Korobeinikov!
So the gentlemen will say thank you to the old man and help him in his old age. And I don't need very much; ten roubles an order will do me. Otherwise, they might as well look for the wind in the field.
They won't find the furniture without me."
Ostap looked at the old man in rapture.
"A marvellous office," he said. "Complete mechanization.
You're an absolute hero of labour!"
The flattered record-keeper began explaining the details of his pastime.
He opened the thick registers.
"It's all here," he said, "the whole of Stargorod.
All the furniture.
Who it was taken from and who it was given to.
And here's the alphabetical index-the mirror of life!
Whose furniture do you want to know about?
Angelov, first-guild merchant?
Certainly.
Look under A.
A, Ak, Am, Am, Angelov. The number? Here it is-82742.
Now give me the stock book.
Page 142.
Where's Angelov?
Here he is.
Taken from Angelov on December 18, 1918: Baecker grand piano, one, no. 97012; piano stools, one, soft; bureaux, two; wardrobes, four (two mahogany); bookcases, one . . . and so on. And who was it all given to?
Let's look at the distribution register.
The same number. Issued to. The bookcase to the town military committee, three wardrobes to the Skylark boarding school, another wardrobe for the personal use of the Stargorod province food office.
And where did the piano go?
The piano went to the old-age pensioners' home, and it's there to this day."
"I don't think I saw a piano there," thought Ostap, remembering Alchen's shy little face.
"Or for instance, Murin, head of the town council. So we look under M. It's all here.
The whole town.
Pianos, settees, pier glasses, chairs, divans, pouffes, chandeliers . . . even dinner services."
"Well," said Ostap, "they ought to erect a monument to you.
But let's get to the point.
The letter V, for example."
"The letter V it is," responded Korobeinikov willingly. "In one moment.
Vm, Vn. Vorotsky, no. 48238, Vorobyaninov. Ippolit Matveyevich, your father, God rest his soul, was a man with a big heart. . . A Baecker piano, no. 54809. Chinese vases, marked, four, from Sevres in France; Aubusson carpets, eight, different sizes; a tapestry,
"The Shepherd Boy'; a tapestry,
'The Shepherd Girl'; Tekke carpets, two; Khorassan carpets, one; stuffed bears with dish, one; a bedroom suite to seat twelve; a dining-room suite to seat sixteen; a drawing-room suite to seat twelve, walnut, made by Hambs."
"And who was given it?" asked Ostap impatiently.
"We're just coming to that.
The stuffed bear with dish went to the police station No. 2.
The Shepherd Boy tapestry went to the art treasure collection; the Shepherd Girl tapestry to the water-transport club; the Aubusson, Tekke and Khorassan carpets to the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
The bedroom suite went to the hunters' trade-union; the dining-room suite to the Stargorod branch of the chief tea administration.
The walnut suite was divided up.
The round table and one chair went to the pensioners' home, a curved-back settee was given to the housing division (it's still in the hall, and the bastards spilled grease all over the covering); one chair went to Comrade Gritsatsuyev as an imperialist war invalid, at his own request, granted by Comrade Burkin, head of the housing division.
Ten chairs went to Moscow to the furniture museum, in accordance with a circular sent round by the Ministry of Education . . . Chinese vases, marked .. ."
"Well done!" said Ostap jubilantly. "That's more like it!
Now it would be nice to see the actual orders."
"In a moment. We'll come to the orders in a moment.
Letter V, No. 48238."
The old man went up to the cupboard and, standing on tiptoe, took down the appropriate bundle.