Nozdryov sold dead souls. Dead Souls

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The landowner Nozdrev from the story of N.V. Gogol is another characteristic type of landowners of that time. It is a collective image that reveals the characteristic shortcomings and behavioral characteristics of several people, united by similar personality and character traits.

Nozdrev family

Nozdrev is one of the landlords of the city N. At the time of the story, he is 35 years old. He was once a married man, but his married life did not last long. Soon his wife died, Nozdryov did not remarry, most likely because he was not predisposed to family life. In a marriage with his wife, they had two children, but Nozdrev is not interested in their fate and upbringing - he is more interested in the personality of the nanny of his children, who had a pretty appearance, than in the children themselves.

Dear readers! We suggest that you familiarize yourself with what is described in the poem by N.V. Gogol's Dead Souls.

One gets the impression that Nozdryov is interested in everything, except for his children, he even treats his dogs much better than them.

Nozdryov was not the only child in the family - he also has a sister. It is known that she is a married woman. Her husband is a certain Mr. Mizhuev. He is Nozdryov not only a relative, but also a best friend. In his company, Nozdryov often appears at fairs, with him they are busy reveling together. According to Nozdrev's son-in-law, his wife is not at all similar in character to her brother - she is a sweet and good woman.

Mizhuev often denounces Nozdryov's lies, but still does not leave the category of friends - the common passion for drinking and carousing makes them related and does not allow them to quarrel.

Appearance

The landowner Nozdryov favorably differed in appearance in comparison with all the other landowners of district N - he was a prominent and attractive man. Nozdryov had a round, ruddy face, his cheeks were childishly plump. When Nozdryov burst into laughter, his cheeks quivered amusingly. He had white teeth like snow and dark hair. Nozdryov's face was favorably framed by jet-black whiskers. From time to time, his sideburns suffered severely in desperate fights with card "friends", but after a brawl they grew back just as thick.

The body of the landowner was also covered with hair - on his chest they were as thick as on his head and more like a beard.

Nozdryov's height was average, and his body could not be called athletic, but it was not flabby either.

Despite his unbalanced life schedule, Nozdryov seemed to be the epitome of health - and was a "blood and milk" man: "health seemed to be squirting from his face."

Gogol does not particularly cover the features of Nozdryov's wardrobe. It is known that the landowner preferred a caftan of Caucasian cut, which was the national dress of the mountain peoples - arkhaluk. In addition, at home he walks in a dressing gown. He usually wore a dressing gown over his naked body. He was dressed casually, therefore, one could see without effort his densely hairy chest.

Peasants and the village of Nozdreva

Nikolai Vasilievich says little about the living conditions of the peasants and the state of the village. Based on the lifestyle of Nozdryov himself, it can be assumed that he has a good income from his estate - so good that he can afford to live in a big way and not do business. Nozdryov has a clerk - it is he who deals with all the affairs of the landowner.

Since Nozdryov was very fond of boasting about everything he could, the fact that he did not do the same in relation to his village or peasants suggests that not everything was so good on his estate, but the fact that there are many "dead souls" once again confirms this idea.

On our website, we invite you to find out in the work of N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls”, to follow his character and description of appearance.

When Chichikov comes to Nozdryov, he shows him his farm: first, the landowner shows his horses. It didn’t work out much to brag here - Nozdryov lost some horses in cards, so part of the cost was empty. Among the horses, Chichikov was shown two mares and a stallion of an unprepossessing appearance, but, according to the owner, very expensive. The next curiosity in the estate of Nozdryov was a wolf, which the owner kept on a leash and fed raw meat.

The wolf was followed by a pond filled with fish of incredible size. Chichikov, however, did not manage to look at this extraordinary fish, according to Nozdrev assured that it sometimes took two people not to pull the fish out of the pond - it was so big.

Nozdryov's greatest pride and weakness were dogs - of different breeds and colors. Nozdryov had a huge number of them, the landowner loved and cherished them to such an extent that they could be equated with full-fledged relatives: “Nozdryov was among them just like a father among a family; all of them, immediately throwing up their tails, which the dogs call rules, flew straight towards the guests and began to greet them.

On his estate there is a water mill and a smithy. It is likely that the peasants of Nozdryov are skilled workers and craftsmen, since the landowner boasts that he always manages to sell his goods at the fair at the highest price.

Nozdrev’s economy did not end there, but the reasons for boasting ended - the roads on his estate were terribly neglected, the fields were located so low that the water “champed” from the ground:

“In many places, their feet squeezed water under them, to such an extent the place was low. At first they were careful and crossed carefully, but then, seeing that this was of no use, they wandered straight, not making out where the dirt was and where it was the smallest.

Of all his serfs, the reader can get acquainted with only a few representatives. Most of the attention in the narrative is given to the cook, who, apparently, did not differ in culinary skills - he mixed completely incompatible ingredients, it seemed that what first came to hand got into his dishes.

In the story, one can see a meager description of the servant Porfiry, who, to match his master, wears an arkhaluk, however, his caftan is in a deplorable state and already rather worn out.

In the dining room one could see his two serfs - they were busy whitewashing the room, but Gogol does not give a detailed description of their appearance and the state of the costume. It is known that they did their work while singing some kind of monotonous and seemingly endless song. It can be assumed that Nozdryov was not authoritarian in relation to his serfs - his house was not clean, and in the dining room, in addition to general desolation, one could see the remains of food and crumbs.

Manor Nozdrev

Nikolai Vasilievich does not give an external description of the Nozdrev estate. The internal state is also not exposed to the detailed image.

In general, Nozdryov was not a good owner, he treated his estate and household with disdain, he liked to enjoy the fruits, but he did not strive to ensure his future and the future of his children. In his house, the absence of a female hand was felt - the tasteless decoration of the house was complemented by general disorder and garbage.

For Nozdryov, this state of affairs did not cause inconvenience - for him it was a common thing.

Nozdryov's office had little resemblance to classic workrooms - there were no papers or books here. And for the landowner, this was superfluous - the manager was in charge of the affairs of his estate, and Nozdryov was used to spending his leisure time playing other sports, for example, playing a card game. Nozdryov's office was full of various weapons - two guns, sabers, daggers.

In addition to weapons, in the office one could also see a collection of pipes for smoking - of various shapes and materials, they finally turned the landlord's office into a mini-museum.

Also in the office there was a mahogany hurdy-gurdy, which Nozdryov began to demonstrate - however, the hurdy-gurdy was not in perfect condition - from time to time it malfunctioned, its playing was more like a potpourri - the songs did not pass one into one sequentially, after the end of the composition, and played fragmentary pieces mixed up. The hurdy-gurdy played on its own for some time after Nozdryov had left it alone: ​​“Nozdryov had already stopped twirling long ago, but there was only one very lively pipe in the hurdy-gurdy, which did not want to calm down.”

The dining room of Nozdrev, at the time of visiting Chichikov, was undergoing repair work - two peasants were whitewashing it, standing on the goats: "In the middle of the dining room there were wooden goats, and two men, standing on them, whitewashed the walls, pulling some endless song."

Despite the renovation work, one could notice the negligence regarding cleaning with the naked eye - in the dining room one could see crumbs and leftovers from yesterday's food: “There were traces of yesterday's lunch and dinner in the room; it seems that the broom was not touched at all. Bread crumbs lay on the floor, and tobacco ash was even visible on the tablecloth.

Judging by how Nozdryov himself reacted to this state of affairs, it can be assumed that neither the crumbs, nor the food, nor the general garbage in his house interfered with him, or rather, he did not notice them point-blank. He was extremely unpretentious in matters of home improvement.

Personality characteristic

First of all, in the image of Nozdryov, his desire to become “one’s own” for a person is striking. He quickly switches to “you” in communication with a person, which impressed Chichikov especially unpleasantly, since, according to Pavel Ivanovich, such a transition was undeserved and went beyond the scope of etiquette, but this does not bother Nozdryov. He often deviates from the norms of etiquette, and it is likely that he has never heard of some features and rules and does not even suspect not only that he violates these rules, but that such rules and norms even exist. So, for example, his habits include talking very loudly and laughing. When Chichikov makes a deal with Nozdryov, he is surprised to find how he loudly discusses the nuances of the sale, as if it were the most ordinary thing.

Perhaps such a cheeky tone is to some extent connected with his cheerful nature and addiction to drinking. Nozdryov does not miss the opportunity to boast about what an unusual wine he has tried, and champagne, which is usually served in the governor's house, is just kvass in comparison.

Nozdryov loves revelry and all kinds of entertainment (in his understanding, one is inseparable from the first), he cannot imagine how one can live, depriving himself of such good things and pleasant pastime. Nozdryov does not understand how some landowners can sit at home without getting out - he cannot stay on his estate for more than one day - he is bored and does not know what to do with himself.

Nozdryov does not value his money. He despises the miser who hesitates to spend an extra penny. It is likely that his attitude to money was formed because Nozdryov himself works extremely little - only in those cases when business cannot move forward without his intervention. He does not know the price that he has to pay for one or another of his entertainment - money comes to him easily and just as easily leaves.

Cards became Nozdryov's special passion - he is a regular at the card table. However, playing honestly is not in the rules of the landowner - during the game he constantly cheats and deceives. The people around him have long known this attitude to the card game, so they are always attentive while playing with him.

