dead souls, imperial envoy

Chapter 31 Dead Souls (31)
“好吧！”乞乞科夫说，“姜太公钓鱼，愿者上钩。哭是没有用的，要踏踏实实地去干。”于是他下定决心从头再来，让自己再变得耐心起来，重新抑制自己各方面的需求，虽然以前任意挥霍让人颇为惬意。他搬到了另外的城市去重新来过。但不知为何一切并不顺利。在一段很短的时间里他换了两三次差事。这些差事都是龌龊的、下贱的。要知道，乞乞科夫原本是古往今来世上最讲体面的一个人。虽然他开始时不得不厮混在龌龊的人们中间，但他在心灵中却始终保持着洁净，他喜欢坐在有闪亮的漆木桌的办公室里，什么都要高雅。他从来不说不体面的字眼儿；听到别人说话时对官衔或称号缺少应有的敬意，他总是要责怪的。我想读者一定会对下边的情况感兴趣的：他的内衣隔两天就要换一次，夏天热的时候甚至一天一换：任何令人略微有些不快的怪味都会让他不痛快。因此，每次彼得卢什卡来服侍他脱衣服长靴的时候，他都要在鼻孔里塞上干丁香花芽；在许多的场合，他和少女一样娇柔。让他重新回到酒气熏天、行为粗鲁的人们中间是非常痛苦的。不管他怎样约束自己，在忍受这种磨难的时候他仍然瘦了，甚至脸色也发青了。他本已经身体发胖，有了一付腆胸凸肚的体面身材（就像读者结识他的时候见到的那样），他已不止一次照着镜子想过老婆孩子这些愉快的事情，而且每次想到这些还会发出奇怪的笑声，但是如今当他一次无意中看了一下镜子，却不得不惊呼：“我的圣母，我变得多丑啦！”以至于好长时间都不想再照镜子了。可是我们的主人公承受住了这一切，坚韧而耐心地承受了这些，终于让他转到了海关。需要说明一下，这个差事早就是他心里梦寐以求的目标。他看到过海关官吏们弄的一些那么漂亮的外国货，看到过他们给他们的教母、姨妈和姊妹们寄来的那些精致的陶瓷和软洋纱。他曾不止一次地叹着气说过：“就该到那里去呀：离边境又近，人也文明，还可以多弄到一些精致的荷兰衬衫啊！”必须补充一句，他说这话的时候还想到了法国一种能使皮肤洁白、两腮娇艳的特殊香皂——只有上帝知道，那是什么香皂，可是据他的推测，边境上一定会有。这样，他早就想进海关了，可是建筑委员会的各种眼前利益耽搁了他的脚步，其实他的想法也没错，海关无论如何只是天上的仙鹤，而委员会就像是手中的山雀。如今他下定了决心无论如何要进海关，而且成功进去了。他对职责非常尽心。好像他天生就是一个海关官吏。像他这样兢兢业业、心灵手巧的人，人们不但未曾见过，甚至连听都没有听过。只用了三四个星期，他就把海关业务掌握熟练了，简直可以说得心应手：甚至不用称，不用量，只看包装就能判定哪一捆里有许多呢料或别的什么衣料；拿起一个包儿一掂，就能说出有多重。说到搜查，连他的同僚都说他有一只狗鼻子：看到他有如此的耐性，每个纽扣都要摸一下，你不能不感到惊奇；而且他做这些的时候，那态度冷静得要命，礼貌也周全得难以想象。那些被检查的人得气急败坏，几乎要暴走，直想给他那个可爱的脸蛋来一记耳光的时候，他仍然镇定自若，仍然彬彬有礼，嘴里只是说：“您肯劳动大驾稍微站起来一下吗？”或者：“太太，您肯劳驾到隔壁的房间去一下吗？我们长官的一位夫人在那儿等着想跟你聊聊。”再不就是：“请允许我用小刀把您的大衣里子稍微挑开一点儿。”他一边说着，一边从大衣里子里往外抽着一条条披肩和头巾，态度依然沉静，就像从自己摆放的箱子里拿自己的东西一样。连上司都说他不是一个人，而是一个魔鬼：车轮、辕杆、马耳朵以及作者都想不到、只有海关官吏才可以翻的一些地方，他都一处不落。可怜的过境旅客被弄得好几分钟都不自在，浑身冒汗，一边擦汗一边划着十字叹气。这位旅客的处境就像一个从师长密室出来的小学生，他被叫进密室的时候原以为会是温和劝诫，进去以后却劈头挨了一顿打。在一段极短的时间里，走私分子被他整得简直没有活路了。他让全波兰的犹太人都感到了恐惧与绝望。他的刚正和廉洁无可动摇，简直是不可理喻的。海关经常会罚没各种东西；为了减少抄报的麻烦，有些东西并不充公；对于这些东西，他也分毫不取。他这样奉公克己，不能不让大家惊奇，连上司也有所耳闻。他得到了加官晋职，随后便马上提出了一网打尽走私分子的计划，并请求由他本人来实施这个计划。上司很快给了他一个支队并授予他可以随意进行搜查的无限权力。这正是他所求的。那时出现了一个强大的走私集团，这个大胆的集团估计能赚好几百万。他掌握了这个走私集团的情报，甚至还对来收买他的人冷冰冰地说过：“现在不是那个时候。”等他得到了可以支配一切的权力以后立马通知那个集团说：“现在是时候了。”他想得太周到了。这样，他一年就能得到以往勤奋地工作20年也未必能得到的收入。他以前不同他们有来往，因为他当时只是个普通小卒，所以不会得到太多；但是现在……现在完全不一样了：什么条件他都可以提。为了让事情更加顺利，他又拉了一个自己的同僚。他那个同僚虽然白了头发，却没有经得起诱惑。订好了条件，那个集团就开始动手。开始时一切都很顺利：一群披了羊皮的西班牙绵羊，在两层羊皮之间偷运价值上百万卢布的布拉邦特花边入境的故事那时常在那里被传诵，这个读者应早有耳闻了。这个故事就发生在乞乞科夫任职海关的时候。如果乞乞科夫不参加，哪怕全世界所有犹太人都办不成这件事。羊群在边境旅游了三四次之后，两个官吏手中都有了40万的积蓄。据说，乞乞科夫的手中甚至超过了50万，因为他太擅长经营了。假如他们不是神差鬼使地闹翻了，上帝也不会知道他们的积蓄会到什么数字啊。魔鬼把他们的心窍蒙上；简单些说，他们发了疯，无端地争了起来。在一次激烈的谈话中，可能乞乞科夫喝了点儿酒，称另一个官吏是神父的儿子，虽然另一个官吏的确是神父的儿子，但竟不知为何感觉受了天大的侮辱，就马上毫不留情地回顶了他一句，那话是这么说的：“不对，你胡说，我是五品官，不是神父儿子，你才是神父的儿子呢！”而且为了令乞乞科夫更难受还特意加了一句：“是的，谁都这么说！”虽然“谁都这么说”这句话也够有力的了，可是他还不解恨，甚至偷偷告了乞乞科夫一状。不过，据说，他们是为了抢夺一个娇艳美丽的婆娘，用海关官吏的话来说，像新鲜芜菁一样的婆娘已经不多了。这位官吏好像还雇了几个人要在夜晚的黑胡同里打我们的主人公一顿；可就在这两位官吏瞎闹的时候，那个婆娘却被一个叫沙姆沙列夫的上尉享用了。至于究竟是怎么回事，只有上帝知道了；最好由好奇的读者自己来补充吧。重要的是同走私集团的秘密来往暴露了出来。五品官虽然把自己毁了，但没放过自己的同僚。两个官吏被交付法庭，他们所有的一切都被查封充公了。这一切都是突如其来的，就像晴天霹雳一样。他们就像大梦初醒，看到了自己闯了多可怕的祸。五品官，按照俄国人的惯例，酗起酒来，穷困潦倒，一蹶不振；六品官呢，却没太大的变化。虽然前来查处的上司嗅觉很灵，他仍然藏匿了一部分钱。他老谋深算，世事洞明，用尽了花招，时而拘谨，时而哀求，有时奉承（这在什么情况下都不会坏事），有时这儿那儿去行贿——总之一句话，最少地把事情维护到这种程度：没有像他的同僚那样丢尽体面，他脱逃了刑事法庭的审判。可是不管是积蓄，还是各种外国货，无论什么都没有给他留下，这一切都由接收者享用去了。他藏起来以备不测的1万多卢布保住了，另外还保住了两打荷兰衬衫，一辆单身汉乘坐的不大的轻便马车和两个仆人也就是车夫谢里凡和彼得卢什卡；另外，海关官吏心地仁慈，给他留下了五六块香皂以保持娇嫩的脸颊，只有这些了。如此，你瞧我们的主人公又遭遇了怎样的困难！瞧，多少灾难又临到了他的头上！这就是他口中的因廉洁奉公而受到的迫害。现在可以看得到结果，认为他经受了这么多的风暴、考验、变故和不幸之后一定会带着剩下的关乎生命的一万来卢布寻觅一个偏安一隅的小城穿起花布睡袍，星期日站在低矮屋舍的窗前劝解一下窗外的农夫打架事件，或者为了散心而到鸡窝里去亲自摸摸准备作汤的母鸡的肥瘦，这样来度过剩下的一生。可是事情并不是这样的。我们的主人公的百折不回的性格理应受到赞扬。遭受这种种挫败，换个人即便不去寻死，也会心灰意懒、就此消沉下去，可是他身上燃烧着令人不解的激情。他悲伤过、懊恼过、抱怨过世界，恨过命运的不公，骂过人们的意气，他又尝试着新的开始。一句话，他表现的内在的耐性让德国人那槁木死灰般的耐性相形见绌。德国人的耐性只是让身上的血液缓慢流动、懒惰而已。乞乞科夫的血呢，相反，却汹涌澎湃，他的奇思妙想需要更多理智的力量来控制。他有自己的方法，他的理论里可以看到某些正确的地方，他说：“我怎么啦？为什么该我倒霉？如今在位的人谁不在打瞌睡？大家都要挣钱嘛。这对大家来说都有好处：我没有去抢寡妇，我没有逼人去沿街乞讨，我享用多余的东西，我拿的别人都会去拿；我不受用，别人也受用。为什么别人享福，我就该像一条蛆一样完蛋？我现在成了什么？我还能干什么？我有什么脸面去面对一个受尊敬的父亲的眼睛？我明知自己枉自走一趟人世怎么才能不受到良心的谴责？我的子女将来要怎样说？他们会说：‘瞧，父亲这个老畜生，他死的时候我一无所有！’”

Everyone knows that Chichikov really cared about his descendants.This is a very worrying question!If the question of "what will the children do in the future" has not always come up so naturally, some people may not be so desperate to fish.It is for this reason that the future head of the family, like a cautious and greedy cat, steals eyes to see if the owner is paying attention, and at the same time hastily appropriates everything that comes close: soap, Be it candles, fat meat, or canaries, in a word, no matter what falls under its claws, it will not let go of it.In spite of all our hero's whining and weeping, his mind does not stop; his mind is always on, waiting to make a plan.He restrained himself again, began to live a hard life again, restrained himself in every way, and fell from a clean and decent environment to a dirty and despicable life.When I was looking forward to a good future, I also worked as an agent.The profession of agents has not gained the status it deserves in our country, and is constantly being squeezed from all sides. Not only the clerks in the yamen, but even the clients themselves don't respect them very much. They often humbly bear their pressure in the hallway. Treat, etc.; but poverty can force a man to do anything.Among the entrustments he received was that he was asked to mediate and mortgage hundreds of serfs to the Guardianship Bureau for borrowing.The manor has fallen into disrepair.The cause of the ruin was mass deaths of cattle, fraudulent stewardship, bad years, epidemics that took away the best hands, and the landowner himself, in a moment of confusion, bought the most fashionable house in Moscow, and spent almost nothing. , I can’t even eat.In the end, he had to mortgage the remaining manor.Mortgaging debt from the public was still a novelty