Dead Souls

  CHAPTER I

  To the door of an inn in the provincial town of N. there drew up a smartbritchka--a light spring-carriage of the sort affected by bachelors,retired lieutenant-colonels, staff-captains, land-owners possessed ofabout a hundred souls, and, in short, all persons who rank as gentlemenof the intermediate category. In the britchka was seated such agentleman--a man who, though not handsome, was not ill-favoured, notover-fat, and not over-thin. Also, though not over-elderly, he wasnot over-young. His arrival produced no stir in the town, and wasaccompanied by no particular incident, beyond that a couple of peasantswho happened to be standing at the door of a dramshop exchanged a fewcomments with reference to the equipage rather than to the individualwho was seated in it. "Look at that carriage," one of them said to theother. "Think you it will be going as far as Moscow?" "I think it will,"replied his companion. "But not as far as Kazan, eh?" "No, not as far asKazan." With that the conversation ended. Presently, as the britchka wasapproaching the inn, it was met by a young man in a pair of very short,very tight breeches of white dimity, a quasi-fashionable frockcoat, anda dickey fastened with a pistol-shaped bronze tie-pin. The young manturned his head as he passed the britchka and eyed it attentively;after which he clapped his hand to his cap (which was in danger of beingremoved by the wind) and resumed his way. On the vehicle reaching theinn door, its occupant found standing there to welcome him the polevoi,or waiter, of the establishment--an individual of such nimble andbrisk movement that even to distinguish the character of his face wasimpossible. Running out with a napkin in one hand and his lanky formclad in a tailcoat, reaching almost to the nape of his neck, he tossedback his locks, and escorted the gentleman upstairs, along a woodengallery, and so to the bedchamber which God had prepared for thegentleman's reception. The said bedchamber was of quite ordinaryappearance, since the inn belonged to the species to be found in allprovincial towns--the species wherein, for two roubles a day, travellersmay obtain a room swarming with black-beetles, and communicating by adoorway with the apartment adjoining. True, the doorway may be blockedup with a wardrobe; yet behind it, in all probability, there will bestanding a silent, motionless neighbour whose ears are burning to learnevery possible detail concerning the latest arrival. The inn's exteriorcorresponded with its interior. Long, and consisting only of twostoreys, the building had its lower half destitute of stucco; with theresult that the dark-red bricks, originally more or less dingy, hadgrown yet dingier under the influence of atmospheric changes. As for theupper half of the building, it was, of course, painted the usual tintof unfading yellow. Within, on the ground floor, there stood a numberof benches heaped with horse-collars, rope, and sheepskins; while thewindow-seat accommodated a sbitentshik [4], cheek by jowl with a samovar[5]--the latter so closely resembling the former in appearance that, butfor the fact of the samovar possessing a pitch-black lip, the samovarand the sbitentshik might have been two of a pair.

  During the traveller's inspection of his room his luggage was broughtinto the apartment. First came a portmanteau of white leather whoseraggedness indicated that the receptacle had made several previousjourneys. The bearers of the same were the gentleman's coachman,Selifan (a little man in a large overcoat), and the gentleman'svalet, Petrushka--the latter a fellow of about thirty, clad in a worn,over-ample jacket which formerly had graced his master's shoulders, andpossessed of a nose and a pair of lips whose coarseness communicated tohis face rather a sullen expression. Behind the portmanteau came asmall dispatch-box of redwood, lined with birch bark, a boot-case,and (wrapped in blue paper) a roast fowl; all of which having beendeposited, the coachman departed to look after his horses, and the valetto establish himself in the little dark anteroom or kennel where alreadyhe had stored a cloak, a bagful of livery, and his own peculiar smell.Pressing the narrow bedstead back against the wall, he covered it withthe tiny remnant of mattress--a remnant as thin and flat (perhaps alsoas greasy) as a pancake--which he had managed to beg of the landlord ofthe establishment.

