"Of course."
"And it won't work?"
They sighed sullenly and said:
"No; leave us alone."
Then Mitya moved a little farther away, put out his tongue and mocked them:
"I know why! I know why!"
He ran away, but they chased him, and as they were used to changing the scene of their operations and running from place to place they soon caught him. Then they began to beat him.
"Oh, you scamp ... cheeking your elders."
Mitya cried and implored:
"Uncles, I will give you a Soudanese stamp—I have a duplicate.... I will make you a present of my penknife——"