Page:Dead Souls - A Poem by Nikolay Gogol - vol2.djvu/306

296 right to leave this case uninvestigated, and will it be honest on my part to forgive the scoundrels?'

'Your Excellency, indeed you must not call them that, for many among them are worthy men. A man's circumstances are often very difficult, your Excellency, very, very difficult. It sometimes happens that a man seems to blame all round and when you go into it, he is not the culprit at all.'

'But what will they say themselves if I drop it? You know there are some among them who will give themselves more airs than ever after that, and will even say that they have frightened me. They will be the last to respect …'

'Your Excellency, allow me to give you my opinion: gather them all together, let them understand that you know all about it, and put before them your own position in exactly the same way as you have graciously done just now before me, and ask them to tell you what each of them would do in your place.'

'But do you imagine that they will be capable of an impulse towards anything more honourable than legal quibbling and filling their pockets? I assure you they will laugh at me.'

'I don't think so, your Excellency. Every Russian, even one worse than the average, has right feelings. Perhaps a Jew might do so, but not a Russian. No, your Excellency, there is no need for you to be reserved. Tell them exactly as you graciously told me. You know