All this
removed them further from him. One day when he was at Mayakin's, Luba
called him to go for a walk in the garden, and there, walking by his
side, asked him with a grimace on her face:
"Why are you so unsociable? You never talk about anything."
"What shall I talk about, since I know nothing!" said Foma, plainly.
"Study--read books."
"I don't feel like doing it."
"You see, the Gymnasium students know everything, and know how to
talk about everything. Take Yozhov, for instance."
"I know Yozhov--a chatterbox."
"You simply envy him. He is very clever--yes. He will soon graduate
from
the Gymnasium--and then he'll go to Moscow to study in the
University."
"Well, what of it?" said Foma, indifferently.
"And you'll remain just an ignorant man."
"Well, be it so."
"That will be nice!" exclaimed Luba, ironically.
"I shall hold my ground without science," said Foma, sarcastically.
"And I'll have a laugh at all the learned people. Let the hungry
study.
I don't need it."
"Pshaw, how stupid you are, bad, disgusting!" said the girl with
contempt and went away, leaving him alone in the garden.
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