  While the attendants had been thus setting things straight the gentlemanhad repaired to the common parlour. The appearance of common parlours ofthe kind is known to every one who travels. Always they have varnishedwalls which, grown black in their upper portions with tobacco smoke,are, in their lower, grown shiny with the friction of customers'backs--more especially with that of the backs of such local tradesmenas, on market-days, make it their regular practice to resort tothe local hostelry for a glass of tea. Also, parlours of this kindinvariably contain smutty ceilings, an equally smutty chandelier, anumber of pendent shades which jump and rattle whenever the waiterscurries across the shabby oilcloth with a trayful of glasses (theglasses looking like a flock of birds roosting by the seashore), and aselection of oil paintings. In short, there are certain objects whichone sees in every inn. In the present case the only outstanding featureof the room was the fact that in one of the paintings a nymph wasportrayed as possessing breasts of a size such as the reader can neverin his life have beheld. A similar caricaturing of nature is to be notedin the historical pictures (of unknown origin, period, and creation)which reach us--sometimes through the instrumentality of Russianmagnates who profess to be connoisseurs of art--from Italy; owing tothe said magnates having made such purchases solely on the advice of thecouriers who have escorted them.

  To resume, however--our traveller removed his cap, and divested his neckof a parti-coloured woollen scarf of the kind which a wife makes forher husband with her own hands, while accompanying the gift withinterminable injunctions as to how best such a garment ought to befolded. True, bachelors also wear similar gauds, but, in their case,God alone knows who may have manufactured the articles! For my part,I cannot endure them. Having unfolded the scarf, the gentleman ordereddinner, and whilst the various dishes were being got ready--cabbagesoup, a pie several weeks old, a dish of marrow and peas, a dish ofsausages and cabbage, a roast fowl, some salted cucumber, and the sweettart which stands perpetually ready for use in such establishments;whilst, I say, these things were either being warmed up or brought incold, the gentleman induced the waiter to retail certain fragments oftittle-tattle concerning the late landlord of the hostelry, the amountof income which the hostelry produced, and the character of its presentproprietor. To the last-mentioned inquiry the waiter returned the answerinvariably given in such cases--namely, "My master is a terribly hardman, sir." Curious that in enlightened Russia so many people cannot eventake a meal at an inn without chattering to the attendant and makingfree with him! Nevertheless not ALL the questions which the gentlemanasked were aimless ones, for he inquired who was Governor of the town,who President of the Local Council, and who Public Prosecutor. In short,he omitted no single official of note, while asking also (though with anair of detachment) the most exact particulars concerning the landownersof the neighbourhood. Which of them, he inquired, possessed serfs, andhow many of them? How far from the town did those landowners reside?What was the character of each landowner, and was he in the habit ofpaying frequent visits to the town? The gentleman also made searchinginquiries concerning the hygienic condition of the countryside. Wasthere, he asked, much sickness about--whether sporadic fever, fatalforms of ague, smallpox, or what not? Yet, though his solicitudeconcerning these matters showed more than ordinary curiosity, hisbearing retained its gravity unimpaired, and from time to time heblew his nose with portentous fervour. Indeed, the manner in which heaccomplished this latter feat was marvellous in the extreme, for, thoughthat member emitted sounds equal to those of a trumpet in intensity,he could yet, with his accompanying air of guileless dignity, evoke thewaiter's undivided respect--so much so that, whenever the sounds ofthe nose reached that menial's ears, he would shake back his locks,straighten himself into a posture of marked solicitude, and inquireafresh, with head slightly inclined, whether the gentleman happenedto require anything further. After dinner the guest consumed a cup ofcoffee, and then, seating himself upon the sofa, with, behind him,one of those wool-covered cushions which, in Russian taverns,resemble not
hing so much as a cobblestone or a brick, fell to snoring;whereafter, returning with a start to consciousness, he ordered himselfto be conducted to his room, flung himself at full length upon the bed,and once more slept soundly for a couple of hours. Aroused, eventually,by the waiter, he, at the latter's request, inscribed a fragment ofpaper with his name, his surname, and his rank (for communication, inaccordance with the law, to the police): and on that paper the waiter,leaning forward from the corridor, read, syllable by syllable: "PaulIvanovitch Chichikov, Collegiate Councillor--Landowner--Travellingon Private Affairs." The waiter had just time to accomplish thisfeat before Paul Ivanovitch Chichikov set forth to inspect the town.Apparently the place succeeded in satisfying him, and, to tell thetruth, it was at least up to the usual standard of our provincialcapitals. Where the staring yellow of stone edifices did not greet hiseye he found himself confronted with the more modest grey of woodenones; which, consisting, for the most part, of one or two storeys (addedto the range of attics which provincial architects love so well), lookedalmost lost amid the expanses of street and intervening medleys ofbroken or half-finished partition-walls. At other points evidence ofmore life and movement was to be seen, and here the houses stood crowdedtogether and displayed dilapidated, rain-blurred signboards whereonboots or cakes or pairs of blue breeches inscribed "Arshavski, Tailor,"and so forth, were depicted. Over a shop containing hats and capswas written "Vassili Thedorov, Foreigner"; while, at another spot, asignboard portrayed a billiard table and two players--the latter cladin frockcoats of the kind usually affected by actors whose part it isto enter the stage during the closing act of a piece, even though, witharms sharply crooked and legs slightly bent, the said billiard playerswere taking the most careful aim, but succeeding only in making abortivestrokes in the air. Each emporium of the sort had written over it: "Thisis the best establishment of its kind in the town." Also, al fresco inthe streets there stood tables heaped with nuts, soap, and gingerbread(the latter but little distinguishable from the soap), and at aneating-house there was displayed the sign of a plump fish transfixedwith a gaff. But the sign most frequently to be discerned was theinsignia of the State, the double-headed eagle (now replaced, in thisconnection, with the laconic inscription "Dramshop"). As for the pavingof the town, it was uniformly bad.

