of the nieces were sitting on the verandah, playing _vint_. When
Volodya told them the lie that he had missed the train, they were
uneasy that he might be late for the examination day, and advised
him to get up early. All the while they were playing he sat on one
side, greedily watching Nyuta and waiting. . . . He already had a
plan prepared in his mind: he would go up to Nyuta in the dark,
would take her by the hand, then would embrace her; there would be
no need to say anything, as both of them would understand without
words.

But after supper the ladies did not go for a walk in the garden,
but went on playing cards. They played till one o'clock at night,
and then broke up to go to bed.

"How stupid it all is!" Volodya thought with vexation as he got
into bed. "But never mind; I'll wait till to-morrow . . . to-morrow
in the arbour. It doesn't matter. . . ."

He did not attempt to go to sleep, but sat in bed, hugging his knees
and thinking. All thought of the examination was hateful to him.
He had already made up his mind that they would expel him, and that
there was nothing terrible about his being expelled. On the contrary,
it was a good thing--a very good thing, in fact. Next day he would
be as free as a bird; he would put on ordinary clothes instead of
his school uniform, would smoke openly, come out here, and make
love to Nyuta when he liked; and he would not be a schoolboy but
"a young man." And as for the rest of it, what is called a career,
a future, that was clear; Volodya would go into the army or the
telegraph service, or he would go into a chemist's shop and work
his way up till he was a dispenser. . . . There were lots of callings.