At length Manilov picked up his pipe, and, while doing so, glanced covertly at Chichikov to see whether there was any trace of a smile to be detected on his lips--whether, in short, he was joking.

But nothing of the sort could be discerned.

On the contrary, Chichikov's face looked graver than usual.

Next, Manilov wondered whether, for some unknown reason, his guest had lost his wits; wherefore he spent some time in gazing at him with anxious intentness.

But the guest's eyes seemed clear--they contained no spark of the wild, restless fire which is apt to wander in the eyes of madmen.