At one time he would blow his nose in a wonderful way when the professor addressed a question to him, thereby making his schoolfellows and the professor laugh. Another time, in the dormitory, he would act some indecent living picture, to the general applause, or he would play the overture to "Fra Diavolo" with his nose rather skilfully.
He was distinguished, too, by intentional untidiness, thinking this, for some reason, witty.
In his very last year at school he began writing Russian poetry.
Of his native language he had only an ungrammatical knowledge, like many of his race in Russia.
This turn for versifying drew him to a gloomy and depressed schoolfellow, the son of a poor Russian general, who was considered in the school to be a great future light in literature.
The latter patronised him.
But it happened that three years after leaving school this melancholy schoolfellow, who had flung up his official career for the sake of Russian literature, and was consequently going about in torn boots, with his teeth chattering with cold, wearing a light summer overcoat in the late autumn, met, one day on the Anitchin bridge, his former protege,
"Lembka," as he always used to be called at school.
And, what do you suppose?
He did not at first recognise him, and stood still in surprise.
Before him stood an irreproachably dressed young man with wonderfully well-kept whiskers of a reddish hue, with pince-nez, with patent-leather boots, and the freshest of gloves, in a full overcoat from Sharmer's, and with a portfolio under his arm.
Lembke was cordial to his old schoolfellow, gave him his address, and begged him to come and see him some evening.
It appeared, too, that he was by now not
"Lembka" but "Von Lembke."
The schoolfellow came to see him, however, simply from malice perhaps.
On the staircase, which was covered with red felt and was rather ugly and by no means smart, he was met and questioned by the house-porter.
A bell rang loudly upstairs.
But instead of the wealth which the visitor expected, he found Lembke in a very little side-room, which had a dark and dilapidated appearance, partitioned into two by a large dark green curtain, and furnished with very old though comfortable furniture, with dark green blinds on high narrow windows.
Von Lembke lodged in the house of a very distant relation, a general who was his patron.
He met his visitor cordially, was serious and exquisitely polite.
They talked of literature, too, but kept within the bounds of decorum.
A manservant in a white tie brought them some weak tea and little dry, round biscuits.
The schoolfellow, from spite, asked for some seltzer water.
It was given him, but after some delays, and Lembke was somewhat embarrassed at having to summon the footman a second time and give him orders.
But of himself he asked his visitor whether he would like some supper, and was obviously relieved when he refused and went away.
In short, Lembke was making his career, and was living in dependence on his fellow-countryman, the influential general.
He was at that time sighing for the general's fifth daughter, and it seemed to him that his feeling was reciprocated.
But Amalia was none the less married in due time to an elderly factory-owner, a German, and an old comrade of the general's.
Andrey Antonovitch did not shed many tears, but made a paper theatre.
The curtain drew up, the actors came in, and gesticulated with their arms. There were spectators in the boxes, the orchestra moved their bows across their fiddles by machinery, the conductor waved his baton, and in the stalls officers and dandies clapped their hands.
It was all made of cardboard, it was all thought out and executed by Lembke himself. He spent six months over this theatre.
The general arranged a friendly party on purpose. The theatre was exhibited, all the general's five daughters, including the newly married Amalia with her factory-owner, numerous fraus and frauleins with their men folk, attentively examined and admired the theatre, after which they danced.
Lembke was much gratified and was quickly consoled.
The years passed by and his career was secured.
He always obtained good posts and always under chiefs of his own race; and he worked his way up at last to a very fine position for a man of his age.
He had, for a long time, been wishing to marry and looking about him carefully.
Without the knowledge of his superiors he had sent a novel to the editor of a magazine, but it had not been accepted.
On the other hand, he cut out a complete toy railway, and again his creation was most successful. Passengers came on to the platform with bags and portmanteaux, with dogs and children, and got into the carriages.
The guards and porters moved away, the bell was rung, the signal was given, and the train started off.
He was a whole year busy over this clever contrivance.
But he had to get married all the same.
The circle of his acquaintance was fairly wide, chiefly in the world of his compatriots, but his duties brought him into Russian spheres also, of course.
Finally, when he was in his thirty-ninth year, he came in for a legacy.
His uncle the baker died, and left him thirteen thousand roubles in his will.
The one thing needful was a suitable post.
In spite of the rather elevated style of his surroundings in the service, Mr. von Lembke was a very modest man.
He would have been perfectly satisfied with some independent little government post, with the right to as much government timber as he liked, or something snug of that sort, and he would have been content all his life long.
But now, instead of the Minna or Ernestine he had expected, Yulia Mihailovna suddenly appeared on the scene.
His career was instantly raised to a more elevated plane.
The modest and precise man felt that he too was capable of ambition.