees and holding her chin in her folded hands: she was looking
straight out into vacancy. Near her stood her little dumb sister,
playing quietly with a whip, and before the steps, with his back to
me, was Latkin in a shabby, torn jacket, his feet in felt slippers,
bending over her and brandishing his elbows and stalking about. When
he heard my steps he turned round, leant down on the tips of his toes,
and then suddenly sprang at me and began to speak with unusual speed
in a quivering voice and with an incessant "Choo, choo, choo!" I was
amazed. It was long since I had s