nt to marry a decent girl, pure, and innocent! ..."

"I meant it as a brother ... I meant it without that ..." mumbled
Lichonin in confusion.

"I know that kind of brothers. Until the first night ... Leave off and
don't talk nonsense to me! It makes me tired to listen to it!"

"Wait, Lichonin!" began the reporter seriously. "Why, you will pile a
load beyond your strength upon yourself as well. I've known idealists,
among the populists, who married peasant girls out of principle. This
is just the way they thought--nature, black-loam, untapped forces. ...
But this black-loam after a year turned into the fattest of women, who
lies the whole day in bed and chews cookies, or studs her fingers with
penny rings, spreads them out and admires them. Or else sits in the
kitchen, drinks sweet liquor with the coachman and carries on a natural
romance with him. Look out, here it will be worse!"

All three became silent. Lichonin was pale and was wiping his moist
forehead with a handkerchief.

"No, the devil take it!" he cried out suddenly with obstinacy. "I don't
believe you! I don't want to believe! Liuba" he called loudly the girl
who had fallen asleep. "Liubochka!"

The girl awoke, passed her palm over her lips, first to one side, then
the other, yawned, and smiled, in a funny, child-like manner.

"I wasn't sleeping, I heard everything," she said. "I only dozed off
for a teeny-weeny bit."

"Liuba, do you want to go away from here with me?" asked Lichonin and
took her by the hand. "But entirely, forever, to go away so's never to
return either to a brothel or the street?"

Liuba questioningly, with perplexity, looked at Jennie, as though
seeking from her an explanation of this jest.

"That's enough for you," she said slyly. "You're still studying
yourself. Where do you come in, then, to take a girl and set her up?"

"Not to set you up, Liuba ... I simply want to help you ... For it
isn't very sweet for you in a brothel, is it now!"

"Naturally, it isn't all sugar! If I was as proud as Jennechka, or so
enticing like Pasha ... but I won't get used to things here for
anything ..."

"Well, then, let's go, let's go! ..." entreated Lichonin. "Surely, you
know some manual work--well, now, sewing something, embroidering,
cutting?"

"I don't know anything!" answered Liuba bashfully and started laughing
and turned red, covering her mouth with the elbow of her free arm.
"What's asked of us in the village, that I know, but anyt