"But the schoolmaster isn't here I I haven't seen him for three days. Has anyone else seen him?" said Kouvalda.
"No one."
"That's not like him! Well, never mind, let's have another drink I Let's drink to the health of Aristide Kouvalda, my only friend, who, during all my lifetime has never once forsaken me; though, devil take it, if he had deprived me of his society sometimes I might have been the gainer."
"That's well said," cried "Scraps," and cleared his throat.
The captain, conscious of his superiority, looked round at his cronies, but said nothing, for he was eating.
After drinking two glasses the company brightened up; for the measures were full ones. "Tarass and a half" humbly expressed a wish for a story, but the deacon was eagerly engaged discussing with "The Top" the superiority of thin women over fat ones, and took no notice of his friend's words, defending his point of view with the eagerness and fervour of a man deeply convinced of the truth of his opinion. The naïve face of "The Meteor," who was lying beside him on his stomach, expressed admiration and delight at the suggestive words of the disputants. Martianoff, hugging his knees with his huge, hairy hands, glanced gloomily and silently at the vodka bottle, while he constantly made attempts to catch his moustache with his tongue and gnaw it with his teeth. "Scraps" was teasing Tiapa.
"I know now where you hide your money, you old ogre!"
"All the better for you!" hissed Tiapa in a hoarse voice.
"I'll manage to get hold of it some day!"
"Do it if you can!"