Sometimes Nadezhda came to the lesson to see how Misha was getting along. Misha noticed--and made use of the fact--that in her presence Volodin could much more easily be lured into conversation. When Nadezhda saw that Misha was not working she immediately said to him: "Misha, don't be lazy!" And when she left she said to Volodin: "I'm sorry that I've interrupted. If you give him a little leeway he gets very lazy." At the beginning Volodin was mortified by Nadezhda's behaviour; then he thought that she hesitated to ask him to take coffee in case there should be gossip. Then he thought that she need not have come to look on at the lessons at all and yet she came--was it because she liked to see him? So Volodin reasoned to his advantage from the fact that Nadezhda from the very first had eagerly agreed that he should give lessons and had not stopped to bargain. He was encouraged in these suppositions by Peredonov and Varvara. "It is clear that she's in love with you," said Peredonov. "And what better fiancé could she have?" added Varvara. Volodin tried to look modest and felt pleased with his prospects. Once Peredonov said to him: "You're a fiancé and yet you wear that shabby tie!" "I'm not her fiancé yet, Ardasha," said Volodin soberly, nevertheless trembling with pleasure. "But I can easily get a new tie." "Buy yourself one with a pattern in it," advised Peredonov. "So that it will be clear that love is burning within you." "Better get a red one," said Varvara, "and the fancier the better. And a tie-pin. You can buy a tie-pin cheaply and with a stone too--it will be quite _chic_." Peredonov thought that possibly Volodin had not enough money. Or he might think of economising and buy a simple black one. And that would be fatal, thought Peredonov: Adamenko is a fashionable girl and if he should come to propose to her in any kind of a tie she might be offended and reject him. Peredonov said: "Only don't buy a cheap one. Pavloushka, you've won from me enough money to pay for a tie. How much do I owe you? I think it's one rouble forty kopecks, isn't it?" "You're quite right about the forty kopecks," said Volodin with a wry smile, "only it's not one rouble but two." Peredonov knew himself that it was two roubles, but it was more pleasant to pay only one. He said: "You're a liar! What two roubles?" "Varvara Dmitrievna's my witness," said Volodin. "You'd better pay, Ardalyon Borisitch," said Varvara, "since you lost--and I remember that it was two forty." Peredonov thought that as Varvara was interceding for Volodin, that meant that she was going over to his side. He frowned, produced the money from his purse and said: "All right, let it be two forty--it won't ruin me. You're a poor man, Pavloushka. Well, here it is." Volodin took the money, counted it, then assumed an offended expression and bent down his thick forehead, stuck out his lower lip and said in a bleating, cracked voice: