Nefedevitch clutched Vasya and hugged him in his leonine arms.
"Arkasha, it's settled."
"Vasya, boy, I only wanted to say this. You see, Vasya—listen, bandy-legs, listen!..."
Arkady stopped, with his mouth open, because he could not speak for delight. Vasya held him by the shoulders, gazed into his face and moved his lips, as though he wanted to speak for him.
"Well," he brought out at last.
"Introduce me to them to-day."
"Arkady, let us go to tea there. I tell you what, I tell you what. We won't even stay to see in the New Year, we'll come away earlier," cried Vasya, with genuine inspiration.
"That is, we'll go for two hours, neither more nor less...."
"And then separation till I have finished...."
"Vasya, boy!"