way from their midst to
freedom, to the edge of life, and thence behold them--then all would
become clear to him. Then he would also understand what they wanted, and
would find his own place among them.

"Don't I understand," said Mayakin, more gently, seeing Foma lost in
thought, and assuming that he was reflecting on his words--"I understand
that you want happiness for yourself. Well, my friend, it is not to be
easily seized. You must seek happiness even as they search for mushrooms
in the wood, you must bend your back in search of it, and finding it,
see whether it isn't a toad-stool."

"So you will set me free?" asked Foma, suddenly lifting his head, and
Mayakin turned his eyes away from his fiery look.

"Father! at least for a short time! Let me breathe, let me step aside
from everything!" entreated Foma. "I will watch how everything goes on.
And then--if not--I shall become a drunkard."

"Don't talk nonsense. Why do you play the fool?" cried Mayakin, angrily.

"Very well, then!" replied Foma, calmly. "Very well! You do not want it?
Then there will be nothing! I'll squander it all! And there is nothing
more for us to speak of. Goodbye! I'll set out to work, you'll see! It
will afford you joy. Everything will go up in smoke!" Foma was calm, he
spoke with confidence; it seemed to him that since he had thus decided,
his godfather could not hinder him. But Mayakin straightened himself in
his chair and said, also plainly and calmly:

"And do you know how I can deal with you?"

"As you like!" said Foma, with a wave of the hand. "Well then. Now I
like the following: I'll return to town and will see to it that you are
declared insane, and put into a lunatic asylum."

"Can this be done?" asked Foma, distrustfully, but with a tone of fright
in his voice.

"We can do everything, my dear."

Foma lowered his head, and casting a furtive glance at his godfather's
face, shuddered, thinking:

"He'll do it; he won't spare me."

"If you play the fool seriously I must also deal with you seriously.
I promised your father to make a man of you, and I will do it; if you
cannot stand on your feet, I'll put you in irons. Then you will stand.
Though I know all these holy words of yours are but ugly caprices that
come from excessive drinking. But if you do not give that up, if
you keep on behaving indecently, if you ruin, out of wantonness, the
property accumulated by your father, I'll cover you all up. I'll have a
bell forged