He noticed
their concealed contempt for him, and almost always saw that they
did not do the work as he had ordered, but did it in a different
and better way. In this he felt the clever hand of his godfather,
and understood that the old man was thus pressing him in order to
turn him to his way. And at the same time he noticed that he was
not the master of his business, but only a component part of it,
and an insignificant part at that. This irritated him and moved
him farther away from the old man, it augumented his longing to
tear himself away from his business, even at the cost of his own
ruin. Infuriated, he flung money about the taverns and dives, but
this did not last long. Yakov Tarasovich closed his accounts in
the banks, withdrawing all deposits. Soon Foma began to feel that
even on promissory notes, they now gave him the money not quite
as willingly as before. This stung his vanity; and his
indignation was roused, and he was frightened when he learned
that his godfather had circulated a rumour in the business world
that he, Foma, was out of his mind, and that, perhaps, it might
become necessary to appoint a guardian for him.
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