adjusted the folds of his coat
(as though such a thing were necessary!), and seated himself in his
place.
'Well, gentlemen,' he said, rubbing his hands, 'let us first of all
repeat the general contents of the last lesson: after which I will
proceed to narrate the succeeding events of the middle ages.'
This meant 'Say over the last lesson.' While Woloda was answering the
master with the entire ease and confidence which come of knowing a
subject well, I went aimlessly out on to the landing, and, since I
was not allowed to go downstairs, what more natural than that I should
involuntarily turn towards the alcove on the landing? Yet before I had
time to establish myself in my usual coign of vantage behind the door I
found myself pounced upon by Mimi--always the cause of my misfortunes!
'YOU here?' she said, looking severely, first at myself, and then at the
maidservants' door, and then at myself again.
I felt thoroughly guilty, firstly, because I was not in the schoolroom,
and secondly, because I was in a forbidden place. So I remained silent,
and, dropping my head, assumed a touching expression of contrition.
'Indeed, this is TOO bad!' Mimi went on, 'What are you doing here?'
Still I said nothing.
'Well, it shall not rest where it is,' she added, tapping the banister
with her yellow fingers. 'I shall inform the Countess.'
It was five minutes to three when I re-entered the schoolroom. The
master, as though oblivious of my presence or absence, was explaining
the new lesson to Woloda. When he had finished doing this, and had put
his books together (while Woloda went into the other room to fetch his
ticket), the comforting idea occurred to me that perhaps the whole thing
was over now, and that the master had forgotten me.
But suddenly he turned in my direction with a malicious smile, and said
as he rubbed his hands anew, 'I hope you have learnt your lesson?'
'Yes,' I replied.
'Would you be so kind, then, as to tell me something about St. Louis'
Crusade?' he went on, balancing himself on his chair and looking gravely
at his feet. 'Firstly, tell me something about the reasons which induced
the French king to assume the cross' (here he raised his eyebrows and
pointed to the inkstand); 'then explain to me the general characteristics
of the Crusade' (here he made a sweeping gesture with his hand, as though
to seize hold of something with it); 'and lastly, expound to me the
influence of this Crusade upon the European states in general' (drawing
the copy books to the left side of the table) 'and upon the French state
in particular' (drawing one of them to the right, and inclining his head
in the same direction).
I swallowed a few times, coughed, bent forward, and was silent. Then,
taking a pen from the table, I began to pick it to pieces, yet still
said nothing.
'Allow me the pen--I shall want it,' said the master. 'Well?'
'Louis the-er-Saint was-was-a very good and wise king.'
'What?'
'King, He took it into his head to go to Jerusalem, and handed over the
reins of government to his mother.'
'What was her name?
'B- b-b-lanka.'
'What? Belanka?'
I laughed in a rather forced manner.
'Well, is that all you know?' he asked again, smiling.
I had nothing to lose now, so I began chattering the first thing that
came into my head. The master remained silent as he gathered together
the remains of the pen which I had left strewn about the table, looked
gravely past my ear at the wall, and repeated from time to time, 'Very
well, very well.' Though I was conscious that I knew nothing whatever
and was expressing myself all wrong, I felt much hurt at the fact that
he never either corrected or interrupted me.
'What made him think of going to Jerusalem?' he asked at last, repeating
some words of my own.
'Because--because--that is to say--'
My confusion was complete, and I relapsed into silence, I felt that,
even if this disgusting history master were to go on putting questions
