es as Sasha and Zinotchka might at any
moment be convicted by me of ignorance of the social proprieties.
Now they were in my power, and their peace was entirely dependent
on my magnanimity. I'd let them know.

"When I went to bed, Zinotchka came into the nursery as usual to
find out whether I had dropped asleep without undressing and whether
I had said my prayers. I looked at her pretty, happy face and
grinned. I was bursting with my secret and itching to let it out.
I had to drop a hint and enjoy the effect.

"'I know,' I said, grinning. 'Gy--y.'

"'What do you know?'

"'Gy--y! I saw you near the willows kissing Sasha. I followed you
and saw it all.'

"Zinotchka started, flushed all over, and overwhelmed by 'my hint'
she sank down on the chair, on which stood a glass of water and a
candlestick.

"'I saw you . . . kissing . . .' I repeated, sniggering and enjoying
her confusion. 'Aha! I'll tell mamma!'

"Cowardly Zinotchka gazed at me intently, and convincing herself
that I really did know all about it, clutched my hand in despair
and muttered in a trembling whisper:

"'Petya, it is low. . . . I beg of you, for God's sake. . . . Be
a man . . . don't tell anyone. . . . Decent people don't spy
. . . . It's low. . . . I entreat you.'

"The poor girl was terribly afraid of my mother, a stern and virtuous
lady--that was one thing; and the second was that my grinning
countenance could not but outrage her first love so pure and poetical,
and you can imagine the state of her heart. Thanks to me, she did
not sleep a wink all night, and in the morning she appeared at
breakfast with blue rings round her eyes. When I met Sasha after
breakfast I could not refrain from grinning and boasting:

"'I know! I saw you yesterday kissing Mademoiselle Zina!'

"Sasha looked at me and said:

"'You are a fool.'

"He was not so cowardly as Zinotchka, and so my effect did not come
off. That provoked me to further efforts. If Sasha was not frightened
it was evident that he did not believe that I had seen and knew all
about it; wait a bit, I would show him.

"At our lessons before dinner Zinotchka did not look at me, and her
voice faltered. Instead of trying to scare me she tried to propitiate
me in every way, giving me full marks, and not complaining to my
father of my naughtiness. Being intelligent beyond my years I
exploited her secret: I did not learn my lessons, walked into the
schoolroom on my head, and said all sorts of ru