nine o’clock in the morning
I think he will be at home to-day . '' Before long the bailiff made his appearance . He was a man of under forty , clean-shaven , clad in a smock , and evidently used to a quiet life , seeing that his face was of that puffy fullness , and the skin encircling his slit-like eyes was of that sallow tint , which shows that the owner of those features is well acquainted with a feather bed . In a trice it could be seen that he had played his part in life as all such bailiffs do -- that , originally a young serf of elementary education , he had married some Agashka of a housekeeper or a mistress 's favourite , and then himself become housekeeper , and , subsequently , bailiff ; after which he had proceeded according to the rules of his tribe -- that is to say , he had consorted with and stood in with the more well-to-do serfs on the estate , and added the poorer ones to the list of forced payers of obrok , while himself leaving his bed at nine o'clock in the morning , and , when the samovar had been brought , drinking his tea at leisure . `` Look here , my good man , '' said Manilov . `` How many of our serfs have died since the last census revision ? '' `` How many of them have died ?