Мертвые души
Chapter 4
Onlyforceyourselftodogoodjustonceandagain,and,behold,youwillsuddenlyconceivetheTRUEloveforwell-doing.Thatisso,believeme.‘Akingdomistobewononlybystriving,’saystheproverb.Thatistosay,thingsaretobeattainedonlybyputtingforthone’swholestrength,sincenothingshortofone’swholestrengthwillbringonetothedesiredgoal.PaulIvanovitch,withinyouthereisasourceofstrengthdeniedtomanyanotherman.Irefertothestrengthofanironperseverance.CannotTHAThelpyoutoovercome?Mostmenareweakandlackwill-power,whereasIbelievethatyoupossessthepowertoactahero’spart.”
SinkingdeepintoChichikov’sheart,thesewordswouldseemtohavearousedinitafaintstirringofambition,somuchsothat,ifitwasnotfortitudewhichshoneinhiseyes,atalleventsitwassomethingvirile,andofmuchthesamenature.
“AthanasiVassilievitch,”hesaidfirmly,“ifyouwillbutpetitionformyrelease,aswellasforpermissionformetoleaveherewithaportionofmyproperty,IsweartoyouonmywordofhonourthatIwillbeginanewlife,andbuyacountryestate,andbecometheheadofahousehold,andsavemoney,notformyself,butforothers,anddogoodeverywhere,andtothebestofmyability,andforgetalikemyselfandthefeastinganddebaucheryoftownlife,andlead,instead,aplain,soberexistence.”
“InthatresolvemayGodstrengthenyou!”criedtheoldmanwithunboundedjoy.“AndI,formypart,willdomyutmosttoprocureyourrelease.