  The gentleman peered also into the municipal gardens, which containedonly a few sorry trees that were poorly selected, requiring to bepropped with oil-painted, triangular green supports, and able to boastof a height no greater than that of an ordinary walking-stick. Yetrecently the local paper had said (apropos of a gala) that, "Thanks tothe efforts of our Civil Governor, the town has become enriched with apleasaunce full of umbrageous, spaciously-branching trees. Even on themost sultry day they afford agreeable shade, and indeed gratifyingwas it to see the hearts of our citizens panting with an impulse ofgratitude as their eyes shed tears in recognition of all that theirGovernor has done for them!"

  Next, after inquiring of a gendarme as to the best ways and means offinding the local council, the local law-courts, and the local Governor,should he (Chichikov) have need of them, the gentleman went on toinspect the river which ran through the town. En route he tore off anotice affixed to a post, in order that he might the more convenientlyread it after his return to the inn. Also, he bestowed upon a ladyof pleasant exterior who, escorted by a footman laden with a bundle,happened to be passing along a wooden sidewalk a prolonged stare.Lastly, he threw around him a comprehensive glance (as though to fix inhis mind the general topography of the place) and betook himselfhome. There, gently aided by the waiter, he ascended the stairs to hisbedroom, drank a glass of tea, and, seating himself at the table, calledfor a candle; which having been brought him, he produced from his pocketthe notice, held it close to the flame, and conned its tenour--slightlycontracting his right eye as he did so. Yet there was little in thenotice to call for remark. All that it said was that shortly one ofKotzebue's [6] plays would be given, and that one of the parts in theplay was to be taken by a certain Monsieur Poplevin, and another bya certain Mademoiselle Ziablova, while the remaining parts were tobe filled by a number of less important personages. Nevertheless thegentleman perused the notice with careful attention, and even jotteddown the prices to be asked for seats for the performance. Also, heremarked that the bill had been printed in the press of the ProvincialGovernment. Next, he turned over the paper, in order to see if anythingfurther was to be read on the reverse side; but, finding nothing there,he refolded the document, placed it in the box which served him as areceptacle for odds and ends, and brought the day to a close with aportion of cold veal, a bottle of pickles, and a sound sleep.

  The following day he devoted to paying calls upon the various municipalofficials--a first, and a very respectful, visit being paid to theGovernor. This personage turned out to resemble Chichikov himself inthat he was neither fat nor thin. Also, he wore the riband of the orderof Saint Anna about his neck, and was reported to have been recommendedalso for the star. For the rest, he was large and good-natured, and hada habit of amusing himself with occasional spells of knitting. Next,Chichikov repaired to the Vice-Governor's, and thence to the house ofthe Public Prosecutor, to that of the President of the Local Council, tothat of the Chief of Police, to that of the Commissioner of Taxes, andto that of the local Director of State Factories. True, the task ofremembering every big-wig in this world of ours is not a very easy one;but at least our visitor displayed the greatest activity in his work ofpaying calls, seeing that he went so far as to pay his respects also tothe Inspector of the Municipal Department of Medicine and to the CityArchitect. Thereafter he sat thoughtfully in his britchka--plungedin meditation on the subject of whom else it might be well to visit.However, not a single magnate had been neglected, and in conversationwith his hosts he had contrived to flatter each separate one. Forinstance to the Governor he had hinted that a stranger, on arrivingin his, the Governor's province, would conceive that he had reachedParadise, so velvety were the roads. "Governors who appoint capablesubordinates," had said Chichikov, "are deserving of the most ample meedof praise." Again, to the Chief of Police our hero had passed a mostgratifying remark on the subject of the local gendarmery; while inhis conversation with the Vice-Governor and the President of the LocalCouncil (neither of whom had, as yet, risen above the rank of StateCouncillor) he had twice been guilty of the gaucherie of addressing hisinterlocutors with the title of "Your Excellency"--a blunder which hadnot failed to delight them. In the result the Governor had invitedhim to a reception the same evening, and certain other officials hadfollowed suit by inviting him, one of them to dinner, a second to atea-party, and so forth, and so forth.

