There are people who look upon some disease, either of the body, or of the soul, as the best and most precious thing in life. They nurse it all their lives, and only in it do they live at all. Though they suffer by it, yet they live upon it. They complain of it to other people, and by means of it attract to themselves the attention of their neighbours. They use it as a means of obtaining sympathy, and without it--they are nothing at all. Take away from them this disease, cure them, and they will be unhappy because they are deprived of the only means of living--there they stand empty. Sometimes the life of a man is poor to such a degree that he is involuntarily obliged to put a high value on some vice, and live thereby; indeed, we may say straight out that very often people become vicious from sheer ennui. The soldier was offended, rushed upon our master-baker, and bellowed: "Come, I say--speak out! Who was it?" "Speak out, eh?"--and the master-baker suddenly turned round upon him. "Yes!--Well?" "Do you know Tanya?" "Well!" "Well, there you are!--try her!" "I?" "You." "Pooh! That's nothing." "Let us see!" "You shall see. Ha-ha-ha!" "She look at you!" "Give me a month!" "What a braggart you are, soldier!" "A fortnight! I'll show you. Who's she? Little Tanya! Pooh!" "And now be off!--you're in the way." "A fortnight, I say--and the thing's done. Poor you, I say!" "Be off, I say." Our baker suddenly grew savage; and flourished his shovel. The soldier backed away from him in astonishment, and observed us in silence. "Good!" he said at last with ominous calmness--and departed. During the dispute we all remained silent, we were too deeply interested in it to speak. But when the soldier departed, there arose from among us a loud and lively babble of voices. Someone shrieked at the baker: "A pretty business you've set a-going, Paul!" "Go on working, d'ye hear!" replied the master-baker fiercely. We felt that the soldier would make the assault, and that Tanya was in danger. We felt this, and yet at the same time we were all seized by a burning curiosity that was not unpleasant--what would happen? Would Tanya stand firm against the soldier? And almost all of us cried, full of confidence: "Little Tanya? She'll stand firm enough!"