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Антон Чехов (1883)

Смерть чиновника

The Death of a Clerk

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onВ oneодин fineпрекрасный eveningвечер noне lessменее fineпрекрасный office stewardэкзекутор, IvanИван DmitrichДмитрич ChervyakovЧервяков, satсидел inво the secondвтором rowряду of stallsкресел andи gazedглядел throughв opera glassesбинокль atна The Bells of«Корневильские Cornevilleколокола». heОн gazedглядел andи feltчувствовал himselfсебя atна the summitверху of blissблаженства. butНо suddenlyвдруг… inВ storiesрассказах oftenчасто occursвстречается thisэто but«но suddenlyвдруг». authorsАвторы are rightправы: lifeжизнь is soтак fullполна of surprisesвнезапностей! butНо suddenlyвдруг faceлицо hisего wrinkledпоморщилось, eyesглаза rolled upподкатились, breathдыхание stoppedостановилось… heон loweredотвел fromот his eyesглаз the glassesбинокль, bent overнагнулся andи…. atchoo!!!апчхи!!! he sneezedЧихнул, asкак you seeвидите. to sneezeЧихать to no oneникому andи nowhereнигде notне is forbiddenвозбраняется. sneezeЧихают bothи peasantsмужики, andи police chiefsполицеймейстеры, andи sometimesиногда evenдаже alsoи privyтайные councillorsсоветники. everyoneВсе sneezesчихают. ChervyakovЧервяков not at allнисколько notне was embarrassedсконфузился, wiped himselfутерся with his handkerchiefплаточком andи, likeкак a politeвежливый manчеловек, lookedпоглядел aroundвокруг himselfсебя: notне disturbedобеспокоил whetherли heон anyoneкого-нибудь with hisсвоим sneezingчиханьем? butНо hereтут indeedуж he hadпришлось to be embarrassedсконфузиться. heОн sawувидел, thatчто a little old manстаричок, sittingсидевший in front ofвпереди himнего, inв the firstпервом rowряду of stallsкресел, diligentlyстарательно was wipingвытирал hisсвою bald headлысину andи neckшею with his gloveперчаткой andи was mutteringбормотал somethingчто-то. inВ the old manстаричке ChervyakovЧервяков recognizedузнал the stateстатского generalгенерала BrizzhalovБризжалова, servingслужащего inпо the departmentведомству of waysпутей of communicationсообщения.

One fine evening an office steward no less fine, Ivan Dmitrich Chervyakov, sat in the second row of the stalls, gazing through opera glasses at The Bells of Corneville. He gazed and felt at the summit of bliss. But suddenly… In stories one often meets this “but suddenly.” Authors are right: life is so full of surprises! But suddenly his face wrinkled, his eyes rolled up, his breath stopped… he lowered the glasses from his eyes, bent over, and — atchoo!!! He sneezed, as you see. Sneezing is forbidden to no one and nowhere. Peasants sneeze, and police chiefs, and sometimes even privy councillors. Everyone sneezes. Chervyakov was not embarrassed in the least; he wiped himself with his handkerchief and, like a polite man, looked around: had he disturbed anyone with his sneezing? But here he did have to feel embarrassed. He saw that a little old man sitting in front of him, in the first row of the stalls, was diligently wiping his bald head and neck with his glove and muttering something. In the old man Chervyakov recognized the state general Brizzhalov, who served in the Department of Transport.

I«Я himего have sprayedобрызгал! —— thoughtподумал ChervyakovЧервяков. —— notНе myмой superiorначальник, someone else’sчужой, butно stillвсе-таки awkwardнеловко. to apologizeИзвиниться one mustнадо».
ChervyakovЧервяков coughedкашлянул, leanedподался with his torsoтуловищем forwardвперед andи whisperedзашептал to the generalгенералу inна his earухо:
—— excuse meИзвините, yourваше Exc’ncy (clipped)—ство, Iя youвас sprayedобрызгал… Iя accidentallyнечаянно…
—— never mindНичего, never mindничего…
—— for the sakeРади of Godбога, forgive meизвините. IЯ after allведь… Iя notне mean itжелал!
—— ahАх, sitсидите, pleaseпожалуйста! let meДайте listenслушать!

“I sprayed him!” thought Chervyakov. “Not my superior — someone else’s — but still awkward. I must apologize.” Chervyakov coughed, leaned his torso forward, and whispered in the general’s ear: “Excuse me, your Exc’ncy, I sprayed you… quite by accident…” — “Never mind, never mind…” — “For God’s sake, forgive me. I… I didn’t mean to!” — “Oh, do sit down, please! Let me listen!”

