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432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1842
In the britzka sat a gentleman, not handsome, but also not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin; you could not have said he was old, yet neither was he all that young.
The governor opined of him that he was a right-minded man; the prosecutor that he was a sensible man; the colonel of the gendarmes said he was a learned man; the head magistrate that he was a knowledgeable and estimable man; the police chief that he was an estimable and amiable man; the police chief鈥檚 wife that he was a most amiable and mannerly man.
鈥淵ou ask, for what reasons? These are the reasons: I would like to buy peasants鈥︹€� Chichikov said, faltered, and did not finish his speech.
鈥淏ut allow me to ask you,鈥� said Manilov, 鈥渉ow do you wish to buy them: with land, or simply to have them resettled 鈥� that is, without land?鈥�
鈥淣o, it鈥檚 not quite peasants,鈥� said Chichikov, 鈥淚 would like to have dead鈥︹€�
鈥淗ow鈥檚 that, sir? Excuse me鈥� I鈥檓 somewhat hard of hearing, I thought I heard a most strange word鈥︹€�
鈥淚 propose to acquire dead ones, who would, however, be counted in the census as living,鈥� said Chichikov.
鈥濫ra o femeie aspr膬 卯n purt膬ri, de葯i se d膬dea 卯n v卯nt dup膬 stafide鈥�.
鈥瀃笔别迟谤耻葯办补] era mai cur卯nd taciturn dec卯t vorb膬re牛 din fire; avea chiar o nobil膬 pornire spre cultur膬, adic膬 spre cititul c膬r牛ilor, dar nu se ostenea s膬 aleag膬: 卯i era cu totul indiferent dac膬 citea aventurile unui erou 卯ndr膬gostit, un abecedar sau o carte de rug膬ciuni 鈥� tuturora le acorda aceea艧i aten牛ie; dac膬 i s ar fi b膬gat sub nas o carte de chimie, ar fi citit-o negre艧it. Nu-i pl膬cea ceea ce citea, ci 卯nsu艧i cititul sau, mai bine zis, 卯nsu艧i procesul lecturii鈥�.