Anton Chekhov

The Collected Works of Anton Chekhov


Скачать книгу

made no answer, but only bent lower over her box. This exhausted, irresolute man was of absolutely no significance in the household. He stood in the pitiful position of a dependent and hanger-on, even with the servants, and his apology meant nothing either.

      “H’m!… You say nothing! That’s not enough for you. In that case, I will apologise for my wife. In my wife’s name…. She behaved tactlessly, I admit it as a gentleman… .”

      Nikolay Sergeitch walked about the room, heaved a sigh, and went on:

      “Then you want me to have it rankling here, under my heart…. You want my conscience to torment me… .”

      “I know it’s not your fault, Nikolay Sergeitch,” said Mashenka, looking him full in the face with her big tear-stained eyes. “Why should you worry yourself?”

      “Of course, no…. But still, don’t you… go away. I entreat you.”

      Mashenka shook her head. Nikolay Sergeitch stopped at the window and drummed on the pane with his finger-tips.

      “Such misunderstandings are simply torture to me,” he said. “Why, do you want me to go down on my knees to you, or what? Your pride is wounded, and here you’ve been crying and packing up to go; but I have pride, too, and you do not spare it! Or do you want me to tell you what I would not tell as Confession? Do you? Listen; you want me to tell you what I won’t tell the priest on my deathbed?”

      Mashenka made no answer.

      “I took my wife’s brooch,” Nikolay Sergeitch said quickly. “Is that enough now? Are you satisfied? Yes, I… took it…. But, of course, I count on your discretion…. For God’s sake, not a word, not half a hint to any one!”

      Mashenka, amazed and frightened, went on packing; she snatched her things, crumpled them up, and thrust them anyhow into the box and the basket. Now, after this candid avowal on the part of Nikolay Sergeitch, she could not remain another minute, and could not understand how she could have gone on living in the house before.

      “And it’s nothing to wonder at,” Nikolay Sergeitch went on after a pause. “It’s an everyday story! I need money, and she… won’t give it to me. It was my father’s money that bought this house and everything, you know! It’s all mine, and the brooch belonged to my mother, and… it’s all mine! And she took it, took possession of everything…. I can’t go to law with her, you’ll admit…. I beg you most earnestly, overlook it… stay on. Tout comprendre, tout pardonner. Will you stay?”

      “No!” said Mashenka resolutely, beginning to tremble. “Let me alone, I entreat you!”

      “Well, God bless you!” sighed Nikolay Sergeitch, sitting down on the stool near the box. “I must own I like people who still can feel resentment, contempt, and so on. I could sit here forever and look at your indignant face…. So you won’t stay, then? I understand…. It’s bound to be so… Yes, of course…. It’s all right for you, but for me — wo-o-o-o!… I can’t stir a step out of this cellar. I’d go off to one of our estates, but in every one of them there are some of my wife’s rascals… stewards, experts, damn them all! They mortgage and remortgage…. You mustn’t catch fish, must keep off the grass, mustn’t break the trees.”

      “Nikolay Sergeitch!” his wife’s voice called from the drawing-room. “Agnia, call your master!”

      “Then you won’t stay?” asked Nikolay Sergeitch, getting up quickly and going towards the door. “You might as well stay, really. In the evenings I could come and have a talk with you. Eh? Stay! If you go, there won’t be a human face left in the house. It’s awful!”

      Nikolay Sergeitch’s pale, exhausted face besought her, but Mashenka shook her head, and with a wave of his hand he went out.

