Chapter 10

           Onassemblingattheresidenceindicated,thetchinovnikshadoccasiontoremarkthat,owingtoallthesecaresandexcitements,everyoneoftheirnumberhadgrownthinner.Yes,theappointmentofanewGovernor-General,coupledwiththerumoursdescribedandthereceptionofthetwoseriousdocumentsabove-mentioned,hadleftmanifesttracesuponthefeaturesofeveryonepresent.Morethanonefrockcoathadcometolooktoolargeforitswearer,andmorethanoneframehadfallenaway,includingtheframesofthePresidentoftheCouncil,theDirectoroftheMedicalDepartment,andthePublicProsecutor.EvenacertainSemenIvanovitch,who,forsomereasonoranother,wasneveralludedtobyhisfamilyname,butwhoworeonhisindexfingeraringwithwhichhewasaccustomedtodazzlehisladyfriends,haddiminishedinbulk.Yet,asalwayshappensatsuchjunctures,therewerealsopresentascoreofbrazenindividualswhohadsucceededinNOTlosingtheirpresenceofmind,eventhoughtheyconstitutedameresprinkling.OfthemthePostmasterformedone,sincehewasamanofequabletemperamentwhocouldalwayssay:“WEknowyou,Governor-Generals!Wehaveseenthreeorfourofyoucomeandgo,whereasWEhavebeensittingonthesamestoolsthesethirtyyears.”Neverthelessaprominentfeatureofthegatheringwasthetotalabsenceofwhatisvulgarlyknownas“commonsense.”Ingeneral,weRussiansdonotmakeagoodshowatrepresentativeassemblies,forthereasonthat,unlesstherebeinauthorityaleadingspirittocontroltherest,theaffairalwaysdevelopsintoconfusion.