From time to time, Nozdryov was seen cheating at the card table and was immediately subject to criticism and even beatings with the pulling out of his hair, in particular his thick sideburns. This state of affairs does not bother Nozdryov - his whiskers quickly grow back, and insults are forgotten before the fight ends. A day later, Nozdryov is already ready to sit down at the table to play cards with his recent debaters, as if nothing had happened.

In general, Nozdryov is a bad and dishonest person. He often causes trouble and problems in the lives of other people - Nozdryov can easily upset the wedding and cause the deal to be canceled. The landowner never sees something bad or bad in his actions. The reason for this is his addiction to fiction and gossip. Nozdryov often lies, even for the most harmless reasons. “Nozdryov is a rubbish man, Nozdryov can lie, add, dissolve the devil knows what, some more gossip will come out.”

Nozdryov has an explosive and unrestrained character - it doesn’t cost him anything to be rude to anyone or become a participant in a fight.

Thus, Nozdryov in Gogol's story is shown as an ill-mannered person who does not know how to appreciate what he has. He is a bad master, a bad father and a bad friend. Nozdryov gives preference not to his children, but to the dogs he cares for and cherishes. Nozdryov is a constant participant in revelry, gossip and quarrels.

Tasks:

• the formation of ideas about the role of the landowner Nozdryov in Gogol's poem "Dead Souls";
• development of skills characterization of a literary character;
• development of figurative thinking.

Equipment:

• illustrations of paintings by B.Kustodiev “Merchant for tea”, “Tavern”, “Tavernkeeper”, “Fair”, “Still life with pheasants”;
• illustrations by P.M. Boklevsky (“Nozdrev”) for N. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”.

Hero Attribute Plan(offered to students before analyzing the topic as homework for the previous lesson):

1. Nozdryov. His role in Gogol's poem "Dead Souls":

a) portrait characteristics of the hero; the role of the portrait in understanding the essence of the hero;

b) Nozdryov's speech, examples of vivid words and expressions; the role of speech characteristics;

c) Nozdryov's estate, office interior;

d) what is the significance of the remark that “lunch, apparently, was not the main thing in Nozdryov's life; the dishes did not play a big role: some burned, some did not cook at all”;

e) Nozdryov's reaction to Chichikov's proposal to sell dead souls;

g) what is the purpose of introducing the character into the text of the poem.

2. What new features of Chichikov's nature appear before the reader? How does he reveal himself in communication with Nozdryov?

During the classes

I. Immersion in the topic.

Presentation of illustrations of paintings by B.Kustodiev “Merchant for tea”, “Still life with pheasants”, “Tavern”, “Tavernkeeper”, “Fair”.

• What associations do you have when perceiving these illustrations?
• Why are they presented at the beginning of the conversation about the landowner Nozdryov?
• What is the similarity of these illustrations with the content of the 4th chapter of the poem “Dead Souls”, which tells about Nozdryov?

In the paintings - the fullness of life, a riot of colors, bright colorful personalities, vanity, the transience of the moment, dynamics. The plots of the paintings in one way or another reflect the distinctive features of Nozdryov's nature. The illustrations help to penetrate the world of Nozdryov, the world of madness, “unusual lightness”, the world of impulsiveness, some kind of higher emotionality, the world of openness and “love” for everyone and everyone.

II. The study of the text in connection with the topic.

1. Portrait characteristics of the hero and the role of the portrait in understanding the essence of the character of the hero.

Chapter 4: He was of medium height, very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, with snow-white teeth and jet-black whiskers, he was fresh as blood with milk; health seemed to spurt from his face.

The main details of the portrait are rosy cheeks, freshness of the face, the keyword of the portrait is health. The details reflect the essence of the hero's inner portrait, his broken character, his senseless actions. As health in him bursts over the edge, so emotionality goes beyond all boundaries.

2. The speech of the hero. Examples of the brightest and most typical words and expressions of the hero. The role of speech characteristics.

What a man is, such is his speech (Cicero):

And me brother...

Blown into fluff ...

Swelled, dropped everything ...

Kiss me soul, death love you...

Banchishka

Distortion of French words: burdashka, bonbon, rosette, bezeshka, superflu.

Nozdryov's speech is as sparkling as his nature. This speech cannot be called fearless, it is the speech of an emotional, assertive person who does not care about tomorrow. The main values ​​​​of life are a candy bar, booze, dogs, and in general everything that is called the word “revel”. This is a man distinguished by "restless briskness and liveliness of character," in the words of Gogol. All this is reflected in the speech of the hero.

But can we see only the negative in the speech portrait of the hero?

We cannot say that Nozdryov is devoid of creativity. His speech is a game with generally accepted words, and not every person is capable of this game. Nozdryov is busy with speech creation. Note his experiments with French words.

3. Nozdreva's estate. His house. What is the significance of the interior for understanding the essence of Nozdryov's nature?

Stable: two horses, the rest of the stalls are empty.

A pond in which there was a fish of such size that two people could hardly pull it out.

Kennel: the most worthy sight in the Nozdreva estate.

Mill: “then they went to inspect the water mill, where there was a lack of fluff, into which the upper stone is fastened, rapidly rotating on a spindle -“ fluttering ”, in the wonderful expression of a Russian peasant.”

House of Nozdrev:

Cabinet. However, there were no noticeable traces of what happens in the offices, that is, books or paper; only sabers and two guns hung - one worth three hundred and the other eight hundred rubles.

The hurdy-gurdy: it played not without piety, but in the middle of it, it seems, something happened, because the mazurka ended with the song: “Mahlbrug went on a campaign”, and “Malbrug went on a campaign” unexpectedly ended with some long-familiar waltz. Nozdryov had long since ceased to twirl, but there was only one very lively pipe in the hurdy-gurdy, which in no way wanted to calm down, and for a long time afterwards it whistled alone.

Pipes: wood, earthenware, meerschaum, smoked and unsmoked, covered with suede and not covered, shank with an amber mouthpiece, recently won, a pouch embroidered by some countess, who, somewhere at the post station, fell head over heels in love with him, whose handles, in his words, were the most subdient superflue, a word that probably meant for him the highest point of perfection.

Nozdryov is a Russian landowner, but a landowner devoid of any spiritual life. Maybe he gives all his strength to the management of the estate and he has no time to immerse himself in reading? No, the estate has been abandoned for a long time, there is no rational management. Consequently, there is neither spiritual nor material life, but there is an emotional life that has absorbed everything. Constant lies, the desire to argue, excitement, the inability to suppress one's feelings - this is what constitutes the essence of Nozdryov. For a Russian landowner, hunting is one of the components of life, and for Nozdryov, the kennel replaced everything. He is a certain Troekurov, who has lost power and influence, having changed his rough, strong nature.

4. What is the significance of Gogol's remark that “lunch, apparently, was not the main thing in Nozdryov's life; the dishes did not play a big role: some burned, some did not cook at all”? Remember that both Manilov and Korobochka Chichikov are treated well, and the description of the dinner takes up enough space in the chapter.

Dinner, eating, abundance and variety of dishes are the symbolic designation of animal life in Gogol. Thus, the author emphasizes that the hero is devoid of a spiritual beginning. Nozdryov is depicted as an extremely emotional person, in whom there are living feelings, although distorted, so there is no description of eating food.

5. How does Nozdryov react to Chichikov's offer to sell dead souls? How to evaluate Nozdryov's behavior after Chichikov's refusal to continue playing checkers?

This broken fellow is devoid of any moral principles, social preferences, this is a kind of childishness, a kind of primitivism, a prehistoric existence of relationships.

III. The main conclusions of the lesson

1. What new features of Chichikov's nature appear before the reader? How does he reveal himself in communication with Nozdryov?

Chichikov is, of course, the antipode of Nozdryov. The conditions in which Pavel Ivanovich was formed made him hide his emotions and desires, made him think first, then act, made him prudent and enterprising. In Chichikov there is no emotionality, no recklessness, no stupidity, no “life over the edge”. The hero of the new capitalist era, the era of selfishness and calculation, is devoid of strong emotions, which means that he is devoid of a sense of the fullness of life. These thoughts visit us precisely at the moment of reading the chapter on Nozdryov. Thus, the chapter represents the type of Russian landowner, but reveals a lot in the nature of the main character - Chichikov.

• Nozdryov at 35 was exactly the same as he was at eighteen and twenty: a go-getter;
• At home, he could not sit for more than a day;
• Had a passion for cards;
• He did not play quite sinlessly and cleanly;
• Nozdryov was in some respects a historical person;
• The closer someone got along with him, the more likely he was to piss everyone off: he spread a fable, more stupid than which it is difficult to invent, upset a wedding, a trade deal ...;
• Restless briskness and briskness of character;
• Nozdryov is a trash man.

The main national feature of the Russian character is openness, “breadth of the soul”. In Nozdryov, Gogol depicts how this feature is distorted if there is no spiritual life.

IV. Homework

A written answer to the question: “What kind of human type does Gogol portray when he represents the landowner Nozdryov?”

N. V. Gogol. The author published it in 1842. He originally planned a three-volume work. In 1842, the first volume saw the light. However, the second, almost ready, was destroyed by the writer himself (several chapters from it were preserved in drafts). The third one was not even started, there are only a few information about it. Therefore, we will consider the attitude of Chichikov to Nozdrev only on the basis of the first volume of the work. Let's start by getting to know these characters.

Who are Chichikov and Nozdrev?

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov - a former official, and now a schemer. This retired collegiate adviser was engaged in buying up "dead souls" (that is, written certificates of dead peasants) in order to pawn them as if they were alive, get a bank loan and gain influence in society. He takes care of himself, dresses smartly. Chichikov, even after a dusty and long journey, manages to look as if he had just visited a barber and a tailor.

Nozdrev is a 35-year-old dashing "talker, reveler, reckless driver." This is the third landowner in the work, with whom Chichikov decided to start a bargain about dead souls. Let's try to answer the question of how Chichikov treated Nozdryov. To do this, you should trace the entire history of their relationship.

Acquaintance of Chichikov with Nozdrev

In the first chapter of the work, they meet, during lunch at the prosecutor's. Then the heroes accidentally collide in a tavern (fourth chapter). Chichikov is driving from Korobochka to Sobakevich. In turn, Nozdryov, together with Mezhuev, his son-in-law, returns from the fair, where he lost and drank everything, including the carriage. The landowner immediately lures the Gogol swindler into his estate. It is clear what Chichikov wanted from the landowner Nozdrev, why he agreed to go with him - he was interested in "dead souls".

Having delivered the guests, the landowner immediately begins to show the household. Nozdryov starts from the stable, then talks about a wolf cub that lives with him and eats only raw meat. Then the landowner goes to the pond. Here, according to his stories, only two fishermen together can pull out. This is followed by a demonstration of the kennel, where Nozdryov looks among the dogs as the "father of the family." After that, the guests go to the field, where, of course, the hares are caught with their hands. It is clear that Chichikov's attitude towards the landowner Nozdryov after all this boasting is unlikely to be positive. After all, this hero is very insightful.

Drinking and its consequences

The landlord is not very concerned about dinner. Only at 5 o'clock guests sit down at the table. He explains that food is not the main thing in his life. On the other hand, Nozdryov has a lot of drinks, and he does not have enough of the available ones, and he invents his own incredible "compositions" (champagne and bourguignon together, mountain ash, reeking of fuselage, "with the taste of cream"). At the same time, the landowner spares himself. Chichikov, noticing this, imperceptibly pours out his glasses as well.

Nevertheless, the owner, "sparing" himself, comes to him in the morning in one dressing gown and with a pipe in his teeth. He assures, as a hussar hero should, that "the squadron spent the night" in his mouth. It doesn't matter if you have a hangover or not. The only important thing is that a decent reveler must certainly suffer from it. What was Nozdrev's attitude towards Chichikov? It is best revealed by a quarrel that occurred during the bargaining.

Chichikov's quarrel with Nozdrev

The motive for this false hangover is important to the author in yet another respect. During the bargaining that took place the night before, Nozdryov had a major quarrel with Chichikov. The fact is that he refused to play cards for "dead souls", as well as to buy a stallion of real "Arab blood", and to receive souls "in addition". Nozdrev's attitude to Chichikov's proposal thus requires justification. However, the evening cockiness of the landowner cannot be attributed to alcohol, as well as to explain the morning peacefulness by forgetting what was done in a drunken stupor. Nozdryov in his actions is guided by only one spiritual quality: unrestraint bordering on unconsciousness.

Chess game for the soul

The landowner does not plan, does not conceive of anything, he simply does not know the measures in anything. Chichikov, agreeing (very recklessly) to play checkers for the soul (since checkers are not marked), almost becomes a victim of Nozdryov's revelry. Souls put on the line are valued at 100 rubles. The landowner shifts 3 checkers at once with his sleeve and thus moves one of them to the kings. Chichikov has no choice but to mix the figures.

The game for the soul emphasizes the essence of both characters, and not just reveals how Chichikov treated the landowner Nozdryov. The latter asks for 100 rubles for souls, and Chichikov wants to bring the price down to 50. Nozdryov's attitude to Chichikov's proposal is as follows: he asks to include some puppy in the same amount. This landowner, being an incorrigible player, does not play at all for the sake of winning - he is interested in the process itself. Nozdryova irritates and angers the loss. The ending of the game is predictable and familiar - it is a conflict turning into a fight.

Chichikov's flight

Chichikov, at the same time, thinks primarily not about physical pain, but about the fact that the courtyard people will witness this unpleasant scene. But the reputation should be maintained by all possible means. The hero resolves the conflict that threatens his image in the usual way - he flees. Subsequently, when the whole city becomes aware of the purchase of "dead souls", he does the same. Chichikov's attitude to Nozdrev, their cheating deal is a parody of entrepreneurial activity. It complements the characterization of both characters, demonstrating the vulgarity and meanness of the "middle hand" gentlemen.

It seems that reprisal against Chichikov is inevitable. The landowner shouts in excitement: "Beat him!" The visitor is saved only by the appearance of the police captain, a formidable man with a huge mustache.

The scene at the governor's ball and Nozdrev's visit

Chichikov hopes that he will never see Nozdryov again. However, these heroes will meet twice more. One of the meetings takes place at the governor's ball (chapter eight). In this scene, the buyer of "dead souls" was almost ruined. Nozdryov, unexpectedly colliding with him, shouts at the top of his voice that this is a "Kherson landowner" who "trades in dead souls." This gives rise to many incredible rumors. When, finally confused in various versions, officials of the city of NN call on Nozdryov, he, not at all embarrassed by the contradictory nature of all these opinions, confirms them all (ninth chapter). Chichikov allegedly bought dead souls worth several thousand, he is a counterfeiter and a spy, he tried to take away the daughter of the governor, and priest Sidor was supposed to marry the young for 75 rubles. Nozdrev even confirms that Chichikov is Napoleon.

In the tenth chapter, the landowner himself reports these rumors to Chichikov, whom he pays a visit without an invitation. Nozdryov, again forgetting his offense, offers him help in "taking away" the governor's daughter, and for only 3,000 rubles.

The inner world of Nozdrev

This landowner, like other heroes of Gogol's poem, seems to transfer the outlines of his own soul to the outlines of everyday life. At his house, everything is arranged stupidly. Wooden goats stand in the middle of the dining room, there are no papers and books in the office, allegedly Turkish daggers hang on the wall (Chichikov sees the name of the master on one of them - Savely Sibiryakov). Nozdryov calls his favorite hurdy-gurdy an organ.

Gogol compares the depraved and upset soul of the landowner with this spoiled hurdy-gurdy, which played not without pleasantness, but something went wrong in the middle, since the mazurka ended with the song "Mahlbrug went on a campaign", which, in turn, ended with some familiar waltz. The landowner had long since ceased to turn it, but in this hurdy-gurdy there was one brisk pipe, which did not want to calm down in any way, and for a long time alone whistled. Of course, in the crippled souls of Gogol's heroes, these "God's pipes" are very remarkable, sometimes whistling by themselves and confusing well-thought-out, impeccably and logically planned scams.

How Chichikov reveals himself in his relationship with Nozdrev

Chichikov's attitude to Nozdrev reveals the inner world of the Gogol swindler. Running away from the landowner, who is making another "story", the hunter for "dead souls" cannot understand why he went to the estate, why he trusted him, "like a child, like a fool." However, it was not by chance that he was seduced by this landowner: by nature, he is also an adventurer who, without a twinge of conscience, can transcend all moral laws in order to achieve selfish goals. Finishing to reveal the topic "Chichikov's attitude to Nozdrev", we note that to lie, deceive, and even shed a tear, while the first is no less capable than the second.

Our hero is unique, with his unusual character and morals: He refers to those people who had "... the passion to spoil their neighbor, sometimes for no reason at all." “The closer one got along with him, the more likely he was to piss everyone off ... Nozdryov is a“ historical person ”, in the sense that“ wherever he was, everywhere he could not do without stories.

Description of the village In this village, as in others, there was a darkened wooden tavern, like a Russian hut in a larger size. Carved patterned cornices around the windows, jugs with flowers are painted on the shutters. In the courtyard there was a stable with two mares and an angry stallion, empty stalls, a wolf cub on a leash, a pond, a very beautifully built dog house and a smithy.

Description of the manor's house The house was not prepared to receive guests: in the middle of the dining room there were wooden goats, and two peasants whitewashing the walls; the floor was splattered with whitewash. There were sabers and two guns in Nozdryov's office. There were a lot of things in the house: Turkish daggers, a hurdy-gurdy, pipes - wooden, cast iron, smoked and non-smoked, a chibouk with an amber mouthpiece, a pouch and much more.

Nozdryov's attitude to Chichikov's proposal Nozdryov agreed to donate souls if Chichikov buys something from him (horse, mare, dog or box) or wins at cards. Nozdryov agreed to donate souls if Chichikov buys something from him (a horse, mare, dog or box) or wins at cards. But Chichikov did not want to buy anything except souls, and did not want to play. But Chichikov did not want to buy anything except souls, and did not want to play. On refusal, the landowner, angry, said that he would not sell his soul for any money. On refusal, the landowner, angry, said that he would not sell his soul for any money.

CHAPTER FOUR

Arriving at the tavern, Chichikov ordered to stop for two reasons. On the one hand, to give the horses a rest, and on the other hand, to have a bite to eat and refresh yourself. The author must confess that he is very envious of the appetite and stomach of such people. For him, all the gentlemen of a big hand who live in St. Petersburg and Moscow, who spend their time thinking about what to eat tomorrow and what kind of dinner to compose for the day after tomorrow, and who take up this dinner only after putting a pill in their mouth, mean absolutely nothing; swallowing oysters, sea spiders and other miracles, and then going to Carlsbad or the Caucasus. No, these gentlemen never aroused envy in him. But gentlemen of the middle class, that at one station they would demand ham, at another a pig, at a third a slice of sturgeon or some kind of baked sausage with onions, and then, as if nothing had happened, sit down at the table at any time you want, and sterlet's ear with burbots and sizzles with milk and grumbles between their teeth, eating a pie or a kulebyaka with a catfish plow, so that it alienates the appetite - these gentlemen, for sure, enjoy the enviable gift of the sky! Not one gentleman of a great hand would immediately donate half the souls of the peasants and half the estates, mortgaged and unmortgaged, with all the improvements on a foreign and Russian footing, in order to have such a stomach as a gentleman of an average hand has; but the trouble is that for no amount of money, below the estate, with or without improvements, one cannot acquire such a stomach as a gentleman of an average hand has.

The darkened wooden tavern received Chichikov under its narrow hospitable canopy on carved wooden posts, resembling old church candlesticks. The tavern was something like a Russian hut, somewhat larger. Carved ornamental cornices of fresh wood around the windows and under the roof brightly and vividly dazzled its dark walls; jugs of flowers were painted on the shutters.

Climbing up the narrow wooden staircase to the wide entrance, he met a door that opened with a creak and a fat old woman in colorful chintz who said: "Come here!" In the room were all the old friends that everyone comes across in small wooden taverns, of which there are many built along the roads, namely, a frosty samovar, scraped smooth pine walls, a triangular cupboard with teapots and cups in the corner, gilded porcelain testicles in front of icons, hanging on blue and red ribbons, a recently calved cat, a mirror showing four eyes instead of two, and some kind of cake instead of a face; finally, fragrant herbs and carnations studded in bunches near the icons, dried up to such an extent that anyone who wanted to sniff them only sneezed and nothing more.

Is there a piglet? - with such a question Chichikov turned to the standing woman.

With horseradish and sour cream?

With horseradish and sour cream.

Give it here!

The old woman went to dig and brought in a plate, a napkin so starched that it puffed up like dried bark, then a knife with a yellowed bone block, thin as a penknife, a two-pronged fork, and a salt shaker, which could not be placed directly on the table.

Our hero, as usual, now entered into a conversation with her and asked if she herself kept a tavern, or if she was the owner, and how much income the tavern gives, and whether their sons live with them, and that the eldest son is a single or married person, and which one he took wife, whether with a large dowry or not, and whether the father-in-law was pleased, and whether he was angry that he received few gifts at the wedding - in a word, did not miss anything. It goes without saying that he was curious to find out what kind of landowners they had in the circle, and found out that there were all sorts of landowners: Plotin, Pochitaev, Mylnoy, Cheprakov the colonel, Sobakevich. "Ah! Do you know Sobakevich?" he asked, and at once heard that the old woman knew not only Sobakevich, but also Manilov, and that Manilov would be more delicate than Sobakevich: he orders the chicken to be boiled at once, and asks for veal too; if there is mutton's liver, then he will ask for mutton's liver, and will just try everything, but Sobakevich will ask one thing, and then he will eat everything, even asking for a surcharge for the same price.

When he was talking in this way, eating a piglet, of which the last piece was already left, the sound of the wheels of the approaching carriage was heard. Glancing out the window, he saw a light britzka stopped in front of the tavern, harnessed by a trio of good horses. Two men got out of the chaise. One blond, tall; the other is a little lower, dark-haired. The fair-haired one was in a dark blue Hungarian coat, the black-haired one was simply in a striped jacket. In the distance, another carriage dragged along, empty, drawn by some kind of long-haired quadruple with tattered collars and a rope harness. The fair-haired one immediately went up the stairs, while the black-haired one still remained and felt something in the britzka, talking right there with the servant and at the same time waving to the carriage coming after them. His voice sounded somewhat familiar to Chichikov. While he was examining him, the blond had already found the door and opened it. He was a tall man with a thin face, or what is called wasted, with a red mustache. From his tanned face one could conclude that he knew what smoke was, if not gunpowder, then at least tobacco smoke. He politely bowed to Chichikov, to which the latter replied in kind. In the course of a few minutes, they would probably have been talking and getting to know each other well, because the beginning had already been made, and both, almost at the same time, expressed pleasure that the dust along the road had been completely beaten down by yesterday's rain and now it was cool and pleasant to drive, how his dark-haired comrade entered, throwing his cap off his head on the table, valiantly ruffling his thick black hair with his hand. He was of medium height, a very well-built fellow, with full ruddy cheeks, teeth as white as snow, and jet-black sideburns. He was fresh as blood and milk; health seemed to spurt from his face.

Ba, ba, ba! he suddenly exclaimed, spreading both arms at the sight of Chichikov. - What fates?

Chichikov recognized Nozdryov, the same one with whom he had dined together at the prosecutor's, and who in a few minutes got on such a short footing with him that he already began to say "you", although, for his part, he did not give any reason for this.

Where did you go? - said Nozdryov and, without waiting for an answer, continued: - And I, brother, from the fair. Congratulate: blown to the fluff! Do you believe that you have never been so blown in your life. After all, I came to the philistine! Look out the window on purpose! - Here he himself bent Chichikov's head, so that he almost hit it on the frame. - You see, what rubbish! They dragged him by force, damned, I already climbed into his britzka. - Saying this, Nozdryov pointed a finger at his comrade. - Have you met yet? My son-in-law Mizhuev! We've been talking about you all morning. "Well, look, I say, if we don't meet Chichikov." Well, brother, if you only knew how I was blown away! Would you believe that not only did he thump four trotters, he let everything down. After all, I have neither a chain nor a watch ... - Chichikov looked and saw for sure that he had neither a chain nor a watch. It even seemed to him that one of his sideburns was smaller and not as thick as the other. “But if there were only twenty rubles in your pocket,” Nozdryov continued, “precisely no more than twenty, I would win back everything, that is, besides what I would win back, that’s how an honest person would put thirty thousand in my wallet right now.

However, even then you said so, - answered the blond, - and when I gave you fifty rubles, I immediately squandered them.

And I wouldn't squander! by God, I would not have squandered! If I hadn't done something stupid myself, I wouldn't have squandered. If I didn’t bend the duck after the password on the damned seven, I could break the whole bank.

However, I didn’t break it, ”said the blond.

I didn’t pick it because I bent the duck at the wrong time. Do you think your major plays well?

Good or not good, but he beat you.

Eka importance! - said Nostril, - that way I will beat him. No, if he tries to play doublet, then I'll see, then I'll see what kind of player he is! But, brother Chichikov, how we rolled in the first days! Indeed, the fair was excellent. The merchants themselves say that there has never been such a congress. I have everything that was brought from the village, sold at the best price. Oh, brother, what a spree! Now even, as you remember .. damn it! I mean, what a pity you weren't. Imagine that three versts from the city there was a regiment of dragoons. Do you believe that the officers, no matter how many there were, forty people of some officers were in the city; how we began to drink, brother... Captain-captain Kiss... so glorious! mustache, brother, such! He calls Bordeaux simply a burdashka. "Bring it, brother, he says, booties!" Lieutenant Kuvshinnikov... Ah, brother, what a lovely man! now, one might say, in all form a reveler. We were all with him. What kind of wine did Ponomarev give us! You need to know that he is a swindler and you can’t take anything in his shop: all sorts of rubbish is mixed into the wine: sandalwood, burnt cork and even elderberry, scoundrel, rubs; but on the other hand, if he pulls out some kind of bottle from a distant room, which he calls special, - well, simply, brother, you are in the empyrean. We had such champagne - what is the governor's before him? just kvass. Imagine, not a clique, but some kind of clique-matradura, that means a double clique. And he also took out one bottle of French called: bonbon. Smell? - outlet and whatever you want. We've had so much fun!.. Some prince came after us, sent to the shop for champagne, there wasn't a single bottle in the whole city, all the officers had drunk. Do you believe that I alone drank seventeen bottles of champagne in the course of dinner!

Well, you won’t drink seventeen bottles, - the blond remarked.

As an honest man, I say that I drank, Nozdryov replied.

You can say whatever you want to yourself, but I tell you that you won’t drink even ten.

Well, you want to bet that I'll drink!

Why bet?

Well, put the gun you bought in town.

I do not want.

Well, give it a try.

And I don't want to try

Yes, if you were without a gun, it would be like without a hat. Oh, brother Chichikov, that is, how I regretted that you were not there. I know that you would not part with Lieutenant Kuvshinnikov. How well you would get along with him! This is not like the prosecutor and all the provincial misers in our city, who are shaking for every penny. This one, brother, is in galbik, and in a jar, and in whatever you want. Eh, Chichikov, why should you come? Really, you're a pig for this, a kind of cattle breeder! Kiss me, soul, death love you! Mizhuev, look, fate brought together: well, what is he to me or me to him? He came from God knows where, I also live here ... And how many carriages, brother, and all this en gros1. I played fortune: I won two cans of lipstick, a china cup and a guitar; then again he set it once and turned it over, channel, more than six rubles. And what, if you knew, red tape Kuvshinnikov! We were with him at almost all the balls. One was so dressed up, ruffles on her, and ruffles, and the devil knows what was not there ... I only think to myself: "Damn it!" And Kuvshinnikov, that is, this is such a beast, sat down next to her and in French allowed her such compliments ... Believe me, he did not miss ordinary women. That's what he calls: take advantage of the strawberries. Wonderful fish and balyks were brought in. I did bring one with me; it's good that I guessed to buy when there was still money. Where are you going now?

1 in large numbers (French)

But to the little man to one, - said Chichikov.

Well, what a little man, drop it! let's go with me!

No, you can't, there's a problem.

Well, that's the point! already figured it out! Oh, you, Opodelok Ivanovich!

Right, right, and right.

I'm betting, you're lying! So tell me, who are you going to?

Well, to Sobakevich.

Here Nostril burst out laughing with that ringing laugh that only a fresh, healthy person bursts into, whose teeth to the last show white as sugar, cheeks tremble and bounce, and a neighbor behind two doors, in the third room, rises from sleep, wide-eyed and saying: "Ek dismantled him!"

What's funny here? said Chichikov, somewhat dissatisfied with such laughter.

But Nozdryov continued to laugh at the top of his lungs, saying:

Oh, have mercy, right, I'll crack with laughter!

There is nothing funny: I gave him my word, - said Chichikov.

Why, you won’t be happy with life when you come to him, it’s just a Zhidomor! After all, I know your character, you will be cruelly taken aback if you think to find a jar and a good bottle of some kind of bonbon there. Listen, brother: well, to hell with Sobakevich, let's ride in me! what a balyk I will drink! Ponomarev, the beast, bowed like that, saying: "Only for you, the whole fair, he says, search, you will not find such a thing." The rogue, however, is terrible. I said it to his face: "You, I say, are the first swindlers with our farmer!" Laughs, the beast, stroking his beard. Kuvshinnikov and I had breakfast every day in his shop. Oh, brother, I forgot to tell you: I know that you will not leave now, but I won’t give it back for ten thousand, I tell you in advance. Hey Porfiry! - he shouted, going up to the window, at his man, who held a knife in one hand, and in the other a crust of bread with a piece of balyk, which he had the good fortune to cut off in passing, taking something out of the britzka. “Hey, Porfiry,” shouted Nozdryov, “bring a puppy!” What a puppy! he continued, turning to Chichikov. - Stolen, the owner did not give for himself. I promised him a brown mare, which, remember, I traded with Khvostyrev ... - Chichikov, however, never saw a brown mare or Khvostyrev in his life.

Barin! do you want to eat anything? - said at this time, approaching him, the old woman.

Nothing. Oh, brother, what a spree! However, give me a glass of vodka; which one do you have?

Anise, - answered the old woman.

Well, let's anise, - said Nostril.

Give me a glass too! - said the blond.

In the theater, one actress, rascal, sang like a canary! Kuvshinnikov, who was sitting next to me, "Here, he says, brother, I would like to use it about strawberries!" Some booths, I think, were fifty. Fenardi turned the mill for four hours. - Here he took a glass from the hands of the old woman, who bowed low to him for that. - Oh, give it here! he shouted when he saw Porfiry come in with the puppy. Porfiry was dressed, like the master, in some kind of arkhaluka, quilted with cotton, but somewhat greasy.

Come on, put it here on the floor!

Porfiry laid the puppy on the floor, which, stretched out on all four paws, sniffed the ground.

Here is a puppy! said Nozdryov, taking him by the hand and lifting him up. The puppy let out a rather plaintive howl.

However, you didn’t do what I told you,” said Nozdryov, turning to Porfiry and examining the puppy’s belly, “and didn’t think to comb it out?

No, I combed it out.

Why fleas?

I can not know. It may turn out that somehow they got out of the britzka.

You're lying, you're lying, and you didn't imagine scratching; I think, fool, still let his own. Here, look, Chichikov, look at those ears, feel it with your hand.

Why, I already see: a good breed! Chichikov answered.

No, take it on purpose, feel your ears!

To please him, Chichikov felt his ears, saying:

Yes, a good dog.

Do you feel how cold your nose is? take it on hand.

Not wanting to offend him, Chichikov took hold of his nose, saying:

Good flair.

A real muzzle, - continued Nozdryov, - and, I confess, I have long sharpened my teeth on a muzzle. Here, Porfiry, take it!

Porfiry, taking the puppy under his belly, carried him into the britzka.

Listen, Chichikov, you must certainly go to me now, five versts in all, we will rush in spirit, and there, perhaps, you can go to Sobakevich.

"Well," Chichikov thought to himself, "I'm really going to visit Nozdryov. Why is he worse than the others? ask for something."

If you please, let's go, - he said, - but mind not to delay, time is precious to me.

Well, my soul, that's it! That's good, wait, I'll kiss you for it. - Here Nozdrev and Chichikov kissed. - And nice: the three of us and ride!

No, you, please, let me go, - the blond said, - I need to go home.

Trifles, trifles, brother, I won't let you in.

Indeed, the wife will be angry; now you can transfer to their chaise.

Neither, nor, nor! And don't think.

The blond was one of those people whose character at first glance has some kind of stubbornness. Before you open your mouth, they are already ready to argue and, it seems, will never agree to something that is clearly contrary to their way of thinking, that they will never call a stupid person intelligent, and that they will especially not agree to dance according to someone else's tune; but it will always end with softness in their character, that they will agree precisely to what they rejected, they will call the stupid smart and then go to dance as well as possible to someone else's tune - in a word, they will start smooth, and end with shit.

Nonsense! - said Nozdryov in response to some sort of appointment of the blond, put a cap on his head, and - the blond went after them.

They didn’t pay for vodka, master, ... - said the old woman

Ah, well, well, mother. Listen, son-in-law! pay please. I don't have a penny in my pocket.

How old are you? - said the brother-in-law.

Why, father, two kopecks of everything, - said the old woman.

You lie, you lie. Give her half a ruble, she's plenty of it.

Not enough, master, - said the old woman, but she accepted the money with gratitude and also ran in a hurry to open the door for them. She was not at a loss, because she asked for four times what the vodka cost.

The guests sat down. Chichikov's chaise rode next to the chaise in which Nozdryov and his son-in-law were sitting, and therefore all three of them could freely talk to each other throughout the journey. Behind them followed, constantly lagging behind, Nozdryov's small carriage on lean, philistine horses. In it sat Porfiry with a puppy.

Since the conversation that the travelers had among themselves was not very interesting for the reader, we will do better if we say something about Nozdryov himself, who, perhaps, will have a chance to play not the last role in our poem.

Nozdryov's face is probably somewhat familiar to the reader. Everyone had to meet a lot of such people. They are called broken fellows, they are known even in childhood and at school for good comrades, and for all that they are very painfully beaten. Something open, direct, daring is always visible in their faces. They soon get acquainted, and before you have time to look back, they already tell you "you". Friendship will start, it seems, forever: but it almost always happens that the one who makes friends will fight with them that same evening at a friendly feast. They are always talkers, revelers, reckless people, prominent people. Nozdryov at thirty-five was exactly the same as he had been at eighteen and twenty: a go-getter. His marriage did not change him at all, especially since his wife soon departed for the next world, leaving two children, who he definitely did not need. The children, however, were looked after by a pretty nanny. He could not sit at home for more than a day. His sensitive nose could hear him for several tens of miles, where there was a fair with all sorts of congresses and balls; he was already there in the twinkling of an eye, arguing and causing confusion at the green table, for he had, like all such, a passion for cards. As we have already seen from the first chapter, he played cards not entirely without sin and cleanly, knowing many different overexposures and other subtleties, and therefore the game very often ended in another game: either they beat him with boots, or they set his overexposure to thick and very good sideburns, so that sometimes he returned home with only one sideburn, and then quite thin. But his healthy and full cheeks were so well created and contained so much vegetative strength that his sideburns soon grew again, even better than before. And the strangest thing of all, what can happen only in Russia alone, after a few time he already met again with those friends who had beaten him, and met as if nothing had happened, and he, as they say, nothing, and they nothing.

Nozdryov was in some respects a historical person. Not a single meeting he attended was without a story. Some kind of story was bound to happen: either the gendarmes would lead him by the arms out of the gendarme hall, or they would be forced to push out their own friends. If this does not happen, then nevertheless something will happen that will never happen to another: either he will cut himself in the buffet in such a way that he only laughs, or he will lie in the most cruel way, so that at last he himself will become ashamed. And he will lie completely without any need: he will suddenly tell that he had a horse of some blue or pink wool, and similar nonsense, so that the listeners finally all leave, saying: “Well, brother, it seems you have already begun to pour bullets ". There are people who have a passion to spoil their neighbor, sometimes for no reason at all. Another, for example, even a man in rank, with a noble appearance, with a star on his chest, will shake hands with you, talk to you about deep subjects that cause reflection, and then, look, right there, before your eyes, and spoil you. And he will spoil like a simple collegiate registrar, and not at all like a man with a star on his chest, talking about subjects that provoke reflection, so that you just stand and marvel, shrugging your shoulders, and nothing more. Nozdryov had the same strange passion. The closer anyone got along with him, the sooner he would piss everyone off: he would spread a fable, more stupid than which it is difficult to invent, upset a wedding, a trade deal, and did not at all consider himself your enemy; on the contrary, if chance brought him to meet with you again, he treated you again in a friendly way and even said: "After all, you are such a scoundrel, you will never come to me." Nozdryov was in many respects a versatile person, that is, a man of all trades. At that very moment, he offered you to go anywhere, even to the ends of the world, to enter into any enterprise you want, to change everything that is for everything you want. A gun, a dog, a horse - everything was the subject of an exchange, but not at all in order to win: it happened simply from some kind of restless briskness and glibness of character. If he was lucky enough to attack a simpleton at the fair and beat him, he bought a lot of everything that he had previously come across in the shops: collars, smoking candles, nanny's handkerchiefs, a stallion, raisins, a silver washstand, Dutch linen, grain flour, tobacco, pistols, herrings, paintings, sharpening tools, pots, boots, faience utensils - as far as money was enough. However, it rarely happened that this was brought home; almost on the same day it all went down to another, the happiest player, sometimes even adding his own pipe with a pouch and a mouthpiece, and at other times the whole quadruple with everything: with a carriage and a coachman, so that the owner himself went in a short frock coat or arhaluk to look for what some buddy to use his carriage. That's what Nozdryov was like! Maybe they will call him a battered character, they will say that now Nozdryov is no longer there. Alas! those who speak thus will be unjust. Nozdryov will not be out of the world for a long time. He is everywhere between us and, perhaps, only walks in a different caftan; but people are frivolously impenetrable, and a man in a different caftan seems to them a different person.