  Of himself, however, the traveller had spoken little; or, if he hadspoken at any length, he had done so in a general sort of way and withmarked modesty. Indeed, at moments of the kind his discourse had assumedsomething of a literary vein, in that invariably he had stated that,being a worm of no account in the world, he was deserving of noconsideration at the hands of his fellows; that in his time he hadundergone many strange experiences; that subsequently he had sufferedmuch in the cause of Truth; that he had many enemies seeking his life;and that, being desirous of rest, he was now engaged in searching for aspot wherein to dwell--wherefore, having stumbled upon the town in whichhe now found himself, he had considered it his bounden duty to evincehis respect for the chief authorities of the place. This, and no more,was all that, for the moment, the town succeeded in learning about thenew arrival. Naturally he lost no time in presenting himself at theGovernor's evening party. First, however, his preparations for thatfunction occupied a space of over two hours, and necessitated anattention to his toilet of a kind not commonly seen. That is to say,after a brief post-prandial nap he called for soap and water, and spenta considerable period in the task of scrubbing his cheeks (which, forthe purpose, he supported from within with his tongue) and then ofdrying his full, round face, from the ears downwards, with a towel whichhe took from the waiter's shoulder. Twice he snorted into
the waiter'scountenance as he did this, and then he posted himself in front of themirror, donned a false shirt-front, plucked out a couple of hairs whichwere protruding from his nose, and appeared vested in a frockcoatof bilberry-coloured check. Thereafter driving through broad streetssparsely lighted with lanterns, he arrived at the Governor's residenceto find it illuminated as for a ball. Barouches with gleaming lamps,a couple of gendarmes posted before the doors, a babel of postillions'cries--nothing of a kind likely to be impressive was wanting; and, onreaching the salon, the visitor actually found himself obliged toclose his eyes for a moment, so strong was the mingled sheen of lamps,candles, and feminine apparel. Everything seemed suffused with light,and everywhere, flitting and flashing, were to be seen black coats--evenas on a hot summer's day flies revolve around a sugar loaf while theold housekeeper is cutting it into cubes before the open window, andthe children of the house crowd around her to watch the movements of herrugged hands as those members ply the smoking pestle; and airy squadronsof flies, borne on the breeze, enter boldly, as though free of thehouse, and, taking advantage of the fact that the glare of the sunshineis troubling the old lady's sight, disperse themselves over brokenand unbroken fragments alike, even though the lethargy induced by theopulence of summer and the rich shower of dainties to be encountered atevery step has induced them to enter less for the purpose of eating thanfor that of showing themselves in public, of parading up and down thesugar loaf, of rubbing both their hindquarters and their fore againstone another, of cleaning their bodies under the wings, of extendingtheir forelegs over their heads and grooming themselves, and of flyingout of the window again to return with other predatory squadrons.Indeed, so dazed was Chichikov that scarcely did he realise that theGovernor was taking him by the arm and presenting him to his (theGovernor's) lady. Yet the newly-arrived guest kept his head sufficientlyto contrive to murmur some such compliment as might fittingly comefrom a middle-aged individual of a rank neither excessively high norexcessively low. Next, when couples had been formed for dancing and theremainder of the company found itself pressed back against the walls,Chichikov folded his arms, and carefully scrutinised the dancers. Someof the ladies were dressed well and in the fashion, while the remainderwere clad in such garments as God usually bestows upon a provincialtown. Also here, as elsewhere, the men belonged to two separate anddistinct categories; one of which comprised slender individuals who,flitting around the ladies, were scarcely to be distinguished fromdenizens of the metropolis, so carefully, so artistically, groomed weretheir whiskers, so presentable their oval, clean-shaven faces, so easythe manner of their dancing attendance upon their womenfolk, so glibtheir French conversation as they quizzed their female companions. Asfor the other category, it comprised individuals who, stout, or of thesame build as Chichikov (that is to say, neither very portly nor verylean), backed and sidled away from the ladies, and kept peering hitherand thither to see whether the Governor's footmen had set out greentables for whist. Their features were full and plump, some of them hadbeards, and in no case was their hair curled or waved or arranged inwhat the French call "the devil-may-care" style. On the contrary, theirheads were either close-cropped or brushed very smooth, and their faceswere round and firm. This category represented the more respectableofficials of the town. In passing, I may say that in business mattersfat men always prove superior to their leaner brethren; which isprobably the reason why the latter are mostly to be found in thePolitical Police, or acting as mere ciphers whose existence is a purelyhopeless, airy, trivial one. Again, stout individuals never take a backseat, but always a front one, and, wheresoever it be, they sit firmly,and with confidence, and decline to budge even though the seat crack andbend with their weight. For comeliness of exterior they care not a rap,and therefore a dress coat sits less easily on their figures than is thecase with figures of leaner individuals. Yet invariably fat men amassthe greater wealth. In three years' time a thin man will not have asingle serf whom he has left unpledged; whereas--well, pray look ata fat man's fortunes, and what will you see? First of all a suburbanvilla, and then a larger suburban villa, and then a villa close to atown, and lastly a country estate which comprises every amenity! That isto say, having served both God and the State, the stout individualhas won universal respect, and will end by retiring from business,reordering his mode of life, and becoming a Russian landowner--in otherwords, a fine gentleman who dispenses hospitality, lives in comfort andluxury, and is destined to leave his property to heirs who are purposingto squander the same on foreign travel.

