The Cook's Wedding and Other StoriesChekhov, Anton Pavlovich
General
The Cook's Wedding and Other Stories
Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich
Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 1860-1904 -- Translations into English; Russia -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
"To prevent robbers from breaking into the church. They are afraid
of the bells."
"And what do robbers break into the church for?" asks Sonya.
"Everyone knows what for: to kill the watchmen."
A minute passes in silence. They all look at one another, shudder,
and go on playing. This time Andrey wins.
"He has cheated," Alyosha booms out, apropos of nothing.
"What a lie, I haven't cheated."
Andrey turns pale, his mouth works, and he gives Alyosha a slap on
the head! Alyosha glares angrily, jumps up, and with one knee on
the table, slaps Andrey on the cheek! Each gives the other a second
blow, and both howl. Sonya, feeling such horrors too much for her,
begins crying too, and the dining-room resounds with lamentations
on various notes. But do not imagine that that is the end of the
game. Before five minutes are over, the children are laughing and
talking peaceably again. Their faces are tear-stained, but that
does not prevent them from smiling; Alyosha is positively blissful,
there has been a squabble!
Vasya, the fifth form schoolboy, walks into the dining-room. He
looks sleepy and disillusioned.
"This is revolting!" he thinks, seeing Grisha feel in his pockets
in which the kopecks are jingling. "How can they give children
money? And how can they let them play games of chance? A nice way
to bring them up, I must say! It's revolting!"
But the children's play is so tempting that he feels an inclination
to join them and to try his luck.
"Wait a minute and I'll sit down to a game," he says.
"Put down a kopeck!"
"In a minute," he says, fumbling in his pockets. "I haven't a kopeck,
but here is a rouble. I'll stake a rouble."
"No, no, no. . . . You must put down a kopeck."
"You stupids. A rouble is worth more than a kopeck anyway," the
schoolboy explains. "Whoever wins can give me change."
"No, please! Go away!"
The fifth form schoolboy shrugs his shoulders, and goes into the
kitchen to get change from the servants. It appears there is not a
single kopeck in the kitchen.
"In that case, you give me change," he urges Grisha, coming back
from the kitchen. "I'll pay you for the change. Won't you? Come,
give me ten kopecks for a rouble."
Grisha looks suspiciously at Vasya, wondering whether it isn't some
trick, a swindle.
"I won't," he says, holding his pockets.
Vasya begins to get cross, and abuses them, calling them idiots and
blockheads.
"I'll put down a stake for you, Vasya!" says Sonya. "Sit down." He
sits down and lays two cards before him. Anya begins counting the
numbers.
"I've dropped a kopeck!" Grisha announces suddenly, in an agitated
voice. "Wait!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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