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 GYMNASIYE 167

August. Why not till August? Why not before? Go and ask them. What is to be done? A Jew is used to that sort of thing.

August and I gave a glance out of the corner of my eye. She was up and doing ! From the director to the inspector, from the inspector to the director ! "Why are you running from Shmunin to Bunin," say I, "like a poisoned mouse ?"

"You asking why?" says she. "Aren't you a native of this place? You don't seem to know how it is now- adays with the Gymnasiyes and the percentages ?" And what came of it ? He did not pass ! You ask why ? Because he hadn't two fives. If he had had two fives, then, they say, perhaps he would have got in. You hear perhaps ! How do you like that perhaps ? Well, I'll let you off what I had to bear from her. As for him, the little boy, it was pitiful. Lay with his face in the cushion, and never stopped crying till we promised him another teacher. And we got him a student from the Gymnasiye itself, to prepare him for the second class, but after quite another fashion, because the second class is no joke. In the second, besides mathematics and grammar, they require geography, penmanship, and I couldn't for the life of me say what else. I should have thought a bit of the Maharsho was a more difficult thing than all their studies put together, and very likely had more sense in it, too. But what would you have ? A Jew learns to put up with things.

In fine, there commenced a series of "lessons," of ourokki. We rose early the ourokki ! Prayers and breakfast over the ourokki. A whole day ourokki.