ngs to step up, involuntarily,
as to an unexpected friend, and offer a snuff-box, with the words, "Do
me the favour," or "Dare I beg you to do me the favour?" Instead of
this, that face was terrible as a forerunner of evil. The perspiration
poured in streams from Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch.

All the guests at the table grew dumb with attention, and never once
took their eyes off the former friends. The ladies, who had been busy
up to that time on a sufficiently interesting discussion as to the
preparation of capons, suddenly cut their conversation short. All was
silence. It was a picture worthy of the brush of a great artist.

At length Ivan Ivanovitch pulled out his handkerchief and began to blow
his nose; whilst Ivan Nikiforovitch glanced about and his eye rested on
the open door. The chief of police at once perceived this movement, and
ordered the door to be fastened. Then both of the friends began to eat,
and never once glanced at each other again.

As soon as dinner was over, the two former friends both rose from their
seats, and began to look for their hats, with a view to departure. Then
the chief beckoned; and Ivan Ivanovitch--not our Ivan Ivanovitch, but
the other with the one eye--got behind Ivan Nikiforovitch, and the
chief stepped behind Ivan Ivanovitch, and the two began to drag them
backwards, in order to bring them together, and not release them till
they had shaken hands with each other. Ivan Ivanovitch, the one-eyed,
pushed Ivan Nikiforovitch, with tolerable success, towards the spot
where stood Ivan Ivanovitch. But the chief of police directed his
course too much to one side, because he could not steer himself with his
refractory leg, which obeyed no orders whatever on this occasion, and,
as if with malice and aforethought, swung itself uncommonly far, and in
quite the contrary direction, possibly from the fact that there had been
an unusual amount of fruit wine after dinner, so that Ivan Ivanovitch
fell over a lady in a red gown, who had thrust herself into the very
midst, out of curiosity.

Such an omen forboded no good. Nevertheless, the judge, in order to set
things to rights, took the chief of police's place, and, sweeping all
the snuff from his upper lip with his nose, pushed Ivan Ivanovitch
in the opposite direction. In Mirgorod this is the usual manner of
effecting a reconciliation: it somewhat resembles a game of ball. As
soon as the judge pushed Ivan Ivanovitch, Ivan Ivanovitch