Peredonov mumbled something incoherent, and his teeth chattered with fear. Gloomy fears and forebodings tormented him. He walked up and down frowning and the grey nedotikomka ran under the chairs and sniggered.
The guests arrived early. They brought many tarts, apples and pears to the house warming. Varvara accepted everything gladly, saying, merely from politeness:
"Why did you take the trouble to bring such lovely things?"
But if she thought that someone had brought something poor or cheap she felt angry. She was also displeased when two guests brought the same thing.
They lost no time, but sat down at once to play cards. They played stoukolka.
"Good heavens!" exclaimed Grushina suddenly. "I've got a blind king!"
"And my queen has no eyes," said Prepolovenskaya, examining her cards. "And the knave too!"
The guests laughingly examined their cards. Prepolovensky said:
"I wondered why these cards kept catching each other. That's the reason. I kept feeling. Why is it, I thought, that they have such rough backs? Now I see it comes from these little holes. That's it—it's the backs that are rough!"
Everyone laughed except Peredonov, who looked morose. Varvara said with a smile: