ov drew near to the house, Valentina Mihailovna
looked at them from the balcony through her lorgnette, shook her head
slowly with a smile on her lips, then returning through the open
glass door into the drawing-room, where Sipiagin was already seated at
preferences with their toothless neighbour, who had dropped in to tea,
she drawled out, laying stress on each syllable: "How damp the air is!
It's not good for one's health!"

Mariana and Nejdanov exchanged glances; Sipiagin, who had just scored
a trick from his partner, cast a truly ministerial glance at his wife,
looking her over from top to toe, then transferred this same cold,
sleepy, but penetrating glance to the young couple coming in from the
dark garden.

XIV

Two more weeks went by; everything in its accustomed order. Sipiagin
fixed everyone's daily occupation, if not like a minister, at any rate
like the director of a department, and was, as usual, haughty, humane,
and somewhat fastidious. Kolia continued taking lessons; Anna Zaharovna,
still full of spite, worried about him constantly; visitors came
and went, talked, played at cards, and did not seem bored. Valentina
Mihailovna continued amusing herself with Nejdanov, although her
customary affability had become mixed with a certain amount of
good-natured sarcasm. Nejdanov had become very intimate with Mariana,
and discovered that her temper was even enough and that one could
discuss most things with her without hitting against any violent
opposition. He had been to the school with her once or twice, but with
the first visit had become convinced that he could do nothing there.
It was under the entire control of the deacon, with Sipiagin's full
consent. The good father did not teach grammar badly, although his
method was rather old-fashioned, but at examinations he would put the
most absurd questions. For instance, he once asked Garacy how he would
explain the expression, "The waters are dark under the firmament," to
which Garacy had to answer, by the deacon's own order, "It cannot be
explained." However, the school was soon closed for the summer, not to
be opened again until the autumn.

Bearing in mind the suggestion of Paklin and others, Nejdanov did all he
could to come in contact with the peasants, but soon found that he
was only learning to understand them, in so far as he could make any
observation and doing no propaganda whatever! Nejdanov had lived in a
town all his life and, consequently,