The Tale of Tula, the Oblique Left-Handed Man and the Steel Flea

Chapter one

When Emperor Alexander Pavlovich graduated from the Vienna Council 1, he wanted to travel around Europe and to different states see miracles. He traveled all over the world and everywhere, through his kindness, he always had the most internecine conversations with all sorts of people, and everyone surprised him with something and wanted to win him over to their side, but with him there was Don Cossack Platov 2, who did not like this declination and, missing his household, kept beckoning the sovereign home. And as soon as Platov notices that the sovereign is very interested in something foreign, then all the escorts are silent, and Platov will now say: so and so, and we have our own at home, no worse, - and will take him away with something.

The British knew this and, upon the arrival of the sovereign, they came up with various tricks in order to captivate him with his foreignness and distract him from the Russians, and in many cases they achieved this, especially in large meetings where Platov could not fully speak French; but he was little interested in this, because he was a married man and considered all French conversations to be trifles that were not worth imagining. And when the British began to invite the sovereign to all their prisons, weapons factories and soap-saw factories, in order to show their advantage over us in all things and to be famous for it, Platov said to himself:

Well, it's a sabbath here. Until now I have endured, but I can’t go on. Whether I can speak or not, I won’t betray my people.

And as soon as he said this word to himself, the sovereign said to him:

So and so, tomorrow you and I are going to look at their weapons chamber of curiosities 3. There,” he says, “there are such natures of perfection that once you look at them, you will no longer argue that we Russians are no good with our meaning.”

Platov did not answer the sovereign, he only lowered his horned 4 nose into a shaggy cloak, but came to his apartment, ordered the orderly to bring a flask of Caucasian vodka-kislyarka from the cellar, 5 cracked a good glass, prayed to God on the road fold 6, covered himself with the cloak and began to snore that no one in the entire English house was allowed to sleep. I thought: morning is wiser than night.

1 Alexander I participated in Congress of Vienna(1814-1815) from Russia, which won the war with Napoleon. Congress determined the boundaries of the states subjected to Napoleonic invasion.

2 Matvey Ivanovich Platov (1751-1818) - count, general, ataman Don Cossacks, hero of the war with Napoleon. Traveled with the Tsar to London after the war.

3 Kunstskimera - museum, collection of rare things.

4 Humpbacked - hunchbacked.

5 Kislyarka (distorted) - grape vodka from the city of Kizlyar.

6 Folding - folding icon.

Current page: 1 (book has 4 pages in total)

Nikolay Leskov

(The Tale of the Tula Oblique Lefty and the Steel Flea)

Chapter one

When Emperor Alexander Pavlovich graduated from the Vienna Council, he wanted to travel around Europe and see wonders in different states. He traveled to all countries and everywhere, through his affectionateness, he always had the most internecine conversations with all sorts of people, and everyone surprised him with something and wanted to bend him to their side, but with him was the Don Cossack Platov, who did not like this inclination and, missing his the household kept beckoning the sovereign home. And if Platov notices that the sovereign is very interested in something foreign, then all the escorts are silent, and Platov will now say: so and so, and we have our own at home just as well, and he will take him away with something.

The English knew this and, before the arrival of the sovereign, they came up with various tricks in order to captivate him with his foreignness and distract him from the Russians, and in many cases they achieved this, especially in large meetings, where Platov could not speak French completely: but he was not interested in this, because he was a married man and considered all French conversations to be trifles that were not worth the imagination. And when the British began to invite the sovereign to all their prisons, weapons factories and soap-saw factories, in order to show their advantage over us in all things and to be famous for it, Platov said to himself:

- Well, it’s a sabbath here. Until now I have endured, but I can’t go on. Whether I can speak or not, I won’t betray my people.

And as soon as he said this word to himself, the sovereign said to him:

- So and so, tomorrow you and I are going to look at their weapons cabinet. There,” he says, “there are such natures of perfection that once you look at them, you will no longer argue that we Russians are no good with our meaning.”

Platov did not answer the sovereign, he just lowered his hornbeam nose into a shaggy cloak, but came to his apartment, ordered the orderly to bring a flask of Caucasian vodka-kislarka from the cellar, shook a good glass, prayed to God on the road fold, covered himself with the cloak and snored so that In the entire English house, no one was allowed to sleep.

I thought: morning is wiser than night.

Chapter two

The next day the sovereign and Platov went to the Kunstkamera. The Emperor did not take any more Russians with him, because they were given a two-seater carriage.

They arrive at a very large building - the entrance is indescribable, the corridors are endless, and the rooms are one after the other, and, finally, in the main hall there are various huge busts, and in the middle under the canopy stands Abolon of Polveder.

The Emperor looks back at Platov: is he very surprised and what is he looking at? and he walks with his eyes downcast, as if he sees nothing - he just makes rings out of his mustache.

The British immediately began to show various surprises and explain what they had adapted for military circumstances: sea storm gauges, merblue mantons of foot regiments, and tar waterproof cables for the cavalry. The Emperor rejoices at all this, everything seems very good to him, but Platov maintains his expectation that everything means nothing to him.

The Emperor says:

- How is this possible - why are you so insensitive? Isn't there anything surprising to you here?

And Platov answers:

“The only thing that surprises me here is that my fellow Don people fought without all this and drove away twelve people.”

The Emperor says:

- This is recklessness.

Platov answers:

“I don’t know what to attribute it to, but I don’t dare argue and must remain silent.”

And the British, seeing such an exchange between the sovereign, now brought him to Abolon Polvedersky himself and took Mortimer’s gun from one hand and a pistol from the other.

“Here,” they say, “what our productivity is,” and they hand over the gun.

The Emperor looked at Mortimer’s gun calmly, because he had some like that in Tsarskoe Selo, and then they gave him a pistol and said:

“This is a pistol of unknown, inimitable craftsmanship - our admiral pulled it from the belt of the robber chieftain in Candelabria.”

The Emperor looked at the pistol and couldn’t see enough of it.

He got terribly excited.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he says, “how is this possible... how can this even be done so subtly!” “And he turns to Platov in Russian and says: “If I only had one such master in Russia, I would be very happy and proud of it, and I would immediately make that master noble.”

And Platov, at these words, at that very moment lowered his right hand into his large trousers and pulled out a gun screwdriver from there. The English say: “It doesn’t open,” but he, not paying attention, just picks the lock. I turned it once, turned it twice - the lock and got out. Platov shows the sovereign the dog, and there on the very bend there is a Russian inscription: “Ivan Moskvin in the city of Tula.”

The British are surprised and nudge each other:

- Oh, we made a mistake!

And Emperor Platov sadly says:

“Why did you make them so embarrassed, I feel very sorry for them now.” Let's go.

They got back into the same two-seater carriage and drove off, and that day the sovereign was at the ball, and Platov choked down an even larger glass of sour water and slept in a sound Cossack sleep.

He was happy that he had embarrassed the English and put the Tula master on the spot, but he was also annoyed: why did the sovereign feel sorry for the English on such an occasion!

“Why is the Emperor upset? - Platov thought, “I don’t understand that at all,” and in this reasoning he got up twice, crossed himself and drank vodka, until he forced himself into a deep sleep.

And the British were not sleeping at that very time either, because they too were dizzy. While the sovereign was having fun at the ball, they staged such a new surprise for him that Platov was robbed of all his imagination.

Chapter Three

The next day, as Platov came to the sovereign with good morning appeared, he said to him:

“Let them lay down the two-seater carriage now, and we’ll go to the new cabinets of curiosities to look.”

Platov even dared to report that it wasn’t enough to look at foreign products and wouldn’t it be better to get ready for Russia, but the sovereign said:

- No, I still want to see other news: they praised me how they make the first grade of sugar.

The British show everything to the sovereign: what kind of different firsts varieties, and Platov looked and looked and suddenly said:

- Show us your sugar factories word of mouth?

And the British don't even know what it is word of mouth. They whisper, wink, repeat to each other: “Molvo, molvo,” but they cannot understand that we make this kind of sugar, and they must admit that they have all the sugar, but “rumor” does not.

Platov says:

- Well, there’s nothing to brag about. Come to us, we will give you tea with real molvo from the Bobrinsky plant.

And the sovereign tugged at his sleeve and said quietly:

– Please don’t spoil politics for me.

Then the British called the sovereign to the very last chamber of curiosities, where they collected mineral stones and nymphosoria from all over the world, from the largest Egyptian ceramide to the subcutaneous flea, which is impossible for the eyes to see, and its sting is between the skin and the body.

The Emperor went.

They examined the ceramides and all sorts of stuffed animals and went out, and Platov thought to himself:

“Now, thank God, everything is fine: the sovereign is not surprised at anything.”

But they just arrived at the very last room, and here their workers stand in tuxedo vests and aprons and hold a tray with nothing on it.

The Emperor was suddenly surprised that he was being served an empty tray.

-What does this mean? – asks; and the English masters answer:

“This is our humble offering to your Majesty.”

- What is this?

“But,” they say, “would you like to see a speck?”

The Emperor looked and saw: exactly, the tiniest speck was lying on a silver tray.

Workers say:

“If you please, wet your finger and take it in your palm.”

- What do I need this speck for?

“This,” they answer, “is not a speck, but a nymphosoria.”

- Is she alive?

“No,” they answer, “it’s not alive, but we forged it from pure English steel in the image of a flea, and in the middle there is a factory and a spring.” If you please turn the key: she will now start dancing.

The Emperor became curious and asked:

- Where is the key?

And the English say:

- Here is the key in front of your eyes.

“Why,” says the sovereign, “do I not see him?”

“Because,” they answer, “it needs to be done through a small scope.”

A small scope was brought in, and the sovereign saw that there was indeed a key lying on a tray near the flea.

“If you please,” they say, “take her in your palm—she has a winding hole in her little belly, and the key has seven turns, and then she will go dancing…”

The sovereign grabbed this key with force and with force he could hold it in a pinch, and in another pinch he took a flea and just inserted the key, when he felt that she was starting to move her antennae, then she began to move her legs, and finally she suddenly jumped and in one flight straight dance and two beliefs to one side, then to the other, and so in three variations the whole kavril danced.

