世界名著THE CLOAK.docx

世界名著THE CLOAK.docx

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世界名著THECLOAK

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THECLOAK

Inthedepartmentof--butitisbetternottomentionthedepartment.

Thereisnothingmoreirritablethandepartments,regiments,courtsof

justice,and,inaword,everybranchofpublicservice.Each

individualattachedtothemnowadaysthinksallsocietyinsultedin

hisperson.Quiterecentlyacomplaintwasreceivedfromajusticeof

thepeace,inwhichheplainlydemonstratedthatalltheimperial

institutionsweregoingtothedogs,andthattheCzar'ssacredname

wasbeingtakeninvain;andinproofheappendedtothecomplainta

romanceinwhichthejusticeofthepeaceismadetoappearaboutonce

everytenlines,andsometimesinadrunkencondition.Therefore,in

ordertoavoidallunpleasantness,itwillbebettertodescribethe

departmentinquestiononlyasacertaindepartment.

So,inacertaindepartmenttherewasacertainofficial--notavery

highone,itmustbeallowed--shortofstature,somewhatpock-marked,

red-haired,andshort-sighted,withabaldforehead,wrinkledcheeks,

andacomplexionofthekindknownassanguine.TheSt.Petersburg

climatewasresponsibleforthis.Asforhisofficialstatus,hewas

whatiscalledaperpetualtitularcouncillor,overwhich,asiswell

known,somewritersmakemerry,andcracktheirjokes,obeyingthe

praiseworthycustomofattackingthosewhocannotbiteback.

HisfamilynamewasBashmatchkin.Thisnameisevidentlyderivedfrom

"bashmak"（shoe）;butwhen,atwhattime,andinwhatmanner,isnot

known.Hisfatherandgrandfather,andalltheBashmatchkins,always

woreboots,whichonlyhadnewheelstwoorthreetimesayear.His

namewasAkakiyAkakievitch.Itmaystrikethereaderasrather

singularandfar-fetched,buthemayrestassuredthatitwasbyno

meansfar-fetched,andthatthecircumstancesweresuchthatitwould

havebeenimpossibletogivehimanyother.

Thisishowitcameabout.

AkakiyAkakievitchwasborn,ifmymemoryfailsmenot,intheevening

ofthe23rdofMarch.Hismother,thewifeofaGovernmentofficial

andaveryfinewoman,madeallduearrangementsforhavingthechild

baptised.Shewaslyingonthebedoppositethedoor;onherright

stoodthegodfather,IvanIvanovitchEroshkin,amostestimableman,

whoservedaspresidingofficerofthesenate,whilethegodmother,

AnnaSemenovnaByelobrushkova,thewifeofanofficerofthequarter,

andawomanofrarevirtues.Theyofferedthemotherherchoiceof

threenames,Mokiya,Sossiya,orthatthechildshouldbecalledafter

themartyrKhozdazat."No,"saidthegoodwoman,"allthosenamesare

poor."Inordertopleasehertheyopenedthecalendartoanother

place;threemorenamesappeared,Triphiliy,Dula,andVarakhasiy.

"Thisisajudgment,"saidtheoldwoman."Whatnames!

Itrulynever

heardthelike.VaradaorVarukhmighthavebeenborne,butnot

TriphiliyandVarakhasiy!

"Theyturnedtoanotherpageandfound

PavsikakhiyandVakhtisiy."NowIsee,"saidtheoldwoman,"thatit

isplainlyfate.Andsincesuchisthecase,itwillbebettertoname

himafterhisfather.Hisfather'snamewasAkakiy,solethisson's

beAkakiytoo."InthismannerhebecameAkakiyAkakievitch.They

christenedthechild,whereatheweptandmadeagrimace,asthoughhe

foresawthathewastobeatitularcouncillor.

Inthismannerdiditallcomeabout.Wehavementioneditinorder

thatthereadermightseeforhimselfthatitwasacaseofnecessity,

andthatitwasutterlyimpossibletogivehimanyothername.When

andhowheenteredthedepartment,andwhoappointedhim,noonecould

remember.Howevermuchthedirectorsandchiefsofallkindswere

changed,hewasalwaystobeseeninthesameplace,thesame

attitude,thesameoccupation;sothatitwasafterwardsaffirmedthat

hehadbeenborninundressuniformwithabaldhead.Norespectwas

shownhiminthedepartment.Theporternotonlydidnotrisefromhis

seatwhenhepassed,butneverevenglancedathim,anymorethanifa

flyhadflownthroughthereception-room.Hissuperiorstreatedhimin

coollydespoticfashion.Somesub-chiefwouldthrustapaperunderhis

nosewithoutsomuchassaying,"Copy,"or"Here'saniceinteresting

affair,"oranythingelseagreeable,asiscustomaryamongstwell-bred

officials.Andhetookit,lookingonlyatthepaperandnotobserving

whohandedittohim,orwhetherhehadtherighttodoso;simply

tookit,andsetaboutcopyingit.

