Lottery ball. Powerball Game Rules

D. V. Grigorovich

lottery ball

In St. Petersburg (to say nothing of other cities of Russia), with the onset of September 17, there is incomparably more movement than on other ordinary days. Carriages constantly collide at the entrance of shops; persons of various kinds, and even persons who have nothing at all special in themselves, for the most part come out of pastry shops, carrying bundles and baskets under their arms; fashion and toy shops are emptying; in the halls of the English shop and à la renommée (a well-reputed (French - Ed.).) there is no decisive passage; in Milyutins - crush and tightness; not only in the streets, but also in every post office, the movement on this day is growing with incredible force. Here they rub the parquet, there, contrary to custom, they hang curtains; elsewhere, also contrary to established order, tallow suppositories are replaced with stearic ones; in the third, two or three more are added to the usual two or three card tables, arranged with German accuracy every evening; in a word, under almost every roof there is running around, bustle, transformation ... It may seem very strange to you why all this is being done on September 17th. Have mercy! how could it be otherwise? Judge for yourself: the one has his wife Sophia, the other has two daughters, Vera and Lyubov, the third has his sister Nadezhda, the fourth has Agathoklea's sister-in-law (fortunately, this happens least often), and, finally, the fate of the fifth endowed them all together - Faith, Love, Hope, Agathoclea and Sophia - how could it not be otherwise? .. But all this mess, relatively speaking, can mean nothing in comparison with the one that took place on this day, last year , on the Petersburg side, in the house of collegiate secretary Foma Fomich Krutobyukov. Imagine: fate, this fate, which does not even pay any decisive attention to ranks, and consequently, the salary corresponding to them, endowed him with a wife and three daughters. Anticipating his sad situation and the costs that the annual celebrations of his daughter's name days would bring to him (for this is still considered our most sacred duty), Foma Fomich gave his children the names of saints celebrated on the same day. However, people who are not in the position of Krutobryuzkov do this; I am even sure that their purpose in such a case contains a more economic idea than the pleasure of depicting the family allegorically, that is, with a cross, an anchor and a flaming heart 1 . Name days would not have made a special revolution in the house of Foma Fomich and would have been celebrated, as usual, quietly and modestly, if it had not occurred to the respectable official, two months before the event we are describing, to start a lottery. Of course, this idea, like any other, was born in the head of a collegiate secretary not as a result of thinking, but by chance; that's how it was. His older brother, who kept a shop between the third and fourth lines of Vasilyevsky Island, where various antiques were sold, such as: furniture, tin, paintings and books, died suddenly suddenly, leaving him all his property by will. Foma Fomich had such firmness of character that, despite the sadness that weighed on his soul, the very next day after the sad event, he began selling the inheritance he had received. Some, however, things were spared; Foma Fomich, who heard from good people about the extraordinary benefits of doing lotteries, put them to use and experience happiness. Indeed, less than a month had passed before the advice of his friends turned out to be solid and made his dreams come true even beyond expectations. The tickets sold out with incredible speed. Despite the fact that most of the tickets had already been taken, Krutobryushkov would no doubt have postponed the draw until another time, continuing to act in this way indefinitely, as very many, even very respectable people do, if one important circumstance had not prevented him from doing so. . One day Foma Fomich happened to sit in the department beside his adviser, Alexander Petrovich Tsvirkulyaev; the adviser, who retained extraordinary importance in all cases of life, it is not known why this time he could not hide his good disposition and was extremely in good spirits. Moved by some extraordinary feeling of tenderness, born in every subordinate who manages to sit next to the elder at a good hour, Krutobryushkov could not resist not to tell him his intention. Alexander Petrovich, wishing to show himself as a completely indulgent boss, not only approved the undertaking of his subordinate, but even took two tickets, immediately promising to be present at the draw. As you can see, there was no way to postpone the lotteries, and Foma Fomich, in order to avoid unnecessary costs, appointed a drawing on the day of the name day of his wife and daughters. But before we begin to describe the preparations for the evening, we should briefly acquaint the reader with the persons playing the main role on him. Foma Fomich Krutobryuzkov is a short man, rather stout, with an unusually red face and a smooth bald head. There is nothing particularly remarkable in his appearance, except for the fact that he is completely devoid of eyebrows, which is why his face takes on some kind of honey-sweet, at times even cloying expression. He is extremely devout, serviceable for the service, in which he has been for 13 years, good father family, poorly literate and unusually prone to speculation. His wife (Sofya Ivanovna), a woman of medium fullness, a perfect pendant (likeness, correspondence (French - Ed.).) to her husband, with the exception of her eyebrows, which, as if on purpose, are extremely thick and black. Neighbors claim that she is a big gossip, but I attribute this opinion more to envy, aroused by the fact that Sofya Ivanovna is the godfather of one garrison major, than to justice. Mrs. Krutobriutkova is an extremely hot woman and often uses for evil the gifts bestowed on her by nature. physical forces(Foma Fomich himself admits this sometimes). She keeps her daughters in fawn gloves, absolutely manages the whole house and cooks in the kitchen when kulebyaka is appointed for dinner - a dish that glorified her in the neighborhood. One of distinguishing features Sophia Ivanovna - memory; in this respect she is so happy that she remembers the whole calendar by heart; ask her even the day of Mameltha, Eupsychia and Eutychius, and she will immediately unmistakably answer you on which days Mameltha, Eutychius and Eupsychia are celebrated. Sofya Ivanovna is a great hunter of inviting guests; he invites another for tea, another for a cheesecake, a third for scrambled eggs, although usually after the visit he scolds them on the spot and assures them that they are overeating her, according to the Moscow habit of hospitality. All this does not prevent, however, Madame Krutobryubkova from being a very good housewife and good wife. As for the daughters of Foma Fomich, one Kazan poem will save us from describing their appearance:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . One of them, Vera, is a brunette; The other, Lyubinka, is a coquette, And the third, Nadinka, is blond, The blond is the best of them all! And indeed, Nadinka, the youngest daughter of a respectable official, differs from her sisters in a rather pretty face that arouses the envy of Faith and Love. Lyubochka, the eldest of them, has already crossed the boundaries of the bride: she is about 27 years old; but this circumstance still more excites in her the desire to please and flirt. Many romantic adventures happened to her, among which one is worthy of being named. She once fell in love with some collegiate registrar who visited their house quite often; registrar filed big hopes become her husband; but later it turned out that he did it only in this way, to pass the time, especially after he married a merchant's wife. Lyubov Fominishna, in a fit of despair and jealousy, first wanted to rush to Malaya Nevka, but, fortunately, limited herself to sending a letter to the traitor with the following content: “Be ashamed that you deceived me, not only before you and before God, honor is my dear, God will punish you how could you do this ... Oh, it’s unbearable, for good to hear evil, I read your note and fainted easier if you killed me with a pestle, I wouldn’t suffer ... oh, oh, I suffer from you with the goodness of my soul, God will punish me cruelly to offend God, I’m dying attacks ah ah villain ... "Thus pouring out her despair, Lyubov Fominishna, as if in revenge on her treacherous lover, began to flirt indiscriminately with all his friends; but since none of them noticed her advances, then to this day she is in the maiden rank. Verochka is the complete opposite of her sister; she is extremely shy and sentimental. She also has sensitivity to the highest degree. If a rooster beats a hen in the yard, she cries; if she fails to thread the needle hole, she cries again; should she drop her plate or tear her apron, new tears; in a word, she is ready to cry at any time and at any hour. Verochka always has some gloomy novel under her head, like: "The Love of a Negro, or Black, How Few Whites" - or a similar book. Lyubochka finds an inexplicable pleasure in teasing Verochka, calling her zyuzey. Nadinka is a perfect child and sings incessantly: "Suddenly the piano rumbled - uuu - fly, my longing!" - etc. All three, without exception, are passionate hunters to dress up and walk around the Gostiny Dvor. To complete the picture of family happiness of the collegiate secretary, it is necessary to introduce the reader to Savishna, who is with him (a purely departmental expression) in the position of a cook. Savishna, like all Russian women engaged in the art of cooking, cannot boast of excessive cleanliness. It also does not possess special sharpness, for it has just been brought from Kaluga, the place of its birth. Savishna hates washing dust; she can’t even understand why this is being done, and when Sofya Ivanovna forces her to do so, she says: ". She calls Lyubov, Vera and Nadinka young ladies and in free time guesses them quite well in cards. On September 17, the collegiate secretary's family got up incomparably earlier than usual. After the usual congratulations, and after Savishna had offered Sofya Ivanovna a two-and-a-half-ton pretzel, she settled down around the boiling samovar and began to drink tea. “Well, mother, we have reached your name day,” said Foma Fomnch, taking a sip of tea. “Well, Nadia (she was his favorite), I’m tea, are you glad that there will be guests today? yes, I think you all have been dreaming for two whole weeks, huh? .. - Let's talk about business, - answered Sofya Ivanovna in a serious tone, - it's no joke, I think how many people enough ... we'll put them somewhere, think carefully ... only two rooms ... - What to do! that the apartment will be small, well, maybe not everyone will be ... - No matter how it is! Oh, you simpleton, simpleton! don’t you know that they are just waiting to eat and drink at someone else’s expense. “It’s all right, Sofya Ivanovna, well, maybe God willing, somehow ... wait a minute!” I'll have to see how many tickets are left untaken. Having said this, Foma Fomich ran to the chest of drawers, opened it and took out from the second drawer from the bottom a sheet of paper on which the winnings and numbers were marked. He knew the list by heart a long time ago, as did all the members of the