Мертвые души
Chapter 2
”Lowerdowntheslopelayagreen-coatedpond—green-coatedpondsconstituteafrequentspectacleinthegardensofRussianlandowners;and,lastly,fromthefootofthedeclivitytherestretchedalineofmouldy,log-builthutswhich,forsomeobscurereasonoranother,ourherosethimselftocount.Uptotwohundredormoredidhecount,butnowherecouldheperceiveasingleleafofvegetationorasinglestickoftimber.Theonlythingtogreettheeyewasthelogsofwhichthehutswereconstructed.Neverthelessthescenewastoacertainextentenlivenedbythespectacleoftwopeasantwomenwho,withclothespicturesquelytuckedup,werewadingknee-deepinthepondanddraggingbehindthem,withwoodenhandles,araggedfishing-net,inthemeshesofwhichtwocrawfishandaroachwithglisteningscaleswereentangled.Thewomenappearedtohavecauseofdisputebetweenthemselves—toberatingoneanotheraboutsomething.Inthebackground,andtoonesideofthehouse,showedafaint,duskyblurofpinewood,andeventheweatherwasinkeepingwiththesurroundings,sincethedaywasneitherclearnordull,butofthegreytintwhichmaybenotedinuniformsofgarrisonsoldierswhichhaveseenlongservice.Tocompletethepicture,acock,therecognisedharbingerofatmosphericmutations,waspresent;and,inspiteofthefactthatacertainconnectionwithaffairsofgallantryhadledtohishavinghadhisheadpeckedbarebyothercocks,heflappedapairofwings—appendagesasbareastwopiecesofbast—andcrowedloudly.
