Sanine

After waiting a while at the entrance, and making sundry jokes at the

expense of Sina and Yourii, the others wandered along the river-bank.

The men lit cigarettes and threw the matches into the water, watching

these make large circles on the surface of the stream. Lida, with arms

a-kimbo, tripped along, singing softly as she went, and her pretty

little feet in dainty yellow shoes now and again executed an impromptu

dance. Lialia picked flowers, which she flung at Riasantzeff, caressing

him with her eyes.

"What do you say to a drink?" Ivanoff asked Sanine.

"Splendid idea!" replied the other.

Getting into the boat, they uncorked several bottles of beer and

proceeded to drink.

"Shocking intemperance!" cried Lialia, pelting them with tufts of

grass.

"First-rate stuff!" said Ivanoff, smacking his lips.

Sanine laughed.

"I have often wondered why people are so dead against alcohol," he said

jestingly. "In my opinion only a drunken man lives his life as it ought

to be lived."

"That is, like a brute!" replied Novikoff from the bank.

"Very likely," said Sanine, "but at any rate a drunken man only does

just that which he wants to do. If he has a mind to sing, he sings; if

he wants to dance, he dances; and is not ashamed to be merry and

jolly."

"And he fights too, sometimes," remarked Riasantzeff.

"Yes, so he does. That is, when men don't understand how to drink."

"And do you like fighting when you are drunk?" asked Novikoff.

"No," replied Sanine, "I'd rather fight when I am sober, but when I'm

drunk I'm the most good-natured person imaginable, for I have forgotten

so much that is mean and vile."

"Everybody is not like that," said Riasantzeff.

"I'm sorry for them, that's all," replied Sanine. "Besides, what others

are like does not interest me in the least."

"One can hardly say that," observed Novikoff.

"Why not, if it is the truth?"

"A fine truth, indeed!" exclaimed Lialia, shaking her head.

"The finest I know, anyhow," replied Ivanoff for Sanine.

Lida, who had been singing loudly, suddenly stopped, looking vexed.

"They don't seem in any hurry," she said.

"Why should they hurry?" replied Ivanoff, "It is a great mistake to do

anything in a hurry."

"And Sina, I suppose she is the heroine sans peur et sans reproche?"

said Lida ironically.