that he understood. "Mariana Vikentievna," he exclaimed suddenly,
in an unnecessarily loud tone of voice, "do you intend teaching
at the school again this year?"

Mariana turned round from the cage.

"Are you interested to know, Simion Petrovitch? "

"Certainly. I am very much interested."

"Would you forbid it?"

"I would forbid nihilists even so much as to think of schools. I
would put all schools into the hands of the clergy, and with an
eye on them I wouldn't mind running one myself!"

"Really! I haven't the slightest idea what I shall do this year.
Last year things were not at all successful. Besides, how can you
get a school together in the summer?

Mariana blushed deeply all the time she was speaking, as if it
cost her some effort. She was still very self-conscious.

"Are you not sufficiently prepared?" Valentina Mihailovna asked
sarcastically.

"Perhaps not."

"Heavens! " Kollomietzev exclaimed. "What do I hear? 0h ye gods!
Is preparation necessary to teach peasants the alphabet?"