Dead Souls - Gogol Nikolai Vasilievich.pdf - Cove Systems

no connection at all by walking arm-in-arm
with an Imperial aide-de-camp; another's may
be that of possessing a hand able to chip
corners off aces and deuces of diamonds;
another's may be that of yearning to set things
straight--in other words, to approximate his
personality to that of a stationmaster or a
director of posts. In short, almost every man
has his hobby or his leaning; yet Manilov had
none such, for at home he spoke little, and
spent the greater part of his time in
meditation--though God only knows what that
meditation comprised! Nor can it be said that
he took much interest in the management of
his estate, for he never rode into the country,
and the estate practically managed itself.
Whenever the bailiff said to him, "It might be
well to have such-and-such a thing done," he
would reply, "Yes, that is not a bad idea," and
then go on smoking his pipe--a habit which he
had acquired during his service in the army,
where he had been looked upon as an officer
of modesty, delicacy, and refinement. "Yes, it
is NOT a bad idea," he would repeat. Again,