Boris, a fair-haired young man with a melancholy immobile face, was walking slowly up and down, listening in silence.  When the old man stopped to clear his throat, he went up to him and said: 

“I bought myself a pair of boots the other day, father, which turn out to be too tight for me.  Won’t you take them?  I’ll let you have them cheap.”

“If you like,” said the old man with a grimace, “only for the price you gave for them, without any cheapening.”

“Very well, I’ll let you have them on credit.”

The son groped under the bed and produced the new boots.  The father took off his clumsy, rusty, evidently second-hand boots and began trying on the new ones.

“A perfect fit,” he said.  “Right, let me keep them.  And on Tuesday, when I get my pension, I’ll send you the money for them.  That’s not true, though,” he went on, suddenly falling into the same tearful tone again.  “And it was a lie about the races, too, and a lie about the pension.  And you are deceiving me, Borenka. . . .  I feel your generous tactfulness.  I see through you!  Your boots were too small, because your heart is too big.  Ah, Borenka, Borenka!  I understand it all and feel it!”

“Have you moved into new lodgings?” his son interrupted, to change the conversation.

“Yes, my boy.  I move every month.  My virago can’t stay long in the same place with her temper.”

“I went to your lodgings, I meant to ask you to stay here with me.  In your state of health it would do you good to be in the fresh air.”

“No,” said the old man, with a wave of his hand, “the woman wouldn’t let me, and I shouldn’t care to myself.  A hundred times you have tried to drag me out of the pit, and I have tried myself, but nothing came of it.  Give it up.  I must stick in my filthy hole.  This minute, here I am sitting, looking at your angel face, yet something is drawing me home to my hole.  Such is my fate.  You can’t draw a dung-beetle to a rose.  But it’s time I was going, my boy.  It’s getting dark.”

“Wait a minute then, I’ll come with you.  I have to go to town to-day myself.”

Both put on their overcoats and went out.  When a little while afterwards they were driving in a cab, it was already dark, and lights began to gleam in the windows.

“I’ve robbed you, Borenka!” the father muttered.  “Poor children, poor children!  It must be a dreadful trouble to have such a father!  Borenka, my angel, I cannot lie when I see your face.  You must excuse me. . . .  What my depravity has come to, my God.  Here I have just been robbing you, and put you to shame with my drunken state; I am robbing your brothers, too, and put them to shame, and you should have seen me yesterday!  I won’t conceal it, Borenka.  Some neighbours, a wretched crew, came to see my virago; I got drunk, too, with them, and I blackguarded you poor children for all I was worth.  I abused you, and complained that