THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
A monologue from the
play by Nikolai
Gogol
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NOTE: This monologue is reprinted
from Revizor, A Comedy. Trans. Max S. Mandell. New Haven:
Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Co., 1908. |
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BOBCHINSKI: No, no, let me--you won't get it straight.
Please, gentlemen, don't let Petr Ivanovich stop me. I'll tell
it all in order. As soon as I had the pleasure of leaving you,
right after you had permitted yourselves to be disturbed by the
letter you had received, I ran at once--please don't stop me,
Petr Ivanovich--I know what you would say. So I, as you will
please see, ran to Korobkin, but not finding him at home I turned
to Rastakabski, and not finding him at home, I went to Ivan Kuzmich
to inform him of the news you had received, and as I was coming
from there I met Petr Ivanovich--by the tartlet stand. Yes! Having
met Petr Ivanovich I asked him, "Have you heard the news
Antonovich has received through a trustworthy letter?" But
Petr Ivanovich had already heard it from your housekeeper, Avdotya,
who had been sent to Filip Antonovich Puchechuev after something
. . . and I don't know what it was . . . Yes, yes, a keg of Frech
brandy. And so Petr Ivanovich and myself went to Puchechuev .
. . Now, Petr Ivanovich, do not interrupt me! . . . We went to
Puchechuev, and on the way Petr Ivanovich said to me, "Let
us to," said he, "to the inn. My stomach is just wobbly.
They have just received fresh salmon, so we'll have a lunch."
But no sooner had we entered the inn, than a young man--yes,
yes, of good appearance--in citizen's clothes--he was walking
up and down the room and with such a look of deliberation on
his face--physiognomy--manner--and here, [Turning his hand
near his forehead] very, very, very thoughtful. I had a kind
of presentiment and said to Petr Ivanovich, "There is something
out of the way here!" Yes, and Petr Ivanovich immediately
crooked his finger and summoned the innkeeper, Vlas--his wife
gave birth to a child three weeks ago, and such a bouncing boy;
he'll be like his father, an innkeeper--having called up Vlas,
Petr Ivanovich asked him quietly, "Who is this young man?"
And Vlas answered, "This," says he--oh, do not interrupt,
Petr Ivanovich, if you please, do not interrupt me; you would
not be able to tell the story any better, so help me, you would
not. You lisp--you whistle when you talk. "This young man,"
says he, "is an official." Yes, "he has come from
St. Petersburg," says he, "and his name," says
he, "is Ivan Aleksondrovich Khlestakov, and he is on his
way," says he, "to the government of Saratov, and,"
says he, "he is introducing himself in the strangest way.
He has been living here for nearly two weeks. He has not left
the place once. He charges everything and won't pay a kopeck,"
When he told me this, it dawned upon me here above. [Points
to his head] "Oho," said I to Petr Ivanovich--what's
that? Yes, yes--you said it first, and then I said it. "Oho,"
said I to Petr Ivanovich. "And for what reason is he staying
here when he is on his way to Saratov?" . . . Yes, he is
the official. The government inspector referred to in
your letter--the revisor!
MORE
MONOLOGUES BY NIKOLAI GOGOL |
