yapa's hoarse voice "When a man is dying one must be
quiet ... so that he may have peace."

Silence reigned once more. The cloudy sky threatened thunder, and the
earth was covered with the thick darkness of an autumn night.

"Let us go on drinking!" proposed Kuvalda, filling up the glasses.

"I will go and see if he wants anything," said Tyapa.

"He wants a coffin!" jeered the Captain.

"Don't speak about that," begged Abyedok in a low voice.

Meteor rose and followed Tyapa. The Deacon tried to get up, but fell
and swore loudly.

When Tyapa had gone the Captain touched Martyanoff's shoulder and said
in low tones:

"Well, Martyanoff ... You must feel it more than the others. You were
... But let that go to the Devil ... Don't you pity Philip?"

"No," said the ex-jailer, quietly, "I do not feel things of this sort,
brother ... I have learned better ... this life is disgusting after
all. I speak seriously when I say that I should like to kill someone."

"Do you?" said the Captain, indistinctly. "Well ... let's have another
drink ... It's not a long job ours, a little drink and then ..."

The others began to wake up, and Simtsoff shouted in a blissful voice:
"Brothers! One of you pour out a glass for the old man!"

They poured out a glass and gave it to him. Having drunk it he tumbled
down again, knocking against another man as he fell. Two or three
minutes' silence ensued, dark as the autumn night.

"What do you say?"

"I say that he was a good man ... a quiet and good man," whispered a
low voice.

"Yes, and he had money, too ... and he never refused it to a friend
..." Again silence ensued.

"He is dying!" said Tyapa, hoarsely, from behind the Captain's head.
Aristid Fomich got up, and went with firm steps into the dosshouse.

"Don't go!" Tyapa stopped him. "Don't go! You are drunk! It is not
right." The Captain stopped and thought.

"And what is right on this earth? Go to the Devil!" And he pushed
Tyapa aside.

On the walls of the dosshouse the shadows were creeping, seeming to
chase each other. The teacher lay on the board at full length and
snored. His eyes were wide open, his naked breast rose and fell
heavily, the corners of his mouth foamed, and on his face was an
expression as if he wished to say something very important, but found
it difficult to do so. The Captain stood with his hands behind him,
and looked at him in silence. He then began in a silly way:

"Philip!