“‘Why, have I said any harm of the authorities?’ asked Kovalenko, looking at him wrathfully.  ’Please leave me alone.  I am an honest man, and do not care to talk to a gentleman like you.  I don’t like sneaks!’

“Byelikov flew into a nervous flutter, and began hurriedly putting on his coat, with an expression of horror on his face.  It was the first time in his life he had been spoken to so rudely.

“‘You can say what you please,’ he said, as he went out from the entry to the landing on the staircase.  ’I ought only to warn you:  possibly some on e may have overheard us, and that our conversation may not be misunderstood and harm come of it, I shall be compelled to inform our headmaster of our conversation... in its main features.  I am bound to do so.’

“‘Inform him?  You can go and make your report!’

“Kovalenko seized him from behind by the collar and gave him a push, and Byelikov rolled downstairs, thudding with his goloshes.  The staircase was high and steep, but he rolled to the bottom unhurt, got up, and touched his nose to see whether his spectacles were all right.  But just as he was falling down the stairs Varinka came in, and with her two ladies; they stood below staring, and to Byelikov this was more terrible than anything.  I believe he would rather have broken his neck or both legs than have been an object of ridicule.  ’Why, now the whole town would hear of it; it would come to the headmaster’s ears, would reach the higher authorities—­oh, it might lead to something!  There would be another caricature, and it would all end in his being asked to resign his post....

“When he got up, Varinka recognized him, and, looking at his ridiculous face, his crumpled overcoat, and his goloshes, not understanding what had happened and supposing that he had slipped down by accident, could not restrain herself, and laughed loud enough to be heard by all the flats: 

“‘Ha-ha-ha!’

“And this pealing, ringing ‘Ha-ha-ha!’ was the last straw that put an end to everything:  to the proposed match and to Byelikov’s earthly existence.  He did not hear what Varinka said to him; he saw nothing.  On reaching home, the first thing he did was to remove her portrait from the table; then he went to bed, and he never got up again.

“Three days later Afanasy came to me and asked whether we should not send for the doctor, as there was something wrong with his master.  I went in to Byelikov.  He lay silent behind the curtain, covered with a quilt; if one asked him a question, he said ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and not another sound.  He lay there while Afanasy, gloomy and scowling, hovered about him, sighing heavily, and smelling like a pothouse.