urally: pull and stretch ju-u-u-st enough, God save us, not to tear the
cloth: you see," I say, "we don't have to wear it afterwards. Well, and if
they look the other way, nobody's to blame if you should happen to measure
one yard of cloth twice."

BOLSHOV. It's all one. I suppose the tailor'd steal it. Ha? He'd steal it,
I suppose?

RISPOLOZHENSKY. He'd steal it, Samson Silych, certainly that rascal would
steal it; I know these tailors.

BOLSHOV. That's it; the whole lot of them are rascals, and we get the
thanks.

RISPOLOZHENSKY. Quite right, Samson Silych, you're certainly speaking the
truth.

BOLSHOV. Ah, Lazar, profits are rotten these days: it's not as it used to
be. [_After a moment of silence_] Well, did you bring the paper?

PODKHALYUZIN. [_Taking it from his pocket and handing it over_] Be so good
as to read it, sir.

BOLSHOV. Just give it here; we'll take a look. [_He puts on his spectacles
and examines the paper_.

RISPOLOZHENSKY. Samson Silych, I'll just take a thimbleful. _He drinks,
then puts on his spectacles, sits down beside_ BOLSHOV, _and looks at the
newspapers_.

BOLSHOV. [_Reads aloud_] "Crown announcements, and from various societies.
One, two, three, four, five, and six, from the Foundlings' Hospital."
That's not in our line: it's not for us to buy peasants. "Seven and eight
from Moscow University, from the Government Regencies, from the Office of
the Board of Charities." Well, we'll pass that up, too. "From the City
Council of Six." Now, sir, maybe there's something here! [_He reads_] "The
Moscow City Council of Six hereby announces: Would not some one care to
take in his charge the collection of taxes as named below?" That's not our
line, you have to give security. "The Office of the Widows' Home hereby
invites--" Let it invite, we won't go. "From the Orphans' Court." I haven't
any father or mother, myself. [_Examines farther_] Aha! Here something's
slipped up! Listen here, Lazar! "Year so-and-so, twelfth day of September,
according to the decision of the Commerce Court, the merchant Fedot
Seliverstov Pleshkov, of the first guild, was declared an insolvent debtor,
in consequence of which--" What's the use of explaining? Everybody knows
the consequences. There you are, Fedot Seliverstov! What a grandee he was,
and he's gone to smash! But say, Lazar, doesn't he owe us something?

PODKHALYUZIN. He owes us a very little, sir. They took somewhere between
six and eight barrels of sugar fo