offence. He saw that these people
who defended him from Yozhov's attacks were now purposely ignoring the
feuilleton-writer, and he understood that this would pain Yozhov if he
were to notice it. And in order to take his friend away from possible
unpleasantness, he nudged him in the side and said, with a kind-hearted
laugh:

"Well, you grumbler, shall we have a drink? Or is it time to go home?"

"Home? Where is the home of the man who has no place among men?" asked
Yozhov, and shouted again: "Comrades!"

Unanswered, his shout was drowned in the general murmur. Then he drooped
his head and said to Foma:

"Let's go from here."

"Let's go. Though I don't mind sitting a little longer. It's
interesting. They behave so nobly, the devils. By God!"

"I can't bear it any longer. I feel cold. I am suffocating."

"Well, come then."

Foma rose to his feet, removed his cap, and, bowing to the compositors,
said loudly and cheerfully:

"Thank you, gentlemen, for your hospitality! Good-bye!"

They immediately surrounded him and spoke to him persuasively:

"Stay here! Where are you going? We might sing all together, eh?"

"No, I must go, it would be disagreeable to my friend to go alone. I am
going to escort him. I wish you a jolly feast!"

"Eh, you ought to wait a little!" exclaimed the stout fellow, and then
whispered:

"Some one will escort him home!"

The consumptive also remarked in a low voice:

"You stay here. We'll escort him to town, and get him into a cab
and--there you are!"

Foma felt like staying there, and at the same time was afraid of
something. While Yozhov rose to his feet, and, clutching at the sleeves
of his overcoat, muttered:

"Come, the devil take them!"

"Till we meet again, gentlemen! I'm going!" said Foma and departed amid
exclamations of polite regret.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Yozhov burst out laughing when he had got about twenty
steps away from the fire. "They see us off with sorrow, but they are
glad that I am going away. I hindered them from turning into beasts."

"It's true, you did disturb them," said Foma. "Why do you make such
speeches? People have come out to enjoy themselves, and you obtrude
yourself upon them. That bores them!"

"Keep quiet! You don't understand anything!" cried Yozhov, harshly.
"You think I am drunk? It's my body that is intoxicated, but my soul is
sober, it is always sober; it feels everything. Oh, how much meanness
there is in the world, how much stupidity and w