"And will mother not come to us?"

"Oh, if she only came, if only for one little minute!" exclaimed
Kirsha.

"What are we to do with these girls?" asked Trirodov.

"Invite them in, show them the house," replied Kirsha.

"And the quiet children?" quietly asked Trirodov.

"The quiet children also like the elder one," answered Kirsha.

"And who are they, these girls?" asked Trirodov.

"They are our neighbours, the Rameyevs," said Kirsha.

Trirodov smiled again and said:

"Yes, one can understand why they are so curious."

He frowned, went to the table, put his hand on one of the dark, heavy
prisms and picked it up cautiously, and again carefully put it back in
its place, saying at the same time to Kirsha:

"Go, then, and meet them and bring them here."

Kirsha, growing animated, asked: