The Shadow of Great Britain

Capítulo 1364: Chapter 195: The Comedy Writer with Hemorrhoids and a Belly Full of Complaints

Arthur flipped the page of the notebook, nodding slightly, “So, without a salary, how do you live in St. Petersburg? Completely relying on your family to support you?”

Gogol replied helplessly, “My family helps a bit. I also work as a private tutor for others. In my spare time, I submit articles to various magazines to earn a meager amount of royalties just to get by. Do you read newspapers and magazines? I have published several essays and novels in the ‘Northern Bee’, ‘Literary Newspaper’, and ‘Motherland Chronicles’, but most are published under my pen name. However, the piece ‘Women’ was written under my real name, and I also published a humorous novel ‘Dikanka Suburb Night Talk’.”

“Ah!” Arthur feigned surprise; he had firmly set his target: “So it turns out that ‘Dikanka Suburb Night Talk’ is your masterpiece! To be honest, the first time I read this book, I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.”

Gogol noticed that the Constitutional Soldier Colonel in front of him was actually a loyal reader of his work, and he immediately felt at ease. Just as he was about to express his modesty, Arthur suddenly noticed some cotton sticking out from his forehead.

“What’s this?”

Arthur reached out to grab that piece of cotton, but Gogol hastily stopped his hand, “It’s nothing, Colonel, just a clever little device.”

“You must show it to me.” Arthur questioned in the tone of a Constitutional Soldier: “Are you hiding something that threatens the Emperor’s rule?”

“I’m not, please don’t make unfounded speculations, it’s just my personal little secret, I beg you not to inquire further.”

“In Russia, in front of a Constitutional Soldier, no one should have secrets unless you’re a law-breaking citizen.”

“How could I be a law-breaking citizen? Every year my assessments are excellent, I’ve never been punished, never been sued, and I never took leave before becoming an Eighth Rank Civil Servant.”

“If so, why are you hiding things from me? You must be concealing something improper.”

Gogol was cornered with no way out, struggling internally for long before hardening his heart, placing his hand on his hair, and giving a gentle pull.

His long, silky hair was held in his hand, while the once-thick top of his head was now bare and shining; it was actually a wig with a spring mechanism.

Gogol looked upset, having his vain little secret of wearing a wig exposed in person drove him nearly mad with anger.

This Russian writer, who was tense just moments ago, seemed to be possessed by Peter the Great, springing up and pointing down from the stool at Arthur’s nose, launching into a tirade.

“Look! I’m bald, that’s true. But, does having a shaved head threaten the Emperor’s reign nowadays? Do you mean to say, without hair, a virtuous Eighth Rank Civil Servant will somehow transform into Pugachev? That’s utterly ridiculous! You’re incredibly rude! You’re a Constitutional Soldier Colonel, a Fifth Rank Officer, that’s true, but it doesn’t mean you can bully a small Eighth Rank official like me. I used to work in the Ministry, before teaching at the women’s college, I worked in the Bureau of State Property and the land office!

I have over a dozen classmates in St. Petersburg, Prokopovich, Danilevsky, Pashenkov, Kukolnik, Bazili, Grebinka, Mokritsky, and several others, they are all employed in various government agencies, how can you be sure they won’t climb higher than you in the future? Besides, I know Rukovski, you’ve probably heard of Rukovski, right? Yes, the Crown Prince’s teacher! He greatly appreciates me! And Pushkin, I’ve always had a good relationship with Pushkin!

Let me tell you this, don’t make me angry. I’m usually good-natured, but don’t mistake me for being an easy pushover; even a rabbit will bite when cornered! Rukovski can speak to the Emperor, as for Pushkin, even the Minister of Education Uvarov has to respect him, and your chief, Count Bendendorf, do you know your chief visits Pushkin at his apartment from time to time? By then, as long as Pushkin mentions even slightly, that his friend Gogol encountered a certain Constitutional Soldier Colonel named Hestingov in Vitebsk who was even rude.

Do you realize how much this could affect your career? You must be the kind of man who wants to achieve a distinguished career. And I, I’m a simple man, I don’t have such great desires for officialdom, I only wish to find a warm place to continue creating my works, not live in that freezing lair in St. Petersburg where I can’t even stretch my fingers. Because of this, I made a trip to Kiev braving the wind and snow, hoping to connect with the Kiev Inspector and secure a position as an associate professor at Kyiv University.

Yet, for just this one little thing, you’ve been relentlessly questioning me since you brought me to this place. It’s made my mind strangely stagnant, my thoughts so unfocused, and the new ideas I barely thought of on the way are forgotten. You have made me so dispirited, coldly determined, and so mediocre and dull that even I can’t recognize myself. Do you know? Almost a year has passed! I haven’t written a single line! No matter how much I push myself, nothing comes out, yet I finally had a bit of inspiration, and because of this trivial bald head matter, it’s left me perturbed.”

Arthur calmly looked at this emotional, gesticulating little Russian, pulling out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket to wipe the saliva sprayed all over his face.