The Schoolmaster and Other StoriesChekhov, Anton Pavlovich
General
The Schoolmaster and Other Stories
Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich
Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich, 1860-1904 -- Translations into English; Russia -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
"If only you would go to the university," he said. "Only enlightened
and holy people are interesting, it's only they who are wanted. The
more of such people there are, the sooner the Kingdom of God will
come on earth. Of your town then not one stone will be left,
everything will he blown up from the foundations, everything will
be changed as though by magic. And then there will be immense,
magnificent houses here, wonderful gardens, marvellous fountains,
remarkable people. . . . But that's not what matters most. What
matters most is that the crowd, in our sense of the word, in the
sense in which it exists now--that evil will not exist then,
because every man will believe and every man will know what he is
living for and no one will seek moral support in the crowd. Dear
Nadya, darling girl, go away! Show them all that you are sick of
this stagnant, grey, sinful life. Prove it to yourself at least!"
"I can't, Sasha, I'm going to be married."
"Oh nonsense! What's it for!"
They went out into the garden and walked up and down a little.
"And however that may be, my dear girl, you must think, you must
realize how unclean, how immoral this idle life of yours is," Sasha
went on. "Do understand that if, for instance, you and your mother
and your grandmother do nothing, it means that someone else is
working for you, you are eating up someone else's life, and is that
clean, isn't it filthy?"
Nadya wanted to say "Yes, that is true"; she wanted to say that she
understood, but tears came into her eyes, her spirits drooped, and
shrinking into herself she went off to her room.
Towards evening Andrey Andreitch arrived and as usual played the
fiddle for a long time. He was not given to much talk as a rule,
and was fond of the fiddle, perhaps because one could be silent
while playing. At eleven o'clock when he was about to go home and
had put on his greatcoat, he embraced Nadya and began greedily
kissing her face, her shoulders, and her hands.
"My dear, my sweet, my charmer," he muttered. "Oh how happy I am!
I am beside myself with rapture!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account