The young princess had not returned from her walk. The shrill voice of the old lady resounded on the first floor. She was squabbling with her maid. ‘You should be studying, working – while you are young – instead of which, you are doing what?’

‘You can’t tell whether I work at home or not,’ I replied not without arrogance, but also in some confusion.

‘A lot of work you do! You’ve something else on your mind. Oh, well, I won’t argue…at your age that is natural enough, but your choice isn’t very fortunate. Can’t you see what sort of house this is?’

‘I don’t quite understand,’ I said.

‘Don’t understand? So much the worse for you. I consider it my duty to warn you. It is all very well for people like me – for old bachelors – to go on coming here. What could possibly happen to us? We are a hard-boiled lot; you cannot do much to us. But you have a ten- der skin. The atmosphere isn’t healthy for you here. Believe me, you might become infected.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘What I say. Are you well now? Are you in a normal condition? Do you consider that what you feel now is healthy, is good for you?’

‘Why, what am I feeling?’ I said, knowing in my heart that the doctor was right.

‘Ah, young man, young man,’ the doctor went on, looking as if these two words contained something very insulting to me, ‘it is no good trying that kind of thing on me. Why, bless you, whatever is in your heart is still written all over your face. But anyway, what is the good of talking? I shouldn’t be coming here myself if –’ the doctor clenched his teeth, ‘if I were not just as mad myself. Only what does astonish me is this; how can you with your intelligence not see what is going on round you?’

‘Why, what is going on?’ I rejoined, all on edge.

The doctor looked at me with a kind of mocking pity.

‘But there’s not much to be said for me either,’ he said, as if to himself. ‘In a word,’ he added, raising his voice, ‘I repeat, the atmosphere here is bad for you. You like it here – well, what of it? Hothouses smell sweet too, but one can’t live in them. Take my advice and go back to Kaidanov again.’

The old princess came in and began to complain to the doctor about her toothache. Then Zinaida appeared.

‘There,’ finished the old princess. ‘You must tell her off. She drinks iced water the whole day long. Now can that be good for her, with her weak chest?’

‘Why do you do this?’ asked Looshin.

‘Why, what can it do to me?’

‘Do to you? You could catch cold and die.’

‘Really? Well, then that would be that.’

‘Really? I see, so that’s how it is,’ grunted the doctor. The old princess left the room.

‘Yes, that’s how it is,’ repeated Zinaida. ‘Is life so gay then? Why, if you look around you…well, is it so very attractive? Do you think that I don’t understand, don’t feel it? I get pleasure from drinking water with ice, and can you seriously maintain to me that this kind of life is not worth risking for a moment’s pleasure? I don’t speak of happiness.’

‘Yes, I see,’ said Looshin. ‘Caprice and independence, the whole of you is contained in these two words. Your entire nature is conveyed by them.’

Zinaida gave a nervous laugh. ‘You’ve missed the post, my dear doctor. You’re not a good observer. You’re too late.