On the stroke of five Nejdanov went down to dinner, which was
announced by a Chinese gong, not by a bell. The whole company was
already assembled in the dining room. Sipiagin welcomed him again
from behind his high cravat, and showed him to a place between
Anna Zaharovna and Kolia. Anna Zaharovna was an old maid, a
sister of Sipiagin's father; she exhaled a smell of camphor, like
a garment that had been put away for a long time, and had a
nervous, dejected look. She had acted as Kolia's nurse or
governess, and her wrinkled face expressed displeasure when
Nejdanov sat down between her and her charge. Kolia looked
sideways at his new neighbour; the intelligent boy soon saw that
his tutor was shy and uncomfortable, that he did not raise his
eyes, and scarcely ate anything. This pleased Kolia, who had been
afraid that his tutor would be cross and severe. Valentina
Mihailovna also watched Nejdanov.

"He looks like a student," she thought to herself. "He's not
accustomed to society, but has a very interesting face, and the
colour of his hair is like that of the apostle whose hair the old
Italian masters always painted red--and his hands are clean!"
Indeed, everybody at the table stared at Nejdanov, but they had
mercy on him, and left him in peace for the time being. He was
conscious of this, and was pleased and angry about it at the same
time.

Sipiagin and Kollomietzev carried on the conversation. They
talked about the county council, the governor, the highway tax,
the peasants buying out the land, about mutual Moscow and St.
Petersburg acquaintances, Katkov's lyceum, which was just coming