ds before
him. In one head, red and wet from his recent bathe, he recognized
Emelyan. The back of his head had been cropped in a straight line
higher than is usual; the hair in front had been cut unbecomingly
high, and Emelyan's ears stood out like two dock leaves, and seemed
to feel themselves out of place. Looking at the back of his head
and his ears, Yegorushka, for some reason, thought that Emelyan was
probably very unhappy. He remembered the way he conducted with his
hands, his husky voice, his timid air when he was bathing, and felt
intense pity for him. He longed to say something friendly to him.

"I am here, too," he said, putting out his hand.

People who sing tenor or bass in the choir, especially those who
have at any time in their lives conducted, are accustomed to look
with a stern and unfriendly air at boys. They do not give up this
habit, even when they leave off being in a choir. Turning to
Yegorushka, Emelyan looked at him from under his brows and said:

"Don't play in church!"

Then Yegorushka moved forwards nearer to the ikon-stand. Here he
saw interesting people. On the right side, in front of everyone, a
lady and a gentleman were standing on a carpet. There were chairs
behind them. The gentleman was wearing newly ironed shantung trousers;
he stood as motionless as a soldier saluting, and held high his
bluish shaven chin. There was a very great air of dignity in his
stand-up collar, in his blue chin, in his small bald patch and his
cane. His neck was so strained from excess of dignity, and his chin
was drawn up so tensely, that it looked as though his head were
ready to fly off and soar upwards any minute. The lady, who was
stout and elderly and wore a white silk shawl, held her head on one
side and looked as though she had done someone a favour, and wanted
to say: "Oh, don't trouble yourself to thank me; I don't like it
. . . ." A thick wall of Little Russian heads stood all round the
carpet.

Yegorushka went up to the ikon-stand and began kissing the local
ikons. Before each image he slowly bowed down to the ground, without
getting up, looked round at the congregation, then got up and kissed
the ikon. The contact of his forehead with the cold floor afforded
him great satisfaction. When the beadle came from the altar with a
pair of long snuffers to put out the candles, Yegorushka jumped up
quickly from the floor and ran up to him.

"Have they given out the holy bread?" he asked.

"There is