is no formal permission to do so, it is out of the
question. I was horrified yesterday! When I saw your sister everything
seemed dancing before my eyes. A lady or a young girl on a bicycle--it's
awful!'

"'What is it you want exactly?'

"'All I want is to warn you, Mihail Savvitch. You are a young man,
you have a future before you, you must be very, very careful in your
behaviour, and you are so careless--oh, so careless! You go about in an
embroidered shirt, are constantly seen in the street carrying books, and
now the bicycle, too. The headmaster will learn that you and your sister
ride the bicycle, and then it will reach the higher authorities.... Will
that be a good thing?'

"'It's no business of anybody else if my sister and I do bicycle!'
said Kovalenko, and he turned crimson. 'And damnation take any one who
meddles in my private affairs!'

"Byelikov turned pale and got up.

"'If you speak to me in that tone I cannot continue,' he said. 'And I
beg you never to express yourself like that about our superiors in my
presence; you ought to be respectful to the authorities.'

"'Why, have I said any harm of the authorities?' asked Kovalenko,
looking at him wrathfully. 'Please leave me alone. I am an honest man,
and do not care to talk to a gentleman like you. I don't like sneaks!'

"Byelikov flew into a nervous flutter, and began hurriedly putting on
his coat, with an expression of horror on his face. It was the first
time in his life he had been spoken to so rudely.

"'You can say what you please,' he said, as he went out from the entry
to the landing on the staircase. 'I ought only to warn you: possibly
some on e may have overheard us, and that our conversation may not be
misunderstood and harm come of it, I shall be compelled to inform our
headmaster of our conversation... in its main features. I am bound to
do so.'

"'Inform him? You can go and make your report!'

"Kovalenko seized him from behind by the collar and gave him a push, and
Byelikov rolled downstairs, thudding with his goloshes. The staircase
was high and steep, but he rolled to the bottom unhurt, got up, and
touched his nose to see whether his spectacles were all right. But just
as he was falling down the stairs Varinka came in, and with her two
ladies; they stood below staring, and to Byelikov this was more terrible
than anything. I believe he would rather have broken his neck or both
legs than have been an object of ridicule. 'Why, now the