youths who never spoke to the inspector without addressing him as
"your honour." It was clear that in his own circle Sysoev was a
person of consequence.

Having been accustomed to success and praise for the fourteen years
that he had been schoolmaster, he listened with indifference to the
noisy enthusiasm of his admirers.

It was Bruni who drank in the praise instead of the schoolmaster.
The German caught every word, beamed, clapped his hands, and flushed
modestly as though the praise referred not to the schoolmaster but
to him.

"Bravo! bravo!" he shouted. "That's true! You have grasped my
meaning! . . . Excellent! . . ." He looked into the schoolmaster's
eyes as though he wanted to share his bliss with him. At last he
could restrain himself no longer; he leapt up, and, overpowering
all the other voices with his shrill little tenor, shouted:

"Gentlemen! Allow me to speak! Sh-h! To all you say I can make only
one reply: the management of the factory will not be forgetful of
what it owes to Fyodor Lukitch! . . ."

All were silent. Sysoev raised his eyes to the German's rosy face.

"We know how to appreciate it," Bruni went on, dropping his voice.
"In response to your words I ought to tell you that . . . Fyodor
Lukitch's family will be provided for and that a sum of money was
placed in the bank a month ago for that object."