The Emperor immediately ordered the British to give a million, whatever money they wanted - they wanted it in silver coins, they wanted it in small banknotes.

The British asked to be given silver, because they didn’t know much about paper; and then now they showed another trick of theirs: they gave the flea as a gift, but they didn’t bring a case for it: without a case, you can’t keep it or the key, because they will get lost and be thrown into the trash. And their case for it is made of a solid diamond nut - and there is a place in the middle that is pressed out for it. They didn’t submit this because they say the case is government-issued, but they are strict about government-issued items, even if they are for the sovereign – you can’t sacrifice them.

Platov was very angry because he said:

– Why such fraud! They made a gift and received a million for it, and it’s still not enough! The case, he says, always belongs with every thing.

But the sovereign says:

- Please leave it alone, it’s none of your business - don’t spoil politics for me. They have their own custom. - And asks: - How much does that nut cost, in which the flea is located?

The British paid another five thousand for this.

Sovereign Alexander Pavlovich said: “Pay,” and he himself lowered the flea into this nut, and with it the key, and in order not to lose the nut itself, he lowered it into his golden snuff-box, and ordered the snuff-box to be put in his traveling box, which was all lined with mother of pearl and fish bone. The sovereign released the Aglitsky masters with honor and told them: “You are the first masters in the whole world, and my people cannot do anything against you.”

They were very pleased with this, but Platov could not say anything against the sovereign’s words. He just took the small scope and, without saying anything, put it in his pocket, because “it belongs here,” he says, “and you already took a lot of money from us.”

The Emperor did not know this until his arrival in Russia, but they left soon, because the Emperor became melancholy from military affairs and he wanted to have a spiritual confession in Taganrog with Priest Fedot. On the way, he and Platov had very little pleasant conversation, because they had completely different thoughts: the sovereign thought that the British had no equal in art, and Platov argued that ours, no matter what they look at, can do anything, but only they have no useful teaching . And he represented to the sovereign that the English masters have completely different rules of life, science and food, and each person has all the absolute circumstances before him, and through this he has a completely different meaning.

The Emperor did not want to listen to this for a long time, and Platov, seeing this, did not become stronger. So they drove on in silence, only Platov would come out at each station and, out of frustration, drink a leavened glass of vodka, snack on a salted lamb, light his root pipe, which immediately contained a whole pound of Zhukov’s tobacco, and then sit down and sit next to the Tsar in the carriage in silence. The Emperor is looking in one direction, and Platov is sticking his chibouk out the other window and smoking into the wind. So they got to St. Petersburg, and Tsar Platov did not take him to priest Fedot at all.

“You,” he says, “are intemperate in spiritual conversation and smoke so much that your smoke makes my head soot.”

Platov remained resentful and lay down on the annoying couch at home, and still lay there and Zhukov smoked tobacco incessantly.

Chapter Four

An amazing flea made of English blued steel remained with Alexander Pavlovich in a box under a fish bone until he died in Taganrog, giving it to priest Fedot, so that he could hand it over to the empress when she calmed down. Empress Elisaveta Alekseevna looked at the flea's belief and grinned, but did not bother with it.

“It’s mine,” she says, “now it’s a widow’s business, and no amusements are seductive to me,” and when she returned to St. Petersburg, she handed over this wonder with all the other treasures as an inheritance to the new sovereign.

Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich at first also did not pay any attention to the flea, because at sunrise he was in confusion, but then one day he began to look through the box that he had inherited from his brother and took out a snuff box from it, and from the snuff box a diamond nut, and in it he found steel flea, which had not been started for a long time and therefore did not act, but lay quietly, as if numb.

The Emperor looked and was surprised:

- What kind of trifle is this and why does my brother have it in such preservation!

The courtiers wanted to throw it away, but the sovereign said:

- No, it means something.

They called a chemist from the Anichkin Bridge from the nasty pharmacy, who weighed poisons on the smallest scales, and they showed him, and now he took a flea, put it on his tongue and said: “I feel cold, as if from strong metal.” And then he slightly crushed it with his teeth and announced:

- As you wish, but this is not a real flea, but a nymphosoria, and it is made of metal, and this work is not ours, not Russian.

The Emperor ordered us to find out now: where does this come from and what does it mean?

They rushed to look at the files and lists, but nothing was written down in the files. They started asking this and that, but no one knew anything. But, fortunately, the Don Cossack Platov was still alive and even still lay on his annoying couch and smoked his pipe. When he heard that there was such unrest in the palace, he immediately got up from his couch, hung up the phone and came to the sovereign in all orders. The Emperor says:

- What do you, courageous old man, want from me?

And Platov answers:

“I, Your Majesty, don’t need anything for myself, since I drink and eat what I want and am happy with everything, and I,” he says, “came to report about this nymphosoria that they found: this,” he says, “is how it was.” , and this is how it happened before my eyes in England - and here she has a key, and I have their own microscope, through which you can see it, and with this key you can start this nymphosoria through the belly, and it will jump in any space and to the sides of the probability of doing.

They started it up, she went to jump, and Platov said:

“It’s true,” he says, “your majesty, that the work is very subtle and interesting, but we shouldn’t be surprised at this with mere delight of feelings, but we should subject it to Russian revisions in Tula or in Sesterbek - then Sestroretsk was still called Sesterbek , - can’t our masters surpass this, so that the British do not exalt themselves over the Russians?

Sovereign Nikolai Pavlovich was very confident in his Russian people and did not like to give in to any foreigner, so he answered Platov:

“You, courageous old man, speak well, and I entrust you to believe this matter.” I don’t need this box anyway now with my troubles, but you take it with you and don’t lie down on your annoying couch anymore, but go to the quiet Don and have internecine conversations there with my Don people about their lives and devotion and what they like. And when you go through Tula, show my Tula masters this nymphosoria, and let them think about it. Tell them from me that my brother was surprised at this thing and praised the strangers who did the nymphosoria most of all, but I hope for my own people that they are no worse than anyone. They will not let my word slip and will do something.

Chapter Five

Platov took the steel flea and, as he drove through Tula to the Don, showed it to the Tula gunsmiths and conveyed the sovereign’s words to them, and then asked:

– What should we do now, Orthodox?

Gunsmiths answer:

“We, father, feel the gracious word of the sovereign and can never forget him because he trusts in his people, but what we should do in the present case, we cannot say in one minute, because the English nation is not stupid either, and quite cunning, and there is art in it makes a lot of sense. Against it, they say, we must take it seriously and with God’s blessing. And you, if your honor, like our sovereign, has confidence in us, go to your quiet Don, and leave us this flea as it is, in a case and in a golden royal snuffbox. Walk along the Don and heal the wounds that you suffered for your fatherland, and when you go back through Tula, stop and send for us: by that time, God willing, we will come up with something.

Platov was not entirely pleased that the Tula people were demanding so much time and, moreover, did not say clearly what exactly they were hoping to arrange. He asked them this way and that and spoke to them slyly in Don style in all manners; but the Tula people were not inferior to him in cunning, because they immediately had such a plan that they did not even hope that Platov would believe them, but wanted to directly fulfill their bold imagination, and then give it away.

“We ourselves don’t yet know what we will do, but we will only hope in God, and perhaps the king’s word will not be put to shame for our sake.”

So Platov wiggles his mind, and so do the Tula people.

Platov wiggled and wiggled, but saw that he couldn’t outweigh Tula, gave them a snuffbox with a nymphosoria and said:

“Well, there’s nothing to do, let it be your way,” he says; I don’t know what you are like, well, there’s nothing to do, I believe you, but just be careful not to replace the diamond and spoil the fine English work, but don’t bother for long, because I’m driving a lot: it won’t be two weeks, when I turn from the quiet Don to Petersburg again - then I will certainly have something to show the sovereign.

The gunsmiths completely reassured him:

“It’s fine work,” they say, “we won’t damage it and we won’t exchange the diamond, but two weeks is enough time for us, and by the time you return back, you’ll have anything worthy to represent the sovereign's splendor.

A What exactly, they never said that.

Chapter Six

Platov left Tula, and the three gunsmiths, the most skilled of them, one with a sideways Lefty, a birthmark on his cheek, and the hair on his temples torn out during training, said goodbye to his comrades and to his family and, without telling anyone, took their bags and put them away there they needed food and fled the city.

They only noticed that they did not go to the Moscow outpost, but in the opposite, Kyiv direction, and thought that they went to Kyiv to bow to the deceased saints or to consult there with one of the living holy men, who are always in abundance in Kyiv .

But this was only close to the truth, and not the truth itself. Neither time nor distance allowed the Tula craftsmen to walk to Kyiv for three weeks and then have time to do the work that would disgrace the English nation. It would be better if they could go to pray in Moscow, which is only “two and ninety miles away,” and there are many saints who rest there. And in the other direction, to Orel, the same “two ninety”, and beyond Orel to Kyiv again another good five hundred miles. You won’t make this journey quickly, and even after you’ve made it, you won’t be able to rest soon - your legs will be glassy for a long time and your hands will be shaking.

Some even thought that the masters had boasted to Platov, and then, as they thought about it, they became cowardly and now ran away completely, taking with them the royal golden snuffbox, and the diamond, and the English steel flea in the case that had caused them trouble.

However, such an assumption was also completely unfounded and unworthy of skilled people, on whom the hope of the nation now rested.