  That the foregoing represents pretty much the gist of Chichikov'sreflections as he stood watching the company I will not attempt to deny.And of those reflections the upshot was that he decided to joinhimself to the stouter section of the guests, among whom he hadalready recognised several familiar faces--namely, those of the PublicProsecutor (a man with beetling brows over eyes which seemed to besaying with a wink, "Come into the next room, my friend, for I havesomething to say to you"--though, in the main, their owner was a man ofgrave and taciturn habit), of the Postmaster (an insignificant-lookingindividual, yet a would-be wit and a philosopher), and of the Presidentof the Local Council (a man of much amiability and good sense). Thesethree personages greeted Chichikov as an old acquaintance, and to theirsalutations he responded with a sidelong, yet a sufficiently civil, bow.Also, he became acquainted with an extremely unctuous and approachablelandowner named Manilov, and with a landowner of more uncouth exteriornamed Sobakevitch--the latter of whom began the acquaintance by treadingheavily upon Chichikov's toes, and then begging his pardon. Next,Chichikov received an offer of a "cut in" at whist, and acceptedthe same with his usual courteous inclination of the head. Seatingthemselves at a green table, the party did not rise therefrom tillsupper time; and during that period all conversation between the playersbecame hushed, as is the custom when men have given themselves up toa really serious pursuit. Even the Postmaster--a talkative man bynature--had no sooner taken the cards into his hands than he assumedan expression of profound thought, pursed his lips, and retained thisattitude unchanged throughout the game. Only when playing a court cardwas it his custom to strike the table with his fist, and to exclaim (ifthe card happened to be a queen), "Now, old popadia [7]!" and (ifthe card happened to be a king), "Now, peasant of Tambov!" To whichejaculations invariably the President of the Local Council retorted,"Ah, I have him by the ears, I have him by the ears!" And from theneighbourhood of the table other strong ejaculations relative to theplay would arise, interposed with one or another of those nicknameswhich participants in a game are apt to apply to members of the varioussuits. I need hardly add that, the game over, the players fell toquarrelling, and that in the dispute our friend joined, though soartfully as to let every one see that, in spite of the fact that he waswrangling, he was doing so only in the most amicable fashion possible.Never did he say outright, "You played the wrong card at such and sucha point." No, he always employed some such phrase as, "You permittedyourself to make a slip, and thus afforded me the honour of coveringyour deuce." Indeed, the better to keep in accord with his antagonists,he kept offering them his silver-enamelled snuff-box (at the bottomof which lay a couple of violets, placed there for the sake of theirscent). In particular did the newcomer pay attention to landownersManilov and Sobakevitch; so much so that his haste to arrive on goodterms with them led to his leaving the President and the Postmasterrather in the shade. At the same time, certain questions which he putto those two landowners evinced not only curiosity, but also a certainamount of sound intelligence; for he began by asking how many peasantsouls each of them possessed, and how their affairs happened at presentto be situated, and then proceeded to enlighten himself also as theirstanding and their families. Indeed, it was not long before he hadsucceeded in fairly enchanting his new friends. In particular didManilov--a man still in his prime, and possessed of a pair of eyeswhich, sweet as sugar, blinked whenever he laughed--find himself unableto make enough of his enchanter. Clasping Chichikov long and ferventlyby the ha
nd, he besought him to do him, Manilov, the honour of visitinghis country house (which he declared to lie at a distance of not morethan fifteen versts from the boundaries of the town); and in returnChichikov averred (with an exceedingly affable bow and a most sincerehandshake) that he was prepared not only to fulfil his friend's behest,but also to look upon the fulfilling of it as a sacred duty. In the sameway Sobakevitch said to him laconically: "And do you pay ME a visit,"and then proceeded to shuffle a pair of boots of such dimensions thatto find a pair to correspond with them would have been indeeddifficult--more especially at the present day, when the race of epicheroes is beginning to die out in Russia.

