dead souls, imperial envoy

Chapter 44 Dead Souls (44)
"Oh, what can I do? I forgot," said Platonov. "We went around to my brother-in-law's, and he greeted me, and my sister also said hello. Let me introduce you. This is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Pavel Ivanovich, this is my brother Vasily, please love him as you love me."

Vasily and Chichikov took off their hats and kissed each other.Vasily thought: "Who is this Chichikov? My brother is indiscriminate in making friends, and maybe he doesn't know who he is." So he looked at Chichikov within the limits of politeness. Husband, saw him standing there with his head slightly down and a pleasant expression on his face.Chichikov also looked at Vasily within the limits of politeness.Vasily was shorter than Platonov, had lighter hair, and was not so beautiful, but his expression was full of vigor and vitality.Apparently, he didn't just sleep all day long.

"Vassily, do you know what I want?" said Platonov.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to go around Russia, just with Pavel Ivanovich, and maybe it will cure my depression."

"Why did you suddenly make such a decision?..."

Vasily said with some embarrassment, and almost didn't add a sentence: "And I'm going with someone I met for the first time. He may be a good-for-nothing bastard. Who knows who he is!" He looked at Qiqi with suspicion. Kov glanced at him and saw that he was dignified, with his head still bowed, pleasingly slightly tilted to one side, with a humble expression on his face, and it was impossible to tell who Chichikov really was.They walked silently, a white stone church appeared in the bushes on the left side of the road, and the buildings in the owner's courtyard began to appear in the bushes on the right.Finally saw the door.They entered the courtyard.In the yard is the owner's old-fashioned house with a high roof.There are two big linden trees in the center of the courtyard, covered with shade, almost covering most of the courtyard.From among the low-hanging dense branches and leaves, the wall of the owner's house behind the tree can be vaguely seen.Several long wooden benches are placed under the tree.Vasily asked Chichikov to sit down.Chichikov sat down, and Platonov also sat down.The lilac and plum blossoms were in full bloom, and through the handsome birch hedges, stretched out of the garden, and circled the yard like an embroidered ribbon or a necklace of pearls.A smart, quick boy of seventeen or eighteen, wearing a beautiful pink cotton shirt, brought them water and various kvass in glass jars, kvass revealed With various colors, it is bubbling, like soda.After putting down the glass jar, the boy took the shovel that was stuck by the tree and went into the garden.In the house of the Platonov brothers, the servants also worked in the garden, and all the servants were also gardeners.Vasily has always said that it is possible to live without servants, that anyone can carry things, and that no one has to be appointed; Put on a German-style coat, and immediately become awkward, ugly, dull and lazy.He said that Russians can keep clean when they wear shirts and tweed jackets, but as long as they put on German-style coats, the shirts are not changed, the baths are not washed, and the coats are not taken off when sleeping. Lice come in all shapes and sizes.He may be right.On their brethren's farm the people looked especially clean and well-dressed.Such good-looking shirts and duffel coats are not easy to see. "Would you like a drink to cool down?" Vasily said to Chichikov, pointing to the glass jar. "This is kvass made by my family. This kind of kvass has made my family famous."

Chichikov poured a glass from the first glass jar—something like the linden mead he had drunk in Poland: fizzy like champagne, with a puff of breath from the mouth to the nostrils, which was pleasant. "The world's fairy wine!" While speaking, he poured another glass from another glass jar and said, "It tastes better."

"Where do you want to go?" asked Vasily.

"I," said Chichikov, swaying slightly on the stool, putting his hand on his knee, and turning his head slightly to one side, "I'm not so much working for myself as I am being entrusted to. Biedry General Scheff, my friend and benefactor, asked me to visit some of his relatives. Of course, but sometimes also for myself: not to mention that frequent walking is helpful for the treatment of hemorrhoids, just to broaden horizons and Knowledge... can be said to be a living book, but also a kind of learning."

Vasily thought about it.He thought: "This man is eloquent, and what he said is reasonable. My brother Platon has little experience and doesn't know how to deal with people." He was silent for a while, and then said to Platon: "Platon, I Think travel might actually lift you up. You're mentally tired. It's not because you're full or tired, it's because you don't have vivid impressions and feelings about things. Me, the opposite. I hope that no matter what happens to me Not so excited, not so heartfelt."

"You just take everything in your heart no matter what you encounter," Platon said. "You find troubles for yourself everywhere, and you create troubles for yourself."

"Things are going to be troublesome every step of the way, how can I say that I made it myself?" Vasily said. "Do you know what trouble Lenitsyn has given us during your absence? He has robbed us of a wasteland, the one where our village goes to the spring equinox every year after Easter."

"He didn't know, so he took it," said Platon. "He just came from Petersburg. Tell him."

"He knows it. He knows it. I've had him told it, but he doesn't make sense."

"Go and talk to him yourself. Go and talk to him yourself."

"No. He's putting on airs. I won't go. Go yourself."

"I can go. But because I don't care, he will lie to me."

