hunter notes

Chapter 27 Office (3)
"In front of me, you have to be careful, don't be too presumptuous," the fat man interrupted him angrily, "you fool, people are joking with you, you fool should understand; people will pay attention to you You have to be grateful, fool."

"I was talking casually, Nikolai Yeremych, I'm sorry..." "Just talking casually, that's all right." The door opened and a boy ran in. "Nikolai Yeremitch, the mistress wants you to go." "Who is with the mistress?" he asked the boy. "Aksinya Nikishina and a merchant from Vinev."

"I'll go right away. Well, you all," he continued in a forceful tone, "you'd better go with the new stoker. If the German comes along, it's time to complain again."

The fat man straightened his hair, covered his mouth with his hands that were almost covered by the sleeves of his coat and coughed, buttoned up his buttons, and strode towards the hostess.Not long after, the group of people and Kupullo followed suit.Only my old acquaintance on duty remained.He had just begun to sharpen the quill when he sat there and fell asleep.Several mosquitoes immediately took advantage of this great opportunity and surrounded his mouth in groups.A mosquito landed on his forehead, spread its legs upright, and slowly pierced all its stingers into his soft flesh.The previous fiery red-haired and bearded head appeared at the door again, looked around for a while, and then entered the office with its very ugly body. "Fyushka! Hello, Feyushka! Always sleeping!" said the man.The attendant opened his eyes and got up from his chair. "Has Nikolay Yeremych gone to the mistress?" "To the mistress, Vasily Nikolaitch." "Oh! Oh!" I thought, "he is the accountant." Director." The Accounting Director began to walk back and forth in the room.But instead of walking to and fro, he slid around like a cat.He was wearing an old black tuxedo that was oversized and very narrow in the back; with one hand resting on his chest, the other was constantly grabbing at his high, narrow tie made of horsehair, tense. Turn your head around.His boots were of goatskin, and they walked softly, without creaking.

"Landlord Yagushikin came to see you today," said the watchman again. "Well, came to me? What did he say?" "He said he was going to meet you at Chuchulev's in the evening. He said, 'I have something to say to Vasily Nikolaitch. Talk', he didn't say exactly what it was. He said 'Vasili Nikolaitch knew about it'."

"Yeah!" replied the chief accountant, walking to the window. "Hello, is Nikolai Yeremych in the office?" came a loud voice from the antechamber, and a tall man, evidently angry, with a sloppy face, stepped across the threshold. , but expressive, bold and neatly dressed.

"Is he not here?" he asked, looking around quickly.

"Nikolai Yeremitch is at the mistress's house," replied the accountant. "What do you want? Tell me, Pavel Andreitch. You can tell me... what do you want?" ?”

"What do I want? You want to know what I want? (The chief accountant nods awkwardly.) I want to teach him a lesson, this shameless big belly, this despicable solicitor... just for him, I want Give him some color and see!"

Pavel sat down on the chair. "What's the matter with you, what's the matter with you, Pavel Andreitch? Be quiet! . . . Why aren't you ashamed? Don't forget who you're talking about, Pavel Andreitch!" The accounting director murmured.

"Who are you talking about? It's none of my business that he became the director of the office! Hey, there's nothing to say, why did you choose this kind of person! It's almost like putting the goat in the vegetable garden!"

"Come on, come on, Pavel Andreitch, come on! Don't mention it .

"Hmph, old fox, wagging his tail! I'll wait for him to come back." Pavel said angrily, and patted the table. "Ah. His grand lord is here," he went on, looking out of the window. "Whoever you say will be there, we'll be waiting!" (He gets up.) Nikolai Yeremitch enters the business so come.He was overjoyed, but when he saw Pavel, he seemed a little flustered.

"How do you do, Nikolai Yeremitch," Pavel said, coming slowly towards him, with a purpose, "how do you do." The director of the office made no reply.The face of the merchant appeared at the door.

