dead souls(死魂灵)-第42节

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eir　own　side　by　asserting　that　the　dead　souls　were　an　invention　used　solely　for　the　purpose　of　diverting　suspicion　and　successfully　affecting　the　abduction。　And；　indeed；　more　than　one　man　was　converted；　and　joined　the　feminine　camp；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　thereby　such　seceders　incurred　strong　names　from　their　late　comradesnames　such　as　〃old　women；〃　〃petticoats；〃　and　others　of　a　nature　peculiarly　offensive　to　the　male　sex。

Also；　however　much　they　might　arm　themselves　and　take　the　field；　the　men　could　not　compass　such　orderliness　within　their　ranks　as　could　the　women。　With　the　former　everything　was　of　the　antiquated　and　rough…hewn　and　ill…fitting　and　unsuitable　and　badly…adapted　and　inferior　kind；　their　heads　were　full　of　nothing　but　discord　and　triviality　and　confusion　and　slovenliness　of　thought。　In　brief；　they　displayed　everywhere　the　male　bent；　the　rude；　ponderous　nature　which　is　incapable　either　of　managing　a　household　or　of　jumping　to　a　conclusion；　as　well　as　remains　always　distrustful　and　lazy　and　full　of　constant　doubt　and　everlasting　timidity。　For　instance；　the　men's　party　declared　that　the　whole　story　was　rubbishthat　the　alleged　abduction　of　the　Governor's　daughter　was　the　work　rather　of　a　military　than　of　a　civilian　culprit；　that　the　ladies　were　lying　when　they　accused　Chichikov　of　the　deed；　that　a　woman　was　like　a　money…bagwhatsoever　you　put　into　her　she　thenceforth　retained；　that　the　subject　which　really　demanded　attention　was　the　dead　souls；　of　which　the　devil　only　knew　the　meaning；　but　in　which　there　certainly　lurked　something　that　was　contrary　to　good　order　and　discipline。　One　reason　why　the　men's　party　was　so　certain　that　the　dead　souls　connoted　something　contrary　to　good　order　and　discipline；　was　that　there　had　just　been　appointed　to　the　province　a　new　Governor…Generalan　event　which；　of　course；　had　thrown　the　whole　army　of　provincial　tchinovniks　into　a　state　of　great　excitement；　seeing　that　they　knew　that　before　long　there　would　ensue　transferments　and　sentences　of　censure；　as　well　as　the　series　of　official　dinners　with　which　a　Governor…General　is　accustomed　to　entertain　his　subordinates。　〃Alas；〃　thought　the　army　of　tchinovniks；　〃it　is　probable　that；　should　he　learn　of　the　gross　reports　at　present　afloat　in　our　town；　he　will　make　such　a　fuss　that　we　shall　never　hear　the　last　of　them。〃　In　particular　did　the　Director　of　the　Medical　Department　turn　pale　at　the　thought　that　possibly　the　new　Governor…General　would　surmise　the　term　〃dead　folk〃　to　connote　patients　in　the　local　hospitals　who；　for　want　of　proper　preventative　measures；　had　died　of　sporadic　fever。　Indeed；　might　it　not　be　that　Chichikov　was　neither　more　nor　less　than　an　emissary　of　the　said　Governor…General；　sent　to　conduct　a　secret　inquiry？　Accordingly　he　（the　Director　of　the　Medical　Department）　communicated　this　last　supposition　to　the　President　of　the　Council；　who；　though　at　first　inclined　to　ejaculate　〃Rubbish！〃　suddenly　turned　pale　on　propounding　to　himself　the　theory。　〃What　if　the　souls　purchased　by　Chichikov　should　REALLY　be　dead　ones？〃a　terrible　thought　considering　that　he；　the　President；　had　permitted　their　transferment　to　be　registered；　and　had　himself　acted　as　Plushkin's　representative！　What　if　these　things　should　reach　the　Governor…General's　ears？　He　mentioned　the　matter　to　one　friend　and　another；　and　they；　in　their　turn；　went　white　to　the　lips；　for　panic　spreads　faster　and　is　even　more　destructive；　than　the　dreaded　black　death。　Also；　to　add　to　the　tchinovniks'　troubles；　it　so　befell　that　just　at　this　juncture　there　came　into　the　local　Governor's　hands　two　documents　of　great　importance。　The　first　of　them　contained　advices　that；　according　to　received　evidence　and　reports；　there　was　operating　in　the　province　a　forger　of　rouble…notes　who　had　been　passing　under　various　aliases　and　must　therefore　be　sought　for　with　the　utmost　diligence；　while　the　second　document　was　a　letter　from　the　Governor　of　a　neighbouring　province　with　regard　to　a　malefactor　who　had　there　evaded　apprehensiona　letter　conveying　also　a　warning　that；　if　in　the　province　of　the　town　of　N。　there　should　appear　any　suspicious　individual　who　could　produce　neither　references　nor　passports；　he　was　to　be　arrested　forthwith。　These　two　documents　left　every　one　thunderstruck；　for　they　knocked　on　the　head　all　previous　conceptions　and　theories。　Not　for　a　moment　could　it　be　supposed　that　the　former　document　referred　to　Chichikov；　yet；　as　each　man　pondered　the　position　from　his　own　point　of　view；　he　remembered　that　no　one　REALLY　knew　who　Chichikov　was；　as　also　that　his　vague　references　to　himself　hadyes！included　statements　that　his　career　in　the　service　had　suffered　much　to　the　cause　of　Truth；　and　that　he　possessed　a　number　of　enemies　who　were　seeking　his　life。　This　gave　the　tchinovniks　further　food　for　thought。　Perhaps　his　life　really　DID　stand　in　danger？　Perhaps　he　really　WAS　being　sought　for　by　some　one？　Perhaps　he　really　HAD　done　something　of　the　kind　above　referred　to？　As　a　matter　of　fact；　who　was　he？not　that　it　could　actually　be　supposed　that　he　was　a　forger　of　notes；　still　less　a　brigand；　seeing　that　his　exterior　was　respectable　in　the　highest　degree。　Yet　who　was　he？　At　length　the　tchinovniks　decided　to　make　enquiries　among　those　of　whom　he　had　purchased　souls；　in　order　that　at　least　it　might　be　learnt　what　the　purchases　had　consisted　of；　and　what　exactly　underlay　them；　and　whether；　in　passing；　he　had　explained　to　any　one　his　real　intentions；　or　revealed　to　any　one　his　identity。　In　the　first　instance；　therefore；　resort　was　had　to　Korobotchka。　Yet　little　was　gleaned　from　that　sourcemerely　a　statement　that　he　had　bought　of　her　some　souls　for　fifteen　roubles　apiece；　and　also　a　quantity　of　feathers；　while　promising　also　to　buy　some　other　commodities　in　the　future；　seeing　that；　in　particular；　he　had　entered　into　a　contract　with　the　Treasury　for　lard；　a　fact　constituting　fairly　presumptive　proof　that　the　man　was　a　rogue；　seeing　that　just　such　another　fellow　had　bought　a　quantity　of　feathers；　yet　had　cheated　folk　all　round；　and；　in　particular；　had　done　the　Archpriest　out　of　over　a　hundred　roubles。　Thus　the　net　result　of　Madame's　cross…examination　was　to　convince　the　tchinovniks　that　she　was　a　garrulous；　silly　old　woman。　With　regard　to　Manilov；　he　replied　that　he　would　answer　for　Chichikov　as　he　would　for　himself；　and　that　he　would　gladly　sacrifice　his　property　in　toto　if　thereby　he　could　attain　even　a　tithe　of　the　qualities　which　Paul　Ivanovitch　possessed。　Finally；　he　delivered　on　Chichikov；　with　acutely…knitted　brows；　a　eulogy　couched　in　the　most　charming　of　terms；　and　coupled　with　sundry　sentiments　on　the　subject　of　friendship　and　affection　in　general。　True；　these　remarks　sufficed　to　indicate　the　tender　impulses　of　the　speaker's　heart；　but　also　they　did　nothing　to　enlighten　his　examiners　concerning　the　business　that　was　actually　at　hand。　As　for　Sobakevitch；　that　landowner　replied　that　he　considered　Chichikov　an　excellent　fellow；　as　well　as　that　the　souls　whom　he　had　sold　to　his　visitor　had　been　in　the　truest　sense　of　the　word　alive；　but　that　he　could　not　answer　for　anything　which　might　occur　in　the　future；　seeing　that　any　difficulties　which　might　arise　in　the　course　of　the　actual　transferment　of　souls　would　not　be　HIS　fault；　in　view　of　the　fact　that　God　was　lord　of　all；　and　that　fevers　and　other　mortal　complaints　were　so　numerous　in　the　world；　and　that　instances　of　whole　villages　perishing　through　the　same　could　be　found　on　record。

