Leaving the boulevard behind them, they pa.s.sed along the dreary streets lying outside the town, though they were better lighted than the boulevard. The wood-pavement stood out clearly against the black ground, and above loomed the pale cloud-covered heaven, where here and there stars gleamed.
"Here we are," said Von Deitz as he opened a low door and disappeared through it. Immediately afterwards they heard the hoa.r.s.e bark of a dog, and a voice exclaiming, "Lie down, Sultan." Before them lay a large empty courtyard at the farther side of which they discerned a black ma.s.s. It was a steam mill, and its narrow chimney pointed sadly to the sky. Round about it were dark sheds, but no trees, except in a small garden in front of the adjoining house. Through an open window a ray of light touched their green leaves.
"A dismal kind of place," said Sanine.
"I suppose the mill has been here a long while?" asked Yourii.
"Oh! yes, for ever so long!" replied Von Deitz who, as he pa.s.sed, looked through the lighted window, and in a tone of satisfaction said, "Oho! Quite a lot of people, already."
Yourii and Sanine also looked in at the window and saw heads moving in a dim cloud of blue smoke. A broad-shouldered man with curly hair leant over the sill and called out, "Who"s there?"
"Friends!" replied Yourii.
As they went up the steps they pushed against some one who shocks hands with them in friendly fashion.
"I was afraid that you wouldn"t come!" said a cheery voice in a strong Jewish accent.
"Soloveitchik--Sanine," said Von Deitz, introducing the two, and grasping the former"s cold, trembling hand.
Soloveitchik laughed nervously.
"So pleased to meet you!" he said. "I have heard so much about you, and, you know--" He stumbled backwards still holding Sanine"s hand. In doing so he fell Against Yourii, and trod on Von Deitz"s foot.
"I beg your pardon, Jakof Adolfovitch!" he exclaimed, as he proceeded to shake Von Deitz"s hand with great energy. Thus it was some time before in the darkness they could find the door. In the ante-room, on tows of nails put up specially for this evening by orderly Soloveitchik, hung hats and caps, while close to the window were dark green bottles containing beer. Even the ante-room was filled with smoke.
In the light Soloveitchik appeared to be a young dark-eyed Jew with curly hair, small features, and bad teeth which, as he was continually smiling, were always displayed.
The newcomers were greeted with a noisy chorus of welcome. Yourii saw Sina Karsavina sitting on the window-sill, and instantly everything seemed to him bright and joyous, as if the meeting were not in a stuffy room full of smoke, but at a festival amid fair green meadows in spring.
Sina, slightly confused, smiled at him pleasantly.
"Well, sirs, I think we are all here, now," exclaimed Soloveitchik, trying to speak in a loud, cheery way with his feeble, unsteady voice, and gesticulating in ludicrous fashion.
"I beg your pardon, Yourii Nicolaijevitch; I seem to be always pushing against you," he said, laughing, as he lurched forward in an endeavour to be polite.
Yourii good-humouredly squeezed his arm.
"That"s all right," he said.
"We"re not all here, but deuce take the others!" cried a burly, good- looking student. His loud tradesman"s voice made one feel that he was used to ordering others about.
Soloveitchik sprang forward to the table and rang a little bell. He smiled once more, and this time for sheer satisfaction at having thought of using a bell.
"Oh I none of that!" growled the student. "You"ve always got some silly nonsense of that sort. It"s not necessary in the least."
"Well ... I thought ... that...." stammered Soloveitchik, as, looking embarra.s.sed, he put the bell in his pocket.
"I think that the table should be placed in the middle of the room,"
said the student.
"Yes, yes, I am going to move it directly!" replied Soloveitchik, as he hurriedly caught hold of the edge of the table.
"Mind the lamp!" cried Dubova.
"That"s not the way to move it!" exclaimed the student, slapping his knee.
"Let me help you," said Sanine.
"Thank you! Please!" replied Soloveitchik eagerly.
Sanine set the table in the middle of the room, and as he did so, the eyes of all were fixed on his strong back and muscular shoulders which showed through his thin shirt.
"Now, Goschienko, as the initiator of this meeting, it is for you to make the opening speech," said the pale-faced Dubova, and from the expression in her eyes it was hard to say if she were in earnest, or only laughing at the student.
"Ladies and gentlemen," began Goschienko, raising his voice, "everybody knows why we have met here to-night, and so we can dispense with any introductory speech."
"As a matter of fact," said Sanine, "I don"t know why I came here, but," he added, laughing, "it may have been because I was told that there would be some beer."
Goschienko glanced contemptuously at him over the lamp, and continued:
"Our a.s.sociation is formed for the purpose of self-education by means of mutual readings, and debates, and independent discussions--"
"Mutual readings? I don"t understand," interrupted Dubova in a tone of voice that might have been thought ironical.
Goschienko blushed slightly.
"I meant to say readings in which all take part. Thus, the aim of our a.s.sociation is for the development of individual opinion which shall lead to the formation in town of a league in sympathy with the social democratic party...."
"Aha!" drawled Ivanoff, as he scratched the back of his head.
"But with that we shall deal later on. At the commencement we shall not set ourselves to solve such great--"
"Or small ..." prompted Dubova.
"Problems," continued Goschienko, affecting not to hear. "We shall begin by making out a programme of such works as we intend to read, and I propose to devote the present evening to this purpose."
"Soloveitchik, are your workmen coming?" asked Dubova.
"Yes, of course they are!" replied Soloveitchik, jumping up as if he had been stung. "We have already sent to fetch them."
"Soloveitchik, don"t shout like that!" exclaimed Goschienko.
"Here they are!" said Schafroff, who was listening to Goschienko"s words with almost reverent attention.
Outside, the gate creaked, and again the dog"s gruff bark was heard.
"They"ve come!" cried Soloveitchik as he rushed out of the room.
"Lie down, Sultan!" he shouted from the house-door.