"I can go for you, if you believe me," said Chichikov.Vasily glanced at him and thought: "What a nosy man!"

"Just tell me what kind of person he is and where the crux of the matter is."

"I can't bear to ask you to do such an unpleasant thing. I don't like to talk to such a man. But I must tell you that he was born in an ordinary noble family in our province, and lived in Petersburg. Got a little bit of flair, married the illegitimate daughter of a dignitary here, and put on airs. Always pointing fingers here. But thank God, people here aren't stupid. For us, Fashion is not a holy order, and Petersburg is not a church."

"Of course," said Chichikov, "what's the crux of the matter?"

"The crux of the matter, in fact, is negligible. He has no land, so he occupies someone else's wasteland. He thinks that the land has no owner, or the owner has forgotten it, but this wasteland happens to be my farmers. The place where the equinox has always been celebrated. Therefore, I would rather use some other better land than give him this land. It is a sacred place in my opinion."

"So, are you willing to give him some other land?"

"If he didn't treat me like that. But I think he wants to fight a lawsuit. Well, let's see who can win. Although the markings on the blueprints are not so clear, there are proofs—old people Still, I remember."

Chichikov thought to himself: "Hmph! They're both alike!" Thinking this over, he said aloud: "I think the matter can be settled peacefully. It all depends on a middleman. The book..."

(The following two pages of the manuscript are missing)

"...For example, if you transfer all the dead serfs registered in Guizhuang since the last serf registration to my name, and let me pay their poll tax, it will not do you any harm. If you are worried about what will happen If there are bad consequences, you can treat these dead serfs as living serfs and sign a deed."

Lenitsyn thought to himself: "Oops! This is a bit strange." He even moved his chair back, because he was completely in doubt. "No doubt you will agree to this," said Chichikov, "because the matter is the same as what we have just discussed. It will be known only to you and me, and to no one else." any adverse consequences."

How to do it?Lenitzyn found it very difficult.In any case he did not expect that the opinion he had just expressed would require him to put it into practice so soon.The suggestion was too sudden.Of course, this kind of action is not harmful to anyone: the landlords will pawn these dead serfs as well as live serfs anyway, so there is no harm to the treasury, and the difference is that in this way, the dead serfs will be concentrated in the hands of one person , rather than scattered in the hands of various individuals.But he still felt embarrassed.He is an honest and honest person, and no bribe can make him do what he thinks is improper.But at this moment, he was a little hesitant, not knowing how to define this matter—legitimate or illegitimate.If anyone else had made such a suggestion, he would have said: "Nonsense! Nonsense! Why should I be a doll or a fool to be played with?" But he liked this guest so much, they talked so speculatively about educational and scientific achievements, etc. , how could he refuse his request?Lenitzyn felt very embarrassed.

But at this time, as if God had come to help them solve this problem, Lenitsyn's young wife with a snub nose came in.She was pale, thin, and petite, but very well dressed, like all the ladies in Petersburg.The nanny followed behind, holding in her arms the crystallization of their couple's love, their biological son.Naturally, Chichikov came to his wife immediately, not to mention the elegant etiquette, just bowing with his head tilted to one side, he already had a lot of affection for his wife.Then he ran up to the child, who was about to cry for a while, but Chichikov called out, "Ooo, ooo, little darling," snapped his fingers to tease him, and gave him a beautiful rooster watch pendant. She coaxed him into her hands.After coaxing the child into his hands, he swam back and forth to lift him up, and a cheerful smile appeared on the child's face, which made the child's parents very happy.But I don't know whether it was out of joy or for other reasons, the child suddenly became disrespectful.Frau Lenitsyn exclaimed: "Oh, my God! He's soiled your tailcoat!"

Chichikov took a look: the brand new tuxedo was all soiled.He cursed fiercely in his heart: "Damn little bastard, don't want a good death!"

The hostess, the hostess, the nurse—they all went to work, cleaning Chichikov from all over. "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it really doesn't matter!" Chichikov said, "such a small child is nothing?" He said in his mouth, but he thought in his heart: "It's so accurate, you damn little thing! After everything was wiped clean and the happy expression was restored on his face, he said again: "The golden age of life!"

"Indeed," the master turned to Chichikov and said, also with a pleasant smile on his face, "what is more enviable than infancy, carefree..."

"If the position could be changed, I would agree without hesitation," Chichikov said. "That's what I want too," said Lenitsyn.But they were all lying, and if they were asked to switch, they would surely regret it immediately.And what fun is there in being held in the arms of a nanny and soiling a tuxedo!

The young hostess and the nanny left with the child in their arms, and the child also needed to be tidied up: he had finished rewarding Chichikov, and he did not neglect himself.This seemingly insignificant circumstance made the host entirely inclined to grant Chichikov's request.How could the visitor refuse the request of so much caressing the child, and paying for it in a tuxedo?Lenitsyn thought: "If he has such a wish, how can I not satisfy him?"