  Next day Chichikov dined and spent the evening at the house of the Chiefof Police--a residence where, three hours after dinner, every one satdown to whist, and remained so seated until two o'clock in the morning.On this occasion Chichikov made the acquaintance of, among others, alandowner named Nozdrev--a dissipated little fellow of thirty who had nosooner exchanged three or four words with his new acquaintance than hebegan to address him in the second person singular. Yet although he didthe same to the Chief of Police and the Public Prosecutor, the companyhad no sooner seated themselves at the card-table than both the oneand the other of these functionaries started to keep a careful eye uponNozdrev's tricks, and to watch practically every card which he played.The following evening Chichikov spent with the President of the LocalCouncil, who received his guests--even though the latter included twoladies--in a greasy dressing-gown. Upon that followed an evening at theVice-Governor's, a large dinner party at the house of the Commissionerof Taxes, a smaller dinner-party at the house of the Public Prosecutor(a very wealthy man), and a subsequent reception given by the Mayor. Inshort, not an hour of the day did Chichikov find himself forced tospend at home, and his return to the inn became necessary only for thepurposes of sleeping. Somehow or other he had landed on his feet, andeverywhere he figured as an experienced man of the world. No matter whatthe conversation chanced to be about, he always contrived to maintainhis part in the same. Did the discourse turn upon horse-breeding, uponhorse-breeding he happened to be peculiarly well-qualified to speak. Didthe company fall to discussing well-bred dogs, at once he had remarks ofthe most pertinent kind possible to offer. Did the company touch upona prosecution which had recently been carried out by the ExciseDepartment, instantly he showed that he too was not wholly unacquaintedwith legal affairs. Did an opinion chance to be expressed concerningbilliards, on that subject too he was at least able to avoid committinga blunder. Did a reference occur to virtue, concerning virtue hehastened to deliver himself in a way which brought tears to every eye.Did the subject in hand happen to be the distilling of brandy--well,that was a matter concerning which he had the soundest of knowledge. Didany one happen to mention Customs officials and inspectors, from thatmoment he expatiated as though he too had been both a minor functionaryand a major. Yet a remarkable fact was the circumstance that he alwayscontrived to temper his omniscience with a certain readiness to giveway, a certain ability so to keep a rein upon himself that never did hisutterances become too loud or too soft, or transcend what was perfectlybefitting. In a word, he was always a gentleman of excellent manners,and every official in the place felt pleased when he saw him enter thedoor. Thus the Governor gave it as his opinion that Chichikov was a manof excellent intentions; the Public Prosecutor, that he was a good manof business; the Chief of Gendarmery, that he was a man of education;the President of the Local Council, that he was a man of breeding andrefinement; and the wife of the Chief of Gendarmery, that his politenessof behaviour was equalled only by his affability of bearing. Nay, evenSobakevitch--who as a rule never spoke well of ANY ONE--said to hislanky wife when, on returning late from the town, he undressed andbetook himself to bed by her side: "My dear, this evening, after diningwith the Chief of Police, I went on to the Governor's, and met there,among others, a certain Paul Ivanovitch Chichikov, who is a CollegiateCouncillor and a very pleasant fellow." To this his spouse replied "Hm!"and then dealt him a hearty kick in the ribs.

  Such were the flattering opinions earned by the newcomer to the town;and these opinions he retained until the time when a certain specialityof his, a certain scheme of his (the reader will learn presently what itwas), plunged the majority of the townsfolk into a sea of perplexity.