      Half an hour later she was on her way.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDAAMCAgMCAgMDAwMEAwMEBQgFBQQEBQoHBwYIDAoMDAsK CwsNDhIQDQ4RDgsLEBYQERMUFRUVDA8XGBYUGBIUFRT/2wBDAQMEBAUEBQkFBQkUDQsNFBQUFBQU FBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBT/wAARCAeoBXgDAREA AhEBAxEB/8QAHQAAAwEAAwEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwcICQYEBf/EAHAQAAIBAwIEBAMFAgYJCw0H FQECEQADIRIxBBMiQQUGUWEHMnEII0KBkQmhFBUzUrGzFhckYnWytMHTGCU1N0NydIKSk6ImNDZV ZXODhKPR0tThJyg4RVNUVmNklMPw8RlERmakwuN2pcTkR1eVlv/EABwBAQEBAAMBAQEAAAAAAAAA AAEAAgMGBwUECP/EAE0RAAMAAQMCAwQECAwFAwQBBQABESECMUEDBAUSUQYiYXEycrHBExQ0QoGR odEVFjM1UlOCkqKy4fAjJCVi0kNz8URUY8Jko+Imkzb/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AOHgo1cOH2Ar3hLY /la41QzayOFF0pBBMUNTKNLU9cprCl0OiQckxTyYrjyQrq5uKI39KzU6baajGIU2xjVucUhnJItj 73UoJmRIqwNeIU41X0wNIHYb0uAsaWTeUNbuaQJ7CKIh0tpqlKqlrbR1ae9UTBt5RFhA9ohgBnvR DWpx4NbaTxD4G1bSycbc0iNtLcEiZOPrRBrYuWA9wwIImiblcIpLQcI57bCKoT1TAtOpGGDn0p4K 5KKqAJAgDaKuArMrIRbLsoyTG1CjVN6m6kx3AGNsKuDmlwFc0q6UXVIEY7VOINNYLbtxbZoJnFU0 7g9WrKQhZFwvCiNxQ0mPmkLNuGQADHtTIF3IcBLTggaiewoNKtpoEsQ3MgQFqgPVwJbdp9DMNj2o i5FvUqkMlGd1UCSIpwGUk2CKES2IBz2qFutgtu2TdLAARiqaQb1YhLBHu2hI0RVg1lJluiolzlgH 0pSRlNtqlGyAtuT+VMRlatyRbV7lwEAAelHlVNVpJiuMLItqFnO9WEiS81bGQE19M5mqFvCmQlFc KAAagTzKIqnEG6P5vpVKVeiFqV+7AAiPSn4A7lmTBoYnBHtWYzamBqsvaJAI09qQ4ZJUNagASXM1 Yg7M25KoxO7kfrTEjj8zaIW2WWSRhtoolNNzAMgdrpwJ9RtVNyTkKCqWXpBx6UwK4yOm3aCKPxel XA5brNEQI7GBJ2qmTLdQhw63gNWADvVLuPnenYl1DG5bEH0MUeopvDYEIlu2CoJJ3qxCy28itlXu 3NQEAUYF1JQRXCwAJNWCu5TpbUvpUFgPSmaaCerFCF6GK9RxMVYLOVSSod7gjIyaJ6GrEhvAa0AJ PpTAVyPTp1AwIG/tVGFoxah1YqI9qYVxBN1JcAGZijZEt0ARFVBAmNzRCrrElsHWwMmMVRC2K4Jv Ku0DcCkltS72m3bZmHT61OJVmdNbiBUXBEEadxVETbIVNapIAM0Gm42NtL3HUgTG/pS/QlUkytKS gIGKoFeSWtBQ5gAHeiCtVhYElSBIidqTNM7rIyXNh3IFDaN6amjQW1C29simcmPM6zC1bstacvkl pHpWZpaycmp6k1DRdPPGmPlrWKZd8uSAqrZYgSNWP1oSUNV+bJo1u2nVOdJMRVFuZT1PBK2kvoJI