KHLESTAKOV. Why don't you deserve it? You do deserve
it, madam.

ANNA. I live in a village.

KHLESTAKOV. Well, after all, a village too has something.
It has its hills and brooks. Of course it's not
to be compared with St. Petersburg. Ah, St. Petersburg!
What a life, to be sure! Maybe you think I am only a
copying clerk. No, I am on a friendly footing with the
chief of our department. He slaps me on the back.
"Come, brother," he says, "and have dinner with me."
I just drop in the office for a couple of minutes to say this
is to be done so, and that is to be done that way. There's
a rat of a clerk there for copying letters who does nothing
but scribble all the time--tr, tr-- They even
wanted to make me a college assessor, but I think to myself,
"What do I want it for?" And the doorkeeper
flies after me on the stairs with the shoe brush. "Allow
me to shine your boots for you, Ivan Aleksandrovich," he
says. [To the Governor.] Why are you standing, gentleman?
Please sit down.

{GOVERNOR. Our rank is such that we can very
Together { well stand.
{ARTEMY. We don't mind standing.
{LUKA. Please don't trouble.

KHLESTAKOV. Please sit down without the rank.
[The Governor and the rest sit down.] I don't like