family, but he did it because he found great pleasure to admire them, firstly, as one's own notion, and secondly, as a surety for a fair amount of rubles (some officials borrowed tickets.) This is what the collegiate secretary read for the hundredth time: “A friendly lottery is being played, with a ball, music, dancing and dinner and various amusements. Items: 1. Diamond ring 2. English silver watch 3. Gold chain with a key, 4. Pianos in octaves 5. A large meerschaum pipe in a silver frame and a large chibouk 6. A box from Italy, with ladies' things, such as: scissors, a thimble, a needle case, a piercing needle, two mother-of-pearl reels and a mirror. The price of a ticket is one ruble in silver." Below, where the numbers were marked, Foma Fomich's acquaintances and friends each signed against the ticket he had chosen. Small crosses placed by a careful owner on the left side of some tickets meant that they were taken for cash, in a word, everything was as it should be. Only one on the list could seem strange person, alien to the petty bureaucratic circle: the fact that most of the officials did not put their names on it, but instead of them the sheet was dotted with various allegorical inscriptions; for example, against the eighth number it was written: lucky man; in another place, probably some amusing person or the so-called "soul of the departmental society" drew quite carefully: adieu man sher ami; in the third, the surname was replaced, for unknown reasons, with the following words: my regards, etc. Foma Fomich seemed to be extremely pleased with such courtesies and continued to read: "The end of these tickets, collegiate secretary Foma Krutobryuzkov, 1844, August 17th." "Only Mikhail Mikhailovich Zhelchny didn't take a ticket," he said, having finished reading. A miser, he knows only to hang around guests and tinker. “Someday I’ll finish him my own way ... check who and who will be, because something must be prepared.” - First of all, Alexander Petrovich Tsvirkulyaev, our adviser ... he took two tickets ... Please, Lyuba, do not forget to serve him first apples, snacks and everything ... and that’s all you try to please him as much as possible ... then there will be another Bacchus Onufrievich ... - Ah, Fosha, he will get drunk with us, perhaps, as at the christening at Ivan Ivanovich Maslyanikov. “Well, in order to avoid this, make sure that each one has no more than one punch... there will also come: Methodius Karpych, collegiate assessor, Akula Gerasimovich Ershov, executor, godfather Arina Petrovna, well, yes, this is her own, Sila Mamontovich and his wife ... Ivan Ivanovich Maslyanikov ... - Yes, you judge for yourself, Foma Fomich, well, what do we feed them? Is it a joke, almost the entire department ... judge for yourself ... - It is impossible otherwise, mother, after all, it’s a lottery, it’s not for nothing that we treat them ... there will be more: Voloskov, assistant clerk, Vladimir Makarovich Semyanichkin and his wife ... Natalya Kuzminishna ... I mean, I forgot Ivan Ivanovich Yelkin ... a fine young man, in good standing with his superiors, the salary is such that ... here is Lyubochka's fiancé ... - Well, your Elkin is good, - responded abruptly and rudely eldest daughter Krutobryubkova, - yes, I'd rather hang myself than marry such an elistratishka ... - You can’t please you in any way! and why Elkin is not your fiancé? right, I don't understand! So that only Apollon Ignatievich does not change; he promised to come by all means to play the pianoforte; Yes, God knows, if he drinks it for our misfortune, then remember your name ... Well, look, children, - continued Foma Fomich, - for the sake of Christ, be more courteous with the guests; especially with our advisor; he is a senior man, he can, on occasion, provide patronage. “Yes, we have something to take,” said Lyubochka, pushing a cup, “if only they could sew us new dresses, otherwise they’ll be like some kind of cloaks ...” “What is it?” mother is worse than you, or what? A! tell me, is your mother worse than you, that she walks around in an old hood and turns it over every two years ... is your sister worse than you, or what? ah! .. - said Sofya Ivanovna suddenly, approaching her daughter. "That's enough... Sonyushka... leave her... and for a day like this..." said Foma Fomich, holding his wife's hand, which was preparing to fall on her daughter's shoulders (we have already said that Sofya Ivanovna liked to resort to strong measures ). "No, no, is your mother worse than you, or what?" "Gee, gee, gee..." Verochka squeaked plaintively, "how dare she call us fools..." Lyubov Fominshna went into another room, slamming the door hard. Soon a terrible howl was heard, which, as it were, instantly calmed the rest of the family. Sofya Ivanovna, accustomed to such scenes, poured herself another cup of tea; Verochka stopped whimpering, Foma Fomich collapsed on the sofa. “Well, my mother,” he said, “you can arrange there, as you know, about the purchases, and as long as I tidy everything up with the children, you can’t leave it like that. Here are two red ones for you, - continued the husband, taking money out of a greasy leather wallet, - I really can’t take more ... - I think it will be enough ... moreover, wouldn’t it be better to write down what you need to buy, I won't even forget... get up, that you've fallen apart, is it time to rest now... Foma Fomich got up, pulled the jar of ink closer to him and began to write as he was dictated: "Half a pound of tea, a bottle of rum, two pounds of wine berries and lozenges, Wear shoes, five lemons, eight pieces of stearin candles ... - Mom, please buy lipstick, only pink, - Nadinka interrupted. - Yes ... well, write down: pink lipstick, black lace, two yellow ribbons, eight pounds of veal ... - So you, perhaps, will decide to buy the whole of Petersburg. .. have mercy, Sofya Ivanovna, and there won’t be enough money ... for what, approximately, veal, what the hell is veal for? - By God, Sofya Ivanovna, veal is completely better ... but, in my opinion, buy better caviar, fresh, good caviar ... it will be better, and cheaper ... - Well, all right, well, write it down... - Caviar... well, now everything seems to be... with God, and we'll get down to business; it's time! it will soon be ten o'clock, and nothing is ready yet. Sofya Ivanovna put on a cloak, tied up the list and banknotes in a scarf, and, accompanied by Savishna, soon set off on a van for the city. The work undertaken by the venerable father of the family was all the more difficult because the very location of the apartment was very inconvenient. Firstly, it had a common drawback of all St. Petersburg ones, namely, it began with a kitchen; a narrow corridor stretched from the kitchen, made decidedly impassable through the double bed of both spouses, which there was no possibility of placing in another place, so that one could get into the room next to the corridor only by creeping sideways or, if someone was too corpulent to do so , jumping over it; however, with corpulence, this method could not be used in action. Behind the corridor were two rooms; the first of them served as a living room and a hall, the second as a bedroom for Vera, Nadinka and Lyubochka. Foma Fomich, despite all the difficulties, did not lose heart, however (such was his custom). In the middle of the first room he placed the pianoforte, as the main object and winning the lottery; the rest of the winnings lay very beautifully on them, between which they differed: a box from Italy and a fabulously large meerschaum pipe, proudly towering on a motley plate. Around were chairs and two sofas, upholstered with old but pretty oilcloth; the milky-gray walls were full of paintings, between which there was a portrait of the director of the department where Krutobryushkov served (an essential accessory for every seeking official), and some kind of landscape, written oil paints and blackened to the point that it was barely possible to distinguish heaven from earth on it, were more worthy of attention than others. Opposite one of the sofas, Foma Fomich placed a round table, bought by him in the old days on occasion. The wall clock remained in its old place near the window. The decoration of the second room required even more trouble; Lyubochka resolutely refused to budge, despite her father's exhortations and Verochka's tears. Finally, somehow, she was persuaded, and the bedroom of the three girls also took on a rather fine appearance. She was assigned to playing cards. Foma Fomich and his daughters had not yet had time to completely settle down when the godfather Arina Petrovna entered the room with a fairly large pretzel (the generally accepted offering of cooks, gossips, old women who were given some kind of allowance, and housekeepers). “Hello, Foma Fomich, hello, girls,” she said, putting her burden on a round table, “I congratulate you all from the bottom of my heart, God bless you (here she crossed herself) every happiness, prosperity and good suitors. (Arina Petrovna kissed the girls in turn.) Well, where's your wife, then? - she said, suddenly changing her intonation. - I'm tea, for shopping and for chores; God forbid she gets off cheaply, the fish has now become much more expensive, the damned merchants are fighting without any conscience, - last words she spoke extremely quickly. “Yes, there’s nothing to say, mother, all this mess is on my orders,” said Foma Fomich, somewhat dissatisfied with the inappropriate visit to the godfather, and most importantly, the news of the high cost of provisions ... - I humbly thank you that you didn’t forget and came to visit us ... - What to forget, I brought you a pretzel, I think to myself: maybe it will come in handy, I took it and bought it ... tea, will you have many guests in the evening? - Yes, mother Arina Petrovna, a lot ... a lot ... sit down, why are you standing ... - No, thank you, I just ran in just like that, for a minute, to congratulate you ... I know, and without I have a lot of trouble for you ... but I’ll come back in the evening ... “Certainly ... we are waiting for you ...” After new kisses, Arina Petrovna went out, accompanied by her goddaughter (Nadinka), and the Krutobriushkov family again set to work. Everything was already ready when Sofya Semyonovna returned, hung with knots and little bags; looking around the rooms, she was very pleased with their appearance; there was only one thing that disturbed her—the double bed, so inappropriately spread out across the corridor. Having had a hasty lunch, as they say, with what God sent, the family of the collegiate secretary began their own transformation. At eight o'clock the stairs of the Krutobryubkovs were lit up with tallow stubs, carefully preserved by the thrifty mistress of the house. These cinders were very skillfully inserted into huge turnips, in the middle of which Foma Fomich himself drilled holes; at the entrance two bowls were burning; in the rooms, on almost every table, towered on tall candlesticks stearic candles; judging by the illumination, the ball promised to be magnificent. Foma Fomich, in a white tie and a new uniform, ran from one room to another, constantly adjusting either some furniture or a candle that did not obey his trembling fingers (Foma Fomich was in strong excitement), then finally turned to his daughters, begging them to finish the toilet as soon as possible. Sofya Ivanovna had been in the kitchen for a long time; through the efforts of a caring hostess, heaps of