Мертвые души

           Next,whencoupleshadbeenformedfordancingandtheremainderofthecompanyfounditselfpressedbackagainstthewalls,Chichikovfoldedhisarms,andcarefullyscrutinisedthedancers.Someoftheladiesweredressedwellandinthefashion,whiletheremainderwerecladinsuchgarmentsasGodusuallybestowsuponaprovincialtown.Alsohere,aselsewhere,themenbelongedtotwoseparateanddistinctcategories;oneofwhichcomprisedslenderindividualswho,flittingaroundtheladies,werescarcelytobedistinguishedfromdenizensofthemetropolis,socarefully,soartistically,groomedweretheirwhiskers,sopresentabletheiroval,clean-shavenfaces,soeasythemanneroftheirdancingattendanceupontheirwomenfolk,soglibtheirFrenchconversationastheyquizzedtheirfemalecompanions.Asfortheothercategory,itcomprisedindividualswho,stout,orofthesamebuildasChichikov(thatistosay,neitherveryportlynorverylean),backedandsidledawayfromtheladies,andkeptpeeringhitherandthithertoseewhethertheGovernor’sfootmenhadsetoutgreentablesforwhist.Theirfeatureswerefullandplump,someofthemhadbeards,andinnocasewastheirhaircurledorwavedorarrangedinwhattheFrenchcall“thedevil-may-care”style.Onthecontrary,theirheadswereeitherclose-croppedorbrushedverysmooth,andtheirfaceswereroundandfirm.Thiscategoryrepresentedthemorerespectableofficialsofthetown.