He laid his clenched fist on the table. “There are people,” said he, scowling, “who are like the poisonous weed in the field, at which beasts nibble themselves to death. With such people the rest poison themselves! “So then, one day we were having lessons in physics. The teacher was showing us experiments on the electric machine, and an electric shock was to be passed through the whole class. “To this end each one of us had to give his hand to his neighbor, so as to complete the circuit. “As now Big L, who was sitting next to Long K, held out his hand to him, the lubber made a grimace as if he were about to touch a toad and drew back his hand. “Big L quietly shrank into himself and sat there as if covered with shame. But at the same instant Little L is up and out of his place, over to his brother’s side, at whose place, next to Long K, he seats himself, whose hand he grips and smashes with all the force of his body against the wooden form, so that the long gawk cries out with pain. “Then he grabbed Little L by the neck and the two now began regularly to fight in the middle of class. “The teacher, who had been tinkering all this time at his machine, now rushed up with coat-tails flying. “‘Now! Now! Now!’ he cried. “He was, you must know, an old man for whom we had not exactly a great respect. “The two were so interlocked that they did not break away, even though the professor was standing directly in front of them. “‘What disgraceful conduct!’ cried the professor. ‘What disgraceful conduct! Will you separate at once!’ “Long K made a face as if he were about to cry. “‘L No. II began it,’ he said, ‘though I did nothing at all to provoke him.’ “Little L stood straight up in his place--for we always had to stand when a professor spoke to us--big drops of perspiration coursed slowly down either cheek; he said not a word; he had bitten his teeth together so hard that one could see the muscles of his jaw through the thin cheeks. And as he heard what Long K said a smile passed over his face--I have never seen anything like it. “The old professor expatiated at some length in beautiful set phrases over such disgraceful behavior, spoke of the ‘utter depths of abysmal bestiality’ which such conduct betrayed--we let him talk on; our thoughts were with Little L and Long K. “And scarcely was the lesson at an end and the professor out of the door, when from the back a book came flying through the air the whole length of the class straight at the skull of Long K. And as he turned angrily toward the aggressor, from the other side he received another book on his head, and now there broke out a general howling: ‘Knock him down! Knock him down!’ The whole class sprang up over tables and benches and there was a rush for Long K, whose hide was now so thoroughly tanned that it fairly smoked.” The old colonel, pleased, smiled grimly to himself and contemplated his hand as it still lay with fist doubled on the table.