Page:Dead Souls - A Poem by Nikolay Gogol - vol2.djvu/159

Rh places, and it hung and draped round her in such folds, that a sculptor would have at once chiselled them in marble, and young ladies, dressed in the fashion, looked like gaudy dolls beside her. Although her face was almost familiar to Tchitchikov from Andrey Ivanovitch's sketches he stared at her as though he were dazed, and only afterwards realised that she had a defect, that is, a lack of plumpness.

'Let me introduce my spoilt darling,' said the general, introducing Tchitchikov. 'But I don't know your name and your father's.'

'But is there any need to know the name of a man who has done nothing to give it distinction?' said Tchitchikov.

'But still one must know a man's name.'

'Pavel Ivanovitch, your Excellency,' said Tchitchikov, with a slight inclination of his head to one side.

'Ulinka! Pavel Ivanovitch has just told us a very interesting piece of news. Our neighbour Tyentyetnikov is by no means so stupid as we supposed. He is engaged on rather important work—a history of the generals of the year 1812.'

Ulinka seemed at once to fire up and grow eager. 'Why, who thought he was stupid?' she said quickly. 'Nobody could think such a thing except Vishnepokromov, whom you believe in, papa, though he is an empty-headed and contemptible person!'

'Why is he contemptible? He is an empty-headed fellow, that is true,' said the general.