PART I CHAPTER IX

Next morning, before the usual hour for paying calls, there tripped from the portals of an orange-coloured wooden house with an attic storey and a row of blue pillars a lady in an elegant plaid cloak. With her came a footman in a many-caped greatcoat and a polished top hat with a gold band. Hastily, but gracefully, the lady ascended the steps let down from a koliaska which was standing before the entrance, and as soon as she had done so the footman shut her in, put up the steps again, and, catching hold of the strap behind the vehicle, shouted to the coachman, “Right away!” The reason of all this was that the lady was the possessor of a piece of intelligence that she was burning to communicate to a fellow-creature. Every moment she kept looking out of the carriage window, and perceiving, with almost speechless vexation, that, as yet, she was but half-way on her journey. The fronts of the houses appeared to her longer than usual, and in particular did the front of the white stone hospital, with its rows of narrow windows, seem interminable to a degree which at length forced her to ejaculate: “Oh, the cursed building! Positively there is no end to it!” Also, she twice adjured the coachman with the words, “Go quicker, Andrusha! You are a horribly long time over the journey this morning.” But at length the goal was reached, and the koliaska stopped before a one-storied wooden mansion, dark grey in colour, and having white carvings over the windows, a tall wooden fence and narrow garden in front of the latter, and a few meagre trees looming white with an incongruous coating of road dust. In the windows of the building were also a few flower pots and a parrot that kept alternately dancing on the floor of its cage and hanging on to the ring of the same with its beak. Also, in the sunshine before the door two pet dogs were sleeping. Here there lived the lady's bosom friend. As soon as the bosom friend in question learnt of the newcomer's arrival, she ran down into the hall, and the two ladies kissed and embraced one another. Then they adjourned to the drawing-room.

“How glad I am to see you!” said the bosom friend. “When I heard some one arriving I wondered who could possibly be calling so early. Parasha declared that it must be the Vice-Governor's wife, so, as I did not want to be bored with her, I gave orders that I was to be reported ‘not at home.’”

For her part, the guest would have liked to have proceeded to business by communicating her tidings, but a sudden exclamation from the hostess imparted (temporarily) a new direction to the conversation.

“What a pretty chintz!” she cried, gazing at the other's gown.

“Yes, it IS pretty,” agreed the visitor. “On the other hand, Praskovia Thedorovna thinks that—”

In other words, the ladies proceeded to indulge in a conversation on the subject of dress; and only after this had lasted for a considerable while did the visitor let fall a remark which led her entertainer to inquire:

“And how is the universal charmer?”

“My God!” replied the other. “There has been SUCH a business! In fact, do you know why I am here at all?” And the visitor's breathing became more hurried, and further words seemed to be hovering between her lips like hawks preparing to stoop upon their prey. Only a person of the unhumanity of a “true friend” would have had the heart to interrupt her; but the hostess was just such a friend, and at once interposed with:

“I wonder how any one can see anything in the man to praise or to admire. For my own part, I think—and I would say the same thing straight to his face—that he is a perfect rascal.”

“Yes, but do listen to what I have got to tell you.”

“Oh, I know that some people think him handsome,” continued the hostess, unmoved; “but I say that he is nothing of the kind—that, in particular, his nose is perfectly odious.”

“Yes, but let me finish what I was saying.” The guest's tone was almost piteous in its appeal.

“What is it, then?”

“You cannot imagine my state of mind! You see, this morning I received a visit from Father Cyril's wife—the Archpriest's wife—you know her, don't you? Well, whom do you suppose that fine gentleman visitor of ours has turned out to be?”

“The man who has built the Archpriest a poultry-run?”

“Oh dear no! Had that been all, it would have been nothing. No. Listen to what Father Cyril's wife had to tell me. She said that, last night, a lady landowner named Madame Korobotchka arrived at the Archpriest's house— arrived all pale and trembling—and told her, oh, such things! They sound like a piece out of a book. That is to say, at dead of night, just when every one had retired to rest, there came the most dreadful knocking imaginable, and some one screamed out, ‘Open the gates, or we will break them down!’ Just think! After this, how any one can say that the man is charming I cannot imagine.”

“Well, what of Madame Korobotchka? Is she a young woman or good looking?”

“Oh dear no! Quite an old woman.”

“Splendid indeed! So he is actually engaged to a person like that? One may heartily commend the taste of our ladies for having fallen in love with him!”

“Nevertheless, it is not as you suppose. Think, now! Armed with weapons from head to foot, he called upon this old woman, and said: ‘Sell me any souls of yours which have lately died.’ Of course, Madame Korobotchka answered, reasonably enough: ‘I cannot sell you those souls, seeing that they have departed this world;’ but he replied: ‘No, no! They are NOT dead. 'Tis I who tell you that—I who ought to know the truth of the matter. I swear that they are still alive.’ In short, he made such a scene that the whole village came running to the house, and children screamed, and men shouted, and no one could tell what it was all about. The affair seemed to me so horrible, so utterly horrible, that I trembled beyond belief as I listened to the story. ‘My dearest madam,’ said my maid, Mashka, ‘pray look at yourself in the mirror, and see how white you are.’ ‘But I have no time for that,’ I replied, ‘as I must be off to tell my friend, Anna Grigorievna, the news.’ Nor did I lose a moment in ordering the koliaska. Yet when my coachman, Andrusha, asked me for directions I could not get a word out—I just stood staring at him like a fool, until I thought he must think me mad. Oh, Anna Grigorievna, if you but knew how upset I am!”

“What a strange affair!” commented the hostess. “What on earth can the man have meant by ‘dead souls’? I confess that the words pass my understanding. Curiously enough, this is the second time I have heard speak of those souls. True, my husband avers that Nozdrev was lying; yet in his lies there seems to have been a grain of truth.”

“Well, just think of my state when I heard all this! ‘And now,’ apparently said Korobotchka to the Archpriest's wife, ‘I am altogether at a loss what to do, for, throwing me fifteen roubles, the man forced me to sign a worthless paper—yes, me, an inexperienced, defenceless widow who knows nothing of business.’ That such things should happen! TRY and imagine my feelings!”

“In my opinion, there is in this more than the dead souls which meet the eye.”

“I think so too,” agreed the other. As a matter of fact, her friend's remark had struck her with complete surprise, as well as filled her with curiosity to know what the word “more” might possibly signify. In fact, she felt driven to inquire: “What do YOU suppose to be hidden beneath it all?”

“No; tell me what YOU suppose?”

“What I suppose? I am at a loss to conjecture.”

“Yes, but tell me what is in your mind?”

Upon this the visitor had to confess herself nonplussed; for, though capable of growing hysterical, she was incapable of propounding any rational theory. Consequently she felt the more that she needed tender comfort and advice.

“Then THIS is what I think about the dead souls,” said the hostess. Instantly the guest pricked up her ears (or, rather, they pricked themselves up) and straightened herself and became, somehow, more modish, and, despite her not inconsiderable weight, posed herself to look like a piece of thistledown floating on the breeze.

“The dead souls,” began the hostess.

“Are what, are what?” inquired the guest in great excitement.

“Are, are—”

“Tell me, tell me, for heaven's sake!”

“They are an invention to conceal something else. The man's real object is, is—TO ABDUCT THE GOVERNOR'S DAUGHTER.”

So startling and unexpected was this conclusion that the guest sat reduced to a state of pale, petrified, genuine amazement.

“My God!” she cried, clapping her hands, “I should NEVER have guessed it!”

“Well, to tell you the truth, I guessed it as soon as ever you opened your mouth.”

“So much, then, for educating girls like the Governor's daughter at school! Just see what comes of it!”

“Yes, indeed! And they tell me that she says things which I hesitate even to repeat.”

“Truly it wrings one's heart to see to what lengths immorality has come.”

“Some of the men have quite lost their heads about her, but for my part I think her not worth noticing.”

“Of course. And her manners are unbearable. But what puzzles me most is how a travelled man like Chichikov could come to let himself in for such an affair. Surely he must have accomplices?”

“Yes; and I should say that one of those accomplices is Nozdrev.”

“Surely not?”

“CERTAINLY I should say so. Why, I have known him even try to sell his own father! At all events he staked him at cards.”

“Indeed? You interest me. I should never had thought him capable of such things.”

“I always guessed him to be so.”

The two ladies were still discussing the matter with acumen and success when there walked into the room the Public Prosecutor—bushy eyebrows, motionless features, blinking eyes, and all. At once the ladies hastened to inform him of the events related, adducing therewith full details both as to the purchase of dead souls and as to the scheme to abduct the Governor's daughter; after which they departed in different directions, for the purpose of raising the rest of the town. For the execution of this undertaking not more than half an hour was required. So thoroughly did they succeed in throwing dust in the public's eyes that for a while every one—more especially the army of public officials—was placed in the position of a schoolboy who, while still asleep, has had a bag of pepper thrown in his face by a party of more early-rising comrades. The questions now to be debated resolved themselves into two—namely, the question of the dead souls and the question of the Governor's daughter. To this end two parties were formed—the men's party and the feminine section. The men's party—the more absolutely senseless of the two—devoted its attention to the dead souls: the women's party occupied itself exclusively with the alleged abduction of the Governor's daughter. And here it may be said (to the ladies' credit) that the women's party displayed far more method and caution than did its rival faction, probably because the function in life of its members had always been that of managing and administering a household. With the ladies, therefore, matters soon assumed vivid and definite shape; they became clearly and irrefutably materialised; they stood stripped of all doubt and other impedimenta. Said some of the ladies in question, Chichikov had long been in love with the maiden, and the pair had kept tryst by the light of the moon, while the Governor would have given his consent (seeing that Chichikov was as rich as a Jew) but for the obstacle that Chichikov had deserted a wife already (how the worthy dames came to know that he was married remains a mystery), and the said deserted wife, pining with love for her faithless husband, had sent the Governor a letter of the most touching kind, so that Chichikov, on perceiving that the father and mother would never give their consent, had decided to abduct the girl. In other circles the matter was stated in a different way. That is to say, this section averred that Chichikov did NOT possess a wife, but that, as a man of subtlety and experience, he had bethought him of obtaining the daughter's hand through the expedient of first tackling the mother and carrying on with her an ardent liaison, and that, thereafter, he had made an application for the desired hand, but that the mother, fearing to commit a sin against religion, and feeling in her heart certain gnawings of conscience, had returned a blank refusal to Chichikov's request; whereupon Chichikov had decided to carry out the abduction alleged. To the foregoing, of course, there became appended various additional proofs and items of evidence, in proportion as the sensation spread to more remote corners of the town. At length, with these perfectings, the affair reached the ears of the Governor's wife herself. Naturally, as the mother of a family, and as the first lady in the town, and as a matron who had never before been suspected of things of the kind, she was highly offended when she heard the stories, and very justly so: with the result that her poor young daughter, though innocent, had to endure about as unpleasant a tête-àtêteas ever befell a maiden of sixteen, while, for his part, the Swiss footman received orders never at any time to admit Chichikov to the house.

Having done their business with the Governor's wife, the ladies' party descended upon the male section, with a view to influencing it to their 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 comrades—names 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 rubbish—that 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-bag—whatsoever 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-General—an 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 apprehension—a 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 had— yes!—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 source—merely 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 employed—namely, 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.

第一部 笫九章

有一天早晨，还在N市的访客时间之前，从一家蓝柱子，黄楼房的大门里，飘出一位穿着豪华的花条衣服的闺秀来了，前面是一个家丁，身穿缀有许多领子的外套，头戴围着金色锦绦的亮晃晃的圆帽。那闺秀急急忙忙的跳下了阶沿，立刻坐进那停在门口的马车里。家丁就赶紧关好车门，跳上踏台，向车夫喝了一声“走”。这位闺秀，是刚刚知道了一件新闻，正要去告诉别人，急得打熬不住。她时时向窗外探望，看到路不过走了一半，就非常之懊恼。她觉得所有房屋，都比平时长了一些，那小窗门的白石造成的救济所，也简直显得无穷无尽，终于使她不禁叫了起来道：“这该死的屋子，就总是不会完结的！”车夫也已经受了两回的命令，要他赶快：“再快些，再快些，安特留式加！你今天真是赶的慢得要命！”到底是到了目的地了。车子停在一家深灰色的木造平房的前面，窗上是白色的雕花，外罩高高的木格子；一道狭窄的板墙围住了全家，里面是几株细瘦的树木，蒙着道路上的尘埃，因此就见得雪白。窗里面有一两个花瓶，一只鹦鹉，用嘴咬着干子，在向笼外窥探，还有两只叭儿狗，正在晒太阳。在这屋子里，就住着刚才到来的那位闺秀的好朋友。对于这两位闺秀，作者该怎样地称呼，又不受人们的照例的斥责，却委实是一件大难事。找一个随便什么姓罢——危险得很。纵使他选用了怎样的姓——但在我们这偌大的国度里的那里的角落上，总一定会有姓着这姓的人，他就要真的生气，把作者看成死对头，说他曾经为了探访，暗暗的来旅行，他究竟是何等样人，他穿着怎样的皮外套散步，他和什么亚格拉菲娜·伊凡诺夫娜太太有往来，以及他爱吃的东西是什么；如果认出他的官位和头衔来——那你就更加危险了。上帝保佑保佑！现在的时候，在我们这里，对于官阶和出身，都很神经过敏了，一看见印在书上，就立刻当作人身攻击：现在就成了这样的风气。你只要一说：在什么市镇上，有一个傻家伙——那就是人身攻击，一转眼间，便会跳出一位一表非凡的绅士来，向人叫喊道：“我也是一个人，可是我也是傻的吗？”总而言之，他总立刻以为说着他自己。为豫防一切这种不愉快的未然之患起见，我们就用N市全部几乎都在这么称呼她的名目，来叫这招待来客的闺秀罢，那就是：通体漂亮的太太。她的得到这名目，是正当的，因为她只要能够显得极漂亮，极可爱，就什么东西都不可惜，虽然从她那可爱里，自然也时时露出一点女性的狡猾和聪明，在她的许多愉快的言语中，有时也藏着极可怕的芒刺！对于用了什么方法，想挤进上流来的人物，先不要用话去伤她的心。但这一切，是穿着一套外省所特有的细心大度的形式的衣裳的。她的一举一动，都很有意思，喜欢抒情诗，而且也懂得，还把头做梦似的歪在肩膀上，一言以蔽之，谁都觉得她确是一位通体漂亮的太太。至于刚才来访的那一位闺秀，性格就没有那么复杂和能干了，所以我们就只叫她也还漂亮的太太罢。她的到来，惊醒了在窗台上晒太阳的叭儿狗：简直埋在自己的毛里面了的狮毛的阿兑来和四条腿特别细长的雄狗坡忒浦儿丽。两匹都卷起尾巴，活泼的嗥着冲到前厅里，那刚到的闺秀正在这里脱掉她的外套，显出最新式样，摩登颜色的衣服和一条绕着颈子的长蛇(1)。一种浓重的素馨花香，散满了一屋子。通体漂亮的太太一知道也还漂亮的太太的来到，就也跑进前厅里来了。两位女朋友握手，接吻，呼喊，恰如两个刚在女塾毕业的年青女孩儿，当她们的母亲还没有告诉她这一个的父亲，比别一个的父亲穷，也不是那么的大官之前，重行遇见了的一样。她们的接吻就有这么响，至于使两匹叭儿狗又嗥起来，因此遭了手帕的很重的一下——那两位闺秀当然是走进淡蓝的客厅里，其中有一张沙发，一顶卵圆形的桌子，以及几张窗幔，边上绣着藤萝；狮毛的阿兑来和长脚的胖大坡忒浦儿丽，也就哼着跟她们跑进屋子里。“这里来，这里来，到这角落上来呀！”主妇说，一面请客人坐在沙发的一角上。“这才是了，这才对了！您还有一个靠枕在这里呢！”和这句话同时，又在她背后塞进一个绣得很好的垫子去；绣的是一向绣在十字布上的照例的骑士；他的鼻子很像一道楼梯，嘴唇是方的。“我多么高兴呵，一知道您……我听到有谁来了，就自己想，谁会来的这么早呢？派拉沙说恐怕是副知事的太太罢，我还告诉她哩：这蠢才又要来使我讨厌了吗？我已经想回复了……”

那一位闺秀正要说起事情，摊出她的新闻来，然而一声喊，这是恰在这时候，从通体漂亮的太太那里发出来的，就把谈话完全改变了。

“多么出色的，鲜明的细布料子啊！”通体漂亮的太太喊道，她一面注意的检查着也还漂亮的太太的衣服。

“是呀，很鲜明，灵动的料子！但是普拉斯科夫耶·菲陀罗夫娜说，如果那斜方格子再小些，点子不是肉桂色的，倒是亮蓝色的，就见得更加出色了。我给我的妹子买去了一件料子；可真好！我简直说不上来！您想想就是，全是顶细顶细的条纹，在亮蓝的底子上，细到不过才可以看得出，条纹之间可都是圈儿和点儿，圈儿和点儿……一句话，真好！几乎不妨说，在这世界上是还没有什么更好看的。”

“您知道，亲爱的，这可显得太花色了。”

“阿呀，不的！并不花色！”

“唉唉，真是！太花色的利害！”

我应该在这里声明，这位通体漂亮的太太，是有些近乎唯物论者的，很倾于否认和怀疑，把这人生的很多事物都否定了。

但这时也还漂亮的太太却解说着这并不算太花色，而且大声的说道：“阿呀，真的，幸而人们没有再用折叠衣边的了！”

“为什么不用的？”

“现在不用那个，改了花边了！”

“阿唷，花边可不好看！”

“那里，人们都只用花边了，什么也赶不上花边，披肩用花边，袖口用花边，头上用花边，下面用花边，一句话，到处花边。”

“这可不行，苏菲耶·伊凡诺夫娜，花边是不好看的！”

“但是，安娜·格力戈利也夫娜，好看呀，真是出色的很，人们是这么裁缝的：先叠两叠，叠出一条阔缝来，上面……可是您等一等，我就要说给您听了，您会听得出惊，并且说……真的，您看奇不奇：衫子现在是长得多了，正面尖一点，前面的鲸须撑的很开；裙子的周围是收紧的，像古时候的圆裙一样，后面还塞上一点东西，就简直à la belle femme(2)了。”

“不行，您知道，这撑的太开了！这可是我要说的！”通体漂亮的太太喊了起来，还昂着头一摇，傲然的觉得自己很严正。

“一点不错，这撑的太开了，我也要这么说！”也还漂亮的太太回答道。

“那倒不，敬爱的，您爱怎么着，就怎么着罢，我可不跟着办！”

“我也不……如果知道什么都不过是时行……什么也都要完的！我向我的妹子讨了一个纸样，只是开开玩笑的，您知道。家里的眉兰涅，可已经在做起来了。”

“什么，您有纸样吗？”通体漂亮的太太又喊了起来，显出她心里分明很活动。

“自然。我的妹子送了来的！”

“心肝，您给我罢，谢谢您！”

“可惜，我已经答应了普拉斯科夫耶·伊凡诺夫娜的了。等她用过之后？”

“什么普拉斯科夫耶·伊凡诺夫娜穿过之后，谁还要穿呀？如果您不给自己最亲近的朋友，倒先去给了一个外人，我看您实在特别得很！”

“但她是我的叔婆呀！”

“阿唷，那是怎样的叔婆？不过从您的男人那边排起来，她才是您的亲戚……不，苏菲耶·伊凡诺夫娜，我不要听这宗话——您安心要给我下不去，您已经讨厌我，您想不再和我打交道了……”

可怜的苏菲耶·伊凡诺夫娜竟弄得完全手足无措。她很知道，自己是在猛火里面烧。这只为了夸口！她想用针来刺自己的胡涂的舌头。

“可是，我们的花花公子怎么了呢？”这时通体漂亮的太太又接着说。

“阿呀，真的，真的呀。我和您坐了这么一大片工夫。一个出色的故事！您知道么，安娜·格力戈利也夫娜，我给您带了怎样的新闻来了？”这时她才透过气来，言语的奔流，从舌头上涌出，好像鹰群被疾风所驱，要赶快飞上前去的一样。在这地位上说话，是她的极要好的女朋友也属于人情之外的强硬和苛酷的了。

“您称赞他，捧得他上天就是，随您的便，”她非常活泼的说，“可是我告诉您——就是当他的面，我也要说的，他是一个没有价值的人；没有价值的，没有价值的人！”

“对啦，但是您听着罢，我有事情通知您！”

“人家都说他好看，可是一点也不好看，一点也不——他的鼻子——他就生着一个讨厌的鼻子。”

“但是您让我，您让我告诉您，心肝，安娜·格力戈利也夫娜，您让我来说呀。这真是好一个故事，我告诉您，一个‘Ss’konapell istoar'(3)的故事。”那女朋友显着完全绝望的神情，并且用了恳求的声音说。——当这时候，写出两位闺秀用了许多外国字，并且在她们的会话里夹进长长的法国话语去，大约也并非过份的。然而作者对于为了我们祖国的利益，爱护着法国话的事，虽然怀着非常的敬畏，对于我们的上等人为了祖国之爱和它的统一，整天用着这种话的美俗，虽然非常之尊敬，却总不能自勉，把一句外国话里的句子，运进这纯粹的俄罗斯诗篇里面去，所以我们也还是用俄国话写下去罢。

“怎样的一个故事呢？”

“唉唉，我的亲爱的安娜·格力戈利也夫娜，您可知道我现在是怎样的一个心情呀！您想想看，今天，住持夫人，那住持的太太，那希理耳神甫的太太，到我这里来了；哪，您想是怎么样？我们这文弱的白面书生！您早知道的，那新来的客人，您看他怎么样？”

“怎的？他已经爱上了住持太太了吗？”

“那里那里！安娜·格力戈利也夫娜！要是这样，还不算很坏哩！不是的，您听着就是，那住持太太对我怎么说！‘您想想看，’她说，‘女地主科罗皤契加忽然闯到我这里来了，青得像一个死人，还对我说，哦，她对我说什么，您简直不会相信。您听着就是，她对我说的是什么！这简直是小说呀！在半夜里，全家都睡觉了，她忽然听到一个怪声音，这可怕是说也没有法子说，使尽劲道的在敲门，她还听到人声音在叫喊：开门！开门！要不，我就捣毁了……’唔，您以为怎么样？您看我们的花花公子竟怎么样？”

“哦，那么，那科罗皤契加年青，漂亮吗？”

“唉唉，那里！一个老家伙！”

“这倒是一个出色的故事！那么他是爱弄老的？哪，我们的太太们的脾气也真好，人可以说。一下子就着了迷了。”

“这倒并不是的，安娜·格力戈利也夫娜！和您所想象的，完全是另一回事。您想想看，他忽然站在她面前了，连牙齿也武装着，就是一个力那勒陀·力那勒提尼(4)，并且对她吆喝道：‘把魂灵卖给我，那些死掉了的。’他说。科罗皤契加自然是回答得很有理：‘我不能卖给您；他们是已经死掉的了。’——‘不，’他喊道，‘他们没有死。知道他们死没有死，这是我的事，’他说，‘他们是没有死的，没有死的！’他叫喊着。‘他们是没有死的！’总而言之，他闹了一个大乱子，全村都逃了，孩子哭喊起来，大家嚷叫着，谁也不明白谁，一句话，不得了，不得了，不得了！您简直不能知道，安娜·格力戈利也夫娜，当我听了这些一切的时候，我有多么害怕。‘亲爱的太太，’我的玛式加对我说，‘您去照一照镜子罢！您发了青了！’‘唉唉，现在照什么镜，’我说，‘我得赶快上安娜·格力戈利也夫娜那里去，去告诉她哩。’我立刻叫套车。我的车夫安特留式加问我要到什么地方去，我却说不出一句话儿来，只是白痴似的看着他的脸。我相信，他一定以为我发了疯了。唉唉，安娜·格力戈利也夫娜，如果您能够知道一点我怎么兴奋呵！”

“哼！真是奇怪得很！”通体漂亮的太太说。“死魂灵，究竟是什么意思呢？我老实说，这故事我可是一点也不懂，简直一点也不懂。我听说死魂灵，现在已经是第二回了。我的男人说，这是罗士特来夫撒谎！但一定还有什么藏在里面的！”

“不不，您就单替我设身处地的来想一想罢，安娜·格力戈利也夫娜，当我听了的时候，我是怎样的心情呵！‘现在呢，’科罗皤契加说，‘我全不知道应该怎么着了！他硬逼我在什么假契据上署名，’她说，‘并且把一张十五卢布的钞票抛在桌子上。我，’她说，‘是一个不通世故的，无依无靠的寡妇，这事情什么也不明白。’就是这样的一个故事呀！阿唷，如果您能够知道一点我怎么的兴奋呵。”

“不不，您要说什么，说您的就是！这并不是为了死魂灵呀！有一点完全别样的东西藏在这里面的。”

