The next day, he kept rubbing his hands nervously and shaking. It was plain to see from his face that he was unwell. He left before school ended — the first time he had ever done so.

He skipped lunch. Towards evening, he wrapped up warmly and went to Kovalenko’s house. Varenka was out, and he only met her brother.

“Sit down,” Kovalenko said coldly, frowning. Belikov fell silent for a moment and then spoke. “I came here to settle a worry weighing on my mind. Someone drew a ridiculous cartoon showing me with another person closely connected to both of us. I feel I must assure you I had nothing to do with it. And I have always behaved honourably in every way.” Kovalenko said not a word.

Belikov waited for a while, then lowered his voice and went on sadly. “Besides, I have another matter to talk over with you. I have worked here for many years, and I believe it is my duty to offer you a warning. You ride a bicycle. Such amusement is completely improper for someone who teaches young people.”

“Why do you think so?” Kovalenko asked. “Does it really need explaining? If teachers ride bicycles, what good behaviour can we expect from students? Next, they might walk on their heads! If the government has not issued official notice to allow this, it must not be done. I was terrified yesterday! When I caught sight of your sister, everything went dark before my eyes. ”

“What exactly do you want?” “There is only one thing I want to do: warn you. You are young, with a promising future. You must be extremely careful with your conduct, yet you are so careless. Now you ride a bicycle. The headmaster will hear about you and your sister riding bikes, and word will reach the school inspector… Can anything good come of that?” “As for my sister and me riding bicycles, it is nobody else’s business. Anyone who wants to poke into my personal business can go away!“

Belikov turned pale and stood up. “I beg you not to talk about superiors like this in front of me. You ought to show respect to those in charge.” “Have I said anything bad about our superiors?” Kovalenko stared at him angrily. “Leave me alone. I am an upright man. I do not wish to talk to someone like you.”

Belikov was extremely nervous. He hurried to put on his overcoat, terror written all over his face. This was the first time in his life anyone had spoken to him so rudely.

“Think whatever you please,” he said as he walked out into the hallway toward the stairs. “But I must warn you in advance. Someone may have overheard our talk. To avoid misunderstandings and trouble, I will report the main points of our conversation to the headmaster. I have no other choice.”

“Report him? Go ahead, report away!” Kovalenko grabbed Belikov by the collar from behind and gave him a hard push. Belikov tumbled down the stairs with his galoshes clattering.

The staircase was tall and steep, yet he landed at the bottom unhurt. He stood up, touched his nose, and checked whether his glasses were broken.

But just as he fell, Varenka came home with two other ladies. They stood at the bottom of the stairs, shocked. To Belikov, this was worse than anything.News of this would spread across town, reach the headmaster, and then the school inspector.

When he got to his feet, Varenka recognised him. Not understanding what had happened, she thought he had slipped by accident. She could not hold back and burst into loud laughter. Her laughter echoed through the whole house: “Ha-ha-ha!”

That clear, loud “ha-ha-ha” put an end to everything. It ended the planned marriage, and it ended Belikov’s life. He heard nothing Varenka said and saw nothing at all. As soon as he reached home, the first thing he did was take Varenka’s photograph off his table. Then he climbed into bed, and he never got up again.

A month later, Belikov died. We all went to his funeral.

To be honest, burying a man like Belikov brought us great relief. But as we walked back from the cemetery, no one dared to show any joy.

We headed home from the cemetery feeling light-hearted. Yet less than a week passed, and life returned to its old ways. Nothing had improved. Truly, though we buried Belikov, there are still many people trapped in their own cases, and who knows how many more there will be in the future!