The Man Who Was Afraid [119]
and fro, they creaked softly, plaintively. A rain was falling; streams of water were beating against the window-panes, and one could hear how the water was falling to the ground from the roof, sobbing there. This sobbing sound was joined by another sound--a shrill, often interrupted, hasty scratching of a pen over paper, and then by a certain spasmodic grumbling.
When he turned with difficulty his aching, heavy head on the pillow, Foma noticed a small, swarthy man, who sat by the table hastily scratching with his pen over the paper, shaking his round head approvingly, wagging it from side to side, shrugging his shoulders, and, with all his small body clothed in night garments only, constantly moving about in his chair, as though he were sitting on fire, and could not get up for some reason or other. His left hand, lean and thin, was now firmly rubbing his forehead, now making certain incomprehensible signs in the air; his bare feet scraped along the floor, a certain vein quivered on his neck, and even his ears were moving. When he turned toward Foma, Foma saw his thin lips whispering something, his sharp- pointed nose turned down to his thin moustache, which twitched upward each time the little man smiled. His face was yellow, bloated, wrinkled, and his black, vivacious small sparkling eyes did not seem to belong to him.
Having grown tired of looking at him, Foma slowly began to examine the room with his eyes. On the large nails, driven into the walls, hung piles of newspapers, which made the walls look as though covered with swellings. The ceiling was pasted with paper which had been white once upon a time; now it was puffed up like bladders, torn here and there, peeled off and hanging in dirty scraps; clothing, boots, books, torn pieces of paper lay scattered on the floor. Altogether the room gave one the impression that it had been scalded with boiling water.
The little man dropped the pen, bent over the table, drummed briskly on its edge with his fingers and began to sing softly in a faint voice:
"Take the drum and fear not,-- And kiss the sutler girl aloud-- That's the sense of learning-- And that's philosophy."
Foma heaved a deed sigh and said:
"May I have some seltzer?"
"Ah!" exclaimed the little man, and jumping up from his chair, appeared at the wide oilcloth-covered lounge, where Foma lay. "How do you do, comrade! Seltzer? Of course! With cognac or plain?"
"Better with cognac," said Foma, shaking the lean, burning hand which was outstretched to him, and staring fixedly into the face of the little man.
"Yegorovna!" cried the latter at the door, and turning to Foma, asked: "Don't you recognise me, Foma Ignatyevich?"
"I remember something. It seems to me we had met somewhere before."
"That meeting lasted for four years, but that was long ago! Yozhov."
"0h Lord!" exclaimed Foma, in astonishment, slightly rising from the lounge. "Is it possible that it is you?"
"There are times, dear, when I don't believe it myself, but a real fact is something from which doubt jumps back as a rubber ball from iron."
Yozhov's face was comically distorted, and for some reason or other his hands began to feel his breast.
"Well, well!" drawled out Foma. "But how old you have grown! Ah- ah! How old are you?"
"Thirty."
"And you look as though you were fifty, lean, yellow. Life isn't sweet to you, it seems? And you are drinking, too, I see."
Foma felt sorry to see his jolly and brisk schoolmate so worn out, and living in this dog-hole, which seemed to be swollen from burns. He looked at him, winked his eyes mournfully and saw that Yozhov's face was for ever twitching, and his small eyes were burning with irritation. Yozhov was trying to uncork the bottle of water, and thus occupied, was silent; he pressed the bottle between his knees and made vain efforts to take out the cork. And his impotence moved Foma.
"Yes; life has sucked you dry. And you have studied. Even science seems to help man but little," said Gordyeeff plaintively.
"Drink!" said Yozhov, turning pale with fatigue, and
When he turned with difficulty his aching, heavy head on the pillow, Foma noticed a small, swarthy man, who sat by the table hastily scratching with his pen over the paper, shaking his round head approvingly, wagging it from side to side, shrugging his shoulders, and, with all his small body clothed in night garments only, constantly moving about in his chair, as though he were sitting on fire, and could not get up for some reason or other. His left hand, lean and thin, was now firmly rubbing his forehead, now making certain incomprehensible signs in the air; his bare feet scraped along the floor, a certain vein quivered on his neck, and even his ears were moving. When he turned toward Foma, Foma saw his thin lips whispering something, his sharp- pointed nose turned down to his thin moustache, which twitched upward each time the little man smiled. His face was yellow, bloated, wrinkled, and his black, vivacious small sparkling eyes did not seem to belong to him.
Having grown tired of looking at him, Foma slowly began to examine the room with his eyes. On the large nails, driven into the walls, hung piles of newspapers, which made the walls look as though covered with swellings. The ceiling was pasted with paper which had been white once upon a time; now it was puffed up like bladders, torn here and there, peeled off and hanging in dirty scraps; clothing, boots, books, torn pieces of paper lay scattered on the floor. Altogether the room gave one the impression that it had been scalded with boiling water.
The little man dropped the pen, bent over the table, drummed briskly on its edge with his fingers and began to sing softly in a faint voice:
"Take the drum and fear not,-- And kiss the sutler girl aloud-- That's the sense of learning-- And that's philosophy."
Foma heaved a deed sigh and said:
"May I have some seltzer?"
"Ah!" exclaimed the little man, and jumping up from his chair, appeared at the wide oilcloth-covered lounge, where Foma lay. "How do you do, comrade! Seltzer? Of course! With cognac or plain?"
"Better with cognac," said Foma, shaking the lean, burning hand which was outstretched to him, and staring fixedly into the face of the little man.
"Yegorovna!" cried the latter at the door, and turning to Foma, asked: "Don't you recognise me, Foma Ignatyevich?"
"I remember something. It seems to me we had met somewhere before."
"That meeting lasted for four years, but that was long ago! Yozhov."
"0h Lord!" exclaimed Foma, in astonishment, slightly rising from the lounge. "Is it possible that it is you?"
"There are times, dear, when I don't believe it myself, but a real fact is something from which doubt jumps back as a rubber ball from iron."
Yozhov's face was comically distorted, and for some reason or other his hands began to feel his breast.
"Well, well!" drawled out Foma. "But how old you have grown! Ah- ah! How old are you?"
"Thirty."
"And you look as though you were fifty, lean, yellow. Life isn't sweet to you, it seems? And you are drinking, too, I see."
Foma felt sorry to see his jolly and brisk schoolmate so worn out, and living in this dog-hole, which seemed to be swollen from burns. He looked at him, winked his eyes mournfully and saw that Yozhov's face was for ever twitching, and his small eyes were burning with irritation. Yozhov was trying to uncork the bottle of water, and thus occupied, was silent; he pressed the bottle between his knees and made vain efforts to take out the cork. And his impotence moved Foma.
"Yes; life has sucked you dry. And you have studied. Even science seems to help man but little," said Gordyeeff plaintively.
"Drink!" said Yozhov, turning pale with fatigue, and