wine berries, pastilles, Crimean apples (belonging to all kinds of balls, evenings and picnics), cut in half, were erected on plates; sandwiches also took not the last place. Ranks of glasses, still empty, stretched out on the dresser of the kitchen, ready to receive into their emptiness that beneficial nectar, which the official dubbed the name punch. Despite such occupations, Sofya Ivanovna found time to look after Savishna, who was kneading kulebyaku on the chest (the tables were all occupied). “Well, look, Savishna,” said Sofya Ivanovna, “do as I told you; Serve a punch to the guests of the male sex, and tea to the women, but do not forget: do not pour a second glass each until I tell you myself ... Eh! don’t fry the kulebyaku ... - I obey, Sofya Ivanovna, I won’t say a word ... - That’s the same, but cut it ... No, no, I’ll do it myself ... you just know when I will order. “Yes, sir, Sofya Ivanovna... Will there be many guests, netto?” "Yes, yes, to hell with them, God forgive me, there are quite a few..." "Why aren't they coming, Sofya Ivanovna?" They'll still have time... Well, what are Lyuba and Nadya ready for? I'm tea, it was time to cuddle up ... - No, I've been telling them a lot: the guests will find you; but one now a scarf, then a pin ... it’s just trouble for me with them, and nothing more. “Wait, I’ll hurry them up!” Having said this, Sofya Ivanovna went to the living room, where the birthday girls were getting ready for the ball. - What, are you coming soon? Love! How much longer will you pretend in front of the mirror? -- God! And they won't let you get dressed! do you want us to show ourselves, or what?., without that, God knows what we look like ... - But, talk to me some more ... At that very moment there was a noise in the kitchen, and Sofya Ivanovna, without finishing her speech, rushed headlong into the corridor. Vera, Lyuba and Nadya in one second hid lipstick, a mirror, combs under the sofa and stood at the door as if nothing had happened. When the mistress of the house entered the kitchen, Foma Fomich was already taking off the fox coat from the shoulders of Natalya Vasilyevna Semyanichkina, who had arrived with her husband and two daughters, Anfisa and Ashinka. “Hello, my dear Sofya Ivanovna,” said Semyanichkina, a passionate hunter to play the role of a secular woman, “here we are to you, congratulations on name days and birthday girls ... you brought your children ...” The children have been brought to you,” said Vladimir Makarovich Semyanichkin timidly. -- Ah! How much trouble, I think, to you, dear Sofya Ivanovna! I already told my husband today: you have to be such a hostess as Sofya Ivanovna in order to have time to prepare everything for so many guests ... - Yes, sir, my wife spoke, sir ... - Semyanichkin muttered again. "Come into the room... Natalya Vasilievna... Vladimir Makarovich... Anfisa Vladimirovna... I beg you humbly..." The Semyanichkin family got under way. Natalya Vasilievna, dressed up, as they say, in fluff, in yellow ribbons and extremely similar in this outfit to Indian deity; behind her walked two young ladies, of very good appearance; The procession was closed by the timid Semyanichkin, thin, small, yellowish, in a baggy, somehow awkwardly sitting uniform and a perpetually watery left eye. Having passed Thermopylae Gorge 2 (the narrow space between the wall and the bed), the Semyanichkins safely reached the living room, where their daughters, Krutobyutkova, were waiting. But as soon as Sofya Ivanovna managed to seat the guests on the sofa and start an interesting conversation with them about the high cost of the apartment, about its warmth, conveniences and inconveniences, a noise was heard again in the kitchen and the voice of Foma Fomich announced the arrival of new guests. Sofya Ivanovna felt it necessary to hasten to meet them. This time, the accountant Sila Mamontovich Buslov appeared before her eyes. Groaning and puffing, he took off his summer coat (Sila Mamontovich was never cold, and therefore he did not consider it necessary to wear other clothes in winter); his thick fingers, extremely similar to carrots, did not obey their master in any way and seemed to bulge more and more. Having finally freed himself from his overcoat, the corpulent accountant first shook Foma Fomich's hand and then turned to Sofya Ivanovna. “I’m sincerely glad, madam, to have the opportunity to personally congratulate you on your name day, as well as our most venerable Foma Fomich ... so I brought my wife with me, and my daughter ... I ask you to love and favor ... With these words, he moved aside and He introduced Sofya Ivanovna to a woman as thin as a chip, with a tousled hairdo and a dress so starched that, if necessary, it could serve as a refuge for Sila Mamontovich himself; at her side, Mrs. Buslova introduced her daughter, a young girl of about nineteen. After the usual greetings and kisses, the ladies went into the living room, where the smell clove became even more sensitive. "Sofya Ivanovna," said Semyanichkina, getting up from the sofa, "I haven't seen any winnings yet: are they all here?" - Everything, Natalya Vasilievna; look what a beautiful work box, just delicious, and real French work. “Yes, the box is very pretty... What would you like to win, Anfisa?” Semyanichkina continued, turning to her daughter when the hostess came out, “a needlework box or a pianoforte?” I suppose you really want a piano? .. - No, mama, I like a diamond ring more. “And I would rather win a golden chain with a key,” said Ashinka. “But I just think so,” added Natalya Vasilievna in an undertone, “that we won’t get anything, it’s true that the owners themselves have taken away the best tickets ... you’ll see ... Vladimir Makarovich, where have you huddled into? He sits in the corner and does not even want to look at the winnings! It must be noted here that Mr. Semyanichkin has a slight weakness to fall asleep at once, no matter where he is put; besides this, the transition from wakefulness to sleep is so quick for him that before you have time to turn around, he has already closed his eyes and emits a small nasal whistle. He was sleeping, so real life dreamed of him as in a dream. The voice of his wife (the only way to bring Vladimir Makarovich out of lethargy) instantly awakened him. "What, sir... Natalya Vasilievna?" he said, going up to his wife. “Well, what would you like to win?” she asked, “perhaps a watch?” - Watches, Natalya Vasilievna... - Well, wouldn't you refuse the piano? - The frothy tube is painfully good, Natalya Vasilievna ... - Well, I found something to say! meerschaum pipe!., and I won't take it for nothing... but if it were a work box... well, that's another matter... "Yes, a work box... better... Sliver-like wife and daughter of Sila Mamontovich they took absolutely no part in the lottery and sat rooted to the spot in one place. Soon, heavy sighs resounded in the corridor, announced that the fat accountant was struggling to get between the bed and the wall; but, to the general surprise, he did not hesitate to appear in the drawing-room. While this venerable husband, a passionate lover of music, theaters, and generally elegant, somehow: painted Moscow snuff boxes, weapons and statuettes sold on the streets, was spreading with ladies about the pleasures that such objects bring to him, Krutobryubkov’s apartment was filled with people. One after another appeared: Vakhsh Onufrievich Peterka, Arina Petrovna, already known to the reader of the godfather, Aristarkh Vissarionovich, who was an assistant accountant, whose eyes were unusually similar to the eyes of a lap dog, which the spoiled lady feeds meat, i.e. drowned in some kind of lingonberry jam. It was already getting crowded in Foma Fomich's living room when Ivan Ivanovich Maslyanikov appeared with his young son Vanyusha, Mikhail Mikhailovich Shelchny, a retired official, and Apollon Ignatievich, the one who was supposed to play the pianoforte. Especially the appearance of the latter extremely pleased and reassured Foma Fomich. - Foma Fomich! and Foma Fomich! Well, brother, is the lottery coming soon?” Zhelchny asked Mikhail Mikhailovich when the company had settled down. - We are expecting only Alexander Petrovich ... our adviser ... - How! and he will... Bah! bah! bah... yes, I didn’t know that, - said Sila Mamontovich, wiping the sweat dripping from his nose; - as I see, Foma Fomich, you have a ball in earnest ... - Even Alexander Petrovich I myself took two tickets ... - How! and got two tickets! Well, brother, well done! “That’s right, somehow he slipped it himself,” said Zhelny in the ear of Akula Gerasimovich Ershov, who was in the position of an executor. “Akula Gerasimovich, my deepest respect to you,” Foma Fomich said, going up to him, “thank you for visiting. .. - I'm very glad ... no need to thank ... - Hello, Ivan Ivanovich, - continued Krutobryuzkov, seeing Maslyanikov with Vanyusha, - how many years, how many winters ... how are you in your health? - By your prayers, most venerable Foma Fomich... - Hello, Vanya... what a clever fellow you have... - Darling, kiss your uncle, - said Ivan Ivanovich, stroking his son's head. - And which year? - Yes, on the day of Frol and Laurus, the sixth went. - Sixth! .. name, Ivan Ivanovich ... excuse me ... - Foma Fomich went out into the corridor. - Daddy ... daddy ... what, is this it? - asked Vanyusha, pointing to the pianoforte. - And this is music, my dear ... that's what they play. "Music... and that's what it is," continued the child, climbing up on the piano and touching the pipe, the clock, and the box from Italy. "Don't touch it, don't touch it, darling, you'll bounce unevenly... it's a pipe." - Tube! "Tell me, please, Ivan Ivanovich, how is your wife's health?" Sofya Ivanovna asked. “I humbly thank you, with your prayers ... I hope that soon there will be an end to everything.” "What, hasn't she given birth yet?" - No, but these days... - Foma Fomich! Sofia Ivanovna! what about the lottery?” said several voices. “This minute, gentlemen, this minute; wait a little ... I think Alexander Petrovich will arrive at once; you must admit that it is impossible to do without it.... "Besides, it seems you have nothing arranged yet about tickets," said godmother Arina Petrovna. - Everything is ready, only Alexander Petrovich is not coming ... - And who will take out the tickets? - Anybody, anyway. “No, Foma Fomich, it is necessary that the child would certainly take them out ... this is how it is everywhere ... - said Mikhail Mikhailovich Zhelny, who found inexplicable pleasure in putting everyone in a difficult situation ... - Yes, of course, - continued Sila Mamontovich, "of course, a child should take out the tickets... it's, so to speak, an emblem of innocence, an angel of God..." In that case, Ivan Ivanovich will lend us his Vanichka. "I'm very glad, very pleased... Vanya, Vanya, do you want to take out the lottery?" "I'm rolling... a lottery..." “On the sixth day of Frol and Lavr, he went ...” “Kiss me, darling,” continued Madame Semyanichkina. - Kiss the aunt ... Ivan Ivanovich was extremely pleased that Foma Fomich's guests take such a lively part in his son; he put him on his knees. - Well, what, rascal, who do you love more: mother or father? "Ma...ma...and papa." - Oh, what a clever girl! kiss me, darling! what a smart boy! as it is now seen in a child that he will be clever! - they suddenly said in the crowd that surrounded Ivan Ivanovich. Maslyanikov was beside himself with joy, and