kGqJi9T0s0VA90pAOPStTMMNxUzKm3aCtpnX6dqI5k1U3UWLSG7qjtiqZCuQi46m2AAIB3jepvBp J006NawuYpUMZhmkC1qIDDV27Gs4ht2mi2Ua8ScY9KYtzD1NaYSFF1bekbHc1bjY3STZKtcMiT7U QfNUitAItEgRtimBdwjmi4qjHrTxgto2UFS2UXExFUCt1kWkCqxI1GYyKyabriNCFLIMfl3rWDGU mRcVVQwoEtGBREaTbZR0FyAJMb1YYZSIRdVmT3NUxg03GafwdH1hzE7TT5UY87Uhmqqotj0PpvQk bbeRsos2rnTB3miQk3qaCNYRtIj3pLaollDa1IGDMUEnIzRQg5cKIIpUMu5pKsoa7j9aqsi08C0R fEDpgUYo33RQCiRAk1YHNZRUBLhgGTFMM3KLW3CpsTEmmGW8sy5YNozgapnehrBu5DQty+4AiRBo g1rSiuXpCCcg9hTDNori6VeQN9hU0xTsBtFu9b1D5lkGKnE4yVacFcQcoahJDTAo4yKecFEEs8Ko 6MetOKZ4RNrllEBHUO9GDTtcK0KWeVkdhWojNcUI5Z+6gVmI1dy7g5dtyIaMGqQynWkSVDXUdYgj IoiqZqtJpk8rXrzq7kkUtDZChyrYtgjJ9qkkHvOjlVRyoAPvUGW1RFF+71L7Yq+ZV5gPyyLmkx2J irBLzYo0tWyUggmCaomT1aslJb1oYAORt2pSTQNxhpV7lwGDAjamIq0kSUQcsjYURDXkpNK8wgDM 1UHXCLdsObb6QIxnvUjTcqHMm6hE1bB6Maqls28yIyIqkCt0VtNFlzHeMijgW7qQlQm8sxEVLcm/ dFe08pQFAXVBinA6bTdrQJWMY3rUTOJNoyWyLllgTADY96IobeqakWo+904OImpIG8UT6UtEETBi qCq3Sltrbul2G4qkMttqIyeLiKQBg+lDyjawzW5nWoA+WkyuKIcPbFm2fxzJmryqF535n6GdhdaO WUfSKEka1ONQq5pW8oCwNqnEwVekT6UV8D5qIKraKS3LIxAgA0wG8NIQKshKqAA3arBZuQuFXD2w Ix6VEqoxqNOhYxUTzWRatgC4YGTvFWB1N4LZNZTAgmqGbKDhSjADAMUxQVbkGRRcXEkLRFQTcIFk XUkkCDOKJTfmellqp52kCRGaZky3ikmLZA0xLbCqDuMKicQyn54kYoxYFb0pkuAQhA1CcgVM0uSy AdQAAMRmnBnODO0ttrEYnVR7rRpvUtRppR7xgDApwzNaRmUC21xu21EwatZbjkm4xAgj0p2Mr3oi RZV4jGaJTXmaHctqXYHJIiqeoJuYJC2rdu2JkzVgbqbbLMajgYHeozmEMqvbUQBmNqscmsplMLdt nKx8tPugvM0qJLNvl23BkzVFuT1OtGy2tRcyFFMMPVIQVGtF9s0RGq42SyrZSRvqzFEgpvUywevU VA/KnkzxCHt8xSoGZFXApzI7pDlk/FpgCp+hacZGypZt24E/+erCRV6mybifyjGNOk0binshJLpa Y74qyLw2iNHOsvpaSciaI4N8upGjXmV7YGxG1arMrSmnTK0wQviDESfespm2m4W+kXLQ3Eb03JlW Mq+FKOAYINaaSM6W6ikA0oO8ZoRPdk2jhi2M4IowL+Ajm8kGoeGNwSkjfVuKYC3KUabkneKQeUQo Nxd4GqBNENWMrd2RRPqas7GeE2MJ1Wxq6t4qhN7lBNFt85mc0mbWjNgz3FM4jNDptRIbaVtvo/MV YSwGaqXbUOig49aVky3GZWWAu3emc96E1Tk1LCGRm2BUHDFdOgOq/N6UMdOY2WEZVtuWlqZyZqba M0/ugsSIg0PJp+6UwAflrJ6c+9LQKzzMnULYAPcxR8xjeQRSlx5GNwfarJN1IQklGAMRt708D6mr rqDiJq+ZhPYQVGCAqJGasMq1R2XAFwsJgUpoNSbkC65F1BiCAaG4x0