Consequently she felt the more that she needed tender comfort and advice.
"Then THIS is what I think about the dead souls," said the hostess.
Instantly the guest pricked up her ears (or, rather, they pricked themselves up) and straightened herself and became, somehow, more modish, and, despite her not inconsiderable weight, posed herself to look like a piece of thistledown floating on the breeze.
"The dead souls," began the hostess.
"Are what, are what ?" inquired the guest in great excitement.
"Are, are--" "Tell me, tell me, for heaven's sake!" "They are an invention to conceal something else.

The man's real object is, is--TO ABDUCT THE GOVERNOR'S DAUGHTER." So startling and unexpected was this conclusion that the guest sat reduced to a state of pale, petrified, genuine amazement.
"My God!" she cried, clapping her hands, "I should NEVER have guessed it!" "Well, to tell you the truth, I guessed it as soon as ever you opened your mouth." "So much, then, for educating girls like the Governor's daughter at school! Just see what comes of it!" "Yes, indeed! And they tell me that she says things which I hesitate even to repeat." "Truly it wrings one's heart to see to what lengths immorality has come." "Some of the men have quite lost their heads about her, but for my part I think her not worth noticing." "Of course.

And her manners are unbearable.

But what puzzles me most is how a travelled man like Chichikov could come to let himself in for such an affair.

Surely he must have accomplices ?" "Yes; and I should say that one of those accomplices is Nozdrev." "Surely not ?" "CERTAINLY I should say so.