d my brother-in-law."

"With pleasure," said Chichikov.

"My brother-in-law is the leading landowner hereabouts. At the present
moment he is drawing an income of two hundred thousand roubles from a
property which, eight years ago, was producing a bare twenty thousand."

"Truly a man worthy of the utmost respect! I shall be most interested to
make his acquaintance. To think of it! And what may his family name be?"

"Kostanzhoglo."

"And his Christian name and patronymic?"

"Constantine Thedorovitch."

"Constantine Thedorovitch Kostanzhoglo. Yes, it will be a most
interesting event to make his acquaintance. To know such a man must be a
whole education."

Here Platon set himself to give Selifan some directions as to the way,
a necessary proceeding in view of the fact that Selifan could hardly
maintain his seat on the box. Twice Petrushka, too, had fallen headlong,
and this necessitated being tied to his perch with a piece of rope.
"What a clown!" had been Chichikov's only comment.

"This is where my brother-in-law's land begins," said Platon.

"They give one a change of view."

And, indeed, from this point the countryside became planted with timber;
the rows of trees running as straight as pistol-shots, and having beyond
them, and on higher ground, a second expanse of forest, newly planted
like the first; while beyond it, again, loomed a third plantation of
older trees. Next there succeeded a flat piece of the same nature.

"All this timber," said Platon, "has grown up within eight or ten years
at the most; whereas on another man's land it would have taken twenty to
attain the same growth."

"And how has your brother-in-law effected this?"

"You must ask him yourself. He is so excellent a husbandman that nothing
ever fails with him. You see, he knows the soil, and also knows what
ought to be planted beside what, and what kinds of timber are the best
neighbourhood for grain. Again, everything on his estate is made to
perform at least three or four different functions. For instance, he
makes his timber not only serve as timber, but also serve as a provider
of moisture and shade to a given stretch of land, and then as a
fertiliser with its fallen leaves. Consequently, when everywhere else
there is drought, he still has water, and when everywhere else there
has been a failure of the harvest, on his lands it will have proved a
success. But it is a pity that I know so little about it all as to be
unable to expla