Finally；　our　friends　the　tchinovniks　found　themselves　compelled　to　resort　to　an　expedient　which；　though　not　particularly　savoury；　is　not　infrequently　employednamely；　the　expedient　of　getting　lacqueys　quietly　to　approach　the　servants　of　the　person　concerning　whom　information　is　desired；　and　to　ascertain　from　them　（the　servants）　certain　details　with　regard　to　their　master's　life　and　antecedents。　Yet　even　from　this　source　very　little　was　obtained；　since　Petrushka　provided　his　interrogators　merely　with　a　taste　of　the　smell　of　his　living…room；　and　Selifan　confined　his　replies　to　a　statement　that　the　barin　had　〃been　in　the　employment　of　the　State；　and　also　had　served　in　the　Customs。〃

In　short；　the　sum　total　of　the　results　gathered　by　the　tchinovniks　was　that　they　still　stood　in　ignorance　of　Chichikov's　identity；　but　that　he　MUST　be　some　one；　wherefore　it　was　decided　to　hold　a　final　debate　on　the　subject　on　what　ought　to　be　done；　and　who　Chichikov　could　possibly　be；　and　whether　or　not　he　was　a　man　who　ought　to　be　apprehended　and　detained　as　not　respectable；　or　whether　he　was　a　man　who　might　himself　be　able　to　apprehend　and　detain　THEM　as　persons　lacking　in　respectability。　The　debate　in　question；　it　was　proposed；　should　be　held　at　the　residence　of　the　Chief　of　Police；　who　is　known　to　our　readers　as　the　father　and　the　general　benefactor　of　the　town。



CHAPTER　X

On　assembling　at　the　residence　indicated；　the　tchinovniks　had　occasion　to　remark　that；　owing　to　all　these　cares　and　excitements；　every　one　of　their　number　had　grown　thinner。　Yes；　the　appointment　of　a　new　Governor…General；　coupled　with　the　rumours　described　and　the　reception　of　the　two　serious　documents　above…mentioned；　had　left　manifest　traces　upon　the　features　of　every　one　present。　More　than　one　frockcoat　had　c