and, and he is
ordering fox me," she added, embracing the pedagogue by the neck.
"Isn't that true, daddy?"

But he freed himself from under her arm, drawing his head in like a
turtle, and she without the least offence went to dance with Niura.
Three other couples were also whirling about. In the dances all the
girls tried to hold the waist as straight as possible, and the head as
immobile as possible, with a complete unconcern in their faces, which
constituted one of the conditions of the good taste of the
establishment. Under cover of the slight noise the teacher walked up to
Little Manka.

"Let's go?" he said, offering her his bent arm.

"Let's go," answered she, laughing.

She brought him into her room, gotten up with all the coquettishness of
a bedroom in a brothel of the medium sort, with a bureau, covered with
a knit scarf, and upon it a mirror, a bouquet of paper flowers, a few
empty bonbonierres, a powder box, a faded photograph of a young man
with white eyebrows and eyelashes and a haughtily astonished face, as
well as several visiting cards. Above the bed, which is covered with a
pink pique blanket, along the wall, is nailed up a rug with a
representation of a Turkish sultan luxuriating in his harem, a narghili
in his mouth; on the walls, several more photographs of dashing men of
the waiter and actor type; a pink lantern hangs down from the ceiling
by chains; there are also a round table under a carpet cover, three
vienna chairs, and an enameled bowl with a pitcher of the same sort in
the corner on a tabouret, behind the bed.

"Darling, treat me to Lafitte with lemonade," in accordance with
established usage asked Little Manka, unbuttoning her corsage.

"Afterwards," austerely answered the pedagogue. "It will all depend
upon yourself. And then--what sort of Lafitte can you have here? Some
muddy brew or other?"

"We have good Lafitte," contradicted the girl touchily. "Two roubles a
bottle. But if you are so stingy, then buy me beer at least. All right?"

"Well, beer is all right..."

"And for me lemonade and oranges. Yes?"

"A bottle of lemonade, yes; but oranges, no. Later, maybe, I will treat
you to champagne even. It will all depend on you. If you'll exert
yourself."

"Then, daddy, I'll ask for four bottles of beer and two bottles of
lemonade? Yes? And for me just a little cake of chocolate. All right?
Yes?"

"Two bottles of beer, a bottle of lemonade, and nothing more. I don't
like when I'