agreed to expedite matters; and the tailor colony sat down to work all night, with needle, goose, and teeth, so that the coat was ready on the morrow, although a little late. It was excellent, exactly like the first one. But, alas! Tchitchikoff observed that there was now a smooth white spot on his head; and he wailed mournfully. “And why need I have indulged in such violent grief? I ought not to have torn my hair for a long time to come.”

After settling with the tailor, he at length left the town. He was no longer the Tchitchikoff of former days; he was merely the ruin of the old Tchitchikoff. His soul, by its internal condition, might have been compared to a building which has been pulled to pieces, in order than a new one may be constructed from it, which new one has not yet been begun, as the final plans have not yet arrived from the architect, so that the workmen are left in a state of indecision.

Old Murazoff took his departure an hour before Tchitchikoff, in a kibitka in company with his clerk, Potapuitch; and one hour after Tchitchikoff’s departure, an order was circulated through the town to the effect that the prince wished to see everyone of the officials on the occasion of his approaching trip to Petersburg.

The entire official force of the city, beginning with the civil governor and ending with a titular councillor, assembled in the grand hall of the governor-general’s residence. There were all the heads of offices and departments, councillors, assessors, Sourbiters, Rednoses, Blowhards7; those who had taken bribes, those who had not; those whose souls were crooked, those whose souls were getting crooked, and those whose souls were not crooked at all. All awaited the entrance of the governor-general in considerable excitement and trepidation. The prince made his appearance with a face which was neither gloomy nor pleasant; his glance was firm, so was his step. The entire official assemblage bowed, some of them to their very girdles. The prince responded with a slight inclination of the head, and then began as follows:—

“As I am on the point of starting for Petersburg, I have thought it proper to have an interview with you, and I will explain to you in some degree the cause of my adopting this course. A very disgraceful affair has occurred here in our very midst. I presume that many of those now present know to what matter I refer. This affair has led to the detection of other matters not less disgraceful, in which men whom I have hitherto regarded as honest have become involved. I am even acquainted with their secret purposes to confuse and muddle everything in such a manner that it will be absolutely impossible to arrive at a clear knowledge of the situation. I know who is the leader in all this, and all about his secret action, although he has very cleverly kept in the background all through. But the point lies here—that I intend to investigate this matter, not by a formal investigation of the papers, but by swift trial, as in time of war; and I hope that the emperor will grant me the right to do so, when I have laid the whole business before him. In this case, as there exists no possibility of carrying out the proceedings in the usual form, since cabinets full of documents have been burned, and since efforts are being made by means of forged denunciations and other false extraneous testimony to confuse this matter, which is dark enough already, I consider a court-martial to be the sole resource, and I should like to gather your opinion on the subject.”

The prince paused, as though awaiting a reply. All stood with their eyes fixed on the floor. Many of them were pallid.

“I am also acquainted with another transaction,” resumed his excellency, “although those engaged in it feel perfectly sure that it cannot be possibly known to anyone. The prosecution will in this instance be vigorously pressed; for I shall myself be the informant and the plaintiff, and I shall present convincing proofs.”

One of the official assemblage now shuddered, and some of the more timid fairly took alarm.

“As a matter of course,” continued the prince, “the chief ringleader will be punished by the loss of his rank and property, and the rest by removal from office. Possibly many innocent men will suffer. But what is to be done? The affair is a very dishonourable one, and people cry aloud for justice. Although I am aware that this will not even serve as a lesson to others—for in the place of those who are discharged,


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