"Why did you do it?" asked Routilov with a loud laugh. "Why should they have eyes?" said Peredonov morosely. "They don't need to see!" Everyone roared with laughter, but Peredonov remained morose and silent. It seemed to him that the blinded figures were making wry faces, mocking at him and winking with the gaping little holes in their eyes. "Perhaps," thought Peredonov, "they've managed to learn to see with their noses." He had bad luck, as he nearly always did, and it seemed to him that the faces of the kings, queens and knaves expressed spite and mockery; the queen of spades even gritted her teeth, evidently enraged by his blinding her. Finally, after a heavy loss, Peredonov seized the pack of cards and in his rage began to tear them to shreds. The guests roared with laughter. Varvara said with a smile: "He's always like that--whenever he takes a drop he always does strange things." "You mean when he's drunk," said Prepolovenskaya spitefully. "Do you hear, Ardalyon Borisitch, what your cousin thinks of you?" Varvara flushed and said angrily: "Why do you twist my words?" Prepolovenskaya smiled and was silent. A new pack of cards was produced in place of the torn pack, and the game was continued. Suddenly a crash was heard--a pane of glass was broken and a stone fell on the floor near Peredonov. Under the window could be heard a whispering, laughter and then quickly receding footsteps. Everyone jumped from his place in alarm; the women screamed--as they always do. They picked up the stone and examined it fearfully; no one ventured near the window--they first sent Klavdia into the street, and only when she came back, saying that the street was deserted, did they examine the broken window. Volodin suggested that the stone had been thrown by some schoolboys. His guess seemed a likely one, and everyone looked significantly at Peredonov. Peredonov frowned and mumbled something incoherently. The guests began to talk of the boys of the place, remarking how impudent and wild they were. It was, of course, not the schoolboys, but the locksmith's sons. "The Head-Master put the boys up to it," announced Peredonov suddenly, "he's always trying to pick a quarrel with me. He's thought of this to annoy me." "Well, that _is_ a fine idea," shouted Routilov with a loud laugh. Everyone laughed. Grushina alone said: "Well, what do you expect? He's such a poisonous man. Anything might be expected of him. He doesn't do it himself, but puts his sons up to it." "It doesn't make any difference that they're aristocrats," bleated Volodin in an injured tone. "Anything might be expected from aristocrats." Many of the guests then began to think that perhaps it was time they stopped laughing. "You seem to have bad luck with glass, Ardalyon Borisitch," said Routilov. "First your spectacles were broken and now they've smashed your window." This evoked a new outburst of laughter.