t being good at seizing!"

So Thaddeus once more expressed his pleasure that so handsome a dog had no
fault; regretted that he had seen him only as he was returning from the
wood, and that he had not had time to appreciate all his good points.

At this the Assessor trembled, dropped his wine-glass from his hand, and
levelled at Thaddeus the glance of a basilisk. The Assessor was less noisy
and less given to gestures than the Notary, thinner and shorter; but he
was terrible at masquerade, ball, or village diet, for they said of him
that he had a sting in his tongue. He could make up such witty jests that
you might have had them printed in the almanac; they were all so malicious
and pointed. He had formerly been a man of property, but he had entirely
squandered his inheritance from his father, and his brother's estate as
well, through cutting a figure in high society; now he had entered the
service of the government, in order to be of some importance in the
district. He was very fond of hunting, both for the sport of it and
because the peal of the horn and the sight of the circle of beaters
recalled to him the days of his youth, when he had kept many hunters and
many famous hounds. Of his whole kennel but two dogs remained, and now
they wanted to belittle the glory of one of these! So he approached, and,
slowly stroking his side whiskers, said with a laugh--but it was a laugh
full of poison:--

"A hound without a tail is like a gentleman without an office. A tail is
likewise a great help to a hound in running. And do you, sir, regard the
lack of one as a proof of excellence? However, we may refer the matter to
the judgment of your aunt. Though Pani Telimena has been living in the
capital, and has only recently been visiting our neighbourhood, yet she
knows more about hunting than do young sportsmen: for knowledge comes of
itself with years."

Thaddeus, upon whom this thunderstorm had unexpectedly descended, arose in
confusion, and for some moments said nothing, but looked upon his rival
more and more terribly and sternly; at that moment by great good luck the
Chamberlain sneezed twice. "Vivat!" cried everybody; he bowed to the
company, and slowly tapped his snuffbox with his fingers. The snuffbox was
of gold, set with diamonds, and in the middle of it was a portrait of King
Stanislaw.25 The king himself had given it to the father of the
Chamberlain; after his father the Chamberlain bore it worthily; whenever
he tapped