where. Over them twine hop-vines, upon them hang pots; from behind them the sunflowers show their sun-like heads, poppies blush, fat pumpkins peep; all is luxury itself!

you will surely stop and admire the view: such a wonderful pool is there! The finest you ever saw. It occupies nearly the whole of the square. A tru

just mentioned, and which the chief of police calls a lake. It alone is painted the colour of granite. All the other houses in Mirgorod are merely whitewashed. Its roof is of wood, and would have been even painted red, had not the government clerks eaten the oil which had been prepared fo

ront one for clients, the other having a table adorned with ink-spots, and with a looking-glass upon it, and four oak chairs with tall backs; whilst along the wall stand

thinner than Ivan Nikiforovitch, with a good-natured face, a greasy dressin

dge was talking with the assistant. A barefooted girl stood holding a tray with cups at once side of them. At the end of the table, the secretary was reading the decision in some case, but in such a mournful and monoto

e for, and began to sing, God knows what! He got worse and worse and worse and worse as time went on; he began to rattle and get hoarse-just good for nothing! And this is how it happened: a little lump, not s

itch?" broke in the secretary, who had

And I did not hear a word of it! Where is it? Give

sack Bokitok for

snuff-box, "such as our Mirgorod shops sell us. I ate no herrings, for, as you know, they give me heart-burn; but I tasted the caviare-very fine caviare, too! There's no doubt it, excellent! Then I drank some peach-brandy, real gentian. There was saffron-bran

g everybody in his manner! I never beheld such refinement. He knew his own worth quite well, and therefore looked for universal respect as his due. The jud

vanovitch?" he inquired: "w

ed Ivan Ivanovitch, as he

one little cup," r

hospitality," replied Ivan Ivanovitc

le cup," repea

Demyanovitch." Whereupon Ivan Ivano

ttle

s hand to the tray. Heavens! What a height of refinement there was in that man

not have a

Ivan Ivanovitch, turning his cup u

avour, Ivan

." Thereupon Ivan Ivano

he sake of our friendsh

our hospitality." So saying, Ivan

up, one l

tray and took a cup. Oh, the deuce! How

swallowing the last drain, "I have pressing b

m his pocket a sheet of stamped paper, written over

ho is

orovitch Do

chair. "What do you say?" he exclaimed, clas

ourself th

have fallen out with Ivan Nikiforovitch! Is it your mouth which says that?

t endure the sight of him: he has done me

ildren, you live together like dogs. If you would only take pattern by Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch, they are

ssible to relate it in words: be pleased rather to read my

itch," said the judge, t

e, as all district judges' secretaries blow their noses

od District, Ivan Pererepenko, son of Ivan, a plaint:

seventh day of July of this year 1810, inflicted upon me a deadly insult, touching my personal honour, and likewise tending to the humiliation and confusion of

but the judge folded his hands in approbation and murmured t

the reading might proceed, an

ing named after it. The proof of my noble extraction is that, in the baptismal register to be found in the Church of the Three Bishops, the day of my birth, and likewise the fact of my baptism, are inscribed. But a goose, as is well known to every one who has any knowledge of science, cannot be inscribed in the baptismal

ntention that to emphasise the insult offered me; for the said shed had, up to that time, stood in a very suitable situation, and was still sufficiently strong. But the loathsome intention of the aforesaid nobleman consisted simply in this: viz., in making me a witness of unpleasant occurrences; for it is well known that no man goes in

gun to emerge frequently from his apartments, which he never did formerly on account of his laziness and the disgusting corpulence of his body; in the second place, in his servants' apartments, adjoining the fence, surrounding my own land, received by me from my father of bless

gal appropriation of my property, and, worse than all else, of malicious and deliberate addition to my surname, of the nickname of goose, be condemned by the court, to f

erepenko, son of Ivan, nobleman,

"What are you doing, Ivan Ivanovitch? Fear God! throw away that plaint, let it go! may Satan carry it off! Better take Ivan Nikiforovitch by the ha

an affair which can be arranged by a friendly agreement. Farewell! Good-day to you, too, gentlemen," he continued with the same dignity, turnin

lerks upset some broken fragments of bottles which served for inkstands; and the judge

Trofimovitch?" said the judge, tur

to say," rep

appearance of Ivan Nikiforovitch, and in court too, seemed so extraordinary that the judge screamed; the secretary stopped reading; one clerk, in his frieze imitation of a dress-coat, took his pen in his lips; and the other swa

here? How is your heal

efforts of her bony hands, could accomplish nothing. Then one of the clerks, with thick lips, a thick nose, eyes which looked askance and intoxicated, broad shoulders, and ragged elbows, approached the front half of Ivan Nikiforovitch, crossed his hands for him as though he had been a child, and winked at the old soldier, who braced his knee against Iva

send you a decoction of brandy, with which you need but to r

. Finally, in a faint and barely audible voice from fatigue, he exclaimed, "Wouldn't you l

nnot conceive what made you put yourself to so much

Nikiforovitch man

t? What

a prolonged pause-"Oh! a complaint against

ar friends! A complaint aga

" ejaculated Ivan Ni

e crosse

laint, and

his nose to sniff at his upper lip, which generally occurred only as a sign of great enjoyment. This independence on the part of his nose caused th

ed in before he began to read, that is to say, blowing his nose without the aid

the Mirgorod District, presents a plaint, and b

and like spiteful deeds, which inspire me with terror. Yesterday afternoon, like a brigand and thief, with axes, saws, chisels, and various locksmith's tools, he came by night into my yard

to dissuade him from it: but the said rascal and scoundrel, Ivan Pererepenko, son of Ivan, abused me like a muzhik, and since that time has cherished against me an irreconcilable enmity. His sister was well known to every one as a loose character, and went off with a regiment of chasseurs which was stationed at Mirgorod five years ago; but she inscribed her husband as a peasant. His father and mother too were not law-abiding p

ns, and confined in the jail or the government prison, and there, under supervision, deprived of his rank and nobility, well flogged, and bani

, son of Nikifor, noble of the Mi

ding, Ivan Nikiforovitch seized his hat a

m. "Sit down a little while. Have some tea. Orishko, why are you sta

such a fearful quarantine, made haste to crawl through the door, saying, "Don't trouble yo

loyees were thrusting into sacks the fowls, eggs, loaves, pies, cracknels, and other odds and ends brought by the plaintiffs-just at that moment a brown sow rushed into the room and snatched, to the amazement of the spectators, neither a pie nor a crust of bread but I

time upon such an unheard-of affair. Finally it was decided to write a report of the matter to the governor, as the investigation of the matter pertained more to the department of the city p