Meanwhile, three carriages had already rolled up to the steps of Nozdryov's house. There was no preparation in the house for their reception. In the middle of the dining-room stood wooden goats, and two peasants, standing on them, whitewashed the walls, singing some endless song; the floor was all splattered with whitewash. Nozdryov ordered the peasants and the goats out at the same time and ran into another room to give orders. The guests heard him ordering dinner from the cook; realizing this, Chichikov, who was already beginning to feel somewhat appetite, saw that they would not sit down to table before five o'clock. Nozdryov, returning, led the guests to inspect everything that he had in the village, and in a little over two hours he showed absolutely everything, so that there was nothing left to show. First of all, they went to inspect the stable, where they saw two mares, one dappled gray, the other brown, then a bay stallion, unprepossessing in appearance, but for which Nozdryov swore that he had paid ten thousand.

You didn't give ten thousand for him, - said the son-in-law. He's not even worth one.

By God, I gave ten thousand, - said Nozdryov.

You can swear to yourself as much as you want, - answered the son-in-law.

Well, if you want, let's bet! - said Nozdryov.

The son-in-law did not want to bet on the mortgage.

Then Nozdryov showed the empty stalls, where there were also good horses before. In the same stable they saw a goat, which, according to the old belief, was considered necessary to keep with the horses, which, as it seemed, was in harmony with them, walked under their bellies, as at home. Then Nozdryov led them to look at the wolf cub that was on a leash. "Here's a wolf cub!" he said. "I purposely feed him raw meat. I want him to be a perfect animal!" We went to look at the pond, in which, according to Nozdryov, there were fish of such size that two people could hardly pull out a thing, which, however, the relative did not fail to doubt. “I’ll show you, Chichikov,” Nozdryov said, “I’ll show you the most excellent pair of dogs: the fortress of black meat simply inspires amazement, the shield is a needle!” - and led them to a very beautifully built little house, surrounded by a large courtyard fenced on all sides. Entering the courtyard, they saw all sorts of dogs there, both thick-dogs and pure-dogs, of all possible colors and stripes: muruga, black and tan, half-piebald, murugo-piebald, red-and-piebald, black-eared, gray-eared ... There were all nicknames, all imperative moods: shoot, scold, flutter, fire, mow, draw, bake, bake, severga, killer whale, reward, guardian. Nozdryov was among them just like a father among a family; all of them, immediately throwing up their tails, which the dogs call rules, flew straight towards the guests and began to greet them. About ten of them put their paws on Nozdryov's shoulders. licked him right on the lips with his tongue, so that Chichikov immediately spat them out. They examined the dogs, which inspired amazement with the strength of black meat - they were good dogs. Then they went to examine the Crimean bitch, who was already blind and, according to Nozdryov, was soon to die, but about two years ago there was a very good bitch, they also examined the bitch - the bitch, as if she was blind. Then they went to inspect the water mill, where there was a lack of fluff, into which the upper stone is fastened, rapidly rotating on a spindle - "fluttering", according to the wonderful expression of the Russian man.

And here soon there will be a forge! - said Nozdrev. After walking a little, they saw, for sure, a smithy, and examined the smithy.

Here on this field, - said Nozdryov, pointing with his finger at the field, - there is such a death of the Rusaks that the earth is not visible; I myself caught one by the hind legs with my own hands.

Well, you won't catch a hare with your hand! son-in-law remarked.

But I caught it, I caught it on purpose! answered Nozdryov. “Now I will take you to see,” he continued, turning to Chichikov, “the border where my land ends.

Nozdryov led his guests through the field, which in many places consisted of hummocks. The guests had to make their way between fallows and raised fields. Chichikov began to feel tired. In many places their feet squeezed the water under them, to such an extent the place was low. At first they were careful and stepped carefully, but then, seeing that this was of no use, they wandered straight on, not making out where there was more and where there was less dirt. Having walked a decent distance, they saw, for sure, a border consisting of wooden a column and a narrow ditch.

Here is the border! - said Nozdrev. “Everything you see on this side is all mine, and even on the other side, all this forest that turns blue over there, and everything beyond the forest is all mine.

But when did this forest become yours? - asked the son-in-law. - Have you recently bought it? Because he wasn't yours.

Yes, I bought it recently, - answered Nozdryov.

When did you manage to buy it so soon?

Well, I bought it the third day, and damn it, it was expensive.

Why, you were at the fair at the time.

Oh, Sofron! Isn't it possible to be at the fair at the same time and buy land? Well, I was at the fair, and my clerk bought it here without me.

Yes, well, perhaps the clerk! - said the brother-in-law, but even here he hesitated and shook his head.

The guests returned by the same nasty road to the house. Nozdryov led them to his study, in which, however, there were no traces of what happens in studies, that is, books or paper; only sabers and two guns hung - one worth three hundred and the other eight hundred rubles. The brother-in-law, having looked around, shook his head only. Then Turkish daggers were shown, on one of which was mistakenly carved: "Master Savely Sibiryakov." After that, a hurdy-gurdy appeared to the guests. Nozdryov immediately turned something over in front of them. The hurdy-gurdy played not without pleasantness, but in the middle of it, it seems, something happened, for the mazurka ended with the song: "Malbrugh went on a campaign," and "Malbrug went on a campaign" unexpectedly ended with some kind of long-familiar waltz. Nozdryov had long since ceased to twirl, but there was only one very lively pipe in the hurdy-gurdy, which in no way wanted to calm down, and for that reason it whistled alone for a long time. Then pipes appeared - wooden, clay, meerschaum, stoned and unsmoked, covered with suede and not covered, a chibouk with an amber mouthpiece, recently won, a pouch embroidered by some countess, who, somewhere at the post station, fell head over heels in love with him, with which handles , according to him, were the most sublime superflue, a word that probably meant with him the highest point of perfection. Having had a bite of salmon, they sat down at the table about five o'clock. Dinner, apparently, was not the main thing in Nozdryov's life; the dishes did not play a big role: some burned, some did not cook at all. It can be seen that the cook was guided by some kind of inspiration and put the first thing that came to hand: if there was pepper near him - he poured pepper, if he caught cabbage - he popped cabbage, stuffed milk, ham, peas - in a word, go ahead, it was it would be hot, but some taste, it’s true, will come out. On the other hand, Nozdryov leaned heavily on wine: soup had not yet been served, he had already poured out a large glass of port wine for the guests and, in a different way, state sourtern, because in provincial and district cities there is no simple sautern. Therefore, Nozdryov ordered to bring a bottle of Madeira, better than which the field marshal himself did not drink. Madeira, for sure, even burned in the mouth, for the merchants, already knowing the taste of the landowners who loved good Madeira, mercilessly filled it with rum, and sometimes poured aqua regia into it, in the hope that Russian stomachs would endure everything. Then Nozdryov ordered to bring some special bottle, which, according to him, was both bourgognon and champagne together. He poured very diligently into both glasses, right and left, both for his son-in-law and for Chichikov; Chichikov noticed, however, somehow casually, that he did not add much to himself. This forced him to be careful, and as soon as Nozdryov somehow spoke or poured for his son-in-law, he immediately knocked over his glass into a plate. In a short time, rowanberry was brought to the table, which, according to Nozdryov, had the perfect taste of cream, but in which, to amazement, fusel was heard in all its strength. Then they drank some kind of balm, which bore a name that was even difficult to remember, and the owner himself on another occasion called it by a different name. Dinner was long over, and the wines had been tasted, but the guests were still sitting at the table. Chichikov did not want to speak to Nozdryov in front of his son-in-law about the main subject. Still, the son-in-law was an outsider, and the subject required a solitary and friendly conversation. However, the son-in-law could hardly be a dangerous person, because he loaded, it seems, plenty and, sitting on a chair, every minute nodding. Noticing himself that he was not in a reliable condition, he finally began to ask for leave to go home, but in such a lazy and sluggish voice, as if, in a Russian expression, he was pulling a collar on a horse with tongs.

And no-no! I won't let you! - said Nozdrev

No, do not offend me, my friend, really, my son-in-law said I will go, - you will offend me very much.

Rubbish, rubbish! we're going to build a little jar this minute.

No, build it yourself, brother, but I can’t, my wife will be in a big claim, really, I must tell her about the fair. Brother, really, you need to give her pleasure. No, don't hold me!

Well, her wife, to ..! really important thing you will do together!

No, brother! she is so respectful and loyal! Services are such ... believe me, I have tears in my eyes. No, don't hold me; as an honest man, I'll go. I assure you of this in my true conscience.