Escape from the five desperate situations

Chichikov sat on the sofa in a new yellow satin Persian robe, negotiating with a Jewish smuggler with a German accent. In front of him was a piece of fine Dutch linen for shirts and two boxes of soap that he had bought. (It's the kind he got when he served in the Radzivelovsk customs service. This soap does have a miraculous effect on making cheeks white and beautiful).

Just as he was evaluating these indispensable items for an educated person with an expert attitude, a carriage drove up, and the doors, windows and walls of the house shook for a while, and His Excellency Lenitsyn walked in quickly. . "Please take a look, Your Excellency: How about this piece of linen, this kind of soap, and what about this new thing you bought yesterday?" Chichikov said, taking a small round hat embroidered with gold thread and inlaid with round pearls. With the cap on his head, he looked like a Persian king alive and well.However, His Excellency Lenitsyn did not answer his question, but said with a serious expression: "I have something I want to talk to you about."

There was a look of anxiety on his face.Chichikov dismissed the businessman with the German accent.The two of them were left in the house. "Do you know what bad things happened? The old woman's will, someone found a copy five years ago. Half of the property was given to the monastery, and the other half was divided equally between the two adopted daughters, and no one else had any."

Chichikov was stunned: "But this will doesn't matter. It's useless, it's canceled out by the second will."

"But the last will doesn't say that she revoked the first will."

"There is no doubt that the latter will revoke the former. The first will is worthless. I know very well the wishes of the deceased. I was with her at the time. Who signed the first will, who is the witness I know it all."

"Its procedure is legal, and it was certified by the court. The witnesses are the original judges of conscience, Burmilov and Khavanov."

Chichikov thought: "Awful, Khavanov is said to be an honest man; Burmilov is cunning and treacherous, a hypocrite who reads the Acts of the Apostles in church on a holiday."

"But it's nothing, it doesn't matter," Chichikov said aloud, feeling at once a fearless determination, "I know best that I was with the dead man until his death. The whole thing , I know best. I want to testify under oath myself.”

This remark and Chichikov's determination made Lenitsyn quickly relieved.He was very anxious, and even began to wonder whether Chichikov had forged a will.Now he was secretly scolding himself for having such suspicions.The determination to testify under oath proved Chichikov's innocence.We do not know whether Chichikov really had the courage to testify under oath, but he was brave enough to say it. "Don't worry, I'll talk to some legal counsel about this. You have nothing to do; all you have to do is stay out of it. I can live in the city as long as I want now."

Chichikov immediately got the car ready and set off to find a legal adviser.This legal advisor is particularly experienced.He had been on trial for 15 years, but because he was good at coping, he couldn't be dismissed anyway.It was clear that for his great exploits he should have been exiled six times.His suspicious places are everywhere, but no one has caught him with credible evidence.He did have some magical powers, and if we were writing this story in the savage age, he could have been strongly regarded as a magician.The indifference of the counselor and the stains on his pajamas are startling.His pajamas were in harmony with the elegant mahogany furniture, the gold watch in the glass case, the chandelier in the gauze case, and all the objects around him bearing the imprint of European elegant civilization.But Chichikov didn't pay attention to the indifferent appearance of the legal adviser, and straightforwardly explained the problem of the matter, and also casually exaggerated the remuneration that would be expressed after the matter was completed.The legal adviser said that everything in the world is untrustworthy, and cleverly pointed out that the crane in the sky is not as good as the little bird in his hand, and he must first have a little tit in his hand.There was no other way but to put a little bird in his hand.The indifference of the legal counsel with a bird in hand disappeared immediately.It turned out that he was the most amiable person, that he was eloquent, elegant in conversation, and as clever as Chichikov. "Let me point out that you must have been afraid of delay and have not read the will carefully: there must be a note in the will. You can take the will home for a while and look at it. Although such things are prohibited family, but if I ask some officials well... I will also do my best from here."

Chichikov understood, and said: "That's true, I really don't remember whether there are any notes, just like I didn't write this will."

"You'd better take a look. Only," he said with the utmost kindness, "you must be composed, and if something worse should come your way, you should not be alarmed. Never despair under any circumstances: Nothing is beyond redemption. Look at me: always composed. No matter what troubles throw me, I remain the same."

The expression on the face of the discerning legal adviser was indeed very calm, so Chichikov...

"Of course, this is the most important thing," Chichikov said, "but you have to agree that sometimes things and traps will put you in a certain predicament and make you unable to calm down."

"Believe me, that's just cowardice," the wise jurist replied calmly and kindly, "You must remember to try hard to do things with written evidence, and never believe in empty words. It's just that you have seen the problem. When it comes to the end and is about to be resolved, don't rush to relieve yourself and defend yourself, on the contrary, you should create side effects and confuse the water."

"That is to say..."

"Mix it, mix it up—nothing else is needed," said the counsel, "additions, involve others, complicate matters—nothing else is needed. Let the officials from Petersburg go." Let him go to the trial!" he repeated, looking into Chichikov's eyes triumphantly, as a teacher looks at a student when he is explaining the mysteries of Russian grammar.

(End of this chapter)