NEW COMRADES
The winter had passed imperceptibly and the thaw begun when the list of examinations was posted at the University, and I suddenly remembered that I had to return answers to questions in eighteen subjects on which I had heard lectures delivered, but with regard to some of which I had taken no notes and made no preparation whatever.It seems strange that the question "How am I going to pass?" should never have entered my head, but the truth is that all that winter I had been in such a state of haze through the delights of being both grown-up and "comme il faut" that, whenever the question of the examinations had occurred to me, I had mentally compared myself with my comrades, and thought to myself, "They are certain to pass, and as most of them are not 'comme il faut,' and I am therefore their personal superior, I too am bound to come out all right." In fact, the only reason why I attended lectures at all was that I might become an habitue of the University, and obtain Papa's leave to go in and out of the house.Moreover, I had many acquaintances now, and often enjoyed myself vastly at the University.I loved the racket, talking, and laughter in the auditorium, the opportunities for sitting on a back bench, and letting the measured voice of the professor lure one into dreams as one contemplated one's comrades, the occasional runnings across the way for a snack and a glass of vodka (sweetened by the fearful joy of knowing that one might be hauled before the professor for so doing), the stealthy closing of the door as one returned to the auditorium, and the participation in "course versus course" scuffles in the corridors.All this was very enjoyable.
By the time, however, that every one had begun to put in a better attendance at lectures, and the professor of physics had completed his course and taken his leave of us until the examinations came on, and the students were busy collecting their notebooks and arranging to do their preparation in parties, it struck me that I also had better prepare for the ordeal.Operoff, with whom I still continued on bowing, but otherwise most frigid, terms, suddenly offered not only to lend me his notebooks, but to let me do my preparation with himself and some other students.I thanked him, and accepted the invitation--hoping by that conferment of honour completely to dissipate our old misunderstanding; but at the same time I requested that the gatherings should always be held at my home, since my quarters were so splendid! To this the students replied that they meant to take turn and turn about--sometimes to meet at one fellow's place, sometimes at another's, as might be most convenient.
The first of our reunions was held at Zuchin's, who had a small partition-room in a large building on the Trubni Boulevard.The opening night I arrived late, and entered when the reading aloud had already begun.The little apartment was thick with tobacco-
smoke, while on the table stood a bottle of vodka, a decanter, some bread, some salt, and a shin-bone of mutton.Without rising, Zuchin asked me to have some vodka and to doff my tunic.
"I expect you are not accustomed to such entertainment," he added.
Every one was wearing a dirty cotton shirt and a dickey.
Endeavouring not to show my contempt for the company, I took off my tunic, and lay down in a sociable manner on the sofa.Zuchin went on reading aloud and correcting himself with the help of notebooks, while the others occasionally stopped him to ask a question, which he always answered with ability, correctness, and precision.I listened for a time with the rest, but, not understanding much of it, since I had not been present at what had been read before, soon interpolated a question.
"Hullo, old fellow! It will be no good for you to listen if you do not know the subject," said Zuchin."I will lend you my notebooks, and then you can read it up by to-morrow, and I will explain it to you."
I felt rather ashamed of my ignorance.Also, I felt the truth of what he said; so I gave up listening, and amused myself by observing my new comrades.According to my classification of humanity, into persons "comme il faut" and persons not "comme il faut," they evidently belonged to the latter category, and so aroused in me not only a feeling of contempt, but also a certain sensation of personal hostility, for the reason that, though not "comme il faut," they accounted me their equal, and actually patronised me in a sort of good-humoured fashion.What in particular excited in me this feeling was their feet, their dirty nails and fingers, a particularly long talon on Operoff's obtrusive little finger, their red shirts, their dickeys, the chaff which they good-naturedly threw at one another, the dirty room, a habit which Zuchin had of continually snuffling and pressing a finger to his nose, and, above all, their manner of speaking--that is to say, their use and intonation of words.For instance, they said "flat" for fool, "just the ticket" for exactly, "grandly" for splendidly, and so on--all of which seemed to me either bookish or disagreeably vulgar.Still more was my "comme il faut " refinement disturbed by the accents which they put upon certain Russian--and, still more, upon foreign--words.
Thus they said dieYATelnost for DIEyatelnost, NARochno for naROChno, v'KAMinie for v'kaMINie, SHAKespeare for ShakesPEARe, and so forth.