Let him go, what's the use in him! Chichikov said quietly to Nozdryov.

And really! - said Nozdrev. - Death does not like such thaws! - and added aloud: - Well, to hell with you, go to babbling with your wife, fetuk! (1)

(1) Fetyuk - a word offensive to a man, comes from Fita - a letter revered by some as an indecent letter. (Note by N.V. Gogol.)

No, brother, don't scold me with a fetuk, - answered the son-in-law, - I owe her my life. Such, really, kind, dear, she renders such caresses ... she disassembles to tears; he asks what he saw at the fair, you need to tell everything, so, really, dear.

Well, go ahead, lie to her nonsense! Here is your card.

No, brother, you shouldn't speak of her like that at all; By this you, one might say, offend me, she is so sweet.

Well, then get out to her quickly!

Yes, brother, I'll go, I'm sorry I can't stay. I would be happy with my soul, but I can’t.

The son-in-law repeated his apologies for a long time, not noticing that he himself had been sitting in the britzka for a long time, had long gone out of the gate and had long been empty fields in front of him. It must be assumed that the wife did not hear many details about the fair.

Such rubbish! - said Nozdryov, standing in front of the window and looking at the departing carriage. - Look how he dragged himself! the tie-down horse is not bad, I have long wanted to pick it up. Yes, you can't get along with him. Fetyuk, simply fetyuk!

Then they entered the room. Porfiry gave the candles, and Chichikov noticed in the hands of the host a pack of cards that had come from nowhere.

And what about a brother, - said Nozdryov, pressing the sides of the deck with his fingers and bending it a little, so that the piece of paper cracked and bounced off. - Well, to pass the time, I keep three hundred rubles in a jar!

But Chichikov pretended not to have heard what he was talking about, and said, as if suddenly remembering:

BUT! so as not to forget: I have a request to you.

Give me your word first that you will fulfill it.

What's the request?

Well, give me your word!

Honestly?

Honestly.

Here is a request: do you have, tea, a lot of dead peasants who have not yet been deleted from the audit?

Well, there is, but what?

Transfer them to me, to my name.

And what do you need?

Well, yes, I need.

Yes, for what?

Well, yes, it’s necessary ... it’s my business, in a word, it’s necessary.

Well, you're right, he's up to something. Confess what?

Yes, what did you do? nothing can be made out of such a trifle.

Why do you need them?

Oh, how curious! he would like to touch all sorts of rubbish with his hand, and even smell it!

Why don't you want to say?

But what do you know about profit? Well, just like that, a fantasy came.

So here it is: until you say so, I won't do it!

Well, you see, that's really dishonest of you: you gave your word, and back down the yard.

Well, as you want for yourself, but I won’t do it until you tell me why.

"What would you say to him?" Chichikov thought, and after a moment's reflection, he announced that he needed dead souls to gain weight in society, that he did not have large estates, so until that time at least some little souls.

You lie, you lie! - said Nozdryov, not letting him finish. - You lie, brother!

Chichikov himself noticed that he did not come up with it very cleverly and the pretext was rather weak.

Well, then I’ll tell you more directly, ”he said, recovering himself,“ just please don’t let anyone know. I thought about getting married; but you need to know that the father and mother of the bride are pre-ambitious people. Such a commission, really: I’m not glad that I got in touch, they certainly want the groom to have no less than three hundred souls, and since I have almost a hundred and fifty peasants missing ...

Well, you're lying! you're lying! shouted Nozdryov again.

Well, here it is, - said Chichikov, - he didn’t lie so much, - and he showed the smallest part with his thumb on his little finger.

I bet you're lying!

However, this is embarrassing! What am I really! why do I always lie?

Well, yes, I know you: you are a big swindler, let me tell you this as a friend! If I were your boss, I would hang you from the first tree.

Chichikov was offended by this remark. Already any expression, in any way rude or insulting decency, was unpleasant to him. He did not even like to allow familiar treatment with him in any case, unless the person was of too high a rank. And so now he is completely offended.

By God, I would have hanged you,” repeated Nozdryov, “I am telling you this frankly, not to offend you, but simply in a friendly way.

There are limits to everything,” Chichikov said with a sense of dignity. “If you want to flaunt such speeches, then go to the barracks,” and then added: “If you don’t want to give it away, then sell it.”

Sell! Why, I know you, because you are a scoundrel, because you won’t give dearly for them?

Hey, you're good too! look you! that you have diamonds, or what?

Well, it is. I already knew you.

Have mercy, brother, what kind of Jewish impulse do you have. You should just give them to me.

Well, listen, to prove to you that I'm not some kind of scammer, I won't take anything for them. Buy a stallion from me, I'll give you one to boot.

Have mercy, what do I need a stallion for? said Chichikov, really amazed at such a proposal.

How to what? Why, I paid ten thousand for it, and I'll give it to you for four.

What do I need a stallion for? I don't own a factory.

Yes, listen, you do not understand: after all, I will only take three thousand from you now, and you can pay me the rest of the thousand later.

Yes, I do not need a stallion, God bless him!

Well, buy a brown mare.

And you don't need a mare.

For the mare and the gray horse you saw at my place, I will charge you only two thousand.

I don't need horses.

You sell them, they will give you three times as much for them at the first fair.

So you better sell them yourself when you are sure that you will win three times.

I know that I will win, but I want you to benefit too.

Chichikov thanked for the location and flatly refused both the gray horse and the brown mare.

Well, buy dogs. I'll sell you such a pair, it's just cold on the skin! busty, with a mustache, the hair stands up like bristles. The sideburn of the ribs is incomprehensible to the mind, the paw is all in a lump, it will not touch the ground.

Why do I need dogs? I am not a hunter.

Yes, I wish you had dogs. Listen, if you really don't want dogs, then buy a hurdy-gurdy from me, a wonderful hurdy-gurdy; himself, as an honest man, cost one and a half thousand. I give you for nine hundred rubles.

Why do I need a barrel organ? After all, I'm not a German, so that, trudging along the roads with her, begging for money.

Why, this is not such a barrel organ as the Germans wear. This is an organ; look on purpose: all mahogany. Here I'll show you more! - Here Nozdryov, grabbing Chichikov by the hand, began to drag him into another room, and no matter how he rested his feet on the floor and assured that he already knew what kind of barrel organ, he should have heard again how Malbrug went on a campaign. “When you don’t want money, listen to this: I’ll give you a hurdy-gurdy and all the dead souls I have, and you give me your britzka and three hundred rubles in addition.

Well, here's another, but what am I going to go in?

I'll give you another chaise. Let's go to the shed, I'll show it to you! You just repaint it, and there will be a miracle of the chaise.

"Ek his restless demon as seized!" thought Chichikov to himself, and resolved to get rid of all sorts of britzkas, hurdy-gurdies, and all possible dogs at all costs, in spite of the barrel-shaped ribs and lumpy paws that were incomprehensible to the mind.

Why, the chaise, the hurdy-gurdy, and the dead souls, all together!

I don't want to," Chichikov said once more.

Why don't you want to?

Because I just don't want to, and that's enough.

What you, right, such! with you, as I see, it is impossible, as is usual between good friends and comrades, such, really! .. Now it is clear that a two-faced person!

What am I, a fool, or what? Judge for yourself: why buy a thing that is absolutely unnecessary for me?

Well, please don't talk. Now I know you very well. Such, right, rakalia! Well, listen, do you want to throw a bunch? I'll put all the dead on the map, the hurdy-gurdy too.

Well, to decide to go to the bank means to be exposed to the unknown, - said Chichikov, and meanwhile he looked askance at the cards in his hands. Both waists seemed to him very much like artificial ones, and the brim itself looked very suspicious.

Why the unknown? - said Nozdrev. - No uncertainty! if only happiness is on your side, you can win the damn abyss. There she is! What happiness! - he said, starting to throw to excite enthusiasm. - What happiness! What happiness! out: so it beats! here's that damned nine, on which I squandered everything! I felt that I would sell, but already, closing my eyes, I think to myself: "Damn you, sell it, damn it!"

When Nozdryov said this, Porfiry brought a bottle. But Chichikov resolutely refused to play or drink.

Why don't you want to play? - said Nozdrev.

Well, because it is not located. Yes, I confess to say, and not at all a hunter to play.

Why not a hunter?

Chichikov shrugged his shoulders and added:

Because it's not a hunter.

Damn you!

What to do? so God created.

Fetyuk is simple! I used to think that you were at least somewhat decent, but you didn't understand any conversion. There is no way to speak with you as with a close person ... no straightforwardness, no sincerity! perfect Sobakevich, such a scoundrel!

Why are you scolding me? Is it my fault for not playing? Sell ​​me the souls of some, if you are such a person that you tremble because of this nonsense.

You'll get the hell of a bald man! I wanted to, I wanted to give away for free, but now you won’t get it! At least three kingdoms come on, I won’t give it back. Such a shchilk, nasty stove-maker! From now on, I don't want to have anything to do with you. Porfiry, go tell the groom not to give oats to his horses, let them eat only hay.

Chichikov did not expect the last conclusion.

It would be better if you just didn’t show me in front of my eyes! - said Nozdrev.

However, in spite of such a quarrel, the guest and the host dined together, although this time there were no wines with intricate names on the table. Sticking out was only a bottle of some Cypriot, which was what is called sourness in all respects. After dinner, Nozdryov said to Chichikov, taking him to a side room where a bed had been prepared for him:

Here's your bed! I don't want to wish you good night!

