Liudmilla, leaning forward with a cat-like movement, stroked Sasha's head. He gave a loud, embarrassed laugh, turned from under her hands and ran into his room. "My dear, find me a husband," said Liudmilla without any ado. "Well, you've found a nice matchmaker, I must say!" said Kokovkina with a smile, but it was evident from the expression of her face that she would have undertaken to make a marriage with great enjoyment. "How are you not a matchmaker and why shouldn't I make a bride?" said Liudmilla. "Surely you wouldn't be ashamed to make a marriage for me." Liudmilla put her arms on her hips and danced a few steps in front of her hostess. "Well," said Kokovkina, "what a wood flower you are!" "You might do it in your spare time," said Liudmilla with a laugh. "What sort of husband would you like?" asked Kokovkina with amusement. "Let him be--let him be dark--my dear, he must certainly be dark, very dark, dark as a--well, you have a model here--your student--his eyebrows must be black and his eyes languishing, and his eyelashes must be long--long, blue-black eyelashes--your schoolboy's certainly handsome--really handsome--I'd like one of his sort." Soon Liudmilla made ready to leave. It had grown quite dark. Sasha went out to escort her. "Only as far as the cabby," said Liudmilla in a gentle voice, and looked at Sasha with her caressing eyes, blushing guiltily. Once on the street Liudmilla became gay once more and began to cross-examine Sasha. "Well, are you always at your lessons? Do you read much?" "Yes, I love reading," replied Sasha. "Andersen's fairy-tales?" "No, not fairy-tales, but all sorts of books. I like history and poems too." "Do you like poetry? And who's your favourite poet?" asked Liudmilla gravely. "Nadson, of course,"[1] replied Sasha, with the deep conviction of the impossibility of any other answer. "So, so!" said Liudmilla encouragingly. "I like Nadson too, but only in the morning. In the evening, my dear, I like to dress up. And what do you like to do?" Sasha looked at her with his soft, dark eyes--they suddenly became moist--and he said quietly: "I like to caress." "Well, you are a nice boy," said Liudmilla, putting her arm on his shoulder. "So you like to caress? But do you like to splash[2] in your bath?" Sasha smiled. Liudmilla went on: "In warm water?" "Yes, in warm and in cold," said the boy shamefacedly. "And what sort of soap do you like?" "Glycerine." "And do you like grapes?" Sasha began to laugh. "You're a queer girl! It's a different thing and you ask as if it were the same. You can't take me in." "As if I wanted to!" said Liudmilla laughing. "I know what you are--you're a giggler." "Where did you get that?" "Everyone says so," said Sasha. "You're a little gossip," said Liudmilla with assumed severity. Sasha blushed again. "Well, here's a cabby. Cabby!" shouted Liudmilla. "Cabby!" shouted Sasha also. The cabman came up in his shaky drozhky.