Page:Dead Souls - A Poem by Nikolay Gogol - vol1.djvu/139

Rh 'So you won't play?'

'You can see yourself that it is impossible to play with you.'

'No, say straight out, won't you play?' said Nozdryov, advancing closer.

'No,' said Tchitchikov, and at the same time he brought both his hands nearer to his face in case of need, for things were really getting rather too hot for him. This precaution was very well timed, for Nozdryov swung his arm … and it might easily have happened that one of our hero's plump and prepossessing cheeks would have received an insult that nothing could have wiped out, but, fortunately warding off the blow, he seized Nozdryov by his two menacing arms and held him firmly.

'Porfiry, Pavlushka!' shouted Nozdryov in a fury, struggling to free himself.

Hearing this shout, Tchitchikov, not wishing the serfs to witness this seductive scene, and at the same time feeling it was useless to hold Nozdryov, let go of his arms. At that instant Porfiry entered followed by Pavlushka, a stalwart fellow with whom it would be distinctly unprofitable to come to blows.

'So you won't finish the game?' said Nozdryov. 'Give me a straightforward answer!'

'It's impossible to finish the game,' said Tchitchikov and glanced out of the window. He saw his chaise standing quite ready and Selifan waiting apparently for a signal to drive up to the steps; but there was no possibility of getting out of the