t
say God ought to be shot. I used to think about God before I left the
hussars. From all the poems you would think that hussars do nothing but
carouse and drink. Yes, I did drink, maybe, but would you believe it,
I used to jump out of bed at night and stood crossing myself before the
images with nothing but my socks on, praying to God to give me faith;
for even then I couldn't be at peace as to whether there was a God or
not. It used to fret me so! In the morning, of course, one would amuse
oneself and one's faith would seem to be lost again; and in fact I've
noticed that faith always seems to be less in the daytime."

"Haven't you any cards?" asked Verhovensky, with a mighty yawn,
addressing Madame Virginsky.

"I sympathise with your question, I sympathise entirely," the
girl-student broke in hotly, flushed with indignation at the major's
words.

"We are wasting precious time listening to silly talk," snapped out the
lady of the house, and she looked reprovingly at her husband.

The girl pulled herself together.

"I wanted to make a statement to the meeting concerning the sufferings
of the students and their protest, but as time is being wasted in
immoral conversation..."

"There's no such thing as moral or immoral," the schoolboy brought out,
unable to restrain himself as soon as the girl began.

"I knew that, Mr. Schoolboy, long before you were taught it."

"And I maintain," he answered savagely, "that you are a child come
from Petersburg to enlighten us all, though we know for ourselves the
commandment 'honour thy father and thy mother,' which you could not
repeat correctly; and the fact that it's immoral every one in Russia
knows from Byelinsky."

"Are we ever to have an end of this?" Madame Virginsky said resolutely
to her husband. As the hostess, she blushed for the ineptitude of the
conversation, especially as she noticed smiles and even astonishment
among the guests who had been invited for the first time.

"Gentlemen," said Virginsky, suddenly lifting up his voice, "if anyone
wishes to say anything more nearly connected with our business, or has
any statement to make, I call upon him to do so without wasting time."

"I'll venture to ask one question," said the lame teacher suavely. He
had been sitting particularly decorously and had not spoken till then.
"I should like to know, are we some sort of meeting, or are we simply a
gathering of ordinary mortals paying a visit? I ask simply for the sake