This resolution, the last they had come to, was a very strange one
indeed, because they knew perfectly well that Nosdrieff was a professed
story-teller, and it was impossible to believe a word of what he said,
and that he could in no way be depended upon even in the merest trifle;
nevertheless, and perhaps for that very reason, they rushed away to
have recourse to him. Humanity is strange indeed! Many a man doubts
Providence, but believes steadfastly that if the bridge of his nose
itches, he is sure to die soon; he will leave unnoticed the creation
of a genius, dear as noon-day, full of consistencies, perfect in its
simplicity and truth, to throw himself upon the humbug invented or
advanced by a charlatan, and believe and trust in it blindly, and
exclaim at the same time, "This is the real representative of the
secrets of the heart!" or, having never paid in his life a copek to a
physician, he will in the extremest case apply to an old woman-quack,
who cures with simples and incantations like a witch, or who boils down
some drugs, which, heaven knows why, he fancies to be the very remedy
for his complaint.
Of course, and in some degree the imperial _employés_ might in many
respects be excused, for they really were in one of the most unpleasant
and embarrassing positions, as regarded their character and reputation.
The drowning man, it is said, catches even at a straw, because at the
time of his danger he has not the faculty of judging that a fly only
could perhaps save its life on a straw, and that, as for himself, he
weighed at least his twelve to sixteen stone, if not more; however,
this reflection seems not to occur to the drowning man, and for that
reason he catches at a straw.
Thus it was also with our gentlemen assembled; they at last resolved
on catching at Nosdrieff. The Commissioner of Police dropped him
a line instantly, inviting him to pass the evening with them, and
his assistant courier in his long top-boots and rosy cheeks, rushed
immediately out into the street, to take the message to Nosdrieff.
Nosdrieff was engaged on very important business; for four consecutive
days he had not left his room; he permitted no one to quit the house,
and received his dinner through the window; in a word, he had grown
feeble and emaciated.
His business demanded the most persevering attention; it consisted in
the selection of from more than ten dozen packs of cards, of one select
pack, upon which he might be able to depend as upon his most intimate
friend. The work he had before him was sufficient to last him yet for
two weeks longer; for the course of this time, Porphir had received
instructions to take particular care of the young dog, and to wash him
three times a day with a peculiar brush and plenty of soap.
Nosdrieff was very angry indeed that any one should have come to
disturb his solitude; at first he refused to listen at all to the
Commissioner's messenger, but when he read the P.S. which informed
him, that it was more than likely that the evening party would be
attended by a novice, and that there would be a little gambling, he
dressed himself immediately, and left his solitude to comply with the
invitation.
The appearance, testimony, and suppositions of Nosdrieff presented
such contradictory evidence that the gentlemen of the council were
completely thrown out of their latest conclusion on the subject of
their important investigations. Nosdrieff was one of those men for
whom suppositions and doubts did not exist, and whatever extent of
indecision and timidity was perceptible in their conjectures, it was
met by him with as much perseverance and conviction, and he answered
every one of their inquiries without stammering even once, nor feeling
in the least embarrassed.
He affirmed that Tchichikoff had bought dead serfs for a considerable
amount, and that he himself had sold him some, because he could not see
any harm in doing so. Upon the question, whether he did not believe him
to be a spy sent from St. Petersburgh to collect secret information
regarding the administration of Smolensk, Nosdrieff answered, that he
was confident that his friend Tchichikoff was a spy in the pay of
the government, because, said he, when we were school-fellows we used
to call him the _fiscal_, but at the same time, he got many a sound
thrashing for it from us, and from myself in particular.
"I now remember a circumstance when we had so very much ill-used him
that he was obliged to go home, and have immediately two hundred and
forty leeches applied to his temples"--that is to say, he intended to
make it forty, but the two hundred additional slipped from his tongue
in spite of himself.
When he was asked whether he did not think that Tchichikoff was the
manufacturer of false bank notes, he answered in the affirmative, and
at the same time told them an anecdote of the great cleverness of
Tchichikoff, saying, that it once so happened that he, Tchichikoff,
being positively traced as the imitator of bank notes, and that he had
about two millions worth in his possession, his house was immediately
surrounded by a detachment of soldiers, each of the doors being sealed
and guarded by two men, but during the same night Tchichikoff managed
to change the two millions worth of spurious notes into genuine
imperial bank bills.
To the direct question, whether Tchichikoff had really the intention
of carrying out his elopement with the Governor-General's daughter,
and whether it was true that he had undertaken to assist them in
their flight, Nosdrieff replied, that he must confess, that he had
particularly helped and assisted him, and that without him, they would
not have had the least chance of success.
Here he perceived, but too late, that he had compromised himself by
this statement, without, however, being able to stop the fluency of
the tongue. However, it was also difficult to stop his talkativeness,
because the subject in itself was one that presented so many
interesting incidents, and he could not resist the temptation of
inventing them; he even gave the name of the particular village, where
the church stood on a hill surrounded by a small wood, through which
they had to pass in order to proceed to the nuptial ceremony, the name
of the pope who had to wed them before the altar, was father Sidor;
for his services and discretion he was to receive a hundred roubles,
but he at first declined to accede to their request, but that he,
Nosdrieff, reminded the holy father that he had married lately his
peasant Michael to his cousin, Katinka, and which was an act contrary
to the laws of the Greek church, and that if he refused to marry his
friend and his lovely bride, he would at once inform against him, that
he had put at their disposal his own carriage and horses, and that he
had gone on horseback, from station to station to provide re-lay horses
for the fugitives. He went even so far in his particulars as regarded
the elopement, that he begun to call out the names of every one of the
yamtschicks who drove the carriage.
The Imperial men remained now in a worse position than they were in
the beginning of their investigations, and the meeting was broken up,
after they had fully agreed upon the fact, it was impossible to them to
discover who Tchichikoff was.
All these reports, conjectures and gossips on account of Tchichikoff
had, for some incomprehensible reasons, had the most fatal effect upon
the constitution of the poor Imperial Procurator. They had acted upon
him to such a degree, that he, on his return home from the meeting,
from some cause or another fell down and was found to be dead. Whether
it was a paralytic stroke or any other that put a term to his
existence is difficult to say, but the fact is, that when he sat down
upon his chair, he had done so to rise no more.
But this is incredible, altogether inconsistent! it is impossible that
the Imperial _employés_ could so foolishly alarm themselves; imagine
all such nonsense, thus deviate from the truth, when even a child could
comprehend the matter. Thus will many of our readers think and reproach
us with having advanced an incredible occurrence, or call the imperial
_employés_ stupid fellows, because men are liberal in words like, fool
and ass, and are ready and willing to apply them even twenty times a
day, if their fellow creatures give them but a chance.
It is very easy for a reader to pass a judgment, considering that
he has the whole plot before him, and is seated in his snug corner,
occupying thus a perfectly independent position, from which he has the
whole horizon at a glance before him, and sees, as it were, what is
going on below him, where the creeping men see but that which is close
before them.