versation
exclusively political and politico-economical, a passion for bloody roast
beef and port wine,--everything about him fairly reeked of Great Britain;
he seemed thoroughly imbued with her spirit. But--strange to say! while
he had turned into an Anglomaniac, Ivan Petrovitch had simultaneously
become a patriot; at all events, he called himself a patriot, although he
was but badly acquainted with Russia, was not wedded to a single Russian
habit, and expressed himself queerly in Russian: in ordinary
conversation, his speech was clumsy and pithless, studded all over with
Gallicisms; but no sooner did the discussion touch upon important topics,
than Ivan Petrovitch instantly brought out such expressions as: "to
show new proofs of self-zeal,"[4] "that doth not agree with the nature of
the circumstances," and so forth. Ivan Petrovitch brought with him
several manuscript plans touching the organisation and amelioration of
the empire; he was extremely dissatisfied with everything he saw,--the
absence of system, in particular, stirred up his bile. On meeting his
sister, he announced to her, with his very first words, that he intended
to introduce radical reforms, that henceforth everything on his estate
should proceed upon a new system. Glafira Petrovna made no reply to
Ivan Petrovitch, but merely set her teeth, and said to herself: "And
what is to become of me?"--But when she reached the country estate, in
company with her brother and her nephew, she speedily regained her
composure. In the house, several changes actually took place: the female
hangers-on and drones were subjected to instant expulsion; among their
number two old women suffered, one who was blind and the other crippled
with paralysis, also a decrepit Major of the Otchakoff period, who, on
account of his truly astonishing voracity, was fed on nothing but black
bread and lentils. A decree was also issued, that the former guests were
not to be received: they were superseded by a distant neighbour, a
fair-haired, scrofulous baron, a very well educated and very stupid man.
New furniture from Moscow made its appearance; cuspidors, and bells, and
wash-stands were introduced and they began to serve the noon breakfast
differently; foreign wines took the place of vodka and homemade
liqueurs; new liveries were made for the servants; the motto, "in recto
virtus," was added to the family coat of arms.... But, in reality,
Glafira's power was not diminished: all the disburse