Мертвые души
Chapter 5
Anoticeablecircumstancewasthefactthatthetasteofthearchitecthaddifferedfromthatoftheproprietor—theformerhavingmanifestlybeenapedantanddesirousofsymmetry,andthelatterhavingwishedonlyforcomfort.Consequentlyhe(theproprietor)haddispensedwithallwindowsononesideofthemansion,andhadcausedtobeinserted,intheirplace,onlyasmallaperturewhich,doubtless,wasintendedtolightanotherwisedarklumber-room.Likewise,thearchitect’sbesteffortshadfailedtocausethepedimenttostandinthecentreofthebuilding,sincetheproprietorhadhadoneofitsfouroriginalcolumnsremoved.Evidentlydurabilityhadbeenconsideredthroughout,forthecourtyardwasenclosedbyastrongandveryhighwoodenfence,andboththestables,thecoach-house,andtheculinarypremiseswerepartiallyconstructedofbeamswarrantedtolastforcenturies.Nay,eventhewoodenhutsofthepeasantrywerewonderfulinthesolidityoftheirconstruction,andnotaclaywalloracarvedpatternorotherdevicewastobeseen.Everythingfittedexactlyintoitsrightplace,andeventhedraw-wellofthemansionwasfashionedoftheoakwoodusuallythoughtsuitableonlyformillsorships.Inshort,whereverChichikov’seyeturnedhesawnothingthatwasnotfreefromshoddymakeandwellandskilfullyarranged.Asheapproachedtheentrancestepshecaughtsightoftwofacespeeringfromawindow.
