"Are you there, Nicky?" Ostap asked quietly, stopping at a central door.
The response was an immediate stirring and chattering in all five pencil boxes.
"Yes," came the answer from behind the door.
"That fool's guests have arrived too early again!" whispered a woman's voice in the last box on the left.
"Let a fellow sleep, can't you!" growled box no. 2.
There was a delighted hissing from the third box.
"It's the militia to see Nicky about that window he smashed yesterday."
No one spoke in the fifth pencil box; instead came the hum of a primus and the sound of kissing.
Ostap pushed open the door with his foot.
The whole of the plyboard erection gave a shake and the concessionaires entered Nicky's cell.
The scene that met Ostap's eye was horrible, despite all its outward innocence.
The only furniture in the room was a red-striped mattress resting on four bricks.
But it was not that which disturbed Ostap, who had long been aware of the state of Nicky's furniture; nor was he surprised to see Nicky himself, sitting on the legged mattress.
It was the heavenly creature sitting beside him who made Ostap's face cloud over immediately.
Such girls never make good business associates. Their eyes are too blue and the lines of their necks too clean for that sort of thing.
They make mistresses or, what is worse, wives-beloved wives.
And, indeed, Nicky addressed this creature as Liza and made funny faces at her.
Ippolit Matveyevich took off his beaver cap, and Ostap led Nicky out into the corridor, where they conversed in whispers for some time.
"A splendid morning, madam," said Ippolit Matveyevich.
The blue-eyed madam laughed and, without any apparent bearing on Ippolit Matveyevich's remark, began telling him what fools the people in the next box were.
"They light the primus on purpose so that they won't be heard kissing.
But think how silly that is.
We can all hear.
The point is they don't hear anything themselves because of the primus.
Look, I'll show you."
And Nicky's wife, who had mastered all the secrets of the primus stove, said loudly:
"The Zveryevs are fools!"
From behind the wall came the infernal hissing of the primus stove and the sound of kisses.
"You see!
They can't hear anything. The Zveryevs are fools, asses and cranks!
You see!"
"Yes," said Ippolit Matveyevich.
"We don't have a primus, though.
Why?
Because we eat at the vegetarian canteen, although I'm against a vegetarian diet.
But when Nicky and I were married, he was longing for us to eat together in the vegetarian canteen, so that's why we go there.
I'm actually very fond of meat, but all you get there is rissoles made of noodles.
Only please don't say anything to Nicky."
At this point Nicky and Ostap returned.
"Well, then, since we definitely can't stay with you, we'll go and see Pantelei."
"That's right, fellows," cried Nicky, "go and see Ivanopulo.
He's a good sport."
"Come and visit us," said Nicky's wife. "My husband and I will always be glad to see you."
"There they go inviting people again!" said an indignant voice in the last pencil box. "As though they didn't have enough visitors!"
"Mind your own business, you fools, asses and cranks!" said Nicky's wife without raising her voice.
"Do you hear that, Ivan Andreyevich?" said an agitated voice in the last box. "They insult your wife and you say nothing."
Invisible commentators from the other boxes added their voices to the fray and the verbal cross-fire increased.
The partners went downstairs to Ivanopulo.
The student was not at home.
Ippolit Matveyevich lit a match and saw that a note was pinned to the door. It read: