Was askew, and he was clutching his briefcase to his chest.

" Well, hello, Nikolai Ivanovich, " said Margarita in a sad voice. " Good evening! Have you come from a meeting? "

Nikolai Ivanovich made no reply.

" I, as you can see, " Margarita continued, leaning further out into the garden, " have been sitting here alone, bored, looking at the moon, and listening to the waltz."

Margarita passed her left hand across her forehead, adjusting a stray curl, then said angrily, " That's not polite, Nikolai Ivanovich! I am a lady, after all! It's rude not to answer when someone is talking to you! "

Nikolai Ivanovich, visible in the moonlight down to the last button on his gray waistcoat, the last hair on his blond goatee, suddenly grinned a wild grin, got up from the bench, and obviously beside himself with embarrassment, did not remove his hat, as one would have expected, but, rather, waved his briefcase to the side and got into a crouching position, as if he were about to do a Russian dance.

" Oh, what a bore you are, Nikolai Ivanovich, " continued Margarita. " I can't tell you how sick and tired I am of all of you, and how happy I am to be leaving you! To the devil's mother with all of you! "

Just then Margarita heard the phone ring in the bedroom behind her. She jumped off the windowsill and, forgetting about Nikolai Ivanovich, grabbed the receiver.

" It's Azazello, " said the voice in her ear.

" Dear, dear Azazello! " exclaimed Margarita.

" It's time to fly away, " said Azazello, and it was clear from his tone that he was pleased with Margarita's genuine display of joy. " When you fly over the gates, shout, 'I'm invisible! ' Then fly around over the city for awhile, to get used to it, and after that, head south, away from the city, and go straight to the river. They're expecting you! "

Margarita hung up the phone, at which point something wooden-sounding started bumping around in the next room and began knocking at the door. Margarita opened the door, and in flew a dancing broom, brush-end up. It tapped a few beats on the floor with its handle, gave a kick, and strained toward the window. Margarita squealed with delight and jumped astride the broomstick. Only then did she remember that in all the confusion she had forgotten to get dressed. She galloped over to the bed and grabbed the first thing she saw, a light-blue chemise. Waving it like a banner, she flew out the window. And the sound of the waltz over the garden intensified.

Margarita slipped down from the window and saw Nikolai Ivanovich on the bench. He seemed to be frozen to it and was listening in a stupefied state to the banging and shouting coming from the lighted bedroom of his upstairs neighbors.

" Farewell, Nikolai Ivanovich! " cried Margarita, dancing about in front of him.