at the time, and people naturally felt a sense of fear when they decided to take this step.As an agent, Chichikov first opened up all the joints (you know, you can only get things done if you first open the joints to find out what's going on; for this, at least a bottle of Madeira was poured down each throat), so that in the After getting through all the joints that needed to be opened, he mentioned this situation by the way: half of the serfs are dead, so don't cause any trouble in the future... "Aren't they registered in the census of serfs?" The secretary asked him. "It has a name," Chichikov replied. "Then what are you afraid of?" the secretary said, "If some die, some will be added. As long as you are alive, you will make money."

It can be heard that the secretary's witty words rhyme with the wit.At this point our hero has one of the most inspiring ideas of all time. "Oh, my fool!" he said to himself, "I'm really what the saying goes, 'look around for gloves and hang them around your waist'! I'll go and buy those dead serfs who haven't been removed from the serf register , let’s say, buy a thousand of them, and let’s say, the Guardianship Bureau mortgages me two hundred rubles each: that’s 20 rubles! Now the time has come: there’s just been a plague, thank God, people don’t die The landowners gambled, drank, and squandered money, and all went to Petersburg to become officials; the estates were managed by whoever carelessly, and the taxes were hard to pay every year. They only had to pay poll taxes for dead serfs. Give it to me happily; maybe someone will give me some money back. Of course, there will be troubles, troubles, worries, and troubles if you are not careful. But since a person has a brain , you have to take risks to do things. The main advantage is that this kind of business is unimaginable, and no one will believe it. Of course, there is no land, and buying serfs and mortgaged serfs will not work. But I bought it and took it away, take it away; now Taft The land in Lita Province and Kherson Province is free, as long as they live. I will move them all there! Move to Kherson! Let them live there! The relocation procedures can be handled through the court. If people want Check the serfs, please, I have no objection, why not? I have a certificate signed by the county police officer. The village can be called Chichikov Village, or it can be named after my baptism. Pavel Village." The strange plot of this book is thus formed in our hero's mind. I don't know whether the reader will be grateful to him; but the author is very grateful to him, and his gratitude is beyond words.In any case, the novel would not have been possible if the idea had not entered Chichikov's head.

(End of this chapter)