ChervyakovЧервяков was embarrassedсконфузился, foolishlyглупо smiledулыбнулся andи beganначал to gazeглядеть atна the stageсцену. gazedГлядел heон, butно nowуж blissблаженства anymoreбольше notне feltчувствовал. himЕго beganначало to tormentпомучивать uneaseбеспокойство.
inВ the intervalантракте heон went upподошел toк BrizzhalovБризжалову, pacedпоходил nearвозле himнего andи, having overcomeпоборовши his timidityробость, mutteredпробормотал:
—— IЯ youвас sprayedобрызгал, yourваше Exc’ncy (clipped)—ство… forgive meПростите… IЯ you seeведь… notне thatто I meantчтобы…
—— ahАх, enoughполноте… IЯ alreadyуж forgotзабыл, butа youвы keepвсё onо the sameтом thingже! —— saidсказал the generalгенерал andи impatientlyнетерпеливо twitchedшевельнул his lowerнижней lipгубой.
he forgot«Забыл, butа inу his ownсамого maliceехидство inв his eyesглазах, —— thoughtподумал ChervyakovЧервяков, suspiciouslyподозрительно glancingпоглядывая atна the generalгенерала. —— andИ to talkговорить notне he wantsхочет. oughtНадо Iбы to himему to explainобъяснить, thatчто Iя at allвовсе notне meant itжелал… thatчто it isэто a lawзакон of natureприроды, orа elseто he will thinkподумает, thatчто Iя to spitплюнуть wantedхотел. nowТеперь notне he thinks soподумает, thenтак laterпосле he will thinkподумает!..»

Chervyakov was embarrassed, smiled foolishly, and began to gaze at the stage. He gazed, but he no longer felt any bliss. Unease began to torment him. In the interval he went up to Brizzhalov, paced about near him, and, overcoming his timidity, muttered: “I sprayed you, your Exc’ncy… Forgive me… I… it’s not that I…” — “Ah, enough… I’ve already forgotten, and you keep on about it!” said the general, twitching his lower lip impatiently. “He’s forgotten, but there’s malice in his eyes,” thought Chervyakov, glancing suspiciously at the general. “He won’t even talk. I ought to explain that I didn’t mean it at all… that it’s a law of nature — or he’ll think I meant to spit. If he doesn’t think so now, he’ll think so later!…”

having comeПридя homeдомой, ChervyakovЧервяков toldрассказал his wifeжене aboutо hisсвоем blunderневежестве. his wifeЖена, asкак it seemedпоказалось to himему, tooслишком lightlyлегкомысленно regardedотнеслась towardк what had happenedпроисшедшему; sheона onlyтолько took frightиспугалась, butа thenпотом, whenкогда she learnedузнала, thatчто BrizzhalovБризжалов not his own«чужой», calmed downуспокоилась.
—— butА all the sameвсе-таки youты goсходи, apologizeизвинись, —— saidсказала sheона. —— he will thinkПодумает, thatчто youты yourselfсебя inв publicпублике to behaveдержать notне know howумеешь!
—— that’s justТо-то itвот indeedи isесть! IЯ apologizedизвинялся, butда heон somehowкак-то strangelyстранно… notНи oneодного wordслова sensibleпутного notне saidсказал. andДа besidesи no timeнекогда there wasбыло to talkразговаривать.

On coming home, Chervyakov told his wife about his blunder. His wife, it seemed to him, took the incident far too lightly; she was merely frightened at first, and then, when she learned that Brizzhalov was “someone else’s,” she calmed down. “Still, you go and apologize,” she said. “He’ll think you don’t know how to behave in public!” — “That’s just it! I apologized, but he was somehow strange about it… Didn’t say a single sensible word. And there was no time to talk.”

onНа the nextдругой dayдень ChervyakovЧервяков put onнадел a newновый uniformвицмундир, had his hair cutподстригся andи wentпошел toк BrizzhalovБризжалову to explainобъяснить… enteringВойдя intoв the reception roomприемную of the generalгенерала, heон sawувидел thereтам manyмного petitionersпросителей, andа amongмежду the petitionersпросителями evenи the veryсамого generalгенерала, whoкоторый alreadyуже had begunначал receivingприем petitionsпрошений. having questionedОпросив severalнесколько petitionersпросителей, the generalгенерал raisedподнял his eyesглаза alsoи toна ChervyakovЧервякова.
—— yesterdayВчера atв the Arcadia«Аркадии», ifежели you recallприпомните, yourваше Exc’ncy (clipped)—ство, —— beganначал to reportдокладывать the office stewardэкзекутор, —— Iя sneezed, sirчихнул-с andи… accidentallyнечаянно sprayedобрызгал… excu…Изв…
—— whatКакие nonsenseпустяки… GodБог knowsзнает whatчто! for youВам whatчто would you likeугодно? —— turnedобратился the generalгенерал toк the nextследующему petitionerпросителю.
to talk«Говорить notне he wantsхочет! —— thoughtподумал ChervyakovЧервяков, turning paleбледнея. —— he is angryСердится, it meansзначит… noНет, thisэтого must notнельзя soтак be leftоставить… IЯ to himему will explainобъясню…»

The next day Chervyakov put on a new uniform, had his hair cut, and went to Brizzhalov to explain… Entering the general’s reception room, he saw many petitioners there, and among them the general himself, who had already begun receiving petitions. Having questioned several petitioners, the general raised his eyes to Chervyakov as well. “Yesterday at the Arcadia, if you recall, your Exc’ncy,” the office steward began his report, “I sneezed, sir, and… accidentally sprayed… Excu…” — “What nonsense… God knows what! What can I do for you?” said the general, turning to the next petitioner. “He won’t talk!” thought Chervyakov, turning pale. “That means he’s angry… No, this can’t be left like this… I will explain to him…”

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