in order to show off Vanyusha's wit even more to the guests, he asked him: - Well, who would you like, you kind of bubble, to give birth to a mother, brother or sister? "La... la... sweetie," Vanyusha answered briskly. The crowd chuckled. Ivan Ivanovich, who did not expect such an answer, was so embarrassed that he lowered his son to the floor and began, without any reason, to fumble in his pocket. At that very moment the adviser Alexander Petrovich Tsvirkulyaev appeared at the door, followed by the owner of the house. Bowing rather importantly, Alexander Petrovich said to Foma Fomich in a forced tone: "Introduce me to your wife... I want to make her acquaintance." "Sofya Ivanovna... Sophia... here I am... Alexander Petrovich..." and Krutobryuzkov was pushing his wife and daughters forward. "Yes, brother, they're still young," the adviser said with some tenderness, shaking Nadya's chin without ceremony... "well, what about the lottery?" - This minute, Alexander Petrovich, this minute ... The whole company surrounded the pianoforte; Mikhail Mikhailovich Zhelchny and the executor tried more than others to become in the sight of the adviser. Vanyusha, to the complete satisfaction of his father, was seated at the pianoforte between the work-box and the meerschaum pipe, still lying on the plate, with the appointment of taking out empty pieces of paper or winnings. Numera was spoken by Anfisa Vladimirovna, the eldest daughter of Mrs. Semyanichkina. The lottery has begun. Only two people did not take part in the drawing of the lottery: the sensitive Vera Fominishna and Dmitry Alekseevich Voloskov, who had long felt an irresistible attraction to her. They stepped aside and indulged in silence, interrupted only by heavy sighs: this was how love was manifested in them. Meanwhile, at the other end of the room, completely opposite feelings agitated the crowd. At every number that Anfisa Vladimirovna took out, and especially every time little Vanyusha unfolded a piece of paper with a winning or an empty one, she strongly pressed against the piano, tormented by expectation. - Number nine! - said Anfisa Vladimirovna. - Burst! - said, smiling happily, Mikhail Mikhailovich. - Number fifteen! -- Burst! -- A! damn it! - said Akula Gerasimovich Ershov, - lost! however, I knew this for sure; Even today I told Mikhail Aleksandrovich Poplevin that I would probably lose. .. such a star! “I reported to you,” Choleny whispered in his ear, “that there must be falsehood, certainly falsehood ... just see if the adviser doesn’t win something. - Number twenty-one! -- Burst! "Ninety-seventh!" -- Burst! -- Third! -- Burst! -- First! Natalya Vasilievna was stunned. It was her number. Ivan Ivanovich, inseparable from his son, helped him unfold the paper and, seeing something written, read quite distinctly: win a workbox! .. and that's all Vladimir Makarovich! But there was no answer; Mr. Semyanichkin must be leaning somewhere. The lottery continued. - Number thirteen! -- Burst! - Fifty-six! -- Burst! - Hundredth! Ivan Ivanovich read: "A box from Italy." “How, did I win?” the adviser asked with a self-satisfied smile. “Well, I confess, I didn’t expect…” "Would you like me to bring it to your house, Alexander Petrovich, or would you like to take the winnings yourself?" “No, why, I’d rather take it myself,” answered the adviser. "I said it was fake!" whispered Mikhail Mikhailovich to the executor. “Now I can see it very well. Soon the lottery ended; the pianos went to some official who was not present at the evening; the rest of the things almost all again passed into the hands of the owner of the house. Alexander Petrovich, despite the exhortations of Sofya Ivanovna and Foma Fomich to have at least one cup of tea, left immediately after the prank with his box, pleading business. Vanyusha also left society and was laid by his caring father and Nadinka on a double bed. The rest of the faces wandered around the rooms, talking about the vicissitudes of happiness and the vagaries of fate. After Alexander Petrovich's departure, Krutobryuzkov became somehow more cheeky; he ran from one friend to another with cards in his hands, begging them to form a game. “Tell me, please, most venerable Akula Gerasimovich,” Mikhail Mikhailovich said in an undertone, “we were probably invited here in order to starve to death ... well, a party! .. And it’s also written “with refreshments and various amusements “- good fun when they don’t give you food ... - Yes, I myself got something hungry ... - Well, thank God, it seems they are carrying a punch ... Indeed, Savishna appeared from the corridor with a huge tray Nadinka followed her in her arms, adorned with glasses and cups, carrying, with downcast eyes, a basket of crackers and slices of white bread. The guests surrounded the tray. “Well, punshtik,” continued Mikhail Mikhailovich in the ear of the executor, “only glory that the punshtik ... just some kind of thin teacup ... eh! heh, heh! .. - I think you can add a little, you know, that ... chamomile. "Listen, honey, what's your name?" - Savishna-s. “Do you know, Savishna, is it possible to somehow pour rum into our glasses, huh? “No, Sofya Ivanovna even cursed, she said: she poured a lot ... “What are you talking about, you are such a fool!” cried Sofya Ivanovna, her face turned purple with annoyance. “Excuse me, Mikhail Mikhailovich, you stupid woman , just from the village this minute ... please have your glass. “Rustic simplicity, sir,” remarked Mikhail Mikhailovich, smiling maliciously ... “Oh, Savishna, Savishna! yesterday, long ago!” he continued, looking at the embarrassed old woman. Natalya Vasilievna Semyanichkina, her daughter, the godfather Arina Petrovna, the daughters of Krutobryuzkova and Ivan Ivanovich, seated on a sofa and chairs near a round table, listened with attention to Sila Mamontovich Buslov, who praised, not without special eloquence, the post office and Zhukovsky choristers. He assured that the latter sing somehow fostonically 3 , and that's why he preferred them first. During this conversation, Pelageya Kuzminishna Kuvyrkova, the widow of Pelageya Kuzminishna Kuvyrkova, entered the drawing room of the Krutobryuzkovs with her two daughters and her son, an extremely fidgety young man with a carefully curled tuft. In all his movements, he found a claim to a dexterous young man . He was in a brown tailcoat with bright buttons, a blue tie, a lilac waistcoat, and rubber trousers, with which he seemed to be extremely pleased, for he stroked them every minute with his palm, his leg stretched out in front. Pelageya Kuzminishna brought her daughters to the mistress of the house; young Kuvyrkov, in turn, began to approach the hands of all the ladies, without exception. -- Ah! what a pity, dear Pelageya Kuzminishna, that you were not in time for the lottery. - What to do, dear Sofya Ivanovna, there was no way ... but where is your Foma Fomich? .. - I sat down, as usual with my friends, at cards ... Allow me to introduce you to my friend, Natalya Vasilyevna Semyanichkina. - Very nice ... please fall in love ... The ladies kissed. At this time, Pyotr Petrovich (that was the name of the young Kuvyrkov) had already managed to utter a bunch of pleasantries and acquired a general disposition. He stood now against Lyubov Fominishna, begging her to dance the first French quadrille with him. “Pelageya Kuzminishna, please ... tea,” said Sofya Ivanovna, pointing to the tray Savishna was carrying ... “young ladies, would you like it? .. Pyotr Petrovich! “No, sir, I humbly thank you, it’s much more pleasant for me here than any tea ... all the more so since I have the pleasure of talking with your daughter. - What is he like with you, really, Pelageya Kuzminishna ... where there are only young ladies, and so he clings ... Natalya Vasilievna, for a young man this is very good, it is even necessary, and I find that your son is a completely secular and educated young man. Apollon Ignatievich, a clerk of extremely great stature, thin, dressed in a light green uniform, sat down at the pianoforte. The sounds of "Well, Carlos, do not be shy" heralded the beginning of the ball; gentlemen fussed beside their ladies, the rest of the faces pressed against the walls. The dancing began. Meanwhile in the second room the game was getting hotter and hotter; Vakh Onufrievich, who, contrary to the orders given by Sofya Ivanovna to the cook, to serve guests no more than one glass of punch, somehow managed to pick up a couple, got excited unlike others. “No, my brother, do whatever you want,” he shouted to Akula Gerasimovich, banging his fist on the table, “don’t you dare throw off the queen of clubs; don’t you dare do that, brother!.. “Firstly, I’m not you,” the executor answered him angrily, “and secondly, not having the honor of knowing you personally, I ask you, dear sir, why rightly you dare to shout here? .. - What? what? .. - Come on, gentlemen! Vakh Onufrievich, shame on you! - said Foma Fomich, - what a misfortune that Akula Gerasimovich threw off his trefulka, and you would have to trump and trump, and the matter would be over. I don’t know how all this would have ended if the sounds of the first French quadrille, the shuffling of the dancers, and especially the frantic trampling of the young Kuvyrkov, had not aroused in the players a desire to see what was happening in the drawing room. Indeed, there was something to admire: Pyotr Petrovich, dancing with Lyubov Fominishna, seemed to want to surpass himself this time. Now, with a kind of passionate languor, he followed his lady with his eyes, then suddenly he threw himself to the side and minced his feet extremely quickly; when his lady had to balance, he knelt before her, waved his handkerchief in the air, and smiled in such a way that Lyubochka herself had to lower her eyes involuntarily. There were other persons worthy of attention, such as, for example, Voloskov and some other young official in a black tailcoat, dancing with the daughter of Sila Mamontovich, and who used all his efforts to attract attention, but they resolutely disappeared before the prowess of Peter Petrovich. “Well, I confess, madam, your son dances so,” said the fat accountant to Pelageya Kuzmishppna, “that I don’t even know how to say ... and where is he so deftly pricked up? .. - My Petinka is still this time he does not leave the lessons ... every Saturday he carefully attends dance classes. - And it must be that they teach very well there, in these dance classes? “He says that nowhere else can you learn to dance like this... except this, society, company, all this is so well-bred there... - Of course, - said Natalya Vasilyevna, - for a young man with education it means a lot, especially if, as you say, there is a society that inspires him with brilliance, gloss, that way , you know, necessary ... loess-alle 5 ...