the wife and other stories-第1节

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The　Wife　and　Other　Stories

by　Anton　Chekhov

Translated　by　CONSTANCE　GARNETT




CONTENTS


The　Wife
Difficult　People
The　Grasshopper
A　Dreary　Story
The　Privy　Councillor
The　Man　in　Case
Gooseberries
About　Love
The　Lottery　Ticket



THE　WIFE

I

I　RECEIVED　the　following　letter：

〃DEAR　SIR；　PAVEL　ANDREITCH！

〃Not　far　from　you　　that　is　to　say；　in　the　village　of　Pestrovo　　very　distressing　incidents　are　taking　place；　concerning　which　I　feel　it　my　duty　to　write　to　you。　All　the　peasants　of　that　village　sold　their　cottages　and　all　their　belongings；　and　set　off　for　the　province　of　Tomsk；　but　did　not　succeed　in　getting　there；　and　have　come　back。　Here；　of　course；　they　have　nothing　now；　everything　belongs　to　other　people。　They　have　settled　three　or　four　families　in　a　hut；　so　that　there　are　no　less　than　fifteen　persons　of　both　sexes　in　each　hut；　not　counting　the　young　children；　and　the　long　and　the　short　of　it　is；　there　is　nothing　to　eat。　There　is　famine　and　there　is　a　terrible　pestilence　of　hunger；　or　spotted；　typhus；　literally　every　one　is　stricken。　The　doctor's　assistant　says　one　goes　into　a　cottage　and　what　does　one　see？　Every　one　is　sick；　every　one　delirious；　some　laughing；　others　frantic；　the　huts　are　filthy；　there　is　no　one　to　fetch　them　water；　no　one　to　give　them　a　drink；　and　nothing　to　eat　but　frozen　potatoes。　What　can　Sobol　（our　Zemstvo　doctor）　and　his　lady　assistant　do　when　more　than　medicine　the　peasants　need　bread　which　they　have　not？　The　District　Zemstvo　refuses　to　assist　them；　on　the　ground　that　their　names　have　been　taken　off　the　register　of　this　district；　and　that　they　are　now　reckoned　as　inhabitants　of　Tomsk；　and；　besides；　the　Zemstvo　has　no　money。

〃Laying　these　facts　before　you；　and　knowing　your　humanity；　I　beg　you　not　to　refuse　immediate　help。

〃Your　well…wisher。〃

Obviously　the　letter　was　written　by　the　doctor　with　the　animal　name*　or　his　lady　assistant。　Zemstvo　doctors　and　their　assistants　go　on　for　years　growing　more　and　more　convinced　every　day　that　they　can　do　_nothing_；　and　yet　continue　to　receive　their　salaries　from　people　who　are　living　upon　frozen　potatoes；　and　consider　they　have　a　right　to　judge　whether　I　am　humane　or　not。

*Sobol　in　Russian　means　〃sable…marten。〃…　TRANSLATOR'S　NOTE。

Worried　by　the　anonymous　letter　and　by　the　fact　that　peasants　came　every　morning　to　the　servants'　kitchen　and　went　down　on　their　knees　there；　and　that　twenty　sacks　of　rye　had　been　stolen　at　night　out　of　the　barn；　the　wall　having　first　been　broken　in；　and　by　the　general　depression　which　was　fostered　by　conversations；　newspapers；　and　horrible　weather　　worried　by　all　this；　I　worked　listlessly　and　ineffectively。　I　was　writing　〃A　History　of　Railways〃；　I　had　to　read　a　great　number　of　Russian　and　foreign　books；　pamphlets；　and　articles　in　the　magazines；　to　make　calculations；　to　refer　to　logarithms；　to　think　and　to　write；　then　again　to　read；　calculate；　and　think；　but　as　soon　as　I　took　up　a　book　or　began　to　think；　my　thoughts　were　in　a　muddle；　my　eyes　began　blinking；　I　would　get　up　from　the　table　with　a　sigh　and　begin　walking　about　the　big　rooms　of　my　deserted　country…house。　When　I　was　tired　of　walking　about　I　would　stand　still　at　my　study　window；　and；　looking　across　the　wide　courtyard；　over　the　pond　and　the　bare　young　birch…trees　and　the　great　fields　covered　with　recently　fallen；　thawing　snow；　I　saw　on　a　low　hill　on　the　horizon　a　group　of　mud…coloured　huts　from　which　a　black　muddy　road　ran　down　in　an　irregular　streak　through　the　white　field。　That　was　Pestrovo；　concerning　which　my　anonymous　correspondent　had　written　to　me。　If　it　had　not　been　for　the　crows　who；　foreseeing　rain　or　snowy　weather；　floated　cawing　over　the　pond　and　the　fields；　and　the　tapping　in　the　carpenter's　shed；　this　bit　of　the　world　about　which　such　a　fuss　was　being　made　would　have　seemed　like　the　Dead　Sea；　it　was　all　so　still；　motionless；　lifeless；　and　dreary！

My　uneasiness　hindered　me　from　working　and　concentrating　myself；　I　did　not　know　what　it　was；　and　chose　to　believe　it　was　disappointment。　I　had　actually　given　up　my　post　in　the　Department　of　Ways　and　Communications；　and　had　come　here　into　the　country　expressly　to　live　in　peace　and　to　devote　myself　to　writing　on　social　questions。　It　had　long　been　my　cherished　dream。　And　now　I　had　to　say　good…bye　both　to　peace　and　to　literature；　to　give　up　everything　and　think　only　of　the　peasants。　And　that　was　inevitable；　because　I　was　convinced　that　there　was　absolutely　nobody　in　the　district　except　me　to　help　the　starving。　The　people　surrounding　me　were　uneducated；　unintellectual；　callous；　for　the　most　part　dishonest；　or　if　they　were　honest；　they　were　unreasonable　and　unpractical　like　my　wife；　for　instance。　It　was　impossible　to　rely　on　such　people；　it　was　impossible　to　leave　the　peasants　to　their　fate；　so　that　the　only　thing　left　to　do　was　to　submit　to　necessity　and　see　to　setting　the　peasants　to　rights　myself。

