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ad been signed, docketed, and registered, Chichikov found himself called upon to pay only the merest trifle in the way of Government percentage and fees for publishing the transaction in the Official Gazette. The reason of this was that the President had given orders that only half the usual charges were to be exacted from the present purchaser--the remaining half being somehow debited to the account of another applicant for serf registration. "And now," said Ivan Grigorievitch when all was completed, "we need only to wet the bargain." "For that too I am ready," said Chichikov. "Do you but name the hour. If, in return for your most agreeable company, I were not to set a few champagne corks flying, I should be indeed in default." "But we are not going to let you charge yourself with anything whatsoever. WE must provide the champagne, for you are our guest, and it is for us--it is our duty, it is our bounden obligation--to entertain you. Look here, gentlemen. Let us adjourn to the house of the Chief of Police. He is the magician who needs but to wink when passing a fishmonger's or a wine merchant's. Not only shall we fare well at his place, but also we shall get a game of whist." To this proposal no one had any objection to offer, for the mere mention of the fish shop aroused the witnesses' appetite. Consequently, the ceremony being over, there was a general reaching for hats and caps. As the party were passing through the general office, Ivan Antonovitch whispered in Chichikov's ear, with a courteous inclination of his jug-shaped physiognomy: "You have given a hundred thousand roubles for the serfs, but have paid ME only a trifle for my trouble." "Yes," replied Chichikov with a similar whisper, "but what sort of serfs do you suppose them to be? They are a poor, useless lot, and not worth even half the purchase money." This gave Ivan Antonovitch to understand that the visitor was a man of strong character--a man from whom nothing more was to be expected. "Why have you gone and purchased souls from Plushkin?" whispered Sobakevitch in Chichikov's other ear. "Why did YOU go and add the woman Vorobei to your list?" retorted Chichikov. "Vorobei? Who is Vorobei?" "The woman 'Elizabet' Vorobei--'Elizabet,' not 'Elizabeta?'" "I added no such name," replied Sobakevitch, and straightway joined the other guests. At length the party arrived at the residence of the Chief of Police. The latter proved indee
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