-- here the lady got confused, or, as Gogol says, she reported. "May I ask, ma'am, how much they pay there, or is it some sort of invitation?" continued the ingenuous accountant. “Oh, no, sir, they pay the same as in the United Society Club,” answered the no less simple-hearted Pelageya Kuzminishna. “But I don’t know how much ... but, Petinka, Petinka! how much do you pay in dance class per lesson? “Pole money!” shouted young Kuvyrkov loudly, making an entrecha. - Please tell me, it's just a treasure. “Don’t talk about it... The quadrilles went one after another and were interrupted only by Sofya Ivanovna and Savishna, who brought apples, marshmallows and wine berries to the guests (as if on purpose during the dances). The animation of the dancers increased with every hour; even Dmitri Alekseevich Voloskov, who had been dancing with Verochka all the time of the ball and had not said a single word to her, finally decided to start a conversation. "What little whites you are..." he said in a trembling voice, lowering his eyes. “Ah, what are you talking about!” I'm not white at all. - No, you really are very white ... - No, quite the opposite, sir ... However, their conversation was not long, they at one time became embarrassed and fell silent again. Ivan Ivanovich Maslyanikov himself could not resist not joining the dancers; he invited youngest daughter Mrs. Semyanichkina and started dancing. The jumps and leaps of the young Kuvyrkov more and more riveted general attention; but when it came to the mazurka and he started off in the first pair with Nadinka, not only exclamations were heard, but applause was heard even in some parts of the hall. “Oh, my God, what a blessing it is to have such a son! What a wonderful young man! What dexterity! - was heard from all sides. Pelageya Kuzminishna was beside herself with joy and maternal pride. The crowd surrounded the dancers more and more. Kuvyrkov grew more and more excited; suddenly, at the very moment he stood in the middle of the hall to throw out some trick, his pantaloons, which were elastic for greater effect, this time betrayed him: the haircut broke, and young Kuvyrkov found himself in the middle of the drawing room with his bare leg!! . Who will describe the effect produced by this unfortunate circumstance on Krutobriutkov's guests? Whose brush will be able to portray the figure of Pyotr Petrovich, forced to show the whole society the natural beauty of his leg? The mazurka stopped, a terrible laugh rang out everywhere (Mikhail Mikhailovich laughed the loudest of all), the young ladies covered their faces with a squeal; Pelageya Kuzminishna could not resist such a sharp reversal of fate; it became ill with her; in a word, the confusion was indescribable. Kuvyrkov, somehow covering his leg with a handkerchief, ran headlong into the kitchen, knocked down Savishna, who in turn knocked over a tray with ready-made sandwiches on the floor, and, despite the consequences of the escape, headed home. Be that as it may, this circumstance had a strong effect on the general pleasure. Pelageya Kuzminishna, despite any exhortations, did not agree to stay at the evening after the scandal that happened to her beloved son and left immediately. Those who played cards and were interrupted in the middle of the game by general confusion did not express a greater desire to continue the game, especially since Vakh Onufrievich was seething again, threatening the executor to destroy him if he dared to drop the eight of spades again. Apollon Ignatievich also did not express any particular desire to continue playing the piano and excused himself with fatigue, in a word, everything contributed to the cessation of entertainment. We decided it was time for a bite to eat. Let's not go into detail about supper here; we will only say that the kulebyaka, especially the sandwiches, were found extremely tasty and earned Sofya Ivanovna flattering praise from everyone, with the exception of Mikhail Mikhailovich Zhelchny, who could not resist even here, so as not to say in the ear of the executor that the kulebyaka was too fried, but on sandwiches, instead of parmesan, sprinkled with dust. Caviar also came in very handy; but Foma Fomich despaired, seeing how much he had made a mistake in his calculation, replacing veal with it, for, arousing thirst, she forced the guests to incessantly resort to drinks, of which there was not a single drop left. Vakh Onufrievich, during a snack, was so addicted to various vodkas that, contrary to duty, honor, decency, he took off his uniform and, despite the presence of young ladies, uttered a bunch of indecencies, for which he was taken out into the street by the arms. Shortly thereafter, the guests began, little by little, to prepare for their departure. The first deserters were the Semyanichkins. “Well, goodbye, darling Sofya Ivanovna, thank you for the bread and salt, but look, don’t forget us ... Ashinka, have you forgotten your pipe?” “No, mamma, I have it. - Well, all right, but where is Vladimir Makarovich? Vladimir Makarovich! .. But Vladimir Makarovich did not respond, he was not in the rooms. They began to search. We resolutely went through all the rooms; Semyanichkin is no more. Foma Fomich ran back and forth from the living room to the kitchen, from the kitchen to the living room, even looked under the tables and sofas, but Semyanichkin still could not be found. The whole society took a lively part in the disappearance of the official. Natalya Vassilyevna was in terrible agitation; Anfisa and Ashinka were crying. Finally, Mikhail Mikhailovich Zhelchny whispered something in the ear of Foma Fomich, and the owner of the house said, smiling: - But I'll bring him here right now, don't worry ... Soon he appeared, holding the hand of Vladimir Makarovich, who had sleepy eyes and the dress is in utter disarray. "Ah, my God!" cried Natalya Vasilyevna, blushing, "where was he?" where? .. - Vladimir Makarovich. .. went ... well, yes, and fell asleep ... - No ... I ... just a little bit ... I’m okay ... I’m nothing ... - What is it like in the yard the weather?” Mikhail Mikhailovich asked Semyanichkin, smiling. Everyone laughed. "I thank you humbly, sir... it's cold..." muttered Vladimir Makarovich, looking around timidly in all directions and not finding a place to hide. "Goodbye, Sofya Ivanovna," said Natalya Vasilyevna. she was in the ear of her husband while she made her way down the corridor with him. "Honestly, I... Natalya Vasilievna... nothing... so... only..." ... Foma Fomich took a candle in the kitchen to see off the guests, because, looking for Semyanichkin in the hallway, he found the cinders burned; instead of them, only turnips lay on the stairs. - My respect, Natalya Vasilyevna... - Farewell, Foma Fomich... don't catch a cold. Vladimir Makarovich said nothing, because he was neither alive nor dead, waiting for the thunderstorm promised to him by his dearest half. Mikhail Mikhailovich and Akula Gerasimovich were not slow to say goodbye to the Krutobryushkovs, and the former did not cease to scold the executor on the spot of everyone and everyone throughout the entire journey. In vain Foma Fomich persuaded Sila Mamontovich to stay for another hour and play preference, but Sila Mamontovich followed common example and refused the invitation. While the whole company was busy with the departure and the owners of the house were in the kitchen, Dmitry Alekseevich Voloskov stopped Verochka at the living room window, firmly deciding this time to make a formal declaration of love to her. "No, you'll forget me now," he said, shifting his hat in his hands. "Vera Fominishna, you won't even want to remember..." ... I ... you ... you built on the hearts of people who love you ... a temple of eternal torment ... - No, on the contrary ... you offend me ... - No, Vera Fominishna ... I can’t, I don’t dare to offend ... I would like to stay with you all my life ... I am now alone ... without you I am ready to die ... - I will also remain alone ... and ... when you leave ... there will be very few rainbow flowers ... God knows what the dialogue of lovers would have reached if the godfather Arina Petrovna had not come into the living room to look for Vera, with whom she certainly wanted to say goodbye. Young Voloskov had to unwillingly part with his beloved. A quarter of an hour had not passed before Krutobriutkov's apartment was empty; Ivan Ivanovich Maslyanikov alone could not cope with Vanyusha, who somehow, after a dream, was not at all amiable and, despite the caresses and exhortations of Sofya Ivanovna, mercilessly hit his father on the right cheek. Everyone dispersed and departed with full pockets and reticules of gossip and very witty remarks about the ball and the household of Foma Fomich Krutobriutkov. What to do! everywhere it is like that: on that light stands. As for Sofya Ivanovna, after saying her last sweet farewell to the last guest, behind whom the door closed, she instantly changed her intonation and attacked the ingenuous Savishna. - Distinguished, dear, you cut off my little head! .. but why did you go crazy then, blockhead! you are such a peasant!.. Here Sofya Ivanovna, who had begun to scold the cook with a feeling of offended dignity, suddenly became, as her husband expressed it, treat her in such choice words that we hesitate to put them on paper. Savishna dozed off, standing in front of her mistress, and, having listened to the instruction, almost collapsed from sleep. Foma Fomich himself could hardly keep on his feet; however, he still paced the room for quite some time; not quite ordinary thoughts flickered in his head. Foma Fomich was tormented by the demon of pride and ambition. He was absolutely sure that he won a lot with his ball. The mere fact that they had drunk too much from the punshtik was extremely consoling to him as a host. Tomorrow in the department, very deftly and modestly, in the animated place of his story about yesterday's celebration, he could insert Bacchus Onufrievich, a respectable man, but who completely lost the prudent control of his abilities from the hospitable treat and hospitality of the host. Thus, Foma Fomich, for twenty rubles, could be known as a hospitable person, and finally, the adviser got the box from Italy. “That’s all by the way,” thought Krutobryuzkov, “although it’s nothing in fact; maybe he doesn’t need a box from Italy at all, maybe tomorrow he will donate it in favor of Avdotya Semyonovna or in some other way he will dispose, but all the same I managed to find this box in a person, to please. I knew how to run in by the way; it’s good, it’s useful; by the way, running in is always useful ... " And Foma Fomich fell asleep with thoughts of what would be useful sometimes . For her part, Sofya Ivanovna at first thought of the punch, then her thoughts very gradually passed to the ribbons on Natalya Vasilyevna's cap and the eight pounds of veal, replaced by caviar; then, even more gradually, they moved on to Vanyusha, who was stroking his father's right cheek and Nadia's new shoes; then she occupied herself with the high cost of firewood and a fifty-kopeck piece, which had once been handed over to her by some merchant of not bad appearance, who had a torn sleeve ... she thought long and carefully about the gossip of Arina Petrovna's gossip and, finally, with pleasure settled on the stature of Sila Mamontovich. .. Verochka dreamed of Voloskov for a long time; her thoughts also passed into different sides, but, however, all revolved around a favorite subject. As for Lyuba and Nadia, they just fell asleep. In general, all three were very pleased that they jumped. But Savishna was not pleased; firstly, because Mikhaila Mikhailovich Zhelchny told her that she was yesterday's old woman, while the whole world knows that she was already living out her Indian age; secondly, that the mistress strongly scolded. It is not known what else her thoughts wandered on; but it is reliably known in this completely true story that Savishna stretched for a long time, yawned a lot and several times got up on her arm from the bed to shout at the hungry cat, which was gnawing a bone with some frenzy: you damn!!.

