Chapter 6

           Chichikov’samusementatthepeasant’soutburstpreventedhimfromnoticingthathehadreachedthecentreofalargeandpopulousvillage;but,presently,aviolentjoltarousedhimtothefactthathewasdrivingoverwoodenpavementsofakindcomparedwithwhichthecobblestonesofthetownhadbeenasnothing.Likethekeysofapiano,theplankskeptrisingandfalling,andunguardedpassageoverthementailedeitherabumponthebackoftheneckorabruiseontheforeheadorabiteonthetipofone’stongue.AtthesametimeChichikovnoticedalookofdecayaboutthebuildingsofthevillage.Thebeamsofthehutshadgrowndarkwithage,manyoftheirroofswereriddledwithholes,othershadbutatileoftheroofremaining,andyetotherswerereducedtotherib-likeframeworkofthesame.Itwouldseemasthoughtheinhabitantsthemselveshadremovedthelathsandtraverses,ontheverynaturalpleathatthehutswerenoprotectionagainsttherain,andtherefore,sincethelatterenteredinbucketfuls,therewasnoparticularobjecttobegainedbysittinginsuchhutswhenallthetimetherewasthetavernandthehighroadandotherplacestoresortto.

           Suddenlyawomanappearedfromanoutbuilding—apparentlythehousekeeperofthemansion,butsoroughlyanddirtilydressedasalmosttoseemindistinguishablefromaman.Chichikovinquiredforthemasteroftheplace.

           “Heisnotathome,”shereplied,almostbeforeherinterlocutorhadhadtimetofinish.Thensheadded:“Whatdoyouwantwithhim?”

           “Ihavesomebusinesstodo,”saidChichikov.