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- Николай Гоголь
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- Мертвые души
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- Стр. 123/232
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A
millionaire
suffers
from
the
disadvantage
of
everywhere
having
to
behold
meanness
,
including
the
sort
of
meanness
which
,
though
not
actually
based
upon
calculations
of
self-interest
,
yet
runs
after
the
wealthy
man
with
smiles
,
and
doffs
his
hat
,
and
begs
for
invitations
to
houses
where
the
millionaire
is
known
to
be
going
to
dine
.
That
a
similar
inclination
to
meanness
seized
upon
the
ladies
of
N.
goes
without
saying
;
with
the
result
that
many
a
drawing-room
heard
it
whispered
that
,
if
Chichikov
was
not
exactly
a
beauty
,
at
least
he
was
sufficiently
good-looking
to
serve
for
a
husband
,
though
he
could
have
borne
to
have
been
a
little
more
rotund
and
stout
.
To
that
there
would
be
added
scornful
references
to
lean
husbands
,
and
hints
that
they
resembled
tooth-brushes
rather
than
men
--
with
many
other
feminine
additions
.
Also
,
such
crowds
of
feminine
shoppers
began
to
repair
to
the
Bazaar
as
almost
to
constitute
a
crush
,
and
something
like
a
procession
of
carriages
ensued
,
so
long
grew
the
rank
of
vehicles
.
For
their
part
,
the
tradesmen
had
the
joy
of
seeing
highly
priced
dress
materials
which
they
had
bought
at
fairs
,
and
then
been
unable
to
dispose
of
,
now
suddenly
become
tradeable
,
and
go
off
with
a
rush
.
For
instance
,
on
one
occasion
a
lady
appeared
at
Mass
in
a
bustle
which
filled
the
church
to
an
extent
which
led
the
verger
on
duty
to
bid
the
commoner
folk
withdraw
to
the
porch
,
lest
the
lady
's
toilet
should
be
soiled
in
the
crush
.
Even
Chichikov
could
not
help
privately
remarking
the
attention
which
he
aroused
.
On
one
occasion
,
when
he
returned
to
the
inn
,
he
found
on
his
table
a
note
addressed
to
himself
.
Whence
it
had
come
,
and
who
had
delivered
it
,
he
failed
to
discover
,
for
the
waiter
declared
that
the
person
who
had
brought
it
had
omitted
to
leave
the
name
of
the
writer
.
Beginning
abruptly
with
the
words
"
I
MUST
write
to
you
,
"
the
letter
went
on
to
say
that
between
a
certain
pair
of
souls
there
existed
a
bond
of
sympathy
;
and
this
verity
the
epistle
further
confirmed
with
rows
of
full
stops
to
the
extent
of
nearly
half
a
page
.
Next
there
followed
a
few
reflections
of
a
correctitude
so
remarkable
that
I
have
no
choice
but
to
quote
them
.
"
What
,
I
would
ask
,
is
this
life
of
ours
?
"
inquired
the
writer
.
"'
Tis
nought
but
a
vale
of
woe
.
And
what
,
I
would
ask
,
is
the
world
?
'
Tis
nought
but
a
mob
of
unthinking
humanity
.
"
Thereafter
,
incidentally
remarking
that
she
had
just
dropped
a
tear
to
the
memory
of
her
dear
mother
,
who
had
departed
this
life
twenty-five
years
ago
,
the
(
presumably
)
lady
writer
invited
Chichikov
to
come
forth
into
the
wilds
,
and
to
leave
for
ever
the
city
where
,
penned
in
noisome
haunts
,
folk
could
not
even
draw
their
breath
.
In
conclusion
,
the
writer
gave
way
to
unconcealed
despair
,
and
wound
up
with
the
following
verses
:
"
Two
turtle
doves
to
thee
,
one
day
,
My
dust
will
show
,
congealed
in
death
;
And
,
cooing
wearily
,
they
'll
say
:
'
In
grief
and
loneliness
she
drew
her
closing
breath
.
"'
True
,
the
last
line
did
not
scan
,
but
that
was
a
trifle
,
since
the
quatrain
at
least
conformed
to
the
mode
then
prevalent
.
Neither
signature
nor
date
were
appended
to
the
document
,
but
only
a
postscript
expressing
a
conjecture
that
Chichikov
's
own
heart
would
tell
him
who
the
writer
was
,
and
stating
,
in
addition
,
that
the
said
writer
would
be
present
at
the
Governor
's
ball
on
the
following
night
.
This
greatly
interested
Chichikov
.
Indeed
,
there
was
so
much
that
was
alluring
and
provocative
of
curiosity
in
the
anonymous
missive
that
he
read
it
through
a
second
time
,
and
then
a
third
,
and
finally
said
to
himself
:
"
I
SHOULD
like
to
know
who
sent
it
!
"
In
short
,
he
took
the
thing
seriously
,
and
spent
over
an
hour
in
considering
the
same
.
At
length
,
muttering
a
comment
upon
the
epistle
's
efflorescent
style
,
he
refolded
the
document
,
and
committed
it
to
his
dispatch-box
in
company
with
a
play-bill
and
an
invitation
to
a
wedding
--
the
latter
of
which
had
for
the
last
seven
years
reposed
in
the
self-same
receptacle
and
in
the
self-same
position
.
Shortly
afterwards
there
arrived
a
card
of
invitation
to
the
Governor
's
ball
already
referred
to
.
In
passing
,
it
may
be
said
that
such
festivities
are
not
infrequent
phenomena
in
county
towns
,
for
the
reason
that
where
Governors
exist
there
must
take
place
balls
if
from
the
local
gentry
there
is
to
be
evoked
that
respectful
affection
which
is
every
Governor
's
due
.
Thenceforth
all
extraneous
thoughts
and
considerations
were
laid
aside
in
favour
of
preparing
for
the
coming
function
.
Indeed
,
this
conjunction
of
exciting
and
provocative
motives
led
to
Chichikov
devoting
to
his
toilet
an
amount
of
time
never
witnessed
since
the
creation
of
the
world
.