D. Grigorovich

NOTES

"The Lottery Ball" by D. V. Grigorovich (first published in the second part of "Physiology of Petersburg") in its genre is closer to a moralistic story than to a proper physiological essay. The description is combined here with the plot drawn from the event itself (preparation and drawing of the home lottery), with a well-thought-out composition. The characters of the story are marked by a certain degree of individualization. In this sense, "The Lottery Ball" was for its author a step forward after "Petersburg Organ Grinders". At the same time, in depicting the bureaucracy, Grigorovich does not follow the satirical, predominantly comic beginning of the Gogol tradition, turning his irony mainly to outer sides drawn life. The limited position of the author (it is especially noticeable against the background of Nekrasov's "The Official") in "The Lottery Ball" explains Belinsky's restrained opinion of him. Grigorovich's "Lottery Ball," the critic wrote, "the article is not without amusement, but it seems to be weaker than his own Organ Grinders... It strays too much into a daguerreotype and reeks of its dryness" (IX, 221). 1 .. .than the pleasure of depicting the family allegorically, that is, with a cross, an anchor and a flaming heart.- The cross was a symbol of faith (both a religious concept and female name), an anchor - hope, nourishing the heart - love. Name days of Faith, Hope, Love fell on one day - September 17, according to Art. style. 2 Passing the Thermopylae Gorge...-- Grigorovich's comic metaphor. Thermopylae is a narrow mountain pass leading from Northern Greece to Middle Greece. Here, during the Greco-Persian War (5th century BC), famous battle between the hordes of the Persians and a small detachment of Spartans of 300 people, who all died. 3 He assured that the latter sang in a fosto-like way...-- Obviously, from the distorted French fort (strong, strong), and ton (tone, sound). 4 Don't say it, such a ferlacur ...- From the French faire la cour - to care, to drag. 5 ...that way, you know, the necessary loess-alle...-- From the French un laisser-aller, which can mean both ease and licentiousness.

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Win bets in which 2 or more numbers match the numbers of the draw. The Gosloto 6 out of 45 super prize is cumulative and grows with each draw, which allows it to constantly set new records.

The cost of the minimum bet is 50 rubles. And this means that every Russian can afford to make a bet that can become a winner!

By participating in the Gosloto 6 out of 45 draws, you can not only try your luck, but also support Russian sport. Part of the money from ticket sales goes to the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Therefore, hurry up to make your lucky bet at the lottery kiosk closest to you, at the Euroset communication salon, the Svyaznoy store, the Russian post office or at the Stoloto online lottery supermarket.

If you want to become the new Russian super millionaire, use your chance - participate in Gosloto 6 out of 45!

Powerball USA lottery is my favorite

Grade: 5

I really like the Powerball USA lottery. I have already won quite large amounts on the site several times. I like the site and the lottery)))
I think that if you win often, you can leave work. At work they pay less than my winnings. I recommend everyone to play

Grade: 5

I think everyone gambling man familiar with this lottery. I've been hanging on it for literally about a month and only now I'm starting to figure out what's what.
The site is designed in a convenient and pleasant design. I buy tickets through an intermediary. I am pleased that there is such a service, made for the convenience of the players, albeit with a slight cheat.
The game is quite complicated, there are a lot of nuances, subject to which you can win a decent amount of money. I went into the red more than once, as I bought expensive tickets and hoped to just get the loot. That doesn't work in Powerball. The probability of winning is small (it is extremely difficult to predict a combination of numbers), but if you are lucky, you can get a big profit. Most big win amounted to about 300 dollars.
I have never found a scam regarding the withdrawal of funds. I transfer money to an electronic wallet. The transfer takes about two days. There is a commission, but there are pennies. The first time you need to set up verification, and then everything will be charged automatically in a currency convenient for you.
For beginners, I advise you to study this lottery on the Internet so as not to go into the red. And so, the lottery is not bad, I will continue to earn money.