Chapter Seven

Tula people, smart people and knowledgeable in metal work, are also known as the first experts in religion. Their glory in this regard is full and native land, and even Saint Athos: they are not only masters of singing with the Babylonians, but they know how to paint the picture “Evening Bells,” and if one of them devotes himself to great service and goes into monasticism, then they are considered the best monastic economists, and of them the most capable collectors come out. On Holy Athos they know that the Tula people are the most profitable people, and if not for them, then the dark corners of Russia would probably not have seen many of the sacred things of the distant East, and Athos would have lost many useful offerings from Russian generosity and piety. Now the “Athos Tula people” carry saints throughout our homeland and skillfully collect collections even where there is nothing to take. Tula is full of church piety and a great practitioner of this matter, and therefore those three masters who undertook to support Platov and with him all of Russia did not make the mistake of heading not to Moscow, but to the south. They were not going to Kyiv at all, but to Mtsensk, to the district town Oryol province, in which stands the ancient “stone-cut” icon of St. Nicholas, which sailed here in ancient times on a large stone cross along the Zusha River. This icon is of a “formidable and terrible” type - the saint of Myra-Lycia is depicted on it “full-length”, all dressed in silver-gilded clothes, and with a dark face and holding a temple on one hand, and in the other a sword - “military victory”. It was in this “overcoming” that the whole meaning of the thing lay: St. Nicholas in general is the patron of trade and military affairs, and “Nikola of Mtsensk” in particular, and it was to him that the Tula people went to bow. They served a prayer service at the icon itself, then at the stone cross, and finally returned home “at night” and, without telling anyone anything, set to work in terrible secrecy. All three of them came together in one house with Lefty, locked the doors, closed the shutters in the windows, lit the lamp in front of Nikolin’s image and began to work.

For a day, two, three they sit and don’t go anywhere, everyone is tapping with hammers. They are forging something, but what they are forging is unknown.

Everyone is curious, but no one can find out anything, because the workers don’t say anything and don’t show themselves. We went to the house different people, knocked on doors under different types to ask for fire or salt, but the three artisans do not respond to any demand, and even what they eat is unknown. They tried to scare them, as if the house next door was on fire, in case they would jump out in fright and then reveal what they had forged, but nothing would stop these cunning craftsmen; Once only Lefty stuck out up to his shoulders and shouted:

“Burn yourself, but we don’t have time,” and again he hid his plucked head, slammed the shutter, and set about their work.

Only through small cracks one could see the light shining inside the house, and one could hear thin hammers hammering on ringing anvils.

In a word, the whole thing was conducted in such a way terrible secret that nothing could be learned, and, moreover, it continued until the Cossack Platov returned from the quiet Don to the sovereign, and during all this time the masters did not see or talk to anyone.

SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE

"FIRST STEPS INTO SCIENCE"

LANGUAGE FEATURES OF N. S. LESKOV’S TALE “LEFT-HANDED.”

Completed by a student of grade 8 "G" MOBU secondary school No. 4

Mayatskaya Anastasia.

(Scientific supervisor)

Dostoevsky's equal - he is a missed genius.

Igor Severyanin.

Any subject, any activity, any work seems uninteresting to a person if it is not clear. The work of Nikolai Semenovich Leskov “Lefty” is not very popular among seventh graders. Why? I think because it is complex and incomprehensible to schoolchildren of this age. And when you start to think about it, figure it out, assume and get to the bottom of the truth, then things open up. most interesting moments. And personally, it now seems to me that the story “Lefty” is one of the most extraordinary works of Russian literature, in the linguistic structure of which so much is hidden for a modern schoolchild...

Language features story "Lefty" and appeared subject of study our work. We tried to deal with every word usage unusual for the modern Russian language, and, if possible, find the reasons for the differences. We had to track changes of this kind in all sections of the language: phonetics, morphemics, morphology, syntax, punctuation, spelling, orthoepy. This is what it's all about structure our work is a description of linguistic changes in different sections of the language, although it should be noted right away that this classification is very relative, because some language changes can be attributed to several sections at once (however, like many phenomena of modern language).

So , target work - study the work “Lefty” (The Tale of the Tula Oblique Lefty and the Steel Flea) for its linguistic features, identify word usages unusual for the modern Russian language at all language levels and, if possible, find explanations for them.

2. The reasons for the occurrence of inconsistencies in word usage in the tale “Lefty” and the modern Russian language.

“The Tale of the Tula Oblique Lefty and the Steel Flea” was published in 1881. It is clear that significant changes have occurred in the language over 120 years - and this first reason appearance of discrepancies with modern standards word usage.

The second one is genre feature. “Lefty” entered the treasury of Russian literature also because it brought to perfection such a stylistic device as the skaz.

A tale is, by definition, “an artistic orientation towards an oral monologue of a narrative type; it is an artistic imitation of monologue speech.” If you think about the definition, it will become obvious that a work of this genre is characterized by a mixture of spoken (“oral monologue”) and book (“artistic imitation”) speech.

“Skaz”, as a word in the Russian language, clearly comes from the verb “skazat”, the full meaning of which is perfectly explained by: “speak”, “explain”, “notify”, “say” or “bayat”, that is, the skaz style goes back to folklore It is closer not to literary, but to colloquial speech(which means it is used large number colloquial word forms, words of so-called folk etymology). The author, as it were, is eliminated from the narrative and reserves the role of recording what he hears. (Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka is in this style). In "Lefty" the imitation of oral monologue speech carried out at all levels of language, Leskov is especially inventive in word creation. And this second reason discrepancies with modern literary norms.

Sources artistic language The writer's experiences are varied - they are primarily associated with his stock of life observations, deep acquaintance with the life and language of various social groups. The sources of the language were ancient secular and church books and historical documents. “On my own behalf, I speak in the language of ancient fairy tales and church folk in purely literary speech,” said the writer. In my notebook Leskov lists ancient Russian words and expressions that interested him for their expressiveness, which he later uses in the text. works of art. Thus, in the texts of the works the author also used Old Russian and Church Slavonic word forms, rooted in the distant linguistic past. And this third reason discrepancies between language word forms in Leskov’s work and modern ones.

Igor Severyanin, also distinguished by his unusual word-creation, once wrote a sonnet dedicated to him. There were lines:

Dostoevsky's equal, he is a missed genius.

Enchanted wanderer of the catacombs of language!

It is through these catacombs of language in Leskov’s work “Lefty” that I suggest you go.

VOCABULARY.

Turning to popular vernacular, colloquial language, folklore expressions, using words with folk etymology, Leskov is trying to show that the Russian folk speech extremely rich, talented, expressive.

Obsolete words and forms of words.

The text of the work “Lefty”, of course, is unusually rich in archaisms and historicisms (chubuk, postilion, kazakin, erfix (sobering agent), talma...), but any modern edition contains required quantity footnotes, explanations of such words, so that each student can read them independently. We were more interested outdated forms words:

Adjective comparative degree more useful, that is, more useful;

The participle “servant” as a noun from the lost verb “serve”: “... showed to the servant on the mouth."

The short participle of “blankets” (that is, dressed) from the disappeared blanket.

The participle “hosha”, formed from the verb “to want” (with the modern suffix –sh-, by the way)

The use of the word “although” instead of the modern “though”: “Now if I had Although there is one such master in Russia..."

The case form “on digits” is not a mistake: along with the word “digit”, there also existed the now obsolete (with a touch of irony) form “tsifir”.

Obsolete form of the adverb " alone" instead of "however". (Like " far away burst out: hurray "y).

The appearance of the so-called prosthetic consonant “v” between vowels

(“right-wingers") was characteristic of the Old Russian language in order to eliminate the unusual phenomenon of gaping (confluence of vowels).

Colloquial expressions:

-“...a glass of sour milk choked out";

-“..great I’m driving”, that is, quickly

-“...so watered without mercy,” that is, they beat.

-“...something will take..." that is, it will distract.

-“...smoked without stop"

Pubel poodle

Tugament instead of document

Kazamat - casemate

Symphon - siphon

Grandevu - rendezvous

Schiglets = boots

Washable – washable

Half skipper-sub skipper

Puplection - apoplexy (stroke)

Words with folk zytymology, most often formed by combining words.

Coach two-seater– a combination of the words “double” and “sit down”

There are fluctuations in the gender of nouns in the text, which is typical literary norm of that time: ". .shutter slammed"; and unusual, erroneous forms: “his by force did not hold back", that is, the instrumental case according to the model masculine declined, although the nominative case is a feminine noun.

Mixing case forms. The word “look” can be used both with nouns in V. p. and with nouns in R. p.., Leskov mixed these forms: “... in different states miracles look."

- “Everything here is in your sight,” and provide.”, that is, “view”.

- “... Nikolai Pavlovich was terrible... memorable." (instead of “memorable”)

- “...they look at the girl without hiding, but with all relatedness.”(relatives)

-“...so that not a single minute for the Russian usefulness didn’t disappear” (benefits)

Inversion:

- “...now very angry.”

- “...you will have something worthy of presenting to the sovereign’s splendor.”

Mixing styles (colloquial and bookish):

- “...I want to go to my native place as soon as possible, because otherwise I might get a form of insanity.”

-“...no emergency holidays” (special)

- “...wants a detailed intention to discover about the girl...”

-“..from here with the left-hander and foreign species have come.”

-“...we’re going to look at their weapons chamber of curiosities, there are such nature of perfection"

- “...every person has everything for himself absolute circumstances has." In addition, the use of such a form of the predicate verb is not typical of the Russian language (as, for example, English; and it is the English that the hero is talking about).

-“.. I don’t know now , for what need Is this kind of repetition happening to me?

Conclusion.

As can be seen from the above examples, changes have occurred at all levels of language. I believe that having become familiar with at least some of them, seventh graders will not only receive new information, but will also be very interested in reading the work “Lefty”.

For example, we suggested that our classmates work with examples from the “Vocabulary” section, here you can show your ingenuity, your linguistic flair, and no special preparation is required. Having explained several variants of words with folk etymology, they offered to figure out the rest on their own. The students were interested in the work.

And I would like to end my research with the words of M. Gorky: “Leskov is also a wizard of words, but he did not write plastically, but told stories, and in this art he has no equal. His story is an inspired song, simple, purely Great Russian words, descending one after another into intricate lines, sometimes thoughtfully, sometimes laughingly, ringing, and you can always hear in them a reverent love for people...”

1.Introduction (relevance of the topic, structure of the work, purpose of the study).

2. Reasons for the occurrence of inconsistencies in word usage in the work “Lefty” and in the modern Russian language.

3. Study of the language features of the tale “Lefty” at all levels:

Vocabulary;

Morphology;

Word formation;

Phonetics;

Textual criticism;

Syntax and punctuation;

Spelling.

