He blew his nose and took snuff too in a leisurely fashion, as though he were doing something serious. 'Well, Mihal Savelitch,' I began, 'have you caught any fish?' 'Here, if you will deign to look in the basket: I have caught two perch and five roaches.... Show them, Styopka.' Styopushka stretched out the basket to me. 'How are you, Styopka?' I asked him. 'Oh--oh--not--not--not so badly, your honour,' answered Stepan, stammering as though he had a heavy weight on his tongue. 'And is Mitrofan well?' 'Well--yes, yes--your honour.' The poor fellow turned away. 'But there are not many bites,' remarked Tuman; 'it's so fearfully hot; the fish are all tired out under the bushes; they're asleep. Put on a worm, Styopka.' (Styopushka took out a worm, laid it on his open hand, struck it two or three times, put it on the hook, spat on it, and gave it to Tuman.) 'Thanks, Styopka.... And you, your honour,' he continued, turning to me, 'are pleased to be out hunting?' 'As you see.' 'Ah--and is your dog there English or German?' The old man liked to show off on occasion, as though he would say, 'I, too, have lived in the world!' 'I don't know what breed it is, but it's a good dog.' 'Ah! and do you go out with the hounds too?' 'Yes, I have two leashes of hounds.' Tuman smiled and shook his head. 'That's just it; one man is devoted to dogs, and another doesn't want them for anything. According to my simple notions, I fancy dogs should be kept rather for appearance' sake ... and all should be in style too; horses too should be in style, and huntsmen in style, as they ought to be, and all. The late count--God's grace be with him!--was never, I must own, much of a hunter; but he kept dogs, and twice a year he was pleased to go out with them. The huntsmen assembled in the courtyard, in red caftans trimmed with galloon, and blew their horns; his excellency would be pleased to come out, and his excellency's horse would be led up; his excellency would mount, and the chief huntsman puts his feet in the stirrups, takes his hat off, and puts the reins in his hat to offer them to his excellency. His excellency is pleased to click his whip like this, and the huntsmen give a shout, and off they go out of the gate away. A huntsman rides behind the count, and holds in a silken leash two of the master's favourite dogs, and looks after them well, you may fancy.... And he, too, this huntsman, sits up high, on a Cossack saddle: such a red-cheeked fellow he was, and rolled his eyes like this.... And there were guests too, you may be sure, on such occasions, and entertainment, and ceremonies observed.... Ah, he's got away, the Asiatic!' He interrupted himself suddenly, drawing in his line. 'They say the count used to live pretty freely in his day?' I asked. The old man spat on the worm and lowered the line in again.