Мертвые души

           AsforSobakevitch,thatlandownerrepliedthatheconsideredChichikovanexcellentfellow,aswellasthatthesoulswhomhehadsoldtohisvisitorhadbeeninthetruestsenseofthewordalive,butthathecouldnotanswerforanythingwhichmightoccurinthefuture,seeingthatanydifficultieswhichmightariseinthecourseoftheactualtransfermentofsoulswouldnotbeHISfault,inviewofthefactthatGodwaslordofall,andthatfeversandothermortalcomplaintsweresonumerousintheworld,andthatinstancesofwholevillagesperishingthroughthesamecouldbefoundonrecord.

           Finally,ourfriendsthetchinovniksfoundthemselvescompelledtoresorttoanexpedientwhich,thoughnotparticularlysavoury,isnotinfrequentlyemployed—namely,theexpedientofgettinglacqueysquietlytoapproachtheservantsofthepersonconcerningwhominformationisdesired,andtoascertainfromthem(theservants)certaindetailswithregardtotheirmaster’slifeandantecedents.Yetevenfromthissourceverylittlewasobtained,sincePetrushkaprovidedhisinterrogatorsmerelywithatasteofthesmellofhisliving-room,andSelifanconfinedhisrepliestoastatementthatthebarinhad“beenintheemploymentoftheState,andalsohadservedintheCustoms