"Believe me, Nadezhda Vassilyevna," said Volodin, pressing his hands to his heart, "I won't spoil Mishenka. I always think: 'Why should a boy be spoiled?' He's well fed, well dressed, well shod, as for spoiling--no! I too can put him into the corner and not spoil him at all. I can do even more. As you're a girl, that is, a young lady, it's a little inconvenient to you, but I could easily birch him." "He's not only going to put me into a corner," said Misha whimpering, having again covered his face with his handkerchief, "but he'll even birch me! No, that doesn't suit me. No, Nadya, don't you dare to marry him." "Well, do you hear? I decidedly can't," said Nadezhda. "It seems very strange to me, Nadezhda Vassilyevna, that you're acting in this way," said Volodin. "I come to you with all my affections and one might even say with fiery feelings, and you give your brother as an excuse. If you now give your brother as an excuse, another might give her sister, a third her nephew, or perhaps some other relative, and so no one would marry--so that the whole human race would come to an end." "Don't worry about that, Pavel Vassilyevitch," said Nadezhda, "the world is not threatened yet by such a possibility. I don't want to marry without Misha's consent, and he, as you have heard, is not willing. Besides, as it's clear that you have promised to beat him straight away, you might also beat me." "Please, Nadezhda Vassilyevna, surely you don't think that I would permit myself such a disgraceful action," exclaimed Volodin desperately. Nadezhda smiled. "And I myself have no desire to marry," she said. "Perhaps you think of entering a nunnery?" asked Volodin in an offended voice. "More likely you'll join the Tolstoyan sect," corrected Peredonov, "and manure the fields." "Why should I go anywhere?" asked Nadezhda coldly, as she rose from her seat. "I'm perfectly well off here." Volodin rose also, protruded his lips in a hurt way and said: "Since Mishenka feels this way towards me and you are on his side, then I suppose I'd better stop the lessons, for how can I go to the lessons if Mishenka behaves towards me in this way?" "Why not?" asked Nadezhda. "That's quite another affair." Peredonov thought he ought to make yet another effort to prevail upon the young woman: perhaps she would consent. He said to her gloomily: "You'd better think it over well, Nadezhda Vassilyevna--why should you do it post-haste? He's a good man. He's my friend." "No," said Nadezhda. "What is there to think about? I thank Pavel Vassilyevitch very much for the honour, but I really can't." Peredonov looked angrily at Volodin and rose. He thought that Volodin was a fool, he couldn't make the young woman fall in love with him. Volodin stood beside his chair with lowered head. He asked reproachfully: