dead souls(死魂灵)-第43章

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after　these　buffetings　and　trials　and　changes　of　fortuneafter　this　taste　of　the　sorrows　of　lifehe　and　his　precious　ten　thousand　roubles　would　have　withdrawn　to　some　peaceful　corner　in　a　provincial　town；　where；　clad　in　a　stuff　dressing…gown；　he　could　have　sat　and　listened　to　the　peasants　quarrelling　on　festival　days；　or　（for　the　sake　of　a　breath　of　fresh　air）　have　gone　in　person　to　the　poulterer's　to　finger　chickens　for　soup；　and　so　have　spent　a　quiet；　but　not　wholly　useless；　existence；　but　nothing　of　the　kind　took　place；　and　therein　we　must　do　justice　to　the　strength　of　his　character。　In　other　words；　although　he　had　undergone　what；　to　the　majority　of　men；　would　have　meant　ruin　and　discouragement　and　a　shattering　of　ideals；　he　still　preserved　his　energy。　True；　downcast　and　angry；　and　full　of　resentment　against　the　world　in　general；　he　felt　furious　with　the　injustice　of　fate；　and　dissatisfied　with　the　dealings　of　men；　yet　he　could　not　forbear　courting　additional　experiences。　In　short；　the　patience　which　he　displayed　was　such　as　to　make　the　wooden　persistency　of　the　Germana　persistency　merely　due　to　the　slow；　lethargic　circulation　of　the　Teuton's　bloodseem　nothing　at　all；　seeing　that　by　nature　Chichikov's　blood　flowed　strongly；　and　that　he　had　to　employ　much　force　of　will　to　curb　within　himself　those　elements　which　longed　to　burst　forth　and　revel　in　freedom。　He　thought　things　over；　and；　as　he　did　so；　a　certain　spice　of　reason　appeared　in　his　reflections。

〃How　have　I　come　to　be　what　I　am？〃　he　said　to　himself。　〃Why　has　misfortune　overtaken　me　in　this　way？　Never　have　I　wronged　a　poor　person；　or　robbed　a　widow；　or　turned　any　one　out　of　doors：　I　have　always　been　careful　only　to　take　advantage　of　those　who　possess　more　than　their　share。　Moreover；　I　have　never　gleaned　anywhere　but　where　every　one　else　was　gleaning；　and；　had　I　not　done　so；　others　would　have　gleaned　in　my　place。　Why；　then；　should　those　others　be　prospering；　and　I　be　sunk　as　low　as　a　worm？　What　am　I？　What　am　I　good　for？　How　can　I；　in　future；　hope　to　look　any　honest　father　of　a　family　in　the　face？　How　shall　I　escape　being　tortured　with　the　thought　that　I　am　cumbering　the　ground？　What；　in　the　years　to　come；　will　my　children　say；　save　that　'our　father　was　a　brute；　for　he　left　us　nothing　to　live　upon？'〃

Here　I　may　remark　that　we　have　seen　how　much　thought　Chichikov　devoted　to　his　future　descendants。　Indeed；　had　not　there　been　constantly　recurring　to　his　mind　the　insistent　question；　〃What　will　my　children　say？〃　he　might　not　have　plunged　into　the　affair　so　deeply。　Nevertheless；　like　a　wary　cat　which　glances　hither　and　thither　to　see　whether　its　mistress　be　not　coming　before　it　can　make　off　with　whatsoever　first　falls　to　its　paw　（butter；　fat；　lard；　a　duck；　or　anything　else）；　so　our　future　founder　of　a　family　continued；　though　weeping　and　bewailing　his　lot；　to　let　not　a　single　detail　escape　his　eye。　That　is　to　say；　he　retained　his　wits　ever　in　a　state　of　activity；　and　kept　his　brain　constantly　working。　All　that　he　required　was　a　plan。　Once　more　he　pulled　himself　together；　once　more　he　embarked　upon　a　life　of　toil；　once　more　he　stinted　himself　in　everything；　once　more　he　left　clean　and　decent　surroundings　for　a　dirty；　mean　existence。　In　other　words；　until　something　better　should　turn　up；　he　embraced　the　calling　of　an　ordinary　attorneya　calling　which；　not　then　possessed　of　a　civic　status；　was　jostled　on　very　side；　enjoyed　little　respect　at　the　hands　of　the　minor　legal　fry　（or；　indeed；　at　its　own）；　and　perforce　met　with　universal　slights　and　rudeness。　But　sheer　necessity　compelled　Chichikov　to　face　these　things。　Among　commissions　entrusted　to　him　was　that　of　placing　in　the　hands　of　the　Public　Trustee　several　hundred　peasants　who　belonged　to　a　ruined　estate。　The　estate　had　reached　its　parlous　condition　through　cattle　disease；　through　rascally　bailiffs；　through　failures　of　the　harvest；　through　such　epidemic　diseases　that　had　killed　off　the　best　workmen；　and；　last；　but　not　least；　through　the　senseless　conduct　of　the　owner　himself；　who　had　furnished　a　house　in　Moscow　in　the　latest　style；　and　then　squandered　his　every　kopeck；　so　that　nothing　was　left　for　his　further　maintenance；　and　it　became　necessary　to　mortgage　the　remainsincluding　the　peasantsof　the　estate。　In　those　days　mortgage　to　the　Treasury　was　an　innovation　looked　upon　with　reserve；　and；　as　attorney　in　the　matter；　Chichikov　had　first　of　all　to　〃entertain〃　every　official　concerned　（we　know　that；　unless　that　be　previously　done；　unless　a　whole　bottle　of　madeira　first　be　emptied　down　each　clerical　throat；　not　the　smallest　legal　affair　can　be　carried　through）；　and　to　explain；　for　the　barring　of　future　attachments；　that　half　of　the　peasants　were　dead。

〃And　are　they　entered　on　the　revision　lists？〃　asked　the　secretary。　〃Yes；〃　replied　Chichikov。　〃Then　what　are　you　boggling　at？〃　continued　the　Secretary。　〃Should　one　soul　die；　another　will　be　born；　and　in　time　grow　up　to　take　the　first　one's　place。〃　Upon　that　there　dawned　on　our　hero　one　of　the　most　inspired　ideas　which　ever　entered　the　human　brain。　〃What　a　simpleton　I　am！〃　he　thought　to　himself。　〃Here　am　I　looking　about　for　my　mittens　when　all　the　time　I　have　got　them　tucked　into　my　belt。　Why；　were　I　myself　to　buy　up　a　few　souls　which　are　deadto　buy　them　before　a　new　revision　list　shall　have　been　made；　the　Council　of　Public　Trust　might　pay　me　two　hundred　roubles　apiece　for　them；　and　I　might　find　myself　with；　say；　a　capital　of　two　hundred　thousand　roubles！　The　present　moment　is　particularly　propitious；　since　in　various　parts　of　the　country　there　has　been　an　epidemic；　and；　glory　be　to　God；　a　large　number　of　souls　have　died　of　it。　Nowadays　landowners　have　taken　to　card…playing　and　junketting　and　wasting　their　money；　or　to　joining　the　Civil　Service　in　St。　Petersburg；　consequently　their　estates　are　going　to　rack　and　ruin；　and　being　managed　in　any　sort　of　fashion；　and　succeeding　in　paying　their　dues　with　greater　difficulty　each　year。　That　being　so；　not　a　man　of　the　lot　but　would　gladly　surrender　to　me　his　dead　souls　rather　than　continue　paying　the　poll…tax；　and　in　this　fashion　I　might　makewell；　not　a　few　kopecks。　Of　course　there　are　difficulties；　and；　to　avoid　creating　a　scandal；　I　should　need　to　employ　plenty　of　finesse；　but　man　was　given　his　brain　to　USE；　not　to　neglect。　One　good　point　about　the　scheme　is　that　it　will　seem　so　improbable　that　in　case　of　an　accident；　no　one　in　the　world　will　believe　in　it。　True；　it　is　illegal　to　buy　or　mortgage　peasants　without　land；　but　I　can　easily　pretend　to　be　buying　them　only　for　transferment　elsewhere。　Land　is　to　be　acquired　in　the　provinces　of　Taurida　and　Kherson　almost　for　nothing；　provided　that　one　undertakes　subsequently　to　colonise　it；　so　to　Kherson　I　will　'transfer'　them；　and　long　may　they　live　there！　And　the　removal　of　my　dead　souls　shall　be　carried　out　in　the　strictest　legal　form；　and　if　the　authorities　should　want　confirmation　by　testimony；　I　shall　produce　a　letter　signed　by　my　own　superintendent　of　the　Khersonian　rural　policethat　is　to　say；　by　myself。　Lastly；　the　supposed　village　in　Kherson　shall　be　called　Chichikovoebetter　still　Pavlovskoe；　according　to　my　Christian　name。〃

In　this　fashion　there　germinated　in　our　hero's　brain　that　strange　scheme　for　which　the　reader　may　or　may　not　be　grateful；　but　for　which　the　author　certainly　is　so；　seeing　that；　had　it　never　occurred　to　Chichikov；　this　story　would　never　have　seen　the　light。

After　crossing　himself；　according　to　the　Russian　custom；　Chichikov　set　about　carrying　out　his　enterprise。　On　pretence　of　selecting　a　place　wherein　to　settle；　he　started　forth　to　inspect　various　corners　of　the　Russian　Empire；　but　more　especially　those　which　had　suffered　from　such　unfortunate　accidents　as　failures　of　the　harvest；　a　high　rate　of　mortality；　or　whatsoever　else　might　enable　him　to　purchase　souls　at　the　lowest　possible　rate。　But　he　did　not　tackle　his　landowners　haphazard：　he　rather　selected　such　of　them　as　seemed　more　particularly　suited　to　his　taste；　or　with　whom　he　might　with　the　least　possible　trouble　conclude　identical　agreements；　though；　in　the　first　instance；　he　always　tried；　by　getting　on　terms　of　acquaintanceshipbetter　still；　of　friendshipwith　them；　to　acquire　the　souls　for　nothing；　and　so　to　avoid　purchase　at　all。　In　passing；　my　readers　must　not　blame　me　if　the　characters　whom　they　have　encountered　in　these　pages　have　not　been　altogether　to　their　liking。　The　fault　is　Chichikov's　rather　than　mine；　for　he　is　the　master；　and　where　he　leads　we　must　follow。　Also；　should　my　readers　gird　at　me　for　a　certain　dimness　and　want　of　clarity　in　my　principal　characters　and　actors；　that　will　be　tantamount　to　saying　that　never　do　the　broad　tendency　and　the　general　scope　of　a　work　become　immediately　apparent。　Similarly　does　the　entry　to　every　townthe　entry　even　to　the　Capital　itselfconvey　to　the　traveller　such　an　impression　of　vagueness　that　at　first　everything　looks　grey　and　monotonous；　and　the　lines　of　smoky　factories　and　workshops　seem　never　to　be　coming　to　an　end；　but　in　time　there　will　begin　also　to　stand　out　the　outlines　of　six…storied　mansions；　and　of　shops　and　balconies；　and　wide　perspectives　of　streets；　and　a　medley　of　steeples；　columns；　statues；　and　turretsthe　whole　framed　in　rattle　and　roar　and　the　infinite　wonders　which　the　hand　and　the　brain　of　men　have　conceived。　Of　the　manner　in　which　Chichikov's　first　purchases　were　made　the　reader　is　aware。　Subsequently　he　will　see　also　how　the　affair　progressed；　and　with　what　success　or　failure　our　hero　met；　and　how　Chichikov　was　called　upon　to　decide　and　to　overcome　even　more　difficult　problems　than　the　foregoing；　and　by　what　colossal　forces　the　levers　of　his　far…flung　tale　are　moved；　and　how　eventually　the　horizon　will　become　extended　until　everything　assumes　a　grandiose　and　a　lyrical　tendency。　Yes；　many　a　verst　of　road　remains　to　be　travelled　by　a　party　made　up　of　an　elderly　gentleman；　a　britchka　of　the　kind　affected　by　bachelors；　a　valet　named　Petrushka；　a　coachman　named　Selifan；　and　three　horses　which；　from　the　Assessor　to　the　skewbald；　are　known　to　us　individually　by　name。　Again；　although　I　have　given　a　full　description　of　our　hero's　exterior　（such　as　it　is）；　I　may　yet　be　asked　for　an　inclusive　definition　also　of　his　moral　personality。　That　he　is　no　hero　compounded　of　virtues　and　perfections　must　be　already　clear。　Then　WHAT　is　he？　A　villain？　Why　should　we　call　him　a　villain？　Why　should　we　be　so　hard　upon　a　fellow　man？　In　these　days　our　villains　have　ceased　to　exist。　Rather　it　would　be　fairer　to　call　him　an　ACQUIRER。　The　love　of　acquisition；　the　love　of　gain；　is　a　fault　common　to　many；　and　gives　rise　to　many　and　many　a　transaction　of　the　kind　generally　known　as　〃not　strictly　honourable。〃　True；　such　a　character　contains　an　element　of　ugliness；　and　the　same　reader　who；　on　his　journey　through　life；　would　sit　at　the　board　of　a　character　of　this　kind；　and　spend　a　most　agreeable　time　with　him；　would　be　the　first　to　look　at　him　askance　if　he　should　appear　in　the　guise　of　the　hero　of　a　novel　or　a　play。　But　wise　is　the　reader　who；　on　meeting　such　a　character；　scans　him　carefully；　and；　instead　of　shrinking　from　him　with　distaste；　probes　him　to　the　springs　of　his　being。　The　human　personality　contains　nothing　which　may　not；　in　the　twinkling　of　an　eye；　become　altogether　changednothing