88
PARTISAN REVIEW
The circle of Gippo's mates, inside which these events were taking
place, was contracting-and now the distance from the center where
Gippo was standing with the Latvian girl to his friends who were clos–
ing in was no more than three or four yards. Gippo was now standing
not merely near her but, as it seemed to Yura, a bit too close, while his
gang continued to hem them in. The girl was on the verge of losing her
self-control. There were tears not only in her voice now, but real tears
on her cheeks. She spoke rapidly and confusedly, addressing now Jowls
and now Gippo: "Don't, please, don't, I'll go with you, help me, let me
go, please, don't do it, please!"
Nobody answered, and Jowls went on smirking.
Suddenly Yura heard a strong masculine voice, effortlessly resound–
ing across the water.
"What are you up to over there? Why are you pestering that girl?
Leave her alone at once! Let the girl be!"
Yura turned round. Behind him, at a distance of some six or seven
yards, two middle-aged men were standing, broad-shouldered, muscu–
lar, with the even tan of athletes. They were evidently together.
Gippo seemed to hesitate over what to do, but the ring of his cronies
was already breaking up. They started splashing the girl, as if it had all
been just good fun.
White as a sheet, the girl walked past Yura through a gap in the cir–
cle. Somehow Yura did not feel like staying there alone with Gippo and
his gang and with Jowls, so he followed the Latvian girl.
On her way to the shore she encountered her friend.
"Hurry up, let's go!" she said without pausing, quickly and plain–
tively. "You don't know what happened just a few seconds ago-those
men over there-"
Disbelief showed on her friend's face.
"Surely you're exaggerating," she said as she reluctantly followed her
to the shore. "You're imagining things-I saw for myself how they were
fooling about and splashing you with water."
"I swear it's true...you've no idea .... " the first girl kept repeating
disjointedly, coming out of the pool.
Orlik was also on the shore waiting for Yura.
"Let's go home," Yura said.
"So soon?" Orlik was surprised. "Let's at least sunbathe for a bit."
Without answering, Yura went to the changing rooms, and Orlik,
with a shrug of his shoulders, followed.
"What's up?" he asked, but Yura gave an evasive answer.
