Смерть чиновника

Антон Чехов (1883)

Смерть чиновника

The Death of a Clerk

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whenКогда the generalгенерал finishedкончил his talkбеседу withс the lastпоследним petitionerпросителем andи headedнаправился intoво the innerвнутренние apartmentsапартаменты, ChervyakovЧервяков steppedшагнул afterза himним andи began mutteringзабормотал:
—— yourВаше Exc’ncy (clipped)—ство! ifЕжели Iя dareосмеливаюсь to troubleбеспокоить yourваше Exc’ncy (clipped)—ство, thenто preciselyименно fromиз a feelingчувства, I mayмогу sayсказать, of repentanceраскаяния!.. notНе on purposeнарочно, yourselfсами you are pleasedизволите to know, sirзнать-с!
the generalГенерал madeсостроил a tearfulплаксивое faceлицо andи wavedмахнул his handрукой.
—— whyДа youвы simplyпросто are mockingсмеетесь, my dear sirмилостисдарь! —— saidсказал heон, disappearingскрываясь behindза the doorдверью.
what«Какие thenже hereтут mockeryнасмешки? —— thoughtподумал ChervyakovЧервяков. —— at allВовсе hereтут there is noнет anyникаких mockeryнасмешек! a generalГенерал, yetа notне canможет understandпонять! ifКогда soтак, notне willстану thenже Iя anymoreбольше apologizeизвиняться beforeперед thisэтим braggartфанфароном! the devilЧёрт withс himним! I will writeНапишу himему a letterписьмо, butа to visitходить notне I willстану! by GodЕй-богу, notне I willстану!»

When the general finished his talk with the last petitioner and headed for the inner apartments, Chervyakov stepped after him and began muttering: “Your Exc’ncy! If I dare to trouble your Exc’ncy, it is precisely from a feeling, I may say, of repentance!… It was not on purpose, as you are pleased to know yourself, sir!” The general made a tearful face and waved his hand. “Why, you are simply mocking me, my dear sir!” he said, disappearing behind the door. “What mockery is there in this?” thought Chervyakov. “There is no mockery here at all! A general, and he cannot understand! In that case I am not going to apologize to that braggart anymore! The devil with him! I’ll write him a letter, but I won’t come visiting! By God, I won’t!”

soТак thoughtдумал ChervyakovЧервяков, walkingидя homeдомой. the letterПисьма to the generalгенералу heон notне wroteнаписал. he thoughtДумал, and thoughtдумал, andи in no wayникак notне could composeвыдумал thatэтого letterписьма. he hadПришлось onна the nextдругой dayдень to goидти himselfсамому to explainобъяснять.
—— IЯ yesterdayвчера cameприходил to troubleбеспокоить yourваше Exc’ncy (clipped)—ство, —— mutteredзабормотал heон, whenкогда the generalгенерал raisedподнял atна himнего questioningвопрошающие eyesглаза, —— notне in orderдля thatтого, toчтобы mockсмеяться, asкак youвы were pleasedизволили to sayсказать. IЯ was apologizingизвинялся forза thisто, thatчто, while sneezingчихая, I splashed, sirбрызнул-с…, butа to mockсмеяться Iя evenи notне thoughtдумал. dareСмею wouldли Iя to mockсмеяться? ifЕжели weмы startбудем mockingсмеяться, thenтак noникакого thenтогда, it meansзначит, anyи respectуважения forк personsперсонам… notне there will beбудет…

So thought Chervyakov as he walked home. He did not write the letter to the general. He thought and thought, and could not think that letter up. He had to go himself the next day to explain. “I came yesterday to trouble your Exc’ncy,” he muttered, when the general raised his questioning eyes at him, “not in order to mock you, as you were pleased to say. I was apologizing because, in sneezing, I splashed you, sir… and mocking never entered my head. Would I dare to mock? If we start mocking, then there will be no respect for persons… left at all…”

—— getПошел out!!вон!! —— bellowedгаркнул suddenlyвдруг turned blueпосиневший andи tremblingзатрясшийся the generalгенерал.
—— what, sir?Что-с? —— askedспросил in a whisperшёпотом ChervyakovЧервяков, faintмлея withот horrorужаса.
—— getПошел out!!вон!! —— repeatedповторил the generalгенерал, stampingзатопав his feetногами.
inВ the bellyживоте ofу ChervyakovЧервякова somethingчто-то snappedоторвалось. nothingНичего notне seeingвидя, nothingничего notне hearingслыша, heон backedпопятился toк the doorдвери, went outвышел intoна the streetулицу andи trudged offпоплелся… arrivingПридя mechanicallyмашинально homeдомой, withoutне taking offснимая his uniformвицмундира, heон lay downлег onна the sofaдиван andи… diedпомер.

“Get out!!” bellowed the general, suddenly turning blue and trembling. “Wh-what, sir?” asked Chervyakov in a whisper, faint with horror. “Get out!!” repeated the general, stamping his feet. Something snapped in Chervyakov’s belly. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, he backed to the door, went out into the street, and trudged off… Arriving home mechanically, without taking off his uniform, he lay down on the sofa and… died.

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