“Do you remember that too?” asked her aunt. “Boastful child! Veroshka said the other day....”
“This is how I draw now,” said Marfinka, handing him a drawing of a bunch of flowers.
“Splendid, little sister! Is it done from nature?”
“Yes, from nature. I can make wax-flowers, too.”
“And do you play or sing?”
“I play the piano.”
“And does Veroshka draw and play?”
Marfinka shook her head.
“Does she like needlework? No? Then is she fond of reading?”
“Yes, she reads a great deal. But she does not tell us what she reads, nor show us the book, nor even say where she got it.”