Short Stories by Chekhov

THE TALES OF CHEKHOV 233 Stories By Anton Tchekhov CONTENTS OF EACH BOOK THE HORSE-STEALERS WARD NO. 6 THE PETCHENYEG A DEAD BODY A HAPPY ENDING THE LOOKING-GLASS OLD AGE DARKNESS THE BEGGAR A STORY WITHOUT A TITLE IN TROUBLE FROST A SLANDER MINDS IN FERMENT GONE ASTRAY AN AVENGER THE JEUNE PREMIER A DEFENCELESS CREATURE AN ENIGMATIC NATURE A HAPPY MAN A TROUBLESOME VISITOR AN ACTOR'S END The Schoolmaster and Other Stories THE SCHOOLMASTER ENEMIES THE EXAMINING MAGISTRATE BETROTHED FROM THE DIARY OF A VIOLENT-TEMPERED MAN IN THE DARK A PLAY A MYSTERY STRONG IMPRESSIONS DRUNK THE MARSHAL'S WIDOW A BAD BUSINESS IN THE COURT BOOTS JOY LADIES A PECULIAR MAN AT THE BARBER'S AN INADVERTENCE THE ALBUM OH! THE PUBLIC A TRIPPING TONGUE OVERDOING IT THE ORATOR MALINGERERS IN THE GRAVEYARD HUSH! IN AN HOTEL IN A STRANGE LAND THE PARTY TERROR A WOMAN'S KINGDOM A PROBLEM THE KISS 'ANNA ON THE NECK' THE TEACHER OF LITERATURE NOT WANTED TYPHUS A MISFORTUNE A TRIFLE FROM LIFE THE COOK'S WEDDING SLEEPY CHILDREN THE RUNAWAY GRISHA OYSTERS HOME A CLASSICAL STUDENT VANKA AN INCIDENT A DAY IN THE COUNTRY BOYS SHROVE TUESDAY THE OLD HOUSE IN PASSION WEEK WHITEBROW KASHTANKA A CHAMELEON THE DEPENDENTS WHO WAS TO BLAME? THE BIRD MARKET AN ADVENTURE THE FISH ART THE SