Part 4 (2/2)

But Stoj shook his head, and would not answer.

”Let us go on with our orgastrophy,” he said. And he trembled so that the chalk shook in his hand.

So Serge questioned no further, but he thought more deeply still. All the way from the Teknik to the house where he lodged he was thinking. As he climbed the stair to his attic room he was still thinking.

The house in which Serge lived was the house of Madame Va.s.selitch. It was a tall dark house in a sombre street.

There were no trees upon the street and no children played there. And opposite to the house of Madame Va.s.selitch was a building of stone, with windows barred, that was always silent. In it were no lights, and no one went in or out.

”What is it?” Serge asked.

”It is the house of the dead,” answered Madame Va.s.selitch, and she shook her head and would say no more.

The husband of Madame Va.s.selitch was dead. No one spoke of him. In the house were only students, Most of them were wild fellows, as students are. At night they would sit about the table in the great room drinking Kwas made from sawdust fermented in syrup, or golgol, the Russian absinth, made by dipping a gooseberry in a bucket of soda water. Then they would play cards, laying matches on the table and betting, ”Ten, ten, and yet ten,” till all the matches were gone. Then they would say, ”There are no more matches; let us dance,” and they would dance upon the floor, till Madame Va.s.selitch would come to the room, a candle in her hand, and say, ”Little brothers, it is ten o'clock. Go to bed.” Then they went to bed. They were wild fellows, as all students are.

But there were two students in the house of Madame Va.s.selitch who were not wild. They were brothers. They lived in a long room in the bas.e.m.e.nt. It was so low that it was below the street.

The brothers were pale, with long hair. They had deep-set eyes. They had but little money. Madame Va.s.selitch gave them food. ”Eat, little sons,” she would say. ”You must not die.”

The brothers worked all day. They were real students.

One brother was Halfoff. He was taller than the other and stronger. The other brother was Kwitoff. He was not so tall as Halfoff and not so strong.

One day Serge went to the room of the brothers. The brothers were at work. Halfoff sat at a table. There was a book in front of him.

”What is it?” asked Serge.

”It is solid geometry,” said Halfoff, and there was a gleam in his eyes.

”Why do you study it?” said Serge.

”To free Russia,” said Halfoff.

”And what book have you?” said Serge to Kwitoff.

”Hamblin Smith's _Elementary Trigonometry_,” said Kwitoff, and he quivered like a leaf.

”What does it teach?” asked Serge.

”Freedom!” said Kwitoff.

The two brothers looked at one another.

”Shall we tell him everything?” said Halfoff.

”Not yet,” said Kwitoff. ”Let him learn first. Later he shall know.”

After that Serge often came to the room of the two brothers.

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