Skarban.—Oho!
Rokos (Rises and walks with measured steps toward Veverka; 'he firmly holds him as he seizes the clothes on his breast with one hand, so Veverka in his struggles, cannot get away).—Now I want to know what truth there is in your crazy talk!
Veverka.—For Heaven’s sake, Rokos! Let me go!
Rokos.—Speak!
Veverka.—But I can’t even move!
Rokos (Even more commandingly).—Speak!
Veverka.—Now wait a minute . . . that Merfajt, . . that damned, . . . you know that he was always our enemy . . . he has been wonderfully cheerful during these last few days. We were remarking to each other that he is hatching up something . . .
Skarban.—From that rascal, it is nothing new.
Veverka.—In the afternoon,—we were all in the tavern, about fifteen of us there together. We were smoking, drinking, chatting. Then all at once, enter Merfajt. His eyes were shining like a devil’s and he laughed as fiendishly as though he were about to mix a cup of poison for us. We were in the midst of a most interesting conversation,—but in comes that Merfajt, . . . then a dead silence. One began to cough, another looked out of the window, a third had to light his pipe . . . just as though a cold blanket were suddenly thrown over every one.
(Rokos, letting Veverka go.)
Veverka.—Well, I am glad, . . . at least I can talk now. (Taking a deep breath.) I was just saying, we scarcely welcomed him. And when he saw us so silent, . . . he was sitting at one side in the corner, you know the place, the one where the director sits when he comes in for a little visit once in a while, . . . and all of a sudden, Merfajt broke out into a torrent of abuse, giving free rein to his venomous tongue. He slurred us, he ridiculed our school, he said the walls are shaky things that will cave in over our heads. And it made us all so angry, that I couldn’t hold in any longer. I said something to him. If our mayor had not been right there, I would have thrown a beer-glass directly at his head.
Rokos.—And what did he do? Veverka.—He got up, grinding his teeth together, then began to heap vituperation upon me such as I never heard in my life before. And the end of it was, that he took the center of the
