Hastily bidding peasants and trestles to be gone, Nozdrev departed to another room with further instructions.

Indeed, so audible was the sound of his voice as he ordered dinner that Chichikov--who was beginning to feel hungry once more--was enabled to gather that it would be at least five o'clock before a meal of any kind would be available.

On his return, Nozdrev invited his companions to inspect his establishment--even though as early as two o'clock he had to announce that nothing more was to be seen.
The tour began with a view of the stables, where the party saw two mares (the one a grey, and the other a roan) and a colt; which latter animal, though far from showy, Nozdrev declared to have cost him ten thousand roubles.
"You NEVER paid ten thousand roubles for the brute!" exclaimed the brother-in-law.

"He isn't worth even a thousand." "By God, I DID pay ten thousand!" asserted Nozdrev.
"You can swear that as much as you like," retorted the other.
"Will you bet that I did not ?" asked Nozdrev, but the brother-in-law declined the offer.
Next, Nozdrev showed his guests some empty stalls where a number of equally fine animals (so he alleged) had lately stood.

Also there was on view the goat which an old belief still considers to be an indispensable adjunct to such places, even though its apparent use is to pace up and down beneath the noses of the horses as though the place belonged to it.
Thereafter the host took his guests to look at a young wolf which he had got tied to a chain.