Мертвые души

           Atoncesuchauthoritywasaccordedhim,asalsounlimitedpowertoconducteveryspeciesofsearchandinvestigation.Andthatwasallhewanted.Ithappenedthatpreviouslytherehadbeenformedawell-foundassociationforsmugglingonregular,carefullypreparedlines,andthatthisdaringschemeseemedtopromiseprofittotheextentofsomemillionsofmoney:yet,thoughhehadlonghadknowledgeofit,Chichikovhadsaidtotheassociation’semissaries,whensenttobuyhimover,“Thetimeisnotyet.”Butnowthathehadgotallthereinsintohishands,hesentwordofthefacttothegang,andwithittheremark,“ThetimeisNOW.”Norwashewronginhiscalculations,for,withinthespaceofayear,hehadacquiredwhathecouldnothavemadeduringtwentyyearsofnon-fraudulentservice.Withsimilarsagacityhehad,duringhisearlydaysinthedepartment,declinedaltogethertoenterintorelationswiththeassociation,forthereasonthathehadthenbeenamerecipher,andwouldhavecomeinfornothinglargeinthewayoftakings;butnow—well,nowitwasanothermatteraltogether,andhecoulddictatewhattermsheliked.Moreover,thattheaffairmightprogressthemoresmoothly,hesubornedafellowtchinovnikofthetypewhich,inspiteofgreyhairs,standspowerlessagainsttemptation;and,thecontractconcluded,theassociationdulyproceededtobusiness.Certainlybusinessbeganbrilliantly.