Grade: 5

I've been on Powerball for a long time. I love to analyze and draw conclusions based on the upcoming results. This lottery provides such an opportunity.
For those who just want to try their luck out of the bulldozer, I say right away that this will not work in this lottery. You will immediately go negative.
The probability of winning is approximately 40%. He went into the red more than once, but then he rebounded well. The biggest win was about $500.
I'm not going to stop there, the excitement takes its toll and I want to win even more a large sum.
I buy tickets through an intermediary with a small cheat, but with the least trouble for myself. It's better to buy a lot of tickets, so it's more profitable.
There is a handy "Auto-Bid" feature. This is when you are too lazy to think, you can try to play in this way. IN financial terms everything is quite simple: won the amount - sent to your personal account - withdrawn in any convenient way.
I prefer to withdraw to an electronic wallet so as not to show my bank card. The funds arrive within a few hours.
In general, I didn’t notice any cons in the lottery, everything is quite simple and clear, the main thing is to connect your brains.

Grade: 5

Or I'm so "lucky", but I couldn't win more than the wooden steward at our state lotto, and then the first bet - and immediately 230 bucks in the black! I didn’t believe it myself until I immediately withdrew it to my wallet for my own peace of mind.
So for half a year now I've been on Paverball and hang out. I do this through the Lotter platform, I agree, you can find an intermediary cheaper, but it’s more reliable for me here.
Online betting is very fast, a couple of times you clicked on the mouse and wait for the next draw. Lately I've been using autoselect. Empirically established that there is no particular difference between the numbers chosen by oneself and the robot. Both spans and wins happen in much the same way.
One ticket costs about 3 kopecks of bucks, but on Powerball you need to stock up only with multibets, the intermediary does not allow you to buy one ticket. On the one hand, it is unprofitable to spend money like that right away, and on the other hand, there is an option to cut down the winnings bigger.
For all my attempts to play on the powerball, in general, I managed to withdraw almost $ 1300, which is a very good profit for me. I spent 4 times less on buying tickets. For the first withdrawal, you need to get a little confused with verification on the site, but then everything goes like clockwork.

Grade: 5

I've been playing Powerball for about six months. For me, this is one of the most interesting lotteries, for which you can happily pass your free time and earn some amount of money.
I have already found a trusted intermediary through which I buy tickets. Very comfortable and no hassle. The ticket costs about 3 dollars. The price is tempting, everyone can afford it.
I mainly bet with an extended bet, the chance of winning is approaching the maximum. The biggest win was 400 bucks. And it was unreal luck.
During my games, I don’t go into the red. The minimum is to justify the price of the ticket. The probability of a small win is about 70% according to my calculations of my own results.
Financially, everything is great. I transfer funds to an electronic wallet (I use WebMoney). It happens that you need to go through verification, I provide a scan of my passport and they immediately withdraw me.
The lottery is one of the most difficult, but if you understand all the nuances, you can make good money.
Sometimes, when I'm too lazy to guess the numbers, I use autobets. Convenient service.
The lottery is good, according to reviews I read that it has no problems with its reputation. I advise you to try your luck in Powerball.

Grade: 4

If you think that Sportloto was invented in the USSR, you are mistaken. The idea of ​​spinning the wheel and choosing a few balls from a pile has been popular for a long time. Drawings of such (and similar) lotteries take place in the USA all the time, each state has its own, there are national ones, in general there are a lot of them.
The chances of winning, however, are not very good, but hardly anyone really expects to hit the jackpot by calculating the movement of air currents that affect the trajectories of the balls in the drum ... Powerball is one of these lotteries: it is played out of habit, for the sake of entertainment , adding a little excitement and variety to life every week.
Pros:
1. Drawings are held twice a week, that is, often. Unlucky today, in three days you can try your luck again.
2. Low ticket price. Although, of course, everyone understands cheap and expensive differently.
3. Small winnings can be transferred to the account without visiting the office.
4. If you're lucky, the problem of lack of money will cease to bother you for a long time.
Flaws:
1. You have to buy tickets through an intermediary, they do not sell directly.
2. The chances of breaking a big bank are not very favorable, although I personally know a person who is fantastically lucky in such entertainment.

Grade: 4

I've been playing Powerball for about a year. An interesting Internet platform, for spending excellent leisure time, that's it.
I don't play that often, maybe twice a month. I didn’t have big winnings, I earned a maximum of $100. I didn’t go into the minus, the minimum justified the price of the ticket. The ticket price is quite low, I think that everyone can afford to buy a ticket and satisfy their passion, as well as try their luck. The probability of winning according to my analytical data is approximately 60%.
For me personally, it is inconvenient that tickets can only be purchased through an intermediary, unfortunately they do not sell directly. In this, in fact, there is only one drawback.
I withdraw money immediately after winning. In principle, funds arrive quickly, within a day for sure. I use an electronic wallet to perform such a transaction, bank cards don't want to light up.
I don’t really like guessing numbers, I often use autobets. For me, this is a convenient feature, no need to bother again.
At first, there were doubts due to the fact that the lottery was not domestic, but I was convinced from my own experience that this Internet platform had no problems with a good reputation. I will continue to play.

Grade: 5

I wandered into Powerball when I got tired of winning pennies on our state. lotteries. I liked the idea, I decided to try it, but you can’t buy a ticket directly. For myself, I found a good intermediary - Prolotto, you can even buy one ticket on it. The price of the issue is $ 3, quite tolerably. Played only twice, and the last time really fortanulo. True, this time I bet Power Play with an extended rate, I paid twice as much for a ticket. At the same time, he guessed 3 numbers out of 69 and Powerball himself, with a doubled bet, won 200 bucks. It’s very cool to get hold of $9 like that :) I withdraw $150 without any problems directly to the card in half a day, I left $50 for divorce.

Grade: 4

You can go directly to the Powerball website only to read the information. Everything else is through an intermediary. Buying tickets and getting rich if you win - only through a reliable online platform. But in fact, it’s nice to play, the low price of the ticket and the lack of binding on a bunch of lines pleases. I put occasionally purely for interest. That's why the winnings are minimal, more than, by the way, just the other day - around 50 bucks. But profit, there is something to buy tickets for further. There are no problems with payments, everything is clear here.
Ordered, in a day the deadline is the money already in personal account. I didn’t display it on the card, I want to try to play it out.

Grade: 4

Over the years of playing various lotteries, I have learned one interesting feature - in all American lotteries, the chances of winning are very low. Powerball is clearly no exception here - you need to guess from a pool of 69 balls! Moreover, you need to throw 5 options (well, plus 1 bonus according to tradition), think for yourself what the probability of a jackpot is there, or at least the minimum wage. Yes, and the price of a ticket of 2 bucks is not very happy, since at least if the crupon is lucky, then the minimum wage is good here. I got lucky a couple of times, and once I took 3 regular plus 1 bonus from the pool - wow, and then I hit 5 hundred greens! The second wine was not so epic, there was a minimum wage, but it was also not a lot, not a little - 6 bucks. The remaining couple of dozen draws are in absolute minus. In general, a lot depends on luck, decide for yourself whether you need it or not.

Grade: 4

I play Powerball with varying success, now in plus, then in minus, in general, I balance on zero profit, well, at least the tickets pay off.
3 weeks ago, I got incredibly lucky: during the drawing, I guessed 3 main numbers and the number of the bonus ball. It’s a pity that I didn’t guess 2 more white balls, otherwise it’s my jackpot, but alas, no. But the prize of 1380 dollars warms the soul very pleasantly. True, in order to get it, I had to send copies of my passport and a special form, and it’s still good that I didn’t have to go for the winnings myself. After scanning and sending all the documents, the money was transferred by bank transfer within a week, including taxes. As a result, in the black for 1240 bucks, so I'm definitely happy.

Grade: 4

I don't really like American lotteries, and this lottery is no exception. The cost, in principle, is not very high, 2 bucks for the minimum bid, but with this approach, with a probability of 90%, we can say that these are $ 2 thrown to the wind. The bet should be made only expanded, but this, accordingly, increases the cost of the ticket. The chances are also increasing, only now is it worth it or not - the question.
At the moment I'm down here by about $10. Behind last month the rates did not enter at all, although before that I had withdrawn about 40 bucks. It seems you can play, but too much depends on an elementary luck.
I don't count on the jackpot at all. There was no bleating with the withdrawal, it’s not worth blaming the American lottery here. For some reason, it is believed that in order to receive a win, either full identity verification or personal presence is required. Nothing like that, everything is displayed on the specified card number, there are no problems. Of course, it is interesting to play, there is both excitement and passion, but this can be attributed to any lottery, Powerball is by no means a standard here.
The terms of the agreement were also amused: if you suddenly manage to hit the jackpot, then its payment will be stretched for 30 years, or they will immediately “bite off” almost half, plus taxes. The impudence of the Americans in this regard does not hold. Well, in general, you can play quite yourself.

Hi all, Dear friends! It's time to talk about the world's largest lottery - Powerball Lottery. It is held in the USA and is considered the record holder for the amounts of jackpots played.

In 2016 Grand Prize reached an unprecedented size, exceeding $ 1.5 billion. That is, someone could immediately become a billionaire. And this is a great gift of fate, because in order to earn such an amount in business, you need to at least have your own large enterprise national or international scale, which only a few achieve.

