"There's one master, Peredonov, here," he complained, "who has invented the tale that I'm a girl. He's been annoying me, and then the Head-Master scolded me because I had got to know the Routilov girls. As if I went there to steal things! And what business is it of theirs?" "He's quite the same child that he was before," thought his aunt in perplexity, "or has he become spoilt and corrupted so that he can deceive one even with his face?" She shut herself in with Kokovkina and talked to her for a long time. She came out looking quite grave. Then she went to the Head-Master. She returned quite upset. She showered reproaches on Sasha. Sasha cried but firmly assured her that it was all an invention, that he did not permit himself any liberties with the Routilov girls. His aunt did not believe him. She scolded him, wept and threatened to give him a good whipping at once--that is to-day, as soon as she had seen these girls. Sasha kept crying and assuring her that nothing wrong had happened, and that it was all very exaggerated. His aunt, angry and bloated with tears, went to the Routilovs. As she waited in the Routilovs' drawing-room, Ekaterina Ivanovna felt very agitated. She wanted to throw herself on the sisters at once with the severest reproaches which she had prepared beforehand. But their peaceful, pretty drawing-room aroused peaceful thoughts in her against her will, and softened her vexation. The unfinished embroidery left lying about, the keepsakes, the engravings on the walls, the carefully trained plants at the windows, the absence of dust and the home-like appearance of the room were not at all what one would expect in an unrespectable house; there was everything that is valued by housewives the world over--surely with such surroundings the young owners of such a drawing-room could not have corrupted her innocent young Sasha. All the conjectures she had made about Sasha seemed to her ridiculously absurd. On the other hand, Sasha's explanations about his doings at the Routilovs seemed reasonable; they read, chatted, joked, laughed and played--they wanted to get up an amateur play, but Olga Vassilyevna would not allow him to take part. The three sisters felt apprehensive. They did not yet know whether Sasha's masquerading had remained a secret. But there were three of them and they all felt solicitous for one another. This gave them courage. All three of them gathered in Liudmilla's room and deliberated in whispers. "We must go down to her," said Valeria. "It's rude to keep her waiting." "Let her cool off a little," replied Darya indifferently, "or she'll go for us." The sisters scented themselves with clematis. They came in tranquil, cheerful, attractive, pretty as always; they filled the drawing-room with their charming chatter and gaiety. Ekaterina Ivanovna was immediately fascinated by them.