supposed it was all the same whether he went or not. Such behaviour and
speeches cooled our ardour for the game and were very disagreeable--the
more so since it was impossible not to confess to oneself that Woloda
was right, I myself knew that it was not only impossible to kill birds
with a stick, but to shoot at all with such a weapon. Still, it was
the game, and if we were once to begin reasoning thus, it would become
equally impossible for us to go for drives on chairs. I think that even
Woloda himself cannot at that moment have forgotten how, in the long
winter evenings, we had been used to cover an arm-chair with a shawl
and make a carriage of it--one of us being the coachman, another one the
footman, the two girls the passengers, and three other chairs the trio
of horses abreast. With what ceremony we used to set out, and with what
adventures we used to meet on the way! How gaily and quickly those long
winter evenings used to pass! If we were always to judge from reality,
games would be nonsense; but if games were nonsense, what else would
there be left to do?




IX -- A FIRST ESSAY IN LOVE

PRETENDING to gather some "American fruit" from a tree, Lubotshka
suddenly plucked a leaf upon which was a huge caterpillar, and throwing
the insect with horror to the ground, lifted her hands and sprang away
as though afraid it would spit at her. The game stopped, and we crowded
our heads together as we stooped to look at the curiosity.

I peeped over Katenka's shoulder as she was trying to lift the
caterpillar by placing another leaf in its way. I had observed before