"And now," said the President, when all the business was concluded, "now, we shall only have to sprinkle a little wine and inaugurate your excellent and important enterprise."
"I am agreeable," said Tchichikoff. "I leave it entirely to you to fix upon the place and time. It would be sinful were I not to feel most happy to be agreeable in turn to such estimable company as all those around me; yes, gentlemen, now is the time to uncork a few or more bottles of that excellent sparkling wine of our brothers in France."
"No, pardon me, you misunderstand the matter: for we will ourselves provide the sparkling entertainment," said the President, "we feel this to be an obligation, our duty. You are our guest; we are bound to regale you. Do you know, gentlemen, what I will suggest to you; whatever we do later, for the present I propose that we adjourn at once and all, just as we are, to the house of our friend the Commissioner of Police; he is a wonderful man amongst us; we need only give him a slight hint and pass the fish-market or a wine-cellar, and you may depend upon it that we shall make a luncheon equal to a feast! at the same time I may observe that we shall have an excellent opportunity for a nice game of whist or lansquenet."
Such a suggestion no one could possibly withstand. The witnesses felt a voracious appetite at the mere mention of the fish, market; they all rushed to take their hats and caps, and the sitting of the court was adjourned. When they passed through the room in which Ivan Antonovitch, the muggy-face, was sitting, he bowed politely, and whispered to Tchichikoff:
"You have purchased serfs for nearly half-a-millions' worth, but rewarded my troubles with a lonely twenty-fiver."
"But what serfs!" replied Tchichikoff to this, also in an undertone; "really useless, worthless people, not worth half the money."
Ivan Antonovitch, hearing this, felt at once convinced that the stranger was of a positive character and would give him no more.
"How much a-head did you pay for Pluschkin's serfs?" Sobakevitch whispered into his other ear.
"And why have you put on the list that Vorobieff," said Tchichikoff, in reply to his question.
"What Vorobieff?" demanded Sobakevitch.