An Inquiry (Chekhov)
Division into chapters is editorial.
Voldyrev enters the government office
At midday, Voldyrev removed his overcoat, wiped his brow with a silk handkerchief, and somewhat hesitantly entered the government office. Inside, clerks were busy writing at their desks. Voldyrev approached a porter who was carrying glasses and inquired about where he could make an inquiry and obtain a copy of a Council resolution.
The porter directed him to a clerk sitting at the furthest window. Voldyrev approached the indicated desk, where a young man with tufted hair and a long pimply nose sat writing, occasionally blowing under his nose to chase away a fly that was bothering him.
The clerk ignores Voldyrevs requests
Voldyrev introduced himself and explained that he needed to make an inquiry about his case and obtain a copy of the Council resolution from March 2nd. The clerk, however, paid no attention to him. He merely dipped his pen in ink, checked that it would not make a blot, and continued writing. The fly had moved from his nose to his ear, so he no longer needed to blow it away.
After a minute, Voldyrev repeated his request, identifying himself as a landowner. Instead of responding, the clerk called out to an unseen colleague named Ivan Alexeitch, instructing him to tell a merchant named Yalikov to sign a copy of a complaint when he arrived.
Voldyrev persisted, mentioning his lawsuit with the heirs of Princess Gugulin and earnestly requesting assistance. Still, the clerk ignored him, catching the fly on his lip, examining it carefully, and then flinging it away. Voldyrev coughed and loudly blew his nose into his checked handkerchief, but these attempts to gain attention also failed.
"Still failing to observe Voldyrev, the clerk caught the fly on his lip, looked at it attentively and flung it away. The country gentleman coughed and blew his nose loudly on his checked pocket handkerchief. But this was no use either. He was still unheard."
Voldyrevs first bribes go unnoticed
After two minutes of silence, Voldyrev took a rouble note from his pocket and placed it on an open book in front of the clerk. The clerk wrinkled his forehead, pulled the book toward himself with an anxious expression, and closed it, effectively hiding the money. Voldyrev tried again to inquire about the grounds for the heirs of Princess Gugulin's case.
The clerk, lost in his own thoughts, stood up and went to a cupboard to retrieve something. When he returned to his desk a minute later, he found another rouble note lying on his book. Yet he still did not acknowledge Voldyrev and began copying something instead.
Frustrated, Voldyrev frowned and looked hopelessly at all the clerks busily writing. He walked away from the desk and stood in the middle of the room with his hands hanging helplessly at his sides. The porter, passing by with glasses again, noticed Voldyrev's dejected expression and approached him.
"'You give him three roubles,' whispered the porter. 'I've given him two already.' 'Give him another.' Voldyrev went back to the table and laid a green note on the open book."
The clerk finally acknowledges Voldyrev
After Voldyrev placed the third rouble note, a green one, on the open book, the clerk drew the book toward himself again and began turning over its pages. Suddenly, as if by chance, he lifted his eyes to Voldyrev. His nose began to shine, turned red, and wrinkled up in a grin as he finally acknowledged the visitor's presence.
The clerk asked what Voldyrev wanted, and when Voldyrev explained his business regarding the Gugulin case, the clerk's demeanor transformed completely. He became extraordinarily animated, as if energized by a hurricane. He promptly provided the necessary information, arranged for a copy to be made, and even offered Voldyrev a chair.
"The clerk became as lively as though he were whirled round by a hurricane. He gave the necessary information, arranged for a copy to be made, gave the petitioner a chair, and all in one instant. He even spoke about the weather and asked after the harvest."
The clerk's helpfulness extended beyond the immediate business at hand. He engaged in small talk about the weather and inquired about the harvest. His entire attitude had shifted from complete indifference to excessive attentiveness, all because of the three rouble notes that had found their way onto his book.
Voldyrevs uneasy departure
When Voldyrev prepared to leave, the clerk accompanied him down the stairs. He smiled affably and respectfully, looking as though he might fall on his face before the gentleman at any moment. This excessive deference made Voldyrev feel uncomfortable for some reason.
Acting on some inner impulse, Voldyrev took another rouble from his pocket and gave it to the clerk. The clerk accepted it with continued bowing and smiling, taking the money with the dexterity of a conjurer so that it seemed to flash through the air.
"And the latter kept bowing and smiling, and took the rouble like a conjuror, so that it seemed to flash through the air. 'Well, what people!' thought the country gentleman as he went out into the street, and he stopped and mopped his brow."
As Voldyrev stepped out into the street, he paused to mop his brow with his handkerchief, reflecting with dismay on the nature of the people he had encountered in the government office and the corrupt system that required bribes for basic service.