Volodin and the two young officials helped themselves more lavishly than anyone else, they picked out the choicest and most expensive things, and ate caviare greedily.
Grushina said with a forced laugh:
"Pavel Ivanitch is drunk, but still knows the difference between bread and cake." As if she had bought the caviare for him! And under the pretext of serving the ladies she took the best dishes away from him. But Volodin was not disconcerted and was glad to take what was left: he had managed to eat a good deal of the best things and it was all the same to him now.
Peredonov looked at the munchers and it seemed to him that everyone was laughing at him. Why? For what reason? He ate piggishly and greedily everything that came to his hand.
After supper they sat down to play cards again. But Peredonov soon got tired of it. He threw down the cards and said:
"To the devil with you! I have no luck. I'm tired! Varvara, let's go home."
And the other guests got up at the same time. Volodin saw in the hall that Peredonov had a new stick. He smiled and turned the stick over in front of him, asking:
"Ardasha, why are these fingers bent into a little roll? What does it mean?"
Peredonov angrily took the stick from him and put the handle with a Koukish[4] carved out of black wood on it to Volodin's nose and said:
"A fig with butter for you!"