"No, Nikolai Vlasyevitch, I'm quite well," answered Sasha, red with confusion.
"However," said Khripatch, "Aleksey Alekseyevitch was complaining about your languidness and that you get tired soon. And I myself noticed to-day that you had a tired look. Or perhaps I was mistaken?"
Sasha did not know how to shield his eyes from Khripatch's penetrating look. He muttered in a confused way:
"I'm very sorry—I won't do it again—I was just a little lazy—really I'm quite well. I will work hard at the exercises."
Suddenly, quite unexpectedly to himself, he burst into tears.
"You see," said Khripatch, "it's obvious that you're tired: you cry as if I had given you a severe scolding. Now, quiet yourself."
He laid his hand on Sasha's shoulder and said:
"I called you in not to lecture you but to make things clear.... Sit down, Pilnikov, I can see you're tired."
Sasha quickly dried his wet eyes with his handkerchief and said:
"I'm not a bit tired."