at have faded prematurely, because they grew in
ground where there was no healthy nourishment. Often the teacher would
gather them round him, would buy them bread, eggs, apples and nuts, and
take them into the fields by the river side. There they would sit and
greedily eat everything he offered them, after which they would begin
to play, filling the fields for a mile around with careless noise and
laughter. The tall, thin figure of the drunkard towered above these
small people, who treated him familiarly, as if he were one of their
own age. They called him "Philip," and did not trouble to prefix
"Uncle" to his name. Playing around him, like little wild animals, they
pushed him, jumped upon his back, beat him upon his bald head, and
caught hold of his nose. All this must have pleased him, as he did not
protest against such liberties. He spoke very little to them, and when
he did so he did it cautiously as if afraid that his words would hurt
or contaminate them. He passed many hours thus as their companion and
plaything, watching their lively faces with his gloomy eyes. Then he
would thoughtfully and slowly direct his steps to the eatinghouse of
Vaviloff, where he would drink silently and quickly till all his senses
left him.

* * * * *

Almost every day after his reporting he would bring a newspaper, and
then gather round him all these creatures that once were men.

On seeing him, they would come forward from all corners of the
court-yard, drunk, or suffering from drunken headache, dishevelled,
tattered, miserable, and pitiable. Then would come the barrel-like,
stout Aleksei Maksimovitch Simtsoff, formerly Inspector of Woods and
Forests, under the Department of Appendages, but now trading in
matches, ink, blacking, and lemons. He was an old man of sixty, in a
canvas overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat, the greasy borders of which hid
his stout fat red face. He had a thick white beard, out of which a
small red nose turned gaily heavenwards. He had thick, crimson lips
and watery, cynical eyes. They called him "Kubar," a name which well
described his round figure and buzzing speech. After him, Kanets
appeared from some corner--a dark, sad-looking, silent drunkard: then
the former governor of the prison, Luka Antonovitch Martyanoff, a man
who existed on "remeshok," "trilistika," and "bankovka,"* and many such
cunning games, not much appreciated by the police. He would throw