Chapter 36

THE UNIVERSITY

THE wedding was to take place in two weeks' time, but, as our
lectures had begun already, Woloda and myself were forced to
return to Moscow at the beginning of September. The Nechludoffs
had also returned from the country, and Dimitri (with whom, on
parting, I had made an agreement that we should correspond
frequently with the result, of course, that we had never once
written to one another) came to see us immediately after our
arrival, and arranged to escort me to my first lecture on the
morrow.

It was a beautiful sunny day. No sooner had I entered the
auditorium than I felt my personality entirely disappear amid the
swarm of light-hearted youths who were seething tumultuously
through every doorway and corridor under the influence of the
sunlight pouring through the great windows. I found the sense of
being a member of this huge community very pleasing, yet there
were few among the throng whom I knew, and that only on terms of
a nod and a "How do you do, Irtenieff?"

All around me men were shaking hands and chatting together--from
every side came expressions of friendship, laughter, jests, and
badinage. Everywhere I could feel the tie which bound this
youthful society in one, and everywhere, too, I could feel that
it left me out. Yet this impression lasted for a moment only, and
was succeeded, together with the vexation which it had caused, by
the idea that it was best that I should not belong to that
society, but keep to my own circle of gentlemen; wherefore I
proceeded to seat myself upon the third bench, with, as neigh~
hours, Count B., Baron Z., the Prince R., Iwin, and some other
young men of the same class with none of whom, however, was
acquainted save with Iwin and Count B. Yet the look which these
young gentlemen threw at me at once made me feel that I was not
of their set, and I turned to observe what was going on around
me. Semenoff, with grey, matted hair, white teeth, and tunic
flying open, was seated a little distance off, and leaning
forward on his elbows as he nibbled a pen, while the gymnasium
student who had come out first in the examinations had
established himself on the front bench, and, with a black stock
coming half-way up his cheek, was toying with the silver watch-
chain which adorned his satin waistcoat. On a bench in a raised
part of the hall I could descry Ikonin (evidently he had
contrived to enter the University somehow!), and hear him fussily
proclaiming, in all the glory of blue piped trousers which
completely hid his boots, that he was now seated on Parnassus.
Ilinka--who had surprised me by giving me a bow not only cold,
but supercilious, as though to remind me that here we were all
equals--was just in front