Мертві душі
Chapter 7
Thesehehaddecidednottodepositwithalawyer,forthereasonthathewouldhastenmatters,aswellassaveexpense,byhimselfframingandfair-copyingthenecessarydeedsofindenture;andsincehewasthoroughlyacquaintedwiththenecessaryterminology,heproceededtoinscribeinlargecharactersthedate,andtheninsmallerones,hisnameandrank.Bytwoo’clockthewholewasfinished,andashelookedatthesheetsofnamesrepresentingbygonepeasantswhohadploughed,workedathandicrafts,cheatedtheirmasters,fetched,carried,andgotdrunk(thoughSOMEofthemmayhavebehavedwell),therecameoverhimastrange,unaccountablesensation.Tohiseyeeachlistofnamesseemedtopossessacharacterofitsown;andevenindividualpeasantsthereinseemedtohavetakenoncertainqualitiespeculiartothemselves.Forinstance,tothemajorityofMadameKorobotchka’sserfstherewereappendednicknamesandotheradditions;Plushkin’slistwasdistinguishedbyaconcisenessofexpositionwhichhadledtocertainoftheitemsbeingrepresentedmerelybyChristianname,patronymic,andacoupleofdots;andSobakevitch’slistwasremarkableforitsamplitudeandcircumstantiality,inthatnotasinglepeasanthadsuchofhispeculiarcharacteristicsomittedasthatthedeceasedhadbeen“excellentatjoinery,”or“soberandreadytopayattentiontohiswork.”Also,inSobakevitch’slisttherewasrecordedwhohadbeenthefatherandthemotherofeachofthedeceased,andhowthoseparentshadbehavedthemselves.
