Selifan, the coachman, had received instructions to be ready early in the morning, and to have his horses and the britchka ready to start at a moment's notice; Petruschka, his servant, was ordered to stay at home, and mind his master's apartment and his portmanteau. The reader will not deem it superfluous4, we hope, to make the distant acquaintance of these two domestics of our hero, whom he was accustomed to call his men or serfs. Although, and of course, they will not have to appear as prominent characters, or even victims of despotism; yet, their denomination5 of serfs may serve us as an excuse for exciting the curiosity and sympathy of our courteous6 reader in their behalf, and for placing them among the third, or even second-rate personages, who are to figure in the adventures of our hero Pavel Ivanovitch Tchichikoff.
Although, the plot, or the links that connect the whole, is not especially founded upon them, still, now and then, they will have to appear in order to pull us through this long "chain of events;" besides, as we are in England, we like to be minute in everything, and in this instance, and regardless of our being a Russian, we will do our best, and try to be as particular as an Englishman. In addition, the description will demand but little time and space, for it will not be necessary to add much more to that which the reader already knows; we therefore proceed to state at once that Petruschka was accustomed to wear, and to walk about in a large snuff-coloured coat, formerly7 cast off from the broad shoulders of his master, and that he had, as is common among persons of his calling, a very large nose and broad lips. As regards his character, he was addicted8 more to the silent system, than inclined to talkativeness; he had a laudable inclination9 for general information, i.e. he was fond of reading books, though he did not care much about their contents; it was a matter of perfect indifference10 to him, whether it was the adventures of an amorous11 hero, or simply a spelling, or a prayer-book, he read them all with equal attention; if therefore, a grave work on chemistry had been presented to him, he would have accepted it with equal resignation. It was not what he read that pleased him, but more the reading itself, or better said, the process of reading, because from the composition of letters, originate words, which again when spelled have a meaning, which many a poor devil like Petruschka has every difficulty to understand.
He had the habit of going through his reading process, generally in a recumbent position, which he took up in the anteroom, where he used to stretch himself upon his bed and upon a mattress12, which, in consequence of the frequent use and this peculiar13 indulgence of his, had shrunk into a mere14 nothing in comparison to its original size, and had actually become as thin as a pancake. Besides his passion for reading, he had two more characteristic habits; he liked to sleep without undressing, just as he was, in the same surtout, and conveying with him a je ne sais quoi, an atmosphere of his own, which was not unlike the odour of an over-crowded room, so much so, that it was sufficient for him to put up his bedstead, no matter where, if even in an hitherto uninhabited apartment, and bring into it his cloak and other articles of wardrobe, when suddenly it would seem as the chamber15 had been occupied for the last ten years.
Tchichikoff had his peculiarities16 as well, and was in many instances a man of delicate feelings; sometimes, when rising early in the morning, he would inhale17 the air with his refreshed nostrils18, but of a sudden he would sneeze and slowly add: "Well, Petruschka, the devil knows it, you seem to perspire19 strongly. I only wish you would go and take a warm bath." To this, Petruschka made no reply, but tried to busy himself immediately with something; or he went with brush in hand to his master's dress-coat which was hanging over the door, as if to dean it; or would arrange or put some of his effects in order. It is difficult to say what he might be thinking of at this precise moment, when he was thus rebuked20 and silent; perhaps he thus spoke21 to himself: "What an original my master is, to be sure, he seems not to be tired of repeating the same observation, fifty times over." Heaven knows! it is very difficult to tell what a wretched serf thinks at the moment when his lawful22 master scolds him. However, this is all we have to say at present about Petruschka.
The coachman, Selifan, was quite a different man. However, on second thoughts, we feel rather timid about troubling our reader so much with the affairs of persons of so low a condition, for we know by experience how little inclination there exists to make acquaintance with the lower classes. At any rate that is the case in Russia, where we have ranks of every shade and description, and where a frightful23 predilection24 prevails to become acquainted with persons of merely a higher nuance25 of rank, and a bowing acquaintance with a count or a baron26 of the Empire, is esteemed27 but too often more valuable than the most intimate ties of friendship.
And thus passing over the coachman, Selifan, we return to our hero, who having given his orders and already made his preparations on the previous evening, awoke the next morning early, washed himself with a wet sponge from top to toe, an operation which he had a particular habit of performing, usually on a Sunday; the day happening to be the one as well on which he shaved himself carefully and even so minutely, that his cheeks looked as smooth and shiny as satin; he put on his coffee-coloured dress-coat with the gilt28 brass29 buttons, and then his travelling cloak with its numerous collars. Thus dressed he descended30 the staircase, carefully assisted, now on side, now on the other, by the one ever attentive31 head-waiter, until he took his seat in the britchka.
The travelling carriage drove with great noise from the court-yard into the open street. A passing priest respectfully saluted32 the traveller, as if giving him his benediction33 on the road, whilst a few boys in ragged34 shirts and breeches stretched out their little hands and shouted after him, "Pray, good gentleman, do not forget the wretched orphans35." Selifan, the coachman, observing that one of the little urchins36 was very expert in throwing somersets, gave him a touch with his whip on passing him, and away went the britchka clattering37 over the stones.
It is with no little pleasure that a traveller beholds39 in the distance the painted mile posts, which are the limits of the fatiguing40 pavement and other annoyances41 on passing through a town; a little more shaking and jolting42 about in his carriage and Tchichikoff found himself at last upon a more even and pleasanter road. Scarcely, however, had he left the town at his back when his sight was gratified with, what we term, "rural beauty," on either side of the road, such as mole-hills, fir-trees, low and stunted43 shrubs44, and pine groves45 intermixed and surrounded by juniper and other such trees and bushes. Now and then the scene would be enlivened by the sudden appearance of a village laid out in a monotonous-geometrical order, and resembling in its architecture a huge pile of timber covered over with a grey roof, under which the ornamental46 wood-carvings forcibly reminded one of the embellishments of a Dutch towel.
