"You hand over a ruble, and I will go," announced Tchurka, gruffly.
Kostrom at once asked spitefully:
"But for two greven—you would be afraid?" Then he said to Valek: "Give him the ruble. But he won't go; he is only making believe."
"Well, take the ruble."
Tchurka rose, and, without saying a word and without hurrying, went away, keeping close to the fence. Kostrom, putting his fingers in his mouth, whistled piercingly after him.; but Ludmilla said uneasily:
"O Lord, what a braggart he is! I never!"
"Where are you going, coward?" jeered Valek. "And you call yourself the first fighter in the street!" It was offensive to listen to his jeers. We did not like this overfed youth; he was always putting up little boys to do wrong, told them obscene stories of girls and women, and taught them to tease them. The children did what he told them, and suffered dearly for it. For some reason or other he hated my dog, and used to throw stones at it, and one day gave it some bread with a needle in it. But it was still more offensive to see Tchurka going away, shrinking and ashamed.
I said to Valek:
"Give me the ruble, and I will go."
Mocking me and trying to frighten me, he held out the ruble to Ludmilla's mother, who would not take it, and said sternly: