United States or Tokelau ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Nothing, sir," replied the waiter, bowing, "except that last night there arrived a military lieutenant. He has got room number sixteen." "A lieutenant?" "Yes. He came from Riazan, driving three grey horses." On entering his room, Chichikov clapped his hand to his nose, and asked his valet why he had never had the windows opened. "But I did have them opened," replied Petrushka.
He beamed with pleasure and wagged his head, as though he had been tasting something very sweet. "A-ah, what a letter!" he said. "Petrushka has never dreamt of such a letter. It's just what he wants, something to throw him into a fever. . ." "Do you know, deacon, don't send it!" said Anastasy, pouring himself out a second glass of vodka as though unconsciously. "Forgive him, let him alone!
Also, the reader will be pleased to know that our hero changed his linen every other day, and in summer, when the weather was very hot, EVERY day, seeing that the very faintest suspicion of an unpleasant odour offended his fastidiousness. For the same reason it was his custom, before being valeted by Petrushka, always to plug his nostrils with a couple of cloves.
The britchka bounded over the cobblestones, and at length turned into the hostelry's courtyard, where the travellers were met by Petrushka. The waiter ran out with candle in hand and napkin on shoulder.
Yet even from this source very little was obtained, since Petrushka provided his interrogators merely with a taste of the smell of his living-room, and Selifan confined his replies to a statement that the barin had "been in the employment of the State, and also had served in the Customs."
Whether or not Petrushka was glad to see the barin return it is impossible to say, but at all events he exchanged a wink with Selifan, and his ordinarily morose exterior seemed momentarily to brighten. "Then you have been travelling far, sir?" said the waiter, as he lit the way upstarts. "Yes," said Chichikov. "What has happened here in the meanwhile?"
Tatiana looked at him, and her intuition told her, firstly, that this was not true, and, secondly, that it was not well for Petrushka to go to the river. She begged him not to go. Petrushka laughed and said he would be back quickly. Tatiana cried, and implored him on her knees not to go. Then Petrushka grew irritable and almost rough, and told her not to vex him with foolishness.
"No," said Snipe, the man whose private secretary the man who gave good advice had been, "That's it. It's an awful thing but he had no judgment." Peter, or Petrushka, which was the name he was known by, was the carpenter's mate; his hair was like light straw, and his eyes were mild and blue.
'Well, we can do that, said the eldest son. 'Petrushka will harness and go that far with you. 'Well, then, put in the horse, lad, and I shall be thankful to you for it. 'Oh, what for, dear man? said the kindly old woman. 'We are heartily glad to do it. 'Petrushka, go and put in the mare, said the eldest brother.
Yet he issued stripped of all his capital, stripped of his imported effects, stripped of everything. That is to say, all that remained to him consisted of ten thousand roubles which he had stored against a rainy day, two dozen linen shirts, a small britchka of the type used by bachelors, and two serving-men named Selifan and Petrushka.
Word Of The Day