ce takes up his parable, look
out for yourself! He can talk your head off.

Ivan Ivanovitch is tall and thin: Ivan Nikiforovitch is rather shorter
in stature, but he makes it up in thickness. Ivan Ivanovitch's head is
like a radish, tail down; Ivan Nikiforovitch's like a radish with the
tail up. Ivan Ivanovitch lolls on the balcony in his shirt sleeves after
dinner only: in the evening he dons his pelisse and goes out somewhere,
either to the village shop, where he supplies flour, or into the fields
to catch quail. Ivan Nikiforovitch lies all day at his porch: if the day
is not too hot he generally turns his back to the sun and will not go
anywhere. If it happens to occur to him in the morning he walks through
the yard, inspects the domestic affairs, and retires again to his room.
In early days he used to call on Ivan Ivanovitch. Ivan Ivanovitch is a
very refined man, and never utters an impolite word. Ivan Nikiforovitch
is not always on his guard. On such occasions Ivan Ivanovitch usually
rises from his seat, and says, "Enough, enough, Ivan Nikiforovitch! It's
better to go out at once than to utter such godless words."

Ivan Ivanovitch gets into a terrible rage if a fly falls into his
beet-soup. Then he is fairly beside himself; he flings away his plate
and the housekeeper catches it. Ivan Nikiforovitch is very fond of
bathing; and when he gets up to the neck in water, orders a table and a
samovar, or tea urn, to be placed on the water, for he is very fond of
drinking tea in that cool position. Ivan Ivanovitch shaves twice a
week; Ivan Nikiforovitch once. Ivan Ivanovitch is extremely curious. God
preserve you if you begin to tell him anything and do not finish it! If
he is displeased with anything he lets it be seen at once. It is very
hard to tell from Ivan Nikiforovitch's countenance whether he is pleased
or angry; even if he is rejoiced at anything, he will not show it. Ivan
Ivanovitch is of a rather timid character: Ivan Nikiforovitch, on the
contrary, has, as the saying is, such full folds in his trousers that
if you were to inflate them you might put the courtyard, with its
storehouses and buildings, inside them.

Ivan Ivanovitch has large, expressive eyes, of a snuff colour, and a
mouth shaped something like the letter V; Ivan Nikiforovitch has small,
yellowish eyes, quite concealed between heavy brows and fat cheeks; and
his nose is the shape of a ripe plum. If Ivanovitch treats you to snuff,
he always licks