Sanine

In the large, dark room with its rows of benches and desks the white

cloth used for the magic lantern was dimly visible, and there were

sounds of suppressed laughter. At the window, through which could be

seen the dark green boughs of trees in twilight, stood Lialia and

Dubova. They gleefully greeted Yourii.

"I am so glad that you have come!" said Lialia.

Dubova shook him vigorously by the hand.

"Why don't you begin?" asked Yourii, as he furtively glanced round,

hoping to see Sina.

"So Sinaida Pavlovna doesn't attend these lectures?" he observed with

evident disappointment.

At that moment a lucifer-match flashed close to the lecturer's desk on

the platform, illuminating Sina's features. The light shone upon her

pretty fresh face; she was smiling gaily.

"Don't I attend these lectures?" she exclaimed, as, bending down to

Yourii, she held out her hand. He gladly grasped it without speaking,

and leaning lightly on him she sprang from the platform. He felt her

sweet, wholesome breath close to his face.

"It is time to begin," said Schafroff, who came in from the adjoining

room.

The school attendant with heavy tread walked round the room, lighting

one by one the large lamps which soon shed a bright light. Schafroff

opened the door leading to the passage, and said in a loud voice: "This

way, please!"

Shyly at first, and then in noisy haste, the people entered the

lecture-room. Yourii scrutinized them closely; his keen interest as a

propagandist was roused. There Were old folk, young men, and children.

No one sat in the front row; but, later on, it was filled by several

ladies whom Yourii did not know; by the fat school-inspector; and by

masters and mistresses of the elementary school for boys and girls. The

rest of the room was full of men in caftans and long coats, soldiers,

peasants, women, and a great many children in coloured shirts and

frocks.

Yourii sat beside Sina at a desk and listened while Schafroff read,

calmly, but badly, a paper on universal suffrage. He had a hard,

monotonous voice and everything he read sounded like a column of

statistics. Yet everybody listened attentively with the exception of

the intellectual people in the front row, who soon grew restless and

began whispering to each other. This annoyed Yourii, and he felt sorry

that Schafroff should read so badly. The latter was obviously tired, so

Yourii said to Sina: "Suppose I finish reading it for him? What do you say?"

Sina shot a kindly glance at him from beneath her drooping eye-lashes.