Page:Dead Souls - A Poem by Nikolay Gogol - vol2.djvu/148

138 the air: 'You need to be born lucky for everything, you know, Pavel Ivanovitch.' And he told him the whole story of his acquaintance with the general and their rupture, exactly as it had all happened.

When Tchitchikov heard the whole story, word for word, and saw that the trouble had entirely originated from the word 'thou,' he was aghast. For some minutes he looked steadily into Tyentyetnikov's face and inwardly concluded: 'Why, he is a perfect fool!'

'Andrey Ivanovitch, upon my soul!' said he, gripping both his hands: 'Where is the insult? What is there insulting in the word "thou"?'

'There is nothing insulting in the word itself,' answered Tyentyetnikov, 'but in the significance of the word, in the voice in which it was uttered, that is where the insult lies. Thou! that means "Remember that you are of no importance; I receive you only because there is no one better, but if some Princess Yuzyakin comes, you know your place and stand at the door!" That's what it means.' As the mild and gentle Andrey Ivanovitch said this his eyes flashed, and a thrill of angry resentment could be heard in his voice.

'Well, even if it were said in that sense, what of it?' said Tchitchikov.

'What?' said Tyentyetnikov, gazing intently at Tchitchikov, 'you would have me visit him again after such an action?'