Page:Dead Souls - A Poem by Nikolay Gogol - vol1.djvu/240

228 charged to him, and the other half was in some mysterious way transferred to the account of some other applicant.

'And now,' said the president when all the formalities were over, 'all that is left to do is to "sprinkle" the purchase.'

'I am quite ready,' said Tchitchikov. 'You have only to name a time. It would be remiss if for such excellent company I did not uncork two or three bottles of fizz.'

'No, you have got it wrong,' said the president, 'we'll stand the fizz: that is what we ought to do, it is our duty. You are our guest, it is for us to entertain you. Do you know what, gentlemen? For the time being, this is what we will do: we'll go, all of us as we are, to the police-master; he's our wonder-worker; he has only to wink as he walks through the fish market or by the wine merchants; and we shall have a grand lunch, don't you know! And a little game of whist for the occasion.'

No one could refuse such a proposition. The mere mention of the fish market gave the witnesses an appetite; they all picked up their hats and caps, and the presidential office was closed. As they walked through the clerks' rooms, Ivan Antonovitch, the jug snout, bowing politely, said on the quiet to Tchitchikov: 'You have bought peasants for a hundred thousand and only twenty-five roubles for my trouble.'

'But what sort of peasants are they?' Tchitchikov answered, also in a whisper, 'a wretched,