You have given me your word of honour, yet now you are trying to back out of it." "No matter what you desire me to do, I decline to do it until you have told me your purpose." "What am I to say to the fellow ?" thought Chichikov.

He reflected for a moment, and then explained that he wanted the dead souls in order to acquire a better standing in society, since at present he possessed little landed property, and only a handful of serfs.
"You are lying," said Nozdrev without even letting him finish.

"Yes, you are lying my good friend." Chichikov himself perceived that his device had been a clumsy one, and his pretext weak.

"I must tell him straight out," he said to himself as he pulled his wits together.
"Should I tell you the truth," he added aloud, "I must beg of you not to repeat it.

The truth is that I am thinking of getting married.