4. Conclusion.

Literature used.

1. . Novels and stories, M.: AST Olimp, 1998

2. , . Historical grammar Russian language.-M.: Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1963

3. . Dictionary living Great Russian language (1866). Electronic version.

→ → → Left-handed - reading

Lefty

CHAPTER ONE

When Emperor Alexander Pavlovich graduated from the Vienna Council, he wanted
travel around Europe and see different wonderlands. He traveled
all countries and everywhere, through his affectionateness, he always had the most internecine
conversations with all sorts of people, and everyone surprised him with something and on their side
they wanted to bow down, but with him was the Don Cossack Platov, who
He didn’t like declination and, missing his household, he kept beckoning the sovereign home.
And just if Platov notices that the sovereign is very foreign in something
is interested, then all the guides are silent, and Platov will now say: “so and so,
and we have our own at home just as well, and he’ll give us something to eat.
The British knew this and came up with various tricks for the sovereign’s arrival,
in order to captivate him with his foreignness and distract him from the Russians, and in many cases
they achieved this, especially in large meetings where Platov could not
speak French quite well; but he was of little interest in this, because
there was a married man and he considered all French conversations to be trifles, which
not worth the imagination. And when the British began to call the sovereign to all sorts of their
workshops, weapons and soap-saw factories, to show theirs over us in
advantage in all things and to be famous for this,” Platov said to himself:
- Well, it’s a sabbath here. Until now I have endured, but I can’t go on. I can
or I won’t be able to speak, and I won’t betray my people.
And as soon as he said this word to himself, the sovereign said to him:
- So and so, tomorrow you and I are going to look at their weapons cabinet.
There,” he says, “there are such natures of perfection that when you look, you already
you will no longer argue that we, Russians, with our significance, are nowhere
we're good.
Platov did not answer the sovereign, only his horned nose in
took off his shaggy cloak, and came to his apartment, ordered the orderly to give him a
cellar flask of Caucasian vodka-kislyarka, shook a good glass,
the traveler prayed to God, covered himself with a cloak and began snoring so that in everything
No one was allowed to sleep in the English home.
I thought: morning is wiser than night.

CHAPTER TWO

The next day the sovereign and Platov went to the Kunstkamera. More
the sovereign did not take any of the Russians with him, because the carriage was given to them
two-sister.
They arrive at a large building - the entrance is indescribable, the corridors reach
infinity, and the rooms are one in the same, and, finally, in the main hall
various huge busts, and in the middle under the canopy stands Abolon
half-vedersky
The Emperor looks back at Platov: is he very surprised and what is he looking at?
and he walks with his eyes downcast, as if he sees nothing - only from his mustache
rings blow.
The British immediately began to show various surprises and explain that
what they have adapted for military circumstances: sea storm meters,
tar blue mantons for the foot regiments, and tar waterproof cables for the cavalry.
The Emperor rejoices at all this, everything seems very good to him, but Platov keeps
his anticipation that everything means nothing to him.
The Emperor says:
- How is this possible - why are you so insensitive? Really you
Is there anything surprising here? And Platov answers:
“One thing that’s surprising to me here is that my fellow Dons are great without all this.”
They fought and drove away twelve tongues.
The Emperor says:
- This is recklessness.
Platov answers:
“I don’t know what to attribute it to, but I don’t dare argue and must remain silent.”
And the British, seeing such an exchange between the sovereign, now brought him to
to Abolon Polvedersky himself and take Mortimer’s gun from one of his hands,
and from the other I use a pistol.
“Here,” they say, “what our productivity is,” and they hand over the gun.
The Emperor looked at Mortimer's gun calmly, because he had
There are such people in Tsarskoe Selo, and then they give him a pistol and say:
- This is a pistol of unknown, inimitable craftsmanship - its ours
The admiral pulled it from the belt of the robber chieftain in Candelabria.
The Emperor looked at the pistol and couldn’t see enough of it.
He got terribly excited.
“Ah, ah, ah,” he says, “how is it so... how can it even be so subtly
do! - And he turns to Platov in Russian and says: - If only you
I had at least one such master in Russia, so I would be very happy
he was proud, and he would have made that master noble right away.
And Platov, at these words, at that very moment lowered his right hand into his large
trousers and pulls out a gun screwdriver. The English say: "This is not
opens,” and he, not paying attention, went on picking the lock. He turned it once,
I turned two locks and got out. Platov shows the sovereign the dog, and there
on the bend itself there is a Russian inscription: “Ivan Moskvin in the city of Tula.”
The British are surprised and nudge each other:
- Oh, we made a mistake!
And Emperor Platov sadly says:
“Why did you make them so embarrassed, I feel very sorry for them now.” Let's go.
We got into the same two-seater carriage again and drove off, and the sovereign that day
I was at the ball, and Platov drank another glass of sour milk and slept soundly
Cossack dream.
He was also happy that he had embarrassed the British, and the Tula master
I put a point to the view, but it was also annoying: why would the sovereign do this for such an occasion?
I regretted the British!
“Why is the sovereign upset?” thought Platov, “it’s not at all like that.”
I understand,” and in this reasoning he stood up twice, crossed himself and vodka
I drank until I forced myself into a deep sleep.
And the British were not sleeping at that very time either, because they
spun. While the sovereign was having fun at the ball, they surprised him with such a new surprise.
they set it up that all of Platov’s imagination was taken away.

CHAPTER THREE

The next day, when Platov appeared to the sovereign with good morning, he told him
speaks:
“Let them lay down the two-seater carriage now, and we’ll go to the new
look at the cabinet of curiosities.
Platov even dared to report that it was not enough, supposedly, that foreign
to look at the products and whether it would be better to get ready for Russia, but sir
speaks:
- No, I still want to see other news: they praised me, like theirs.
The first grade of sugar is made.
Let's go.
The English keep showing the sovereign what different first grades they have, and
Platov looked and looked and suddenly said:
- Show us your Molvo sugar factories?
And the British don’t even know what rumor is. They whisper
They wink at each other, repeat to each other: “Molvo, molvo,” but they cannot understand that
This is how we make sugar, and we must admit that they all have sugar
there is, but there is no “rumour”.
Platov says:
- Well, there’s nothing to brag about. Come to us, we will give you tea with
a real word of mouth from the Bobrinsky plant.
And the sovereign tugged at his sleeve and said quietly:
- Please don't spoil politics for me.
Then the British called the sovereign to the very last chamber of curiosities, where he
they collected mineral stones and nymphosoria from all over the world, starting with
the largest Egyptian ceramide to the skin flea that the eyes can see
impossible, but her sting between the skin and the body.
The Emperor went.
They examined the ceramides and all sorts of stuffed animals and went out, and Platov thought to himself:
“Now, thank God, everything is fine: the sovereign is not surprised at anything.”
But they just arrived in the very last room, and here their workers stood in
dressed in casual vests and aprons and holding a tray with nothing on it.
The Emperor was suddenly surprised that he was being served an empty tray.
-What does this mean? - asks; and the English masters answer:
“This is our humble offering to your Majesty.”
-What is this?
“But,” they say, “would you like to see a speck?”
The Emperor looked and saw: exactly, the most beautiful thing was lying on a silver tray.
tiny speck.
Workers say:
“If you please, wet your finger and take it in your palm.”
- What do I need this speck for?
“This,” they answer, “is not a speck, but a nymphosoria.”
- Is she alive?
“No way,” they answer, “not alive, but made from pure English steel in
In the image of a flea we forged it, and in the middle there is a factory and a spring.
If you please turn the key: she will now start dancing.
The Emperor became curious and asked:
- Where is the key?
And the English say:
- Here is the key in front of your eyes.
“Why,” says the sovereign, “do I not see him?”
“Because,” they answer, “it needs to be done through a small scope.”
A microscope was brought in, and the sovereign saw that near the flea there was really
There is a key on the tray.
“If you please,” they say, “take her in your palm—in her little belly.”
a winding hole, and the key has seven turns, and then she will dance...
The sovereign grabbed this key with force and could force it into a pinch
hold it, and took the flea into another pinch and just inserted the key, when
I felt that she was starting to move her antennae, then she began to move her legs
sort through, and finally suddenly jumped and in one flight straight dance and two
beliefs to one side, then to the other, and so on in three beliefs all the way
danced.
The Emperor immediately ordered the British to give them a million, whatever they wanted.
money - they want it in silver coins, they want it in small banknotes.
The British asked to be given silver, because the papers
they don't know anything; and then now they showed their other trick: a flea in
the gift was given, but they did not bring a case for it: without a case, neither it nor the key
You can’t keep them, because they will get lost and be thrown into the trash. A case
they have a solid diamond nut on it - and there's a place for it in
the middle is squeezed out. They didn't submit this because the cases say that
state-owned, but they are strict about state-owned things, even though for the sovereign - it’s impossible
sacrifice.
Platov was very angry because he said:
- Why such fraud! They made a gift and received a million for it,
and still not enough! The case, he says, is always with every thing
belongs.
But the sovereign says:
- Please leave it alone, it’s none of your business - don’t spoil politics for me. They have
his custom.- And asks: - How much is that nut worth, in which the flea
fits?
The British paid another five thousand for this.
Sovereign Alexander Pavlovich said: “Pay,” and he himself dropped the flea into
this nut, and with it the key, and in order not to lose the nut itself,
put it in his golden snuff-box, and ordered the snuff-box to be put in his
a travel box, which is entirely lined with prelamut and fish bone.
The sovereign released the Aglitsky masters with honor and told them: “You are the first
there are masters all over the world, and my people can’t do anything against you.”
They were very pleased with this, and Platov had nothing against the sovereign’s words
I couldn't pronounce it. I just took the small scope and, without saying anything, into my pocket
let him down because “he belongs here,” he says, “and you don’t have any money.”
They took a lot from us."
Sovereign, I didn’t know this until I arrived in Russia, but they left soon,
because the sovereign became melancholy from military affairs and he wanted
have spiritual confession in Taganrog with priest Fedot. Dear with them
Platov had very little pleasant conversation, because they are completely different
thoughts became: the sovereign realized that the British had no equal in
art, and Platov argued that even our people can look at anything
do, but there is no useful teaching for them. And he presented to the sovereign that
English masters to completely different rules of life, science and
food, and each person has all the absolute circumstances
has a completely different meaning in front of it, and through this it has a completely different meaning.
The Emperor did not want to listen to this for a long time, and Platov, seeing this, did not
intensify. So they rode in silence, only Platov would get out at each station and
Out of frustration, he drinks a glass of vodka, snacks on a salted lamb, lights a cigarette
his root tube, into which a whole pound of Zhukov tobacco entered at once, and
then he sits down and sits next to the king in the carriage in silence. Sovereign one way
he looks, and Platov sticks his chibouk out the other window and smokes into the wind. So they do
We got to St. Petersburg, but Emperor Platov didn’t take him to priest Fedot at all.
“You,” he says, “are intemperate in spiritual conversation and so much
you smoke, your smoke makes me feel soot in my head.
Platov remained resentful and lay down on the annoying couch at home, but that’s all
Zhukov lay there and smoked tobacco incessantly.

