"N—no. He doesn't mean to be," answered Ilya kindly.
"I—I always keep quite quiet!" said the boy.
"His tongue goes a little fast!" said Ilya.
"Do you hear?" asked his sister, knitting her brows.
"Oh, yes, I hear!" cried Gavrik crossly.
"It doesn't matter much," said Ilya good-humouredly. "A man who can show his teeth has always an advantage over the rest. A man who bears blows silently gets beaten to his grave by the stupid people."
She listened and a smile of pleasure came over her face. Ilya noticed it.
"I wanted to ask you——" he began, in some confusion.
"Well?"
The girl came closer and looked right into his eyes. He could not meet her glance, but hung his head and went on: