te!" the latter exclaimed, hurriedly.
"Gentlemen," he added, "I must ask you to excuse me. Vasia, my clerk,
has just told me of such a little piece of news" (Golushkin expressed
himself thus purposely by way of a joke) "which absolutely necessitates
my leaving you for awhile. But I hope, gentlemen, that you will come and
have dinner with me at three o'clock. Then we shall be more free!"

Neither Solomin nor Nejdanov knew what to say, but Markelov replied
instantly, with that same severity in his face and voice:

"Of course we will come."

"Thanks very much," Golushkin said hastily, and bending down to
Markelov, added, "I will give a thousand roubles for the cause in any
case.... Don't be afraid of that!"

And so saying, he waved his right hand three times, with the thumb and
little finger sticking out. "You may rely on me!" he added.

He accompanied his guests to the door, shouting, "I shall expect you at
three!"

"Very well," Markelov was the only one to reply.

"Gentlemen!" Solomin exclaimed as soon as they found themselves in the
street, "I am going to take a cab and go straight back to the factory.
What can we do here until dinnertime? A sheer waste of time, kicking our
heels about, and I am afraid our worthy merchant is like the well-known
goat, neither good for milk nor for wool."

"The wool is there right enough," Markelov observed gloomily. "He
promised to give us some money. Don't you like him? Unfortunately, we
can't pick and choose. People do not run after us exactly."

"I am not fastidious," Solomin said calmly. "I merely thought that
my presence would not do much good. However," he added, glancing at
Nejdanov with a smile, "I will stay if you like. Even death is bearable
in good company."

Markelov raised his head.

"Supposing we go into the public garden. The weather is lovely. We can
sit and look at the people."

"Come along."

They moved on; Markelov and Solomin in front, Nejdanov in the rear.

XVIII

STRANGE was the state of Nejdanov's soul. In the last two days so many
new sensations, new faces.... For the first time in his life he had come
in close contact with a girl whom in all probability he loved. He was
present at the beginning of the movement for which in all probability
he was to devote his whole life.... Well? Was he glad? No.... Was he
wavering? Was he afraid? Confused? Oh, certainly not! Did he at any rate
feel that straining of the whole being, that longing to be