CHAPTER FOUR

An amazing flea made of English blued steel remained with Alexander
Pavlovich in a box under a fish bone until he died in Taganrog, giving
her ass to Fedot, so that he could hand it over to the empress later, when she calms down.
Empress Elisaveta Alekseevna looked at the fleas and grinned,
but didn’t bother with it.
“It’s mine,” he says, “now it’s a widow’s business, and I don’t have any fun.”
seductive, - and having returned to St. Petersburg, she passed on this wonder with everyone
other jewelry as an inheritance to the new sovereign.
Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich at first also did not pay any attention to the flea.
turned, because at its rise there was confusion, but then one day it became
looked through the box he had inherited from his brother and took out a snuff box from it,
and from the snuffbox came a diamond nut, and in it I found a steel flea, which was already
it had not been wound up for a long time and therefore did not act, but lay quietly, like
stiff.
The Emperor looked and was surprised.
- What kind of trifle is this and why does my brother have it here in such
conservation!
The courtiers wanted to throw it away, but the sovereign said:
- No, it means something.
They called a chemist from Anichkin Bridge from a nasty pharmacy, who at the most
he weighed the poisons on small scales, and they showed him, and he now took the flea and put it
on the tongue and says: “I feel cold, like from strong metal.” And then with a tooth
He crushed it slightly and announced:
- As you wish, this is not a real flea, but a nymphosoria, and she
made of metal, and this work is not ours, not Russian.
The Emperor ordered us to find out now: where does this come from and what does it mean?
They rushed to look at the files and lists, but nothing was written down in the files.
They started asking this and that, but no one knew anything. But, fortunately,
the Don Cossack Platov was still alive and even still on his annoying couch
lay and smoked a pipe. When he heard that there was such unrest in the palace,
now he got up from the couch, hung up the phone and appeared to the sovereign in all
orders The Emperor says:
- What do you, courageous old man, want from me?
And Platov answers:
- I, Your Majesty, don’t need anything for myself, since I drink and eat what
I want and am happy with everything, but I,” he says, “came to report about this
nymphosoria, which was found: this,” he says, “is so and so it was, and this is how
happened before my eyes in England - and here she has a key, and I have
there is their own microscope, through which you can see it, and with this key through the little belly
this nymphosorium can be wound up, and it will jump in any
space and to the sides of the probability of doing.
They started it up, she went to jump, and Platov said:
“It is,” he says, “your majesty, that the work is very delicate and
interesting, but only we cannot be surprised at this with pure delight of feelings
should, but it would be necessary to subject it to Russian revisions in Tula or in
Sesterbeke—at that time Sestroretsk was still called Sesterbeke—couldn’t our
to surpass this master, so that the British do not exalt themselves over the Russians.
Sovereign Nikolai Pavlovich was very confident in his Russian people and
He didn’t like to give in to any foreigner, so he answered Platov:
- It’s you, courageous old man, who speaks well, and I’m telling you this
I instruct you to believe. I don’t care about this box now, despite my troubles.
needed, but you take it with you and don’t lie on your annoying couch anymore,
but go to the quiet Don and have internecine conversations with my Don people there
about their life and devotion and what they like. And when you go through
Tula, show my Tula masters this nymphosoria, and let them talk about it
they'll think about it. Tell them from me that my brother was surprised by this thing and strangers,
who did nymphosoria, I praised most of all, but I hope for my own that they
no one is worse. They will not let my word slip and will do something.

CHAPTER FIVE

Platov took a steel flea, and as he drove through Tula to the Don, he showed it
Tula gunsmiths and conveyed the sovereign’s words to them, and then asked:
- What should we do now, Orthodox?
Gunsmiths answer:
- We, father, feel the gracious word of the sovereign and never
We can’t forget because he relies on his people, but how can we in the present
In any case, we cannot say that in a minute, because the English
Natsyya is also not stupid, but quite cunning, and there is great art in her
meaning. Against it, they say, we must take it seriously and with God's grace.
blessing. And you, if your mercy, like our sovereign, has for us
trust, go to your quiet Don, and leave this flea for us as it is,
in a case and in a golden royal snuff box. Take a walk along the Don and heal
wounds that you mistook for your fatherland, and when you go back through Tula, -
stop and send for us: by that time, God willing, we will have something
we'll figure it out.
Platov was not entirely happy that Tula took so much time
and, moreover, they do not say clearly: what exactly they hope to arrange. I asked
he spoke to them in one way and another and in all manners, cunningly in the Don language; But
the Tula people were not inferior to him in cunning, because they immediately had
such a plan that they did not even hope that Platov would believe them, but
They just wanted to fulfill their bold imagination, and then give it away.
They say:
“We ourselves don’t yet know what we’ll do, we’ll just be against God.”
hope, and perhaps the king’s word will not be put to shame for our sake.
So Platov wiggles his mind, and so do the Tula people.
Platov wiggled and wiggled, but saw that he couldn’t overwhelm the Tula, so he gave them
snuffbox with nymphosoria and says:
“Well, there’s nothing to do, let it be your way,” he says; I know you
what are you like, well, there’s nothing to do - I believe you, but just look,
so as not to replace the diamond and spoil the fine workmanship of England, yes
don't bother for long, because I drive a lot: it won't be two weeks before I'm with
I’ll turn the quiet Don back to St. Petersburg - then I’ll certainly have something
show the sovereign.
The gunsmiths completely reassured him:
“It’s fine work,” they say, “we won’t damage it and we won’t exchange the diamond.”
and two weeks is enough time for us, but for the case when back
When you return, you will have something worthy of the sovereign’s splendor
introduce.
But what exactly, they never said.

CHAPTER SIX

Platov left Tula, and the gunsmiths were three people, the most skilled of them,
one oblique left-hander, a birthmark on his cheek, and hair on his temples when studying
torn out, said goodbye to their comrades and their family, yes, nothing to anyone
saying, they took the bags, put in what they needed to eat and disappeared from
cities.y
The only thing we noticed about them was that they did not go to the Moscow outpost, but to
the opposite, Kyiv side, and thought that they went to Kyiv to rest
worship the saints or consult there with one of the living saints
husbands who are always in abundance in Kyiv.
But this was only close to the truth, and not the truth itself. Neither time nor
the distance did not allow Tula masters to walk to Kyiv for three weeks
and then have time to do a job that would be disgraceful for the English nation. Better
if they could go to pray in Moscow, which is only “two ninety
versts," and there are quite a few holy saints resting there too. And in the other direction, up to
Orel, the same “two ninety”, but beyond Orel to Kyiv again there’s still a good five
hundred versts You can’t do this path soon, and even having done it, you won’t do it soon
If you rest, your legs will be glazed and your hands will shake for a long time.
Some even thought that the masters had boasted to Platov, and then how
thought about it, they became afraid and now ran away completely, taking with them the royal
a golden snuffbox, and a diamond, and the English steel one that caused them trouble
flea in a case.
However, such an assumption was also completely unfounded and
unworthy of the skilled people on whom the hope of the nation now rested.

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

Platov rode very quickly and with ceremony: he himself was sitting in a carriage, and on
on the goats, two whistling Cossacks with whips on both sides of the driver sat down and so
and they watered it without mercy so that it would jump. And if a Cossack falls asleep,
Platov himself will kick him out of the stroller, and they will rush even angrier. These measures
the incentives acted so successfully that nowhere horses at any station
it was impossible to hold back, but there were always a hundred jumps past the stopping place
jumped over. Then again the Cossack acts back on the coachman, and to
they will return to the entrance.
So they rolled into Tula - they also flew a hundred leaps further
Moscow outpost, and then the Cossack acted over the driver with a whip in
the other side, and they began harnessing new horses at the porch. Platov from
didn’t come out, but only ordered the whistler to bring him to him as soon as possible
the artisans to whom he left the flea.
One whistler ran so that they would go as quickly as possible and bring him work,
with which the English were supposed to be put to shame, and it wasn’t long before this whistler ran away,
how Platov sends new ones after him over and over again, as soon as possible.
Dispersed all the whistlers and became already ordinary people from a curious audience
send, and even he himself, out of impatience, puts his legs out of the stroller and himself from
he wants to run impatiently, but he grinds his teeth - he still has a long time to come
is shown.
So at that time everything was required very accurately and quickly,
so that not a single minute of Russian usefulness is wasted.

