"
"But I have seen you somewhere, daddy. Your physiognomy is
familiar to me. Where have I met you before?"
"Well, now, I don't know, really. Unless it was on the street."
"It might have been on the street, likely as not... You ought to
treat me to an orange, at least. May I ask for an orange?"
He again grew quiet, looking about him. His face began to glisten
and the pimples on his forehead became red. He was mentally
appraising all the women, choosing a likely one for himself, and
was at the same time embarrassed by his silence. There was nothing
at all to talk about; besides that the indifferent importunity of
Liuba irritated him. Fat Katie pleased him with her large, bovine
body, but she must be--he decided in his mind--very frigid in
love, like all stout women, and in addition to that not handsome
of face. Vera also excited him, with her appearance of a little
boy, and her firm thighs, closely enveloped by the white tights;
and Little White Manya, looking so like an innocent school-girl;
and Jennie with her energetic, swarthy, handsome face. For one
minute he was all ready to stop at Jennie, but only started in his
chair and did not venture--by her easy, inaccessible and negligent
air, and because she in all sincerity did not pay him the least
attention, he surmised that she was the most spoilt of all the
girls in the establishment, accustomed to having the visitors
spend more money on her than on the others.
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