to Vlas, and Dobchinsky asked him on the quiet, "Who,"
he asked, "is that young man?" "That young man,"
Vlas replied, "that young man"-- Oh, don't interrupt,
Piotr Ivanovich, please don't interrupt. You can't tell
the story. Upon my word, you can't. You lisp and one
tooth in your mouth makes you whistle. I know what
I'm saying. "That young man," he said, "is an official."--
Yes, sir.-- "On his way from St. Petersburg.
And his name," he said, "is Ivan Aleksandrovich
Khlestakov, and he's going," he said "to the government
of Saratov," he said. "And he acts so queerly. It's
the second week he's been here and he's never left the
house; and he won't pay a penny, takes everything on
account." When Vlas told me that, a light dawned on
me from above, and I said to Piotr Ivanovich, "Hey!"--

DOBCHINSKY. No, Piotr Ivanovich, I said "HEY!"

BOBCHINSKY. Well first YOU said it, then I did.
"Hey!" said both of us, "And why does he stick here
if he's going to Saratov?"-- Yes, sir, that's he, the official.

GOVERNOR. Who? What official?

BOBCHINSKY. Why, the official who you were notified
was coming, the Inspector.

GOVERNOR [terrified]. Great God! What's that
you're saying. It can't be he.