Theyoungofficialslaughedatandmadefunofhim,sofarastheir

officialwitpermitted;toldinhispresencevariousstoriesconcocted

abouthim,andabouthislandlady,anoldwomanofseventy;declared

thatshebeathim;askedwhentheweddingwastobe;andstrewedbits

ofpaperoverhishead,callingthemsnow.ButAkakiyAkakievitch

answerednotaword,anymorethaniftherehadbeennoonethere

besideshimself.Itevenhadnoeffectuponhiswork:

amidallthese

annoyanceshenevermadeasinglemistakeinaletter.Butifthe

jokingbecamewhollyunbearable,aswhentheyjoggedhishandand

preventedhisattendingtohiswork,hewouldexclaim,"Leaveme

alone!

Whydoyouinsultme?

"Andtherewassomethingstrangeinthe

wordsandthevoiceinwhichtheywereuttered.Therewasinit

somethingwhichmovedtopity;somuchthatoneyoungman,a

new-comer,who,takingpatternbytheothers,hadpermittedhimselfto

makesportofAkakiy,suddenlystoppedshort,asthoughallabouthim

hadundergoneatransformation,andpresenteditselfinadifferent

aspect.Someunseenforcerepelledhimfromthecomradeswhose

acquaintancehehadmade,onthesuppositionthattheywerewell-bred

andpolitemen.Longafterwards,inhisgayestmoments,thererecurred

tohismindthelittleofficialwiththebaldforehead,withhis

heart-rendingwords,"Leavemealone!

Whydoyouinsultme?

"Inthese

movingwords,otherwordsresounded--"Iamthybrother."Andtheyoung

mancoveredhisfacewithhishand;andmanyatimeafterwards,inthe

courseofhislife,shudderedatseeinghowmuchinhumanitythereis

inman,howmuchsavagecoarsenessisconcealedbeneathdelicate,

refinedworldliness,andeven,OGod!

inthatmanwhomtheworld

acknowledgesashonourableandnoble.

Itwouldbedifficulttofindanothermanwholivedsoentirelyfor

hisduties.ItisnotenoughtosaythatAkakiylabouredwithzeal:

no,helabouredwithlove.Inhiscopying,hefoundavariedand

agreeableemployment.Enjoymentwaswrittenonhisface:

someletters

wereevenfavouriteswithhim;andwhenheencounteredthese,he

smiled,winked,andworkedwithhislips,tillitseemedasthough

eachlettermightbereadinhisface,ashispentracedit.Ifhis

payhadbeeninproportiontohiszeal,hewould,perhaps,tohis

greatsurprise,havebeenmadeevenacouncillorofstate.Buthe

worked,ashiscompanions,thewits,putit,likeahorseinamill.

Moreover,itisimpossibletosaythatnoattentionwaspaidtohim.

Onedirectorbeingakindlyman,anddesirousofrewardinghimforhis

longservice,orderedhimtobegivensomethingmoreimportantthan

merecopying.Sohewasorderedtomakeareportofanalready

concludedaffairtoanotherdepartment:

thedutyconsistingsimplyin

changingtheheadingandalteringafewwordsfromthefirsttothe

thirdperson.Thiscausedhimsomuchtoilthathebrokeintoa

perspiration,rubbedhisforehead,andfinallysaid,"No,giveme

rathersomethingtocopy."Afterthattheylethimcopyonforever.

Outsidethiscopying,itappearedthatnothingexistedforhim.He

gavenothoughttohisclothes:

hisundressuniformwasnotgreen,but

asortofrusty-mealcolour.Thecollarwaslow,sothathisneck,in

spiteofthefactthatitwasnotlong,seemedinordinatelysoasit

emergedfromit,likethenecksofthoseplastercatswhichwagtheir

heads,andarecarriedaboutupontheheadsofscoresofimage

sellers.Andsomethingwasalwaysstickingtohisuniform,eithera

bitofhayorsometrifle.Moreover,hehadapeculiarknack,ashe

walkedalongthestreet,ofarrivingbeneathawindowjustasall

sortsofrubbishwerebeingflungoutofit:

hencehealwaysbore

aboutonhishatscrapsofmelonrindsandothersucharticles.Never

onceinhislifedidhegiveheedtowhatwasgoingoneverydayin

thestreet;whileitiswellknownthathisyoungbrotherofficials

traintherangeoftheirglancestilltheycanseewhenanyone's

trouserstrapscomeundoneupontheoppositesidewalk,whichalways

bringsamalicioussmiletotheirfaces.ButAkakiyAkakievitchsawin

allthingstheclean,evenstrokesofhiswrittenlines;andonlywhen

ahorsethrusthisnose,fromsomeunknownquarter,overhisshoulder,

andsentawholegustofwinddownhisneckfromhisnostrils,didhe

observethathewasnotinthemiddleofapage,butinthemiddleof

thestreet.

Onreachinghome,hesatdownatonceatthetable,suppedhiscabbage

soupupquickly,andswallowedabitofbeefwithonions,never

noticingtheirtaste,andgulpingdowneverythingwithfliesand

anythingelsewhichtheLordhappenedtosendatthemoment.His

stomachfilled,herosefromthetable,andcopiedpaperswhichhehad

broughthome.Iftherehappenedtobenone,hetookcopiesfor

himself,forhisowngratification,especiallyifthedocumentwas

noteworthy,notonaccountofitsstyle,butofitsbeingaddressedto

somedistinguis