"But bring me back my little ring from out the deep blue sea," sounded behind the wall. Then the inspector laughed aloud and the singer chimed in merrily from the kitchen. Then, however, she was silent. Ilya felt her nearness, but dared not turn round to look, though he knew his room door was open. He gave the rein to his thoughts, and stood motionless, feeling himself deserted. The tree-tops in the garden shivered, and Lunev felt as though he had left the ground, and were floating out there in the cold twilight. "Ilya Jakovlevitch, will you have your tea?" "No," answered Ilya. The solemn note of a bell resounded through the air. The deep tone made the window panes quiver. Ilya crossed himself, remembered that it was long since he had been to church, and seized the occasion to get away from the house. "I'm going to evening service," he called as he went out. Tatiana stood in the doorway, her hands against the door-posts, and looked curiously at him. Her inquiring glance confused Ilya, and as if excusing himself, he said: "I haven't been to church for ever so long." "Very well. I'll get the samovar ready by nine o'clock," she replied. As he went, Lunev thought of young Ananyin. He knew the man; he was a rich young merchant, partner in fish business--Ananyin Brothers--a thin, fair young man, with a pale face and blue eyes. He had but recently come to the town and lived there at a great pace. "That is really living," thought Ilya bitterly, "like a rich young man does--hardly out of the nest before he gets a mate for himself." He entered the church in a discontented mood, and chose a dark corner, where lay the ladder to light the chandeliers. "O Lord, have mercy!" came from the left-hand choir. A choir boy sang with a shrill, unpleasing voice, and could not keep in tune with the hoarse, deep bass voice of the precentor. The lack of harmony embittered Ilya's mood still further, and roused a desire in him to seize the boy by the ears. The heating stove made the corner very hot, it smelt of burning rags. An old woman in a fur jacket, came up to him and said, grumbling: "You're not in your right place, sir." Ilya looked at the fox tails adorning the collar of her jacket, and went to one side silently, thinking: "Even in the church there's a special place for us." It was the first time he had been to church since the murder of Poluektov, and when he remembered this, involuntarily he shuddered. He thought of his guilt and forgot everything else, though the idea no longer terrified him, but only filled him with sorrow and heaviness of soul.