"And what will happen at home?" he thought timidly. At home, Kokovkina treated him sternly for the first time: she ordered him to get down on his knees. But Sasha had barely been in that position for a few moments when Kokovkina, softened by his repentant face and silent tears, released him. She said grumblingly:
"What a little lady-killer, you are! Your perfumes can be smelt a mile off!"
Sasha gracefully bent over and kissed her hand—and the courtesy of the punished boy touched her even more.
In the meantime a storm was gathering over Sasha. Varvara and Grushina composed and sent to Khripatch an anonymous letter to the effect that the schoolboy, Pilnikov, had been fascinated by the Routilov girl, that he spent whole evenings with her rather questionably. Khripatch collected a recent conversation. One evening at the house of the Marshal of the Nobility someone had thrown out an insinuation—which no one had taken up—about a girl who was in love with a schoolboy. The conversation had immediately passed to other subjects: in Khripatch's presence, everyone, acting on the unwritten law of people accustomed to good society, considered this an extremely awkward theme for discussion, and they assumed that this topic was not to be mentioned in the presence of women and that the rumour itself was trivial and very unlikely. Khripatch, of course, had noticed this but he was not so naive as to ask anyone. He was fully confident that he would know all about it soon, that all information came of itself in one way or another, but always in good season. Well, here was a letter which contained the expected information.
Khripatch did not for a moment believe that Pilnikov was guilty, and that his relations with Liudmilla were improper.
"This," he thought, "is one of Peredonov's stupid inventions and is nourished by Grushina's envy and spitefulness. But this letter shows that certain undesirable rumours are current, which might cast a reflection on the good name of the gymnasia entrusted to me. And therefore measures must be taken."
First of all Khripatch invited Kokovkina to discuss with him the circumstances which had helped to give rise to these rumours.
Kokovkina already knew what was the trouble. She had been informed even more bluntly than the Head-Master. Grushina had waited for her in the street, entered into conversation, and told her that Liudmilla had already managed to corrupt Sasha. Kokovkina was dumbfounded. When she got home she showered reproaches upon Sasha. She was all the more vexed because this had happened almost before her eyes, and because Sasha had gone to the Routilovs' with her knowledge. Sasha pretended not to understand anything and he asked:
"What have I done wrong?"