"Sit down, sit down," said Khripatch, not unkindly, and pushed a chair over to Sasha.
"Really I'm not tired, Nikolai Vlasyevitch," Sasha assured him.
Khripatch took him by the shoulders and made him sit down, sat down himself opposite the boy and said:
"Let's talk the matter over quietly, Pilnikov. You yourself cannot tell the actual condition of your health. You're very good and conscientious in all respects. That is why I can understand your wanting to be relieved from the gymnastic exercises. By the way, I've asked Evgeny Ivanovitch to come here to-day as I don't feel quite myself; he might incidentally look at you. I hope you have nothing against that?"
Khripatch looked at his watch and without waiting for an answer began to talk with Sasha as to how he had spent the summer.
Evgeny Ivanovitch Sourovtsev, the school physician, a little dark alert man, soon appeared; he delighted in conversations on politics and news generally. His knowledge was not great but he attended his patients conscientiously, and as he preferred diet and hygiene to medicines he was generally successful in his cases.
Sasha was asked to undress. Sourovtsev examined him attentively but found nothing wrong with him. As for Khripatch he was now convinced that Sasha was not a girl. Though he was convinced of this even before, still he considered it proper that in the event of any possible inquiries from the district, the school physician could certify to the facts without further investigation.
As Khripatch let Sasha go he said to him kindly:
"Now, we know that you're well, and I will tell Aleksey Alekseyevitch that he's not to let you off!"