and braces.

A GROOMSMAN. [Rising] Ladies and gentlemen...

REVUNOV. [Cutting him short] Yes... there are a great many orders to
give. "Furl the fore-topsail and the foretop-gallant sail!!" Well,
what does that mean? It's very simple! It means that if the top and
top-gallant sails are lifting the halyards, they must level the foretop
and foretop-gallant halyards on the hoist and at the same time the
top-gallants braces, as needed, are loosened according to the direction
of the wind...

NUNIN. [To REVUNOV] Fyodor Yakovlevitch, Mme. Zhigalov asks you to
talk about something else. It's very dull for the guests, who can't
understand....

REVUNOV. What? Who's dull? [To MOZGOVOY] Young man! Now suppose the ship
is lying by the wind, on the starboard tack, under full sail, and you've
got to bring her before the wind. What's the order? Well, first you
whistle up above! He, he!

NUNIN. Fyodor Yakovlevitch, that's enough. Eat something.

REVUNOV. As soon as the men are on deck you give the order, "To your
places!" What a life! You give orders, and at the same time you've
got to keep your eyes on the sailors, who run about like flashes of
lightning and get the sails and braces right. And at last you can't
restrain yourself, and you shout, "Good children!" [He chokes and
coughs.]

A GROOMSMAN. [Making haste to use the ensuing pause to advantage] On
this occasion, so to speak, on the day on which we have met together to
honour our dear...

REVUNOV. [Interrupting] Yes, you've got to remember all that! For
instance, "Hoist the topsail halyards. Lower the topsail gallants!"

THE GROOMSMAN. [Annoyed] Why does he keep on interrupting? We shan't get
through a single speech like that!

NASTASYA TIMOFEYEVNA. We are dull people, your excellency, and don't
understand a word of all that, but if you were to tell us something
appropriate...

REVUNOV. [Not hearing] I've already had supper, thank you. Did you say
there was goose? Thanks... yes. I've remembered the old days.... It's
pleasant, young man! You sail on the sea, you have no worries, and [In
an excited tone of voice] do you remember the joy of tacking? Is there a
sailor who doesn't glow at the memory of that manoeuvre? As soon as the
word is given and the whistle blown and the crew begins to go up--it's
as if an electric spark has run through them all. From the captain to
the cabin-boy, everybody's excited.

ZMEYUKINA. How dull! How dull! [General murmur.]

REVUNOV. [Wh