As a result, no one became a billionaire, since all 6 numbers were guessed simultaneously by three lucky ones, each of whom was awarded 528.8 million. But none of them received this amount either, since all the winners decided to take the money immediately in cash instead of paying partial payments over 30 years, which is stipulated by the rules of the lottery. Thus, net of withholding tax, each received a "modest" $187 million.

If you want to repeat the fate of these lucky ones and get rich, then participation in the Powerball lottery is the best option for this, since the largest cash prizes in the world are played out in it. How to play from Russia will be described below. We will start directly with an overview of this lottery.

lottery under current name has been in existence for 25 years. Before the renaming, it was called "Lotto*America" ​​and was organized in 1988. 44 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, are members.

The minimum jackpot is $40 million with a ticket price of $2. Draws are held every Tuesday and Saturday. You can buy a ticket no later than one hour before the draw, which is held live. So there is no doubt about the honesty of the lottery. Of course, there will always be skeptics who will argue that any lottery drum can be twisted so that exactly the balls that are needed fall out, but we will not touch on this issue in this article. Let's just say that in this lottery really win simple people. Moreover, information about almost all major winners is officially consecrated.

In addition to the jackpot, there are 8 combinations that allow you to win from $4 to $1 million.

If you use the Power Play option, then the amount of side winnings can be increased. More on this in the next section describing the rules of the lottery.

Rules of the game

The principle of the game is similar to many world lotteries, in which two lottery drums are used during the draw. So here - one drum with white balls, the other - with red ones. Red balls are called "Powerball".

To get the main prize - Powerball Jackpot, you need 69 balls white color exactly those 5 numbers that you crossed out in the main section of the ticket fell out, with the simultaneous coincidence of the dropped red ball, the number of which is selected from 26 numbers in the additional field. The order in which the numbers are drawn does not matter.

If there is no desire to suffer with the choice of numbers, you can purchase a ticket, which is automatically generated by random numbers.

Lottery participants cannot be persons under 18 years of age. In some states, the bar is higher - 21 years.

If you win, the ticket can be presented within six months, otherwise the right to receive the prize is lost.

The second category of winnings after the jackpot is a fixed amount of $1 million. To get this prize, you need to match 5 white balls (no red). 10 thousand dollars are awarded for 4 guessed white balls with red. The minimum possible match according to the rules is guessing only one ball, but not white, but red. The prize will be $4.

As mentioned above, if you wish, you can increase the amount of side payments by choosing the Power Play option. It costs $1. Thus, the nominal value of the ticket will be $3. By choosing this option, you can multiply your winnings by 2-10 times. The coefficient is determined during the draw using an additional lottery machine, which contains the following balls:

marked 2x - 24 pcs.;

• 3x - 13 pcs.;
• 4x - 3 pcs.;
• 5x - 2 pcs.;
• 10x - 1 pc.

But the 10x ball is used only when the jackpot does not exceed 150 million. Otherwise, only 42 balls are put into the drum.

Another important rule is that the category II prize can only be increased by 2 times - that is, when choosing the Power Play option and guessing 5 white balls, the player receives two million dollars instead of one, regardless of the odds dropped out.

The Powerball lottery is held in Tallahassee, Florida and can be found on the official YouTube channel.

Powerball, like any other popular lottery, has its own official website, which also publishes the results of the draw.

Many are interested in whether the Powerball lottery has an official website in Russia. The answer is obvious: there is no such site, since the lottery is primarily aimed at American citizens.

How much can you win?

Since the advent of the Powerball lottery and to this day, more and more new records have been set for the amount of money won. The ranking of prizes will probably be more fair if based on the calculation of the amount of winnings per person. After all, several players can share a huge jackpot at once, as a result of which the share of each may be less than the previous record values ​​(as it was in January 2016 with a jackpot of $1 billion 586 million).

In this regard, we list only the largest single wins in Powerball:

• $340 million was won by American Steve West in 2005.
• $425 million in 2014 was won by retired Raymond Buxton from California.
• $590.5 million is the world's highest single win to date. Its lucky owner in 2013 was Gloria Mackenzie from Florida.

How to play from Russia?

So far, only the names of Americans appear in the history of big wins. And this is not surprising, because most of the participants in the lottery are they. But, according to the rules, not only American citizens can participate in Powerball, but also people who are visiting this country. In the event of a win, foreign citizens can get it without any problems, provided that the purchased ticket has not left the United States.

This loophole is used by intermediaries who offer residents of other countries to participate in the lottery via the Internet. The scheme of their work is as follows:

1. You register on the website of the lottery broker, replenish your account and fill out the ticket in the form of an online form.
2. The representative of the intermediary, located in the United States, buys a ticket for you with a choice of the appropriate numbers.
3. The ticket is scanned and its image is uploaded to your personal account.

In the case of a small win, the intermediary pays off with you, crediting the amount won to your account in your personal account, which can be withdrawn to electronic wallets. With a big win, there are two options for receiving a prize:

1. You go to the USA, they give you a ticket, and you get money on it.
2. The intermediary receives the money and transfers it to your bank account minus their commissions.

Thus, any citizen of Russia can buy Powerball lottery tickets. Of course, they will cost a little more than the official price, since the lottery broker must pay for the services of representatives and include their own income in the cost of the ticket. But the main question is not at all the price, but how to find a good and reliable intermediary.

How to choose an intermediary?

Let's say right away that this question is not simple and at the same time very responsible. After all, you actually trust your cash a company you don't know. Of course, if you do not buy 1000 tickets at once, then the money spent on buying several tickets will most likely not be serious for you. But let's imagine that you were lucky and you won a large sum. What will it be like for you if an intermediary, for any reason, “drives” you to receive a win? Of course, it will be very embarrassing.

Under the law, it is unlikely that you will be able to force the intermediary to pay you the winnings. The maximum can only count on compensation for the cost of the purchased ticket. The winning ticket may also not be handed over to you, citing an “accident” - its loss.

In connection with the above, we recommend that you thoroughly study the offers and conditions of various lottery brokers in order to choose the most worthy one. The Powerball lottery, due to its popularity, is offered by all intermediaries, and the ticket price may be different, but the reputation of the service should be important to you in the first place, so read reviews about it online.

conclusions

The main idea that can be taken from this article is that the American Powerball lottery, as the most popular US lottery, is available not only to Americans, but also Russian citizens who can purchase tickets to participate in the draw online through an intermediary. And in this regard, the most important thing is to find a lottery broker that you can completely trust.

After all, in the case of a big win and the impossibility of obtaining it, the moral and potential financial damage can be enormous. Therefore, choose an intermediary very responsibly. It is desirable that this be a service that has been providing its services to players for more than one year. It is also very important that there are no negative reviews about it.

For our part, we wish you good luck! We hope your name will add to the list of record-breaking Powerball lottery winners!

Powerball participants must select five main numbers ranging from 1 to 69 from the first lottery machine, as well as a bonus Powerball number from the second lottery machine containing 26 balls. In addition to the standard game, there is a Powerplay game that allows you to increase your winnings in 8 different categories for an additional fee, with the exception of the super prize. All winning categories except "Jackpot" have a fixed winning amount. IN total There are 9 winning categories, differing from each other in the number of drop-down numbers.

Powerball check ticket: Who can play

Using the online sales service lottery tickets, now every person in the world has the opportunity to participate in the drawing of this unprecedented amount of the main prize. Online lottery ticket sales close approximately three hours before the start of the draw, as agents need time to purchase a ticket and select the required combination.

Powerball check ticket

How and where can I find Powerball results? The Powerball draw takes place twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Orlando, Florida at approximately 11:00 pm ET. If you live in the US, the draw will be available to watch live on local TV channels. Check winning numbers in Powerball, potential winners can visit our site as well as the official lottery website.

Lottery Powerball winning numbers

In Powerball, the overall odds of winning are 1 in 55. As for the jackpot, your chance of hitting it is 1 in 175,223,510. An interesting fact is that the minimum top prize is $40 million. If none of the participants wins the maximum prize, the amount is carried over to the next draw. This is the reason why the Powerball jackpot reaches such impressive proportions. The US version of Powerball does not have a jackpot rollover limit, so the top prize increases until there is a winner who matches all the numbers. In the table below you will see the Powerball winning numbers, categories and odds of winning.

Powerball Lottery Winners: Record Jackpots

We tried searching for Powerball winners and here's what we found. The largest amount in the history of the game is 1.56 billion US dollars, which was played in the winter of 2016, where 3 tickets turned out to be winning. And the largest single-ticket win was recorded in the state of New Jersey in the amount of 429 million US dollars.

Powerball winners: How are prizes paid out?

Perhaps you need to check the ticket in the Powerball lottery? Maybe today you became another lucky person and won a large amount? If so, you have 90 days to a year (depending on the state) to claim your prize. By purchasing a ticket online, the winners are automatically notified of any winnings, which allows you not to worry about expiration dates winning ticket. As a general rule, players must be over 18 years of age to participate in the lottery, and this rule varies from state to state (in some states, the legal age to play the lottery is 21). In the United States, all winnings are taxed, so it is highly recommended that you consult the taxation rules of the country where you are located. We hope you found our article "Powerball Lottery Results" helpful and checked your Powerball winning numbers.