had no family, there were a great many
menials and hangers-on collected under his roof. He did not receive them
from any feeling of generosity, but simply from a desire to be popular
and to have someone at his beck and call. "My clients," he used to say
when he wished to throw dust in one's eyes. He read very little, but had
an excellent memory for learned expressions.

The young people found Golushkin in his study, where he was sitting
comfortably wrapped up in a long dressing-gown, with a cigar between his
lips, pretending to be reading a newspaper. On their entrance he
jumped up, rushed up to them, went red in the face, shouted for some
refreshments to be brought quickly, asked them some questions, laughed
for no reason in particular, and all this in one breath. He knew
Markelov and Solomin, but had not yet met Nejdanov. On hearing that the
latter was a student, he broke into another laugh, pressed his hand a
second time, exclaiming:

"Splendid! Splendid! We are gathering forces! Learning is light,
ignorance is darkness--I had a wretched education myself, but I
understand things; that's how I've got on!"

It seemed to Nejdanov that Golushkin was shy and embarrassed--and indeed
it really was so. "Take care, brother Kapiton! Mind what you are about!"
was his first thought on meeting a new person. He soon recovered himself
however, and began in the same hurried, lisping, confused tone of voice,
talking about Vassily Nikolaevitch, about his temperament, about the
necessity of pro-pa-ganda (he knew this word quite well, but articulated
it slowly), saying that he, Golushkin, had discovered a certain
promising young chap, that the time had now come, that the time was now
ripe for... for the lancet (at this word he glanced at Markelov, but the
latter did not stir). He then turned to Nejdanov and began speaking of
himself in no less glowing terms than the distinguished correspondent
Kisliakov, saying that he had long ago ceased being a fool, that he
fully recognised the rights of the proletariat (he remembered this word
splendidly), that although he had actually given up commerce and taken
to banking instead with a view to increasing his capital, yet only so
that this same capital could at any given moment be called upon for
the use... for the use of the cause, that is to say, for the use of the
people, and that he, Golushkin, in reality, despised wealth! At this
point a servant entered with some refreshment; Golushkin cle