“老实说，我也早就这么想的。”也还漂亮的太太说，有一点吃惊。她又立刻非常焦急，要知道究竟藏着什么了，于是漫然的问道：“但从您看来，那里面藏些什么呢？”

“但是，您怎么想呀？”

“我怎么想？……老实说，我好像在猜谜。”

“但我要知道，您究竟是什么意见呢？”

然而，也还漂亮的太太却什么也想不出，所以就不开口。对于事物，她只会兴奋，至于仔细的想象和综合，却并不是她的事，因此她比别人更极需要细腻的朋友，给她忠告和帮忙。

“那就是了，我来告诉您，这死魂灵是有什么意思的。”通体漂亮的太太说，她的女朋友就倾听，而且还尖着耳朵；她的耳朵好像自己尖起来了。她抬起身，几乎要离开了沙发，她虽然有点茁实的，但好像忽然瘦下，轻如羽毛，看来只要有一阵微风，便可以把她吹去似的了。

一样情形的是俄国的贵公子，他是一个爱养狗，爱打猎，也爱游荡的人，当他跑近森林时，从中正跳出一只追得半死的兔子，于是策马扬鞭，赶紧换上弹药，接着就要开火。他的眼睛看穿了昏沉的空气，决不再放松一点这可怜的小动物。纵使当面是雪花旋舞的广野，用了成束的银星，射着嘴巴和眼睛，胡须，眉毛和值钱的獭皮帽，他也还是不住的只管追。

“死魂灵是……”通体漂亮的太太说。

“怎样？什么？”那女朋友很兴奋的夹着追问道。

“死魂灵是……！”

“阿唷，您说呀，看上帝面上！”

“不过一种虚构，也无非是一个假托。其实是为了这件事：他想诱拐知事的女儿。”

这结论实在很出意料之外，而且无论从那一点来看，也都觉得离奇。也还漂亮的太太一听到，就化石似的坐在她的位置上；她失了色，青得像一个死人，这回可真的兴奋了。“阿呀，我的上帝！”她叫起来，还把两手一拍。“这是我梦也没有做到的！”

“我还得说，您刚刚开口，我就已经知道，那为的是什么了。”通体漂亮的太太回答道。

“这一来，那么，对于女塾的教育，人们会怎么说呢？这可爱的天真烂漫的！”

“好个天真烂漫！我听过她讲话了！我就没有这勇气，敢说出这样的话来。”

“您知道，安娜·格力戈利也夫娜，现在的风俗坏到这地步，可真的教人伤心呀。”

“然而先生们还都迷着她哩。我可以说，我是看不出她一点好处来。……她做作得可怕，简直做作得教人受不住。”

“唉唉，亲爱的安娜·格力戈利也夫娜，她冷得像一座石像，脸上什么表情也没有。”

“不不，她多么做作，多么做作得可怕，我的上帝，多么做作呵！她从谁学来的呢？不过我从来没有见过一个女孩子，有这么装腔作势的脾气的。”

“亲爱的，她是一个石像，苍白的像死尸。”

“唉唉，请您不要这么说罢，苏菲耶·伊凡诺夫娜，她是搽胭脂的，红到不要脸。”

“不的，您说什么呀，安娜·格力戈利也夫娜；她白的像石灰一样，简直像石灰。”

“我的亲爱的，我可是就坐在她旁边的呢，她面庞上搽着胭脂，真有一个指头那么厚，像墙上的石灰似的一片一片的掉下来。这是她的母亲教她的。母亲原就是一个精制过的骚货，但女儿可是赛过母亲了。”

“不不，请您原谅，不不，您只说您自己的，我可以打赌，只要她用着一点点，一星星，或者不过一丝一毫的红颜色，我就什么都输出来，我的男人，我的孩子，所有我的田产和家财！”

“阿呀，您竟在说些什么呀，苏菲耶·伊凡诺夫娜。”通体漂亮的太太把两手一拍，说。

“那里，您多么奇特呵！真的我只好看看您，出惊了！”也还漂亮的太太也把两手一拍，说。

两位闺秀对于几乎同时看见的，简直不能一致，读者是不必诧异的。在这世界上，实在有很多东西，带着这种稀奇的性质；一位闺秀看作雪白，别一位闺秀却看作通红，红到像越橘一样。

“那么，再给您一个证据罢，她是苍白的。”也还漂亮的太太接着说。“我还记得非常清楚，好像就