Мертві душі
Chapter 4
Murazov,too,haddeparted,butatanearlierhour,andinatilt-waggonwithIvanPotapitch.
AnhourlatertheGovernor-Generalissuedtoallandsundryofficialsanoticethat,ontheoccasionofhisdepartureforSt.Petersburg,hewouldbegladtoseethecorpsoftchinovniksataprivatemeeting.Accordinglyallranksandgradesofofficialdomrepairedtohisresidence,andthereawaited—notwithoutacertainmeasureoftrepidationandofsearchingofheart—theGovernor-General’sentry.Whenthattookplacehelookedneitherclearnordull.Yethisbearingwasproud,andhisstepassured.Thetchinovniksbowed—someofthemtothewaist,andheansweredtheirsalutationswithaslightinclinationofthehead.Thenhespokeasfollows:
“SinceIamabouttopayavisittoSt.Petersburg,Ihavethoughtitrighttomeetyou,andtoexplaintoyouprivatelymyreasonsfordoingso.Anaffairofamostscandalouscharacterhastakenplaceinourmidst.TowhataffairIamreferringIthinkmostofthosepresentwillguess.Now,anautomaticprocesshasledtothataffairbringingaboutthediscoveryofothermatters.Thosemattersarenolessdishonourablethantheprimaryone;andtothatIregrettohavetoaddthattherestandinvolvedinthemcertainpersonswhomIhadhithertobelievedtobehonourable.OftheobjectaimedatbythosewhohavecomplicatedmatterstothepointofmakingtheirresolutionalmostimpossiblebyordinarymethodsIamaware;asalsoIamawareoftheidentityoftheringleader,despitetheskillwithwhichhehassoughttoconcealhisshareinthescandal.
