liberals locked up in custody!' and turning at last his full face and
whole body towards Fustov, he brought out in a half-plaintive,
half-ironical voice: 'I wanted to ask you something, Alexander
Daviditch.... Couldn't you talk my governor round somehow?... You play
duets with him, you know.... Here he gives me five miserable blue notes
a month.... What's the use of that! Not enough for tobacco. And then he
goes on about my not making debts! I should like to put him in my place,
and then we should see! I don't come in for pensions, not like _some
people_.' (Viktor pronounced these last words with peculiar
emphasis.) 'But he's got a lot of tin, I know! It's no use his whining
about hard times, there's no taking me in. No fear! He's made a snug
little pile!'

Fustov looked dubiously at Victor.

'If you like,' he began, 'I'll speak to your father. Or, if you like...
meanwhile... a trifling sum....'

'Oh, no! Better get round the governor... Though,' added Viktor,
scratching his nose with all his fingers at once, 'you might hand over
five-and-twenty roubles, if it's the same to you.... What's the blessed
total I owe you?'

'You've borrowed eighty-five roubles of me.'

'Yes.... Well, that's all right, then... make it a hundred and ten. I'll
pay it all in a lump.'

Fustov went into the next room, brought back a twenty-five-rouble note
and handed it in silence to Viktor. The latter took it, yawned with his