Here and there a few mouzhiks might be seen yawning as usual, and sitting upon their sheepskins before their houses, whilst the women with their fat bodies and cheeks were peeping out from the windows above; from the lower story of the houses some serious sheep or a sullen47 pig would exhibit their grave faces. Such are the scenes that present themselves but too often on the high roads of Russia.
After having passed the fifteenth werst, Tchichikoff bethought himself, that it must be about here that, according to the words of Maniloff, his estate and village ought to be found, but after having passed the sixteenth werst-post he still saw nothing of that which was so minutely described to him, and had it not been for two peasants who were just passing, it is very difficult to say whether Tchichikoff would have found the spot or not. Upon the question being put to them, how far it was to the estate called Zamanilovka, the mouzhiks took off their hats, and one of them, being rather more intelligent than his comrade, for he wore his beard in the pointed48 style, replied, "It is perhaps Manilovka and not Zamanilovka, that your glory wishes to inquire for?"
"Just so, yes, Manilovka!"
"Manilovka! very well, if you drive on a werst farther, you will be there, that is to say, straight on and then to the right."
"To the right?" now inquired the coachman, in his turn.
"Yes, to the right," replied the peasant, "that will be your road to Manilovka; as for Zamanilovka, such a village does not exist. It is called so, that is to say, its name is Manilovka, as for Zamanilovka you will not find it; straight on before you, you will perceive upon a hill a house built of stone two stories high, in which lives the master, that is to say the owner of the estate. That then will be Manilovka, but as for Zamanilovka there is no such a place here, and never was." They now drove off in search of Manilovka. They had already gone two wersts, and came to the turning of a private road; they seemed to have passed two, three and even four wersts more, but still they did not behold38 the stone building that was to be two stories high. Suddenly, Tchichikoff bethought himself that if a person invites a friend to visit him at his estate, situated49 about fifteen wersts from town, it usually turns out to be at least thirty wersts distance; at any rate, the situation of Maniloff's estate seemed at present to be known but to few.
The dwelling-house of Maniloff's family stood, nevertheless, on a rising hill, quite isolated50, that is to say, upon an elevation51 exposed to all the winds that might be blowing from any quarter; the declivity52 of the mount upon which the house stood was surrounded by a carefully cut grass-plot, upon which were scattered53 about a few bushy heaps à l'anglaise, shrubs of lilac and yellow acacias; here and there a group composed of five or six birch trees raised their thin branches and small leaves, thus forming a scanty54 cupola. From between two such cupolas peered out a pavilion with a flat roof, painted in light green and resting upon wooden columns of a sky-blue colour, with the laconic55 inscription56: "Temple of solitary57 meditation58;" a little lower in the foreground a brook59 rushed forth60 noisily from under the green foliage61, which is not an uncommon62 thing in an English garden belonging to a Russian proprietor63.
At the foot of the elevation and partly upon its incline, were scattered in the distance and in all directions a number of small grey wooden huts, forming the village; at the sight of these dwellings64 our hero began—for some reason or other best known to himself—to count them; and on counting their number he found them upwards65 of two hundred. They were nowhere intersected by trees or shrubs, they presented nothing else but the monstrous66 appearance of heaps of wood as previously67 described.
The scene, however, was enlivened by two women, who had tucked up their petticoats in a quite picturesque68 manner, and fixed69 them carefully to their sides; they were wading70 up to their knees through the brook, holding each one end of a ragged net, in which might have been seen a couple of entangled71 crayfish, and a fat trout72; the women seemed to have some dispute, for they appeared quarrelling and scolding one another. In the distance, on the right hand side of the hill, loomed73 a dull looking fir-tree forest. The weather even, seemed in harmony with the scenery; the day was not exactly a dull one, nor could it be called a bright one, the sky was of a peculiarly greyish tint74, not unlike the worn-out cloak of a garrison75 soldier. To complete the tableau76, the cock, the prognosticator of the changes in the weather, even seemed out of tune77; regardless of the fact that his head was damaged by the beaks78 of his fellow-creatures—according to their fashion he was crowing à tue-tête and even clapped his tattered79 wings against his ragged sides.
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1
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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denomination
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| n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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7
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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addicted
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| adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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10
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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amorous
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| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
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mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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13
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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15
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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inhale
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| v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟) | |
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18
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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19
perspire
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| vi.出汗，流汗 | |
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20
rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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22
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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nuance
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| n.(意义、意见、颜色)细微差别 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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30
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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31
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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32
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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33
benediction
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| n.祝福；恩赐 | |
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34
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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35
orphans
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| 孤儿( orphan的名词复数 ) | |
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36
urchins
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| n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆 | |
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37
clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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38
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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beholds
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| v.看，注视( behold的第三人称单数 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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40
fatiguing
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| a.使人劳累的 | |
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41
annoyances
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| n.恼怒( annoyance的名词复数 )；烦恼；打扰；使人烦恼的事 | |
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42
jolting
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| adj.令人震惊的 | |
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43
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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44
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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45
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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46
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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47
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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48
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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49
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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50
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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51
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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52
declivity
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| n.下坡，倾斜面 | |
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53
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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54
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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55
laconic
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| adj.简洁的；精练的 | |
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56
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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57
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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58
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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59
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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60
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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61
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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62
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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64
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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65
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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69
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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70
wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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71
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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73
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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74
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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75
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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76
tableau
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| n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面） | |
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77
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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78
beaks
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| n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者 | |
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79
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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