I　began　by　making　up　my　mind　to　give　five　thousand　roubles　to　the　assistance　of　the　starving　peasants。　And　that　did　not　decrease；　but　only　aggravated　my　uneasiness。　As　I　stood　by　the　window　or　walked　about　the　rooms　I　was　tormented　by　the　question　which　had　not　occurred　to　me　before：　how　this　money　was　to　be　spent。　To　have　bread　bought　and　to　go　from　hut　to　hut　distributing　it　was　more　than　one　man　could　do；　to　say　nothing　of　the　risk　that　in　your　haste　you　might　give　twice　as　much　to　one　who　was　well…fed　or　to　one　who　was　making。　money　out　of　his　fellows　as　to　the　hungry。　I　had　no　faith　in　the　local　officials。　All　these　district　captains　and　tax　inspectors　were　young　men；　and　I　distrusted　them　as　I　do　all　young　people　of　today；　who　are　materialistic　and　without　ideals。　The　District　Zemstvo；　the　Peasant　Courts；　and　all　the　local　institutions；　inspired　in　me　not　the　slightest　desire　to　appeal　to　them　for　assistance。　I　knew　that　all　these　institutions　who　were　busily　engaged　in　picking　out　plums　from　the　Zemstvo　and　the　Government　pie　had　their　mouths　always　wide　open　for　a　bite　at　any　other　pie　that　might　turn　up。

The　idea　occurred　to　me　to　invite　the　neighbouring　landowners　and　suggest　to　them　to　organize　in　my　house　something　like　a　committee　or　a　centre　to　which　all　subscriptions　could　be　forwarded；　and　from　which　assistance　and　instructions　could　be　distributed　throughout　the　district；　such　an　organization；　which　would　render　possible　frequent　consultations　and　free　control　on　a　big　scale；　would　completely　meet　my　views。　But　I　imagined　the　lunches；　the　dinners；　the　suppers　and　the　noise；　the　waste　of　time；　the　verbosity　and　the　bad　taste　which　that　mixed　provincial　company　would　inevitably　bring　into　my　house；　and　I　made　haste　to　reject　my　idea。

As　for　the　members　of　my　own　household；　the　last　thing　I　could　look　for　was　help　or　support　from　them。　Of　my　father's　household；　of　the　household　of　my　childhood；　once　a　big　and　noisy　family；　no　one　remained　but　the　governess　Mademoiselle　Marie；　or；　as　she　was　now　called；　Marya　Gerasimovna；　an　absolutely　insignificant　person。　She　was　a　precise　little　old　lady　of　seventy；　who　wore　a　light　grey　dress　and　a　cap　with　white　ribbons；　and　looked　like　a　china　doll。　She　always　sat　in　the　drawing…room　reading。

Whenever　I　passed　by　her；　she　would　say；　knowing　the　reason　for　my　brooding：

〃What　can　you　expect；　Pasha？　I　told　you　how　it　would　be　before。　You　can　judge　from　our　servants。〃

My　wife；　Natalya　Gavrilovna；　lived　on　the　lower　storey；　all　the　rooms　of　which　she　occupied。　She　slept；　had　her　meals；　and　received　her　visitors　downstairs　in　her　own　rooms；　and　took　not　the　slightest　interest　in　how　I　dined；　or　slept；　or　whom　I　saw。　Our　relations　with　one　another　were　simple　and　not　strained；　but　cold；　empty；　and　dreary　as　relations　are　between　people　who　have　been　so　long　estranged；　that　even　living　under　the　same　roof　gives　no　semblance　of　nearness。　There　was　no　trace　now　of　the　passionate　and　tormenting　love　　at　one　time　sweet；　at　another　bitter　as　wormwood　　which　I　had　once　felt　for　Natalya　Gavrilovna。　There　was　nothing　left；　either；　of　the　outbursts　of　the　past　　the　　loud　altercations；　upbraidings；　complaints；　and　gusts　of　hatred　which　had　usually　ended　in　my　wife's　going　abroad　or　to　her　own　people；　and　in　my　sending　money　in　small　but　frequent　instalments　that　I　might　sting　her　pride　oftener。　（My　proud　and　sensitive　wife　and　her　family　live　at　my　expense；　and　much　as　she　would　have　liked　to　do　so；　my　wife　could　not　refuse　my　money：　that　afforded　me　satisfaction　and　was　one　comfort　in　my　sorrow。）　Now　when　we　chanced　to　meet　in　the　corridor　downstairs　or　in　the　yard；　I　bowed；　she　smiled　graciously。　We　spoke　of　the　weather；　said　that　it　seemed　time　to　put　in　the　double　windows；　and　that　some　one　with　bells　on　their　harness　had　driven　over　the　dam。　And　at　such　times　I　read　in　her　face：　〃I　am　faithful　to　you　and　am　not　disgracing　your　good　name　which　you　think　so　much　about；　you　are　sensible　and　do　not　worry　me；　we　are　quits。〃

I　assured　myself　that　my　love　had　died　long　ago；　that　I　was　too　much　absorbed　in　my　work　to　think　seriously　of　my　relations　with　my　wife。　But；　alas！　that　was　only　what　I　imagined。　When　my　wife　talked　aloud　downstairs　I　listened　intently　to　her　voice；　though　I　could　not　distinguish　one　word。　When　she　played　the　piano