CHAPTER NINE

Tula masters, who did amazing work, just at this time
They were just finishing their work. The whistlers ran up to them out of breath, and
ordinary people from the curious public - they didn’t make it at all, because with
Unaccustomed to the road, my legs scattered and fell, and then out of fear, so that
not looking at Platov, they ran home and hid anywhere.
The whistlers just jumped up, now they screamed and they saw that they weren’t
unlocked, now the bolts on the shutters were pulled without ceremony, but the bolts were like this
strong, that they did not give in at all, they pulled the doors, and the doors from the inside were blocked
oak bolt. Then the whistlers took a log from the street and used it to hook the fireman
manners under the roof bar and the entire roof of a small house at once and
turned away. But the roof was removed, and now they themselves have fallen, because
the craftsmen in their cramped mansion are so sweaty from restless work in the air
the spiral became like that of an unusual person from a fresh epidemic and one
There were times when I couldn’t breathe.
The ambassadors shouted:
- What are you so-and-so bastards doing, and with such a spiral?
you dare to make mistakes! Or after this there is no God in you!
And they answer:
- We are now hammering in the last nail and, as soon as we hammer it in, then our
We'll take out the work.
And the ambassadors say:
- He will eat us alive until that hour and will not leave our souls behind.
But the masters answer:
“He won’t have time to devour you, because while you were talking here, we
This last nail has already been hammered in. Run and say that we are carrying it now.
The whistlers ran, but not with confidence: they thought that the masters would deceive them; A
That’s why they run and run and look back; but the masters followed them very quickly
They were in such a hurry that they didn’t even dress properly for an appearance to an important person,
and while walking they fasten the hooks in their caftans. The two of them have nothing in their hands
contained, and the third, left-handed, had a royal casket with
English steel flea.

CHAPTER TEN

The whistlers ran up to Platov and said:
- Here they are!
Platov now to the masters:
- Is it ready?
“Everything,” they answer, “is ready.”
- Give it here.
Served.
And the carriage is already harnessed, and the driver and postilion are in place. Cossacks now
They sat down next to the coachman and raised the whips over him and waved them like that and held them.
Platov tore off the green cover, opened the box, took out a golden
snuffbox, and from the snuffbox a diamond nut, he sees: an English flea lies
what was there, but besides it there is nothing else.
Platov says:
- What is this? Where is your work, which you wanted the sovereign
comfort?
The gunsmiths replied:
- This is our job.
Platov asks:
- What does she involve herself in?
And the gunsmiths answer:
- Why explain this? Everything here is in your sight - and provide for it.
Platov raised his shoulders and shouted:
-Where is the key to the flea?
“And right there,” they answer, “Where there is a flea, there is a key, in one nut.”
Platov wanted to take the key, but his fingers were stubby: he caught and caught...
I couldn’t grab hold of either a flea or the key to her abdominal plant, and suddenly
got angry and began to swear words in the Cossack manner.
Shouting:
- That you scoundrels didn’t do anything, and perhaps the whole thing
ruined! I'll take your head off!
And the Tula people answered him:
- It’s in vain that you offend us so much - we are all from you, as from the sovereign’s ambassador.
We must endure insults, but only because you doubted us and thought,
as if we were even alike to deceive the sovereign's name - we tell you our secret
Now we won’t tell you about the work, but please take it to the sovereign - he will see what
We are his people and is he ashamed of us?
And Platov shouted:
“Well, then you’re lying, scoundrels, I won’t part with you like that, but one of
he will go with me to St. Petersburg, and I will find out about him there, what are your
tricks.
And with that he reached out his hand and grabbed him by the collar with his stubby fingers.
barefoot left-handed, so that all the hooks flew off the Cossack, and threw him
to your stroller at your feet.
“Sit,” he says, “here, all the way to St. Petersburg, it’s like a pubel,” you tell me
you will answer for everyone. And you,” he says to the whistlers, “now a guide!” Don't yawn
so that the day after tomorrow I will be in St. Petersburg with the sovereign.
The masters only dared to say to him for his comrade that how could you
Are you taking him away from us without any tug? it will not be possible to follow him back! A
Instead of answering, Platov showed them his fist - so scary, lumpy and all
chopped up, somehow knitted together - and, threatening, says: “Here’s a tugament for you!” A
to the Cossacks says:
- Gaida, guys!
Cossacks, coachmen and horses - everything worked at once and the left-hander sped away without
tugament, and a day later, as Platov ordered, they rolled him up to
the sovereign's palace and even, having galloped properly, drove past the columns.
Platov stood up, put on his medals and went to the sovereign, and the sideways
The left-handed man ordered the whistling Cossacks to stand guard at the entrance.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Platov was afraid to show himself to the sovereign, because Nikolai
Pavlovich was terribly wonderful and memorable - he forgot nothing.
Platov knew that he would certainly ask him about the flea. And here he is at least in no way
he was not afraid of the enemy, but then he chickened out: he entered the palace with a box
and quietly placed it in the living room behind the stove. Having hidden the box, Platov
appeared in the sovereign's office and began to quickly report what the Cossacks had
on quiet Don internecine conversations. He thought like this: so that the sovereign
borrow, and then, if the sovereign himself remembers and starts talking about the flea, it is necessary
submit and answer, and if he does not speak, then remain silent; box
order the office valet to hide it, and the Tula left-hander to be a serf
The kazamat should be imprisoned without a deadline, so that he can sit there until the time is right, if necessary.
But Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich did not forget about anything, and a little Platov about
The internecine conversations are over, he immediately asks him:
- Well, how are my Tula masters against the English nymphosoria themselves?
acquitted?
Platov answered as the matter seemed to him.
“Nymphosoria,” he says, “your majesty, all in the same space,
and I brought it back, but the Tula masters couldn’t do anything more amazing
could.
The Emperor replied:
- You are a courageous old man, and this, what you are reporting to me, cannot be
Maybe.
Platov began to assure him and told him how the whole thing was, and how he finished his
so much so that the Tula people asked him to show his flea to the sovereign, Nikolai Pavlovich
tapped him on the shoulder and said:
- Give it here. I know that my friends cannot deceive me. Here
something beyond the concept is done.

CHAPTER TWELVE

They took the box out from behind the stove, removed the cloth cover from it, and opened
a golden snuffbox and a diamond nut - and in it lies a flea, the same as before
was and how it lay.
The Emperor looked and said:
- What a dashing thing! - But he did not diminish his faith in Russian masters, but ordered
call his beloved daughter Alexandra Nikolaevna and ordered her:
- You have thin fingers on your hands - take a small key and start
quickly in this nymphosoria an abdominal machine.
The princess began to twist the key, and the flea now moved its antennae, but
doesn't touch his feet. Alexandra Nikolaevna pulled the whole plant, and the nymphosoria
after all, he doesn’t dance a single dance and doesn’t throw out a single belief, as before.
Platov turned green and shouted:
- Oh, they are dog scoundrels! Now I understand why they don’t bother me there
they didn't want to say. It’s good that I took one of their fools with me.
With these words he ran out to the entrance, caught the left-hander by the hair and began
flutter back and forth so that shreds fly. And the one when Platov stopped
beat, corrected himself and said:
- All my hair was already torn out during my studies, but now I don’t know why
Why do I need such repetition?
“This is because,” says Platov, “that I hoped and enlisted in you, but
you ruined a rare thing.
Lefty answers:
- We are very pleased that you vouched for us, and we won’t spoil anything.
ruined: take it, look through the strongest microscope.
Platov ran back to talk about the small scope, but left-handed only
threatened:
“I’ll ask you this and that,” he says.
And he ordered the whistlers to twist the left-hander’s elbows back even tighter, and he himself
climbs the steps, out of breath and reads a prayer: “Good king, good
mother, most pure and pure,” and further, as necessary. And the courtiers who are on
standing on the steps, everyone turns away from him, thinking: Platov got caught and now
they would drive him out of the palace - that’s why they couldn’t stand him for his bravery.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

As Platov conveyed Levshin’s words to the sovereign, he now joyfully says:
“I know that my Russian people will not deceive me.” And he ordered to pay
microscope on the pillow.
At that very moment the microscope was handed over, and the sovereign took the flea and put it
under the glass, first with the back up, then sideways, then with the little belly - in a word
to say, they turned it in all directions, but there was nothing to see. But the sovereign is here too
did not lose his faith, but only said:
“Bring this gunsmith down here to me now.”
located.
Platov reports:
- He needs to be dressed up - what he was wearing, and now he’s very angry
form.
And the sovereign answers:
- Nothing - enter it as it is.
Platov says:
“Now go yourself, so and so, and answer before the eyes of the sovereign.”
And the left-hander answers:
“Well, I’ll go like that and answer.”
He walks in what he was wearing: shorts, one trouser leg in a boot, the other dangling, and
The jacket is old, the hooks don’t fasten, they’re a little lost, and the collar
torn; but it’s okay, don’t be embarrassed.
“What is this?” he thinks. “If the sovereign wants to see me, I must
go; and if I don’t have a tugament with me, then it’s not my fault and I’ll tell you why
That's how it was."
As the left-handed man stood up and bowed, the sovereign now said to him:
- What is this, brother, it means that we looked this way and that, and under
Did you put the microscope in, but didn’t see anything remarkable?
And the left-hander answers:
“Is this how you, Your Majesty, deigned to look?”
The nobles nod at him: they say, that’s not what you’re saying! and he doesn't understand how
it is necessary in a courtly manner, with flattery or cunning, but speaks simply.
The Emperor says:
“Leave him to split hairs; let him answer as best he can.”
And now I explained to him:
“This is how we put it,” he says, “and he put the flea under the microscope.”
“Look,” he says, “you can’t see anything.”
Lefty answers:
- So, Your Majesty, it’s impossible to see anything, because our
work against this size is much more secretive.
The Emperor asked:
- How should it be?
“We need,” he says, “just one of her legs in detail for the whole
Bring a small scope and look separately at each heel with which it
steps.
Have mercy, tell me,” says the sovereign, “this is already very petty!”
“What should we do,” answers the left-handed man, “if only this is how our work
you can notice: then everything will be surprising.
They laid it down as the left-hander said, and as soon as the Emperor looked at the top
glass, it all shone - he took the left-handed man, how uncleaned and dusty he was,
unwashed, hugged him and kissed him, and then turned to all the courtiers and
said:
“You see, I knew better than anyone that my Russians would not deceive me.” Look,
please: after all, they, the scoundrels, shoed the English flea into horseshoes!

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Everyone began to come up and look: the flea was really on all legs
shod with real horseshoes, and the left-hander reported that that’s not all
amazing.
“If only,” he says, “there was a better microscope, which is five million
increases, so you would deign,” he says, “to see that on each
The master's name is given to the horseshoe: which Russian master made that horseshoe.
-- AND your name is there? - asked the sovereign.
“No way,” answers the left-hander, “I’m the only one who doesn’t exist.”
- Why?
“And because,” he says, “I worked smaller than these horseshoes: I
forged the nails with which the horseshoes are hammered - there is no small scope anymore
can't take it.
The Emperor asked:
- Where is your small scope with which you could produce this surprise?
And the left-hander replied:
- We are poor people and due to our poverty we do not have a small scope, but here we have
shooting the eye.
Here other courtiers, seeing that the left-handed business had burned out, began it
kiss, and Platov gave him a hundred rubles and said:
- Forgive me, brother, for tearing your hair off.
Lefty answers:
- God will forgive - this is not the first time we have had such snow on our heads.
But he didn’t say more, and he didn’t have time to talk to anyone
talk, because the sovereign immediately ordered this savvy
put the nymphosoria to bed and send it back to England - like a gift, so that there
We realized that this is not surprising to us. And the sovereign ordered that a special flea be carried
a courier who is learned in all languages, and so that a left-handed person is with him and that
he himself could show the British the work and what kind of masters we have in Tula.
Platov baptized him.
“May there be a blessing upon you,” he says, “and on the way I
I’ll send you my own sour milk. Don't drink little, don't drink too much, drink
means.
That's what I did - I sent it.
And Count Kiselvrode ordered that the left-hander be washed at the Tulyakovsky national
baths, cut their hair at the hairdresser and dressed in a ceremonial caftan from the courtier
singer, so that it would seem as if some kind of complainant was on him
there is a rank.
How they prepared him in such a manner, gave him tea for the road
with Platov's sour acid, they tied it with a belt as tightly as possible so that the intestines
didn’t shake, and took us to London. From here, with the left-handed person, foreign types began.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The courier and the left-handed man rode very quickly, so from St. Petersburg to London
We didn’t stop anywhere to rest, but only at each station for one
the badge had already been retightened so that the intestines and lungs would not be confused; but how
left-handed after presentation to the sovereign, by Platov’s order, from the treasury
the wine portion was given in abundance, then, without eating, he supported himself with this alone
and sang Russian songs all over Europe, only he did the chorus in a foreign way: “Ay
Lyuli - behold, they were lying."
The courier, as soon as he brought it to London, showed up to the right person and gave it to him.
box, and left the left-hander in a hotel room, but he soon got bored here
it became, and I wanted to eat. He knocked on the door and showed the servant to himself
on his mouth, and he now took him to the food receiving room.
A left-hander sat down at the table and sat there, but how can I ask something in English -
doesn't know how. But then I realized: again he would simply tap on the table with his finger and
his mouth will show itself - the English guess and serve, but not always what
what is needed, but he does not accept anything that is not suitable for him. They gave him theirs
cooking hot studio on fire - he says: “I don’t know that
you can eat this,” and did not eat; they changed him to another dish
set. Also, I didn’t drink their vodka, because it’s green - like
as if it was filled with vitriol, but chose what was most natural, and waited
the courier in the cool behind the eggplant.
And those people to whom the courier handed over the nymphosoria immediately examined it
in the strongest microscope and now in the public gazette a description so that
Tomorrow the slander came out to the general public.
“And this master himself,” they say, “we now want to see.”
The courier escorted them to their room, and from there to the food reception area, where our
The left-hander was already quite browned up and said: “Here he is!”
The British now slap the left-hander on the shoulder and, as if he were his equal, by the hands.
“Comrade,” they say, “comrade is a good master,” to talk to you with
time, we will be there later, and now we’ll drink to your well-being.”
They asked for a lot of wine, and the left-hander the first glass, and he was politely the first
I didn’t drink: I think maybe you want to poison me out of frustration.
“No,” he says, “this is not order: and there is no owner in Poland anymore,”
Eat ahead yourself.
The English tasted all the wines before him and then they began to pour him some. He
stood up, crossed himself with his left hand and drank health to them all.
They noticed that he crossed himself with his left hand, and asked the courier:
- What is he - a Lutheran or a Protestant?
The courier answers:
- No, he is not a Lutheran or a Protestant, but of the Russian faith.
- Why does he cross himself with his left hand?
Courier said:
- He is left-handed and does everything with his left hand.
The British began to be even more surprised - and began to pump them full of wine and
the left-hander and the courier got along like this for three whole days, and then they said: “Now
Enough." After a symphony of water with erfix they took it and, completely refreshed, began
ask a left-hander: where did he and what did he study and how long has he known arithmetic?
Lefty answers:
- Our science is simple: but the Psalter and the Half-Dream Book, and arithmetic we
We don’t know at all.
The English looked at each other and said:
- This is amazing.
And Lefty answers them:
- It’s like this everywhere here.
“And what,” they ask, “is this book in Russia, “The Half-Dream Book”?
-- This,-- says - book, relating to this, that if in the Psalter
King David vaguely discovered something about fortune telling, then in the Half-Dream Book
guess the addition.
They say:
- This is a pity, it would be better if you were at least from arithmetic
four rules of addition, if you knew, then it would be much more useful for you than
the entire Polusonnik. Then you could realize that in every machine there is a calculation
there is strength; otherwise you are very skilled in your hands, but you didn’t realize that
such a small machine, like in a nymphosoria, for the most accurate precision
calculated and cannot carry its horseshoes. Through this now nymphosoria and not
jumps and doesn't dance.
Lefty agreed.
“There’s no doubt about this,” he says, “that we haven’t gone deep into the sciences, but
only those who are loyal to their fatherland.
And the British tell him:
- Stay with us, we will give you more education, and from you
an amazing master will come out.
But the left-hander did not agree to this.
-- I have,-- says - at home there are parents.
The British called themselves to send money to his parents, but the left-handed man did not
took it.
“We,” he says, “are committed to our homeland, and my dear
an old man, and the parent is an old woman and is accustomed to going to church when she comes
walk, and it will be very boring for me here alone, because I’m still in
single rank.
“You,” they say, “get used to it, accept our law, and we will marry you.”
“This,” answered the left-handed man, “can never happen.”
- Why is that?
“Because,” he answers, “that our Russian faith is the most correct, and how
Our right-wing fathers believed, and our descendants should believe the same.
“You,” say the English, “don’t know our faith: we have the same law.”
Christian and contain the same Gospel.
“The Gospel,” answers the left-hander, “is really the same for everyone, but only
Our books are thicker than yours, and our faith is fuller.
- Why can you judge it this way?
“We have all the obvious evidence of this,” he answers.
-- Which?
“And such,” he says, “that we have both god-created icons and
grave-like heads and relics, but you have nothing, and even, except for one Sunday,
There are no special holidays, but for the second reason - me and the Englishwoman,
even though he has been married in law, he will live in embarrassment.
“Why is this so?” they ask. “Don’t neglect it: ours are also very
dress cleanly and do household chores.
And the left-hander says:
- I don't know them.
The British answer:
- It doesn’t matter the point - you can find out: we’ll make you a grand deva.
Lefty was ashamed.
“Why,” he says, “it’s in vain to fool the girls.” And he refused.-
Grandevu,” he says, “this is the master’s business, but we don’t care, and if about this
At home, in Tula, they will find out and make great ridicule of me.
The British were curious:
“And if,” they say, “without a grand devo, then how can you do it in such cases?”
act to make a pleasant choice?
Lefty explained our situation to them.
“With us,” he says, “when a person wants detailed information about a girl
intention to discover, sends a conversational woman, and how she pretext
does it, then they go into the house together politely and look at the girl without hiding, but with
all kinship.
They understood, but replied that they don’t have conversational women and such
there is no custom, but the left-hander says:
- This is all the more pleasant, because if you do something like this, you have to
detailed intention, but since I don’t feel this towards a foreign nation, then why
fool girls?
The British liked him for his opinions, so they again
went on the shoulders and knees with pleasure to clap their palms, and they themselves
ask:
“We would,” they say, “only through curiosity alone would like to know:
What vicious signs have you noticed in our girls and why are you avoiding them?
Here the left-hander already answered them frankly:
- I don’t discredit them, but I just don’t like that the clothes they’re wearing are
it flails around somehow, and you can’t tell what it’s wearing and for what purpose; here
one thing, and below another one is pinned, and on the hands are some
boots. Just like a sapazhu monkey - a corduroy talma.
The English laughed and said:
- What obstacle do you have in this?
“There are no obstacles,” the left-hander answers, “no, but I’m only afraid that it’s embarrassing.”
will watch and wait to see how she will figure it all out.
“Is it really,” they say, “your style is better?”
“Our style,” he answers, “in Tula is simple: everyone in their lace, and
Even big ladies wear our lace.
They showed it to their ladies too, and there they poured tea for him and asked:
- Why are you wincing?
He answered that he said that we were not accustomed to sweetness.
Then they served him a bite in Russian.
It seems to them that it’s worse, but he says:
- To our taste, it tastes better this way.
There was nothing the British could do to tempt him so that he would be seduced by their life, but
just persuaded him to short time to stay, and at this time they
They will take people to different factories and show all their art.
“And then,” they say, “we’ll bring him on our ship and bring him alive to
We will deliver to St. Petersburg.
He agreed to this.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The British took the left-hander into their arms, and the Russian courier back to Russia
sent. Although the courier had a rank different languages was learned, but they were not
were interested, but they were interested in left-handed people - and they went to take a left-handed person and that’s all
show him. He looked at all their production: metal factories and
soap-saw factories, and all their economic practices really pleased him,
especially regarding work content. Every employee is constantly in
satiety, dressed not in rags, but each wearing a capable vest, shod in
thick shields with iron knobs, so that your feet don’t fit anywhere
to beat; he works not with boilies, but with training and has ideas for himself. Before
everyone has a multiplication dot hanging in plain sight, and a erasable tablet at hand:
all that a master does is look at the gouge and compare it with the concept, and
then he writes one thing on the board, erases another and neatly puts it together: what is on
It’s written in numbers, and it comes out in reality. And when the holiday comes, they will gather
in pairs, take a stick in their hands and go for a walk, decorously and nobly, like
follows.
Lefty saw enough of their whole life and all their work, but most of all
paid attention to such an Object that the British were very surprised. Not so much
he was interested in how new guns were made, how old ones were in what form
consist. He goes around and praises everything and says:
- We can do this too.
And when he reaches the old gun, he puts his finger in the barrel, moves it along
walls and sighs:
“This,” he says, “is far superior to ours.”
The British could not guess what a left-handed person notices, and he
asks:
“Can’t I,” he says, “know that our generals will ever
did you look or not? They tell him:
- Those who were here must have been watching.
“What,” he says, “were they wearing gloves or without gloves?”
“Your generals,” they say, “are ceremonial, they always wear gloves;
That means it was like that here too.
Lefty didn't say anything. But suddenly he began to feel restlessly bored. I felt homesick and
became sad and said to the English:
- Humbly thank you throughout the meal, and I am very grateful to you all
I’m happy and I’ve already seen everything I needed to see, and now I’d rather go home
Want.
There was no way they could hold him any longer. It cannot be launched by land, because
that he could not speak all languages, and it was not good to swim on water, because time
It was autumn, stormy, but he insisted: let me go.
“We looked at the storm gauge,” they say, “there will be a storm, you can drown;
It’s not like you have the Gulf of Finland, but here is the real Tverdizem Sea.
“It’s all the same,” he answers, “where to die, everything is the only thing, the will.”
God, but I wish to quickly go to my native place, because otherwise I can
insanity to get.
They didn’t hold him back by force: they fed him, rewarded him with money, gave him a gift
memory of a gold watch with a trembler, and for the coolness of the sea in late autumn
the way was given by a flannelette coat with a wind cap over the head. Very warm
They dressed and took the left-handed man to the ship that was heading to Russia. A left-hander was placed here
V at its best, like a real master, but he is with other gentlemen at the close
he didn’t like to sit and was ashamed, but he would go on deck, sit under the present and
will ask: “Where is our Russia?”
The Englishman he asks will point him in that direction with his hand or
shakes his head, and he turns his face there and impatiently in his native direction
looks.
As they left the bay into the Solid Earth Sea, so did his desire for Russia
It became so bad that there was no way to calm him down. The water supply has become
terrible, ah, the left-hander doesn’t go downstairs to the cabins - he sits under the gift, with his head on
pulled it down and looks towards the fatherland.
Many times the English came to a warm place to call him down, but he,
so as not to be bothered, he even began to lash out.
“No,” he answers, “I feel better outside here; otherwise with me under the roof from
The guinea pig will begin to wobble.
So all the time I didn’t go to special occasion and through this it is very
liked one half-skipper, who, to the grief of our left-hander, knew how to speak Russian
speak. This half-skipper could not be surprised that the Russian landman and
So it can withstand all bad weather.
“Well done,” he says, “Russian!” Let's have a drink!
Lefty drank.
- And the half-skipper says:
-- More!
Lefty drank some more and got drunk.
The half-skipper asks him:
- What secret are you bringing from our state to Russia?
Lefty answers:
- This is my business.
“And if so,” answered the half-skipper, “then let’s keep with you
English parey.
Lefty asks:
-- Which?
- So that you don’t drink anything alone, but drink everything for free: what
one, then certainly the other,” and whoever outdrinks who gets screwed.
The left-hander thinks: the sky is cloudy, the belly is swelling - there is great boredom, and Putin
long, and native place you can’t see behind the wave - it’s still more fun to bet
will.
“Okay,” he says, “he’s coming!”
- Just to be honest.
“Yes, that’s it,” he says, “don’t worry.”
They agreed and shook hands.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Their bet began in the Solid Earth Sea, and they drank until the Riga
Dynaminda, but they all walked equally and were not inferior to each other and were so neat
equaled that when one, looking into the sea, saw the devil climbing out of the water,
so now the same thing has happened to someone else. Only half the skipper sees the devil
red-haired, and left-handed they say he is as dark as a murine.
Lefty says:
- Cross yourself and turn away - it's the devil from the abyss.
And the Englishman argues that “this is a sea diver.”
“Do you want,” he says, “I’ll throw you into the sea?” Don't be afraid - he will tell me
He'll give you back now.
And the left-hander answers:
- If so, then throw it.
The half-skipper picked him up and carried him to the side.
The sailors saw this, stopped them and reported to the captain, who ordered them
lock them both down and give them rum and wine and cold food so that they can
drink and eat and stand their bet - but they don’t have a hot studio with fire
serve because the alcohol in their guts may ignite.
So they were brought locked up to St. Petersburg, and not a single friend of them
didn't win a friend; and then they laid them out on different carts and took the Englishman
to the envoy's house on Aglitskaya Embankment, and the left-hander to the block.
From here their fates began to differ greatly.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The Englishman was brought to the embassy house, and now they immediately called him to see him
doctor and pharmacist. The doctor ordered him to be put into a warm bath with him, and
the pharmacist immediately rolled up a gutta-percha pill and put it in his mouth, and
then they both took it together and laid it on the feather bed and covered it with a fur coat and
left to sweat, and so that no one would disturb him, orders were given throughout the embassy,
so that no one dares to sneeze. The doctor and the pharmacist waited until the half-skipper
fell asleep, and then another gutta-percha pill was prepared for him, next to him
they put the headboards on the table and left.
And they knocked the left-hander down on the floor in the block and asked:
- Who is this and where are they from, and do you have a passport or any other document?
And he was so weak from illness, from drinking and from the long stumbling around that he couldn’t
does not answer words, but only moans.
Then they searched him, they took off his colorful dress and his watch.
trembler, and the money was taken, and the bailiff himself ordered an oncoming cab
send to hospital free of charge.
The policeman took the left-handed man onto the sled, but for a long time there were no oncoming people
I couldn’t catch him, so the cab drivers are running away from the police. And the left-hander is always on
lying on the cold paratha; then the policeman caught a cab driver, only without warm clothes
foxes, because this time they hide the fox in the sleigh under themselves so that
The policemen's legs quickly froze. They transported a left-hander so uncovered, as if from one
They will transfer the cab driver to another, they will drop everything, and they will begin to pick it up -
they tear the ears so that the memory comes back.
They brought me to one hospital - they don’t admit me without a bond, they brought me to
another - and there they do not accept it, and so on the third, and the fourth - until the very
in the morning they dragged him along all the remote crooked paths and kept changing them, so that
he was all beaten up. Then one doctor told the policeman to take him to
the common people's Obukhvin hospital, where everyone of an unknown class die
accepted.
Then they told me to give a receipt, and leave the left-handed person on the floor in the corridor
plant
And the English half-skipper at that very time got up the next day, the next
I swallowed a gutta-percha pill into my gut and had chicken and lynx for a light breakfast.
ate it, washed it down with Erfix and said:
- Where is my Russian comrade? I'll go look for him.
I got dressed and ran.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

In an amazing way, the half-skipper somehow very soon found a left-hander, only
they hadn’t put him on the bed yet, but he was lying on the floor in the corridor and complaining
to an Englishman.
“I would definitely like to say two words to the sovereign,” he says.
The Englishman ran to Count Kleinmichel and made a noise:
- Is that possible? “Even though he has a sheepskin coat,” he says, “he has a soul
little man.
The Englishman is now out of there for this reasoning, so as not to dare
remember the soul of the little man. And then someone said to him: “You’d better go to
Cossack Platov - he has simple feelings."
The Englishman reached Platov, who was now lying on the couch again.
Platov listened to him and remembered about the left-hander.
“Why, brother,” he says, “I know him very briefly, even for
I pulled out his hair, but I don’t know how to help him in such an unfortunate time;
because I have already completed my service and have received full puppletion - now I
no longer respected - and you run quickly to Commandant Skobelev, he has the power and
also experienced in this area, he will do something.
The half-skipper went to Skobelev and told him everything: what illness the left-hander had and
why did it happen? Skobelev says:
“I understand this disease, but the Germans cannot treat it, but here we need to
some doctor from the clergy, because those in these examples
grown up and can help; I'll send a Russian doctor there now
Martyn-Solsky.
But only when Martyn-Solsky arrived, the left-hander was already finished, because
the back of his head split on the paratha, and he could only say one thing clearly:
- Tell the sovereign that the British don’t clean their guns with bricks: let them
so that they don’t clean ours, otherwise, God bless the war, they are not suitable for shooting.
And with this fidelity, the left-hander crossed himself and died. Martyn-Solsky now
I went and reported this to Count Chernyshev in order to inform the sovereign, and
Count Chernyshev shouted at him:
“Know,” he says, “your emetic and laxative, and don’t mind your own business.”
get in the way: in Russia there are generals for this.
The Emperor was never told, and the purge continued all the way to the Crimean
campaigns. At that time, when guns began to be loaded, and the bullets in them
are hanging out because the trunks have been cleared with bricks.
Here Martyn-Solsky reminded Chernyshev about being left-handed, and Count Chernyshev and
speaks:
- Go to hell, pleisry tube, don’t interfere with your own business, or else
I’ll admit that I’ve never heard about this from you, and you’ll get it too.
Martyn-Solsky thought: “He’ll really open up,” and remained silent.
And if they brought the leftist words to the sovereign in due time, in the Crimea during the war
with the enemy the situation would have been completely different.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Now all this is already "business" days gone by": and "legends of antiquity", although
not deep, but there is no need to rush to forget these legends, despite
fabulous warehouse of legend and epic character its main character.
The proper name of a left-handed person, like the names of many greatest geniuses, forever
lost to posterity; but as a myth personified by folk fantasy, he
interesting, and his adventures can serve as a memory of the era, the general spirit
which is captured accurately and accurately.
Such masters as the fabulous left-hander are now, of course, no longer in
Thule: machines have equalized the inequality of talents and talents, and genius is not eager to join
struggle against diligence and accuracy. Favoring the rise
earnings, machines do not favor artistic prowess, which sometimes
exceeded the limit, inspiring popular imagination to compose such
current fabulous legends.