He went away submissively.
For some time after this incident her attitude toward him was stricter and more sincere, as though she pitied him, but later their relations assumed the old form of the cat-and-mouse play.
Foma's relation toward Medinskaya could not escape his godfather's notice, and one day the old man asked him, with a malicious grimace: "Foma! You had better feel your head more often so that you may not lose it by accident." "What do you mean ?" asked Foma.
"I speak of Sonka.

You are going to see her too often." "What has that to do with you ?" said Foma, rather rudely.

"And why do you call her Sonka ?" "It's nothing to me.

I would lose nothing if you should be fleeced.
And as to calling her Sonka--everybody knows that is her name.

So does everybody know that she likes to rake up the fire with other people's hands." "She is clever!" announced Foma, firmly, frowning and hiding his hands in his pockets.