"Why don't you answer me?" Pavel went on. "Oh, no... no," he added, "that's not the way, there's no use in shouting. No, you'd better tell me, Nico La Yeremitch, why did you frame me? Why did you destroy me? Come on, tell me, tell me."

"This is not the place to reason with you," the director of the firm replied with some unease, "and it's not the time. But there is one thing I really find strange: why do you say that I want to destroy you, or frame you? Besides, how can I Maybe frame you? You are not in my firm."

"That goes without saying," replied Pavel, "it would be worse. But why are you pretending, Nikolai Yeremych? . . . You know what I mean."

"No, I don't understand." "No, you understand." "No, I swear to God, I don't."

"I swear to God! In that case, I ask you, are you afraid of God? Ah? Why don't you let the poor girl have a way of life? Ah? What do you want her to do?"

"Who are you talking about, Pavel Andreitch?" asked the fat man with feigned surprise.

"Hey! Don't you really know? I'm talking about Tatiana. You're afraid of God—why do you want revenge? Are you disrespectful? You're a family man, and your kids look like me High, I have no other intentions... I want to marry her, and my behavior is upright."

"And why am I to blame for this, Pavel Andreitch? The mistress forbids you to marry, that's what she wants! What does it matter to me?"

"What's your business? Aren't you hooking up with that old hag, with that housekeeper? Aren't you trying to stir up trouble, eh? Say, you're not slandering this helpless man with such nonsense. Didn't she change from washing to washing dishes because of you? Wasn't it because of you that she was beaten and wore rough clothes?... Shame, shame, you old man! Maybe you will have a stroke ...I want you to see the King of Hades."

"Come on, Pavel Andreitch, blaspheme... let's see how long you can blaspheme!"

Pavel suddenly became angry. "What? You want to threaten me?" he said angrily. "You think I'm afraid of you? No, man, you're wrong! What have I to be afraid of? . . . I can get food anywhere. You—you're another thing! You I can only live here, sow discord, and get rich..."

"Look at him," interrupted the director of the office, and he couldn't help himself. "A lousy doctor, just a lousy doctor, no good doctor. Listen to him--pooh! What an amazing person!"

"Hmph, crappy doctor, without this crappy doctor, your old man would have rotted in the grave. I really shouldn't have cured a person like you." He added harshly.

"You cured my disease?... No, you want to poison me, you let me eat aloe." The director of the office continued.

"But, nothing else can cure you except aloe vera, so what should you do?"

"Aloe vera is banned by the Sanitation Bureau," continued Nicola, "and I'm going to sue you. You want to kill me—that's it! It's just that God doesn't allow it."

"Forget it, forget it, you two..." the chief accountant said... "Don't worry about it!" the director of the office shouted, "He wants to poison me! Do you understand?"

"Why should I poison you... Listen to me, Nikolai Yeremych," said Pavel sadly. Don't you bother us any more, understand? Or else, I say to God, one of us is going to be disadvantaged, I tell you."

The fat man flew into a rage. "I'm not afraid of you," he yelled. "Did you hear that, you yellow-mouthed boy! I defeated your father, and I destroyed his prestige. This is a lesson for you. Be careful!"

"Don't tell me about my father, Nikolai Yeremitch, don't talk about that!"

"Go away! Why do you want me to listen to you?" "I warn you, don't mention this!" "I also warn you, don't be too presumptuous... Do you think the hostess really needs you so much, if she wants her from both of us?" Pick one of them, you can't keep it, buddy! No one is allowed to mess around! Be careful! (Pavel trembles with rage.) As for the girl Tatiana, she's got it on her own... You'll see, she There are others!"

Pavel raised his hands and rushed forward, and the director of the office was thrown to the ground heavily.

"Shackle him, handcuff him," moaned Nikolai Yeremych... I don't want to describe the ending of this scene, for fear that I have made the reader uncomfortable.

I went back that day.A week later I heard that the mistress Losnekova had left both Pavel and Nikolay on her errands, and had sent the girl Tatyana away.Obviously she is not needed here.

(End of this chapter)