“It’s no joke, you know! It’s all very well if you’re single. ‘One man though undone is but one,’ as the proverb says, but with thirteen in your family and all the property⁠ ⁠… They’ve brought us to utter ruin! What sort of governors are they to do that? They ought to be hanged⁠—the brigands!⁠ ⁠…”

“Oh come, that’s enough!” said the other.

“What do I care? Let him hear! We’re not dogs,” said the ex-captain of police, and looking round he noticed Alpátych.

“Oh, Yákov Alpátych! What have you come for?”

“To see the Governor by his excellency’s order,” answered Alpátych, lifting his head and proudly thrusting his hand into the bosom of his coat as he always did when he mentioned the prince.⁠ ⁠… “He has ordered me to inquire into the position of affairs,” he added.