Chapter 5
On a Thursday afternoon, after a long walk on the platform, the group of first‑year clerks gathers in the second aulė. The doors fling open and Variokas enters, visibly agitated. He announces that today is his last day in the seminary and that he will leave tomorrow, offering anyone a cheap “sutana” to buy. The clerks fall silent; Vasaris comments on how quickly the end has come, while others exchange sarcastic remarks about ceremonies and “outstanding”. Variokas’s angry glare unsettles the group, and no further questions are asked.
A bell rings, the clerks disperse, and a guard arrives announcing that Vasaris’s parents have come. Liudas (Vasaris) obtains the rector’s permission and proceeds to the parlatorium, the reception room for guests. The meeting is awkward: the father attempts to kiss Liudas’s hand, causing embarrassment; the mother weeps with joy; both parents address him as “jūs, kunigėli,” a plural, formal title that makes Liudas feel degraded and isolated. They inquire about his health and seminary life, but their formal address feels like a degradation of their previously intimate relationship, creating a “prism” that fractures the bond between Liudas and his parents.
As the parents depart, Variokas walks through the parlatorium, apparently to say goodbye to his spiritual father. He remarks that a friend is also leaving the seminary tomorrow. The father, seeing the departure, mutters about the seminary’s problems, recalling former students who quit, and tells Liudas that he will not become a priest but can still be a good man. The mother asks if Liudas is a friend of Variokas; Liudas assures her they were merely classmates.
Later that evening, after the short fifth‑hour recreation, a group of clerks led by Petras Kasaitis plans an “attack” on Vasaris. Joined by Juozas Petryla and Kazys Balselis, they break into Vasaris’s hidden storage room, known as the “žiu ratkininkas,” a cramped space filled with food scraps, jars, and concealed clothing. Inside they discover a large cake and a pot of jam, and they begin a feast, loudly proclaiming their desires for food.
Mid‑feast a bell rings. An inspector or rector appears, prompting panic. Kasaitis, Petryla and Balselis scramble to conceal the food and the box. Vasaris, caught by the sudden presence of authority, instinctively kisses the rector’s hand and apologizes, giving his name as “Vasaris” and mentioning that Variokas is his friend. The rector interrogates him about Variokas’s character, dismisses him, and orders him back to his place. The clerks close the box and retreat, the rector’s voice echoing “Rektorius!” as he departs.
Shaken, Vasaris resolves to be more vigilant. He notes that beneath the benches and in the hidden compartments are quickly concealed books—a Latin textbook, a copy of the Holy Scriptures, and a treatise “De imitatione Cliristi”—ready to be hidden from the rector or inspector at a moment’s notice. He begins to monitor the footsteps of the rector and inspector, learning to avoid detection and to use the secret hiding system that other senior clerks have employed throughout their years at the seminary.
The following day, before the first lesson, the remaining clerks gather to “labyrinth” Variokas, attempting to buy his coat. Variokas refuses, saying he is still a clerk and will go to the market rather than the altar. He leaves the seminary calmly, and his departure is met with mixed, somewhat relieved reactions from his peers.
Shortly after, third‑year clerk Jonelaitis, the library’s bookkeeper and a known political critic, meets Vasaris in the garden. He invites Vasaris to walk, comments on the monotony of seminary life, and encourages Vasaris to pursue private study, reading, and community work beyond the prescribed curriculum. Their conversation lifts Vasaris’s spirits and gives him a clearer view of possible personal development.
A few days later, after a dentist visit, the seminarians see Variokas walking with a young woman. The sight quells any remaining criticism of Variokas; the rumor spreads that he is now involved with a girl, and the atmosphere among the clerks becomes more subdued regarding his earlier behavior.