'Please put your questions.'
'Allow me, please, Nikolai Antonich,' Korablev put in quickly.
'Grigoriev, tell us please where you spent the nine days since you ran
away from school?'
'I did not run away, I went to Ensk,' I said calmly. 'My sister lives
there and I haven't seen her for eight years. Judge Skovorodnikov can
confirm this-I stayed with him: 13, Gogolevskaya Street, formerly the
Marcouse Mansion.'
If I had said frankly that I had spent those nine days with Katya
Tatarinova, who had been sent away to keep us from meeting each other
at least during the holidays, my words could not have had a more
disconcerting effect on Nikolai Antonich. He paled, blinked and cocked
his head sharply to one side.
'Why didn't you tell anybody you were going away?' Korablev asked.
I admitted that I was guilty of a breach of discipline and promised
that it would never happen again.
123
'Excellent, Grigoriev,' said Nikolai Antonich. 'Now that is an
excellent answer. It remains for us to hope that you will have just as
satisfactory explanations for your other actions.'
He looked at me affectionately. His composure was marvellous! 'Now
tell us what happened between you and Mr Likho.' To this day I can't
understand why, in telling the story of my relations with Likho, I did not
mention a word about 'idealism'. It may have been because I
considered that since Likho had withdrawn his accusation there was
nothing to talk about. This was a bad mistake. Besides, I should not
have mentioned that I wrote my essays without referring to the 'critics'.
It did not go down well. Korablev frowned and laid his hand on the
table.
'So you don't like the critics?' Nikolai Antonich said dryly. 'What did
you say to Mr Likho? Please repeat it word for word.'
Repeat to the Teachers' Council what I had said to Likho? Impossible!
If Likho had not been such a fathead he would have intervened at this
point to have this question withdrawn. But he just stared at me with an
air of triumph. 'Well,' Nikolai Antonich prompted.
'Nikolai Antonich, allow me,' Korablev interposed. 'We know what
he said to Mr Likho. We'd like to know what explanation he gives to his
conduct.'
'I beg your pardon!' said Likho. 'I insist that he repeat what he said! I
never heard such things even from the defectives at the Dostoyevsky
School.'
I was silent. Had I been able to read thoughts at a distance, I would
have read in Korablev's eyes: 'Sanya, tell them he accused you of
'idealism'.'
'Well!' Nikolai Antonich repeated indulgently. 'I don't remember,' I
muttered.
It was silly, because everybody saw at once that I was lying. Likho
snorted.
'Today he insults me for giving him a bad mark, tomorrow he'll cut
my throat,' he said. 'What hooliganism!'
I felt like giving him a punch on the nose, like I had very nearly done
that time on the stairs, but I didn't, of course. I clenched my teeth and
stared at Korablev's hand. He was drumming lightly on the table.
'It was a bad essay, I admit,' I said, trying to keep cool and thinking
with hatred how to extricate myself from this stupid position. 'It may
not have earned an 'extremely feeble' mark, because there isn't such a
mark, but it wasn't up to the mark, I admit. Anyway, if the Council
decides that I ought to apologise, then I'll apologise.'
Obviously, this was another silly thing to say. All started talking
together, saying God knows what, and Korablev eyed me with
unconcealed annoyance.
'Yes, Grigoriev,' Nikolai Antonich said with a deprecating smile. 'So
you are ready to apologise to Mr Likho only if the Council takes a
decision to that effect. In other words, you don't feel guilty. Ah, well!
We'll make a note of that and pass to the next question.'
'Risk your whole future through petty vanity,' the words came back
to me.
'I apologise,' I said awkwardly, turning to Likho. But Nikolai
Antonich was speaking again, and Likho made out as if he had not heard
me.
124
'Now this vicious attack on Romashov. You kicked him in the face,
Grigoriev, inflicting serious injuries, which have noticeably affected the
health of your comrade Romashov. How do you explain this conduct,
the like of which has never been heard of within the walls of our
school?'
I think I hated him more than ever at that moment for the smooth
meandering way he spoke. But Korablev's fingers rose warningly above
the table and I kept my temper.
'For one thing, I don't consider Romashov a comrade of mine.
Secondly, I hit him only once. Thirdly, he doesn't show any sign of
impaired health.'
This roused a storm of indignation, but Korablev nodded his head
ever so slightly.
'My conduct can be explained in this way,' I proceeded more calmly.
'I consider Romashov a cad and can prove it at any time. Instead of a
beating, we should try him by a court of honour and have the whole
school attend the trial.'
Nikolai Antonich wanted to stop me, but I plunged on.
'I affirm that Romashov is influencing the weaker boys
psychologically, trying to get a hold on them. If you want an example I
can give it to you—Valya Zhukov. Romashov takes advantage of the fact
that Valya is nervous and scares the life out of him. What does he do?
First he gets him to give his word of honour to keep mum, then tells him
all his low-down secrets. I was simply amazed when I heard about it. A