Chichikov remained after Nozdryov's departure in the most unpleasant frame of mind. He was inwardly annoyed with himself, scolded himself for having called in and wasted his time, but he scolded himself even more for talking to him about the matter, acting imprudently, like a child, like a fool: for the matter is not at all of this kind, to be entrusted to Nozdryov... Nozdryov is a rubbish man, Nozdryov can lie, add, dissolve the devil knows what, some more gossip will come out - not good, not good. "I'm just a fool." he said to himself. He slept very badly at night. Some small, stubborn insects bit him unbearably painfully, so that he scraped the wounded place with his whole handful, saying: "Ah, damn you, along with Nozdryov!" He woke up early in the morning. His first act, having put on his dressing-gown and boots, was to go across the yard to the stables and order Selifan to lay down the britzka at once. Returning through the yard, he met Nozdryov, who was also in a dressing gown, with a pipe in his teeth.

Nozdryov greeted him in a friendly way and asked how he slept.

So-so, - answered Chichikov very dryly.

And I, brother, - said Nozdryov, - such an abomination climbed all night, that it’s vile to talk, and after yesterday, it’s like the squadron spent the night in my mouth. Imagine: I dreamed that I was flogged, she-she! and guess who? You'll never guess: Staff Captain Kisses, along with Kuvshinnikov.

“Yes,” Chichikov thought to himself, “it would be nice if you were torn off in reality.”

By God! yes it hurts! I woke up: damn it, something is really itching - that's right, flea witches. Well, you go now get dressed, I'll come to you now. You just need to scold the scoundrel clerk.

Chichikov went into the room to dress and wash. When after that he went out into the dining-room, there was already a tea set with a bottle of rum on the table. There were traces of yesterday's lunch and dinner in the room; it seems that the floor brush was not touched at all. Bread crumbs lay on the floor, and tobacco ash was even visible on the tablecloth. The owner himself, who did not hesitate to enter soon, had nothing under his dressing gown, except for an open chest, on which some kind of beard grew. Holding a chibouk in his hand and sipping from a cup, he was very good for a painter who does not like the fear of gentlemen sleek and curled, like barber signs, or cut with a comb.

Well, what do you think? said Nozdryov, after a little silence. - Don't want to play for souls?

I already told you, brother, that I don't play; buy - if you please, I will buy.

I don't want to sell, it won't be friendly. I'm not going to take hymen off God knows what. In a bow is another matter. Let's drop the waist!

I already said no.

Don't you want to change?

I do not want.

Well, listen, let's play checkers, you win - everything is yours. After all, I have a lot of those that need to be deleted from the audit. Hey, Porfiry, bring the chess player here.

Wasted work, I won't play.

Why, it's not to the bank; there can be no happiness or falsehood here: after all, everything comes from art; I even warn you that I don’t know how to play at all, unless you give me something in advance.

"Here I am," Chichikov thought to himself, "I'll play checkers with him! I played checkers pretty well, but it's hard for him to get up here."

All right, so be it, I'll play checkers.

Souls go in a hundred rubles!

Why? enough if they go at fifty.

No, what is kush fifty? Well, in this amount, I’d better include for you some puppy of an average hand or a gold signet for a watch.

Well, please! Chichikov said.

How much will you give me in advance? - said Nozdrev.

Why is this? Of course, nothing.

At least let there be my two moves.

I don't want to, I don't play well myself.

I haven't picked up checkers for a long time! said Chichikov, also moving a saber.

We know you, how badly you play! - said Nozdryov, speaking with his saber.

I haven't picked up checkers for a long time! said Chichikov, moving his saber.

We know you, how badly you play! - said Nozdryov, moving a saber, and at the same time moved another saber with the cuff of his sleeve.

I haven't picked it up for a long time!.. Eh, eh! this, brother, what? put her back! Chichikov said.

Yes, a checker, - said Chichikov, and at the same time he saw in front of his very nose another, which, as it seemed, was making its way into the kings; where it came from, only God knew. - No, - said Chichikov, getting up from the table, - there is no way to play with you! They don’t walk like that, all of a sudden three checkers!

Why three? This is by mistake. One moved inadvertently, I'll move it, if you please.

Where did the other one come from?

What's the other one?

But this one that sneaks into the ladies?

Here you go, as if you don't remember!

No, brother, I counted all the moves and remember everything; you've just added it. Where is her place!

How, where is the place? said Nozdryov, blushing. - Yes, you, brother, as I see it, are a writer!

No, brother, it seems that you are a writer, but only unsuccessfully.

Who do you think I am? Nozdrev said. - Am I going to cheat?

I don’t consider you for anyone, but I’ll never play from now on.

No, you can't refuse, - said Nozdryov, getting excited, - the game has begun!

I have the right to refuse, because you do not play as decently as an honest person.

No, you're lying, you can't say that

No, brother, you yourself are lying!

I did not cheat, but you cannot refuse, you must finish the game!

You won't force me to do that," Chichikov said coolly and, going up to the board, mixed his checkers.

Nozdryov flushed and went up to Chichikov so close that he took two steps back.

I'll make you play! It's nothing that you mixed checkers, I remember all the moves. We will put them back the way they were.

No, brother, it's over, I won't play with you.

So you don't want to play?

You see for yourself that there is no way to play with you.

No, tell me straight, don't you want to play? said Nozdryov, stepping even closer.

I do not want! said Chichikov, and, however, raised both hands, just in case, closer to his face, for the matter was getting really hot.

This precaution was quite in place, because Nozdryov waved his hand ... and it could very well have happened that one of our hero's pleasant and full cheeks would have been covered with indelible dishonor; but happily parrying the blow, he seized Nozdryov by both of his fervent hands and held him tightly.

Porfiry, Pavlushka! Nozdryov shouted furiously, trying to break free.

Hearing these words, Chichikov, in order not to make the yard people witness the seductive scene and at the same time feeling that it was useless to hold Nozdryov, let go of his hands. At that very moment Porfiry entered, and with him Pavlushka, a stout fellow with whom it was absolutely unprofitable to deal with.

So you don't want to end the games? Nozdrev said. - Answer me directly!

There is no way to finish the game, - said Chichikov and looked out the window. He saw his britzka, which stood completely ready, and Selifan seemed to be waiting for a wave to roll up under the porch, but there was no way to get out of the room: two burly serf fools were standing in the doorway.

So you don't want to finish the games? repeated Nozdryov, his face burning as if on fire.

If you played like an honest man. But now I can't.

BUT! so you can't, you scoundrel! when you saw that it wasn’t yours, you couldn’t! Beat him! he shouted frantically, turning to Porfiry and Pavlushka, and he himself grabbed a cherry chubuk in his hand. Chichikov became pale as a sheet. He wanted to say something, but felt that his lips were moving without a sound.

Beat him! shouted Nozdryov, rushing forward with a cherry chibouk, covered in heat and sweat, as if he were approaching an impregnable fortress. - Beat him! - he shouted in the same voice as during a great attack he shouts to his platoon: "Guys, go ahead!" some desperate lieutenant, whose eccentric courage has already gained such fame that a special order is given to hold his hands during hot deeds. But the lieutenant already felt abusive enthusiasm, everything went round in his head; Suvorov rushes before him, he climbs to a great cause. "Guys, go ahead!" - he shouts, rushing, not thinking that he is harming the already well-thought-out plan of the general attack, that millions of gun muzzles are exposed in the embrasures of impregnable fortress walls that go beyond the clouds, that his powerless platoon will fly up like fluff into the air and that the fatal bullet is already whistling , preparing to slam his noisy throat. But if Nozdryov expressed himself as a desperate, lost lieutenant who approached the fortress, then the fortress he was going to did not at all look like an impregnable one. On the contrary, the fortress felt such fear that its soul hid in its very heels. Already the chair with which he had taken it into his head to defend himself had been torn out of his hands by the serfs, already, closing his eyes, neither alive nor dead, he was preparing to taste the Circassian chubuk of his master, and God knows what might happen to him; but the fates were pleased to save the sides, shoulders and all the well-bred parts of our hero. In an unexpected way, the sounds of a bell rattled as if from clouds, the sound of the wheels of a cart flying up to the porch was heard clearly, and even in the room itself the heavy snoring and heavy shortness of breath of the hot horses of the stopped troika echoed. Everyone involuntarily glanced out the window: someone with a mustache, in a semi-military frock coat, was climbing out of the cart. Having inquired about the entrance, he entered at the very moment when Chichikov had not yet had time to recover from his fear and was in the most miserable position a mortal had ever been in.

May I know who Mr. Nozdryov is here? - said the stranger, looking in some bewilderment at Nozdryov, who stood with a chibouk in his hand, and at Chichikov, who was barely beginning to recover from his disadvantageous position.

May I first inquire to whom I have the honor of speaking? - said Nozdryov, coming closer to him.

Correction Captain.

What do you want?

I have come to announce to you the notice communicated to me that you are under trial until the end of the decision in your case.

What nonsense, what business? - said Nozdrev.

You were implicated in history, on the occasion of inflicting personal insult on the landowner Maksimov with rods in a drunken state.

You're lying! I never even saw the landowner Maksimov!

Your Majesty! let me tell you that I am an officer. You can say that to your servant, not to me!

Here Chichikov, not waiting for Nozdryov to answer this, rather slipped out onto the porch by the cap and behind the police captain, got into the britzka, and ordered Selifan to drive the horses at full speed.