"I do not speak of these men, I am thinking of Judas Petunikoff, who is one of them...." "And you say you have nothing to do with them?" asks the teacher, quietly. "But do you think that I do not live? Aha! I do live, but I suppose I ought not to be angry at the fact that life is desecrated and robbed of all freedom by these men." "And they dare to laugh at the kindly anger of the Captain, a man living in retirement?" says Abyedok, teasingly. "Very well! I agree with you that I am foolish. Being a creature who was once a man, I ought to blot out from my heart all those feelings that once were mine. You may be right, but then how could I or any of you defend ourselves if we did away with all these feelings?" "Now then, you are talking sense," says the teacher, encouragingly. "We want other feelings and other views on life.... We want something new ... because we ourselves are a novelty in this life...." "Doubtless this is most important for us," remarks the teacher. "Why?" asks Kanets. "Is it not all the same whatever we say or think? We have not got long to live ... I am forty, you are fifty ... there is no one among us younger than thirty, and even at twenty one cannot live such a life long." "And what kind of novelty are we?" asked Abyedok, mockingly. "Since nakedness has always existed ..." "Yes, and it created Rome," said the teacher. "Yes, of course," says the Captain, beaming with joy. "Romulus and Remus, eh? We also shall create when our time comes ..." "Violation of public peace," interrupts Abyedok. He laughs in a self-satisfied way. His laughter is impudent and insolent, and is echoed by Simtsoff, the Deacon and Paltara Taras. The naive eyes of young Meteor light up, and his cheeks flush crimson. Kanets speaks, and it seems as if he were hammering their heads. "All these are foolish illusions ... fiddle-sticks!" It was strange to see them reasoning in this manner, these outcasts from life, tattered, drunken with vodki and wickedness, filthy and forlorn. Such conversations rejoiced the Captain's heart. They gave him an opportunity of speaking more, and therefore he thought himself better than the rest. However low he may fall, a man can never deny himself the delight of feeling cleverer, more powerful, or even better fed than his companions. Aristid Kuvalda abused this pleasure, and never could have enough of it, much to the disgust of Abyedok, Kubar, and others of these creatures that once were men, who were less interested in such things.