Page:Dead Souls - A Poem by Nikolay Gogol - vol2.djvu/307

Rh they speak ill of you as a proud, ambitious man who believes in himself and will listen to nothing,—so let them see how it really is. Why need you be afraid of them? You are in the right. Tell them as though you were making your confession, not to them but to God Himself.'

'Afanasy Vassilyevitch,' said the prince hesitatingly, 'I will think about that, and meanwhile I thank you very much for your advice.'

'And bid them release Tchitchikov, your Excellency.'

'Tell that Tchitchikov to get out of the place as quickly as possible, and the further he goes the better. Him I could never forgive.'

Murazov bowed and went straight from the prince to Tchitchikov. He found Tchitchikov with cheerfulness already restored, very placidly engaged upon a fairly decent dinner, which had been brought him on china dishes from a very respectable kitchen. From the first sentences of their conversation the old man at once perceived that Tchitchikov had already succeeded in making a secret plan with some one of the tricky officials. He even divined that the unseen hand of the sharp lawyer had some share in this.

'Listen, Pavel Ivanovitch,' he said; 'I have brought you freedom on condition that you leave the town at once. Collect all your belongings and go in God's name, without putting it off for a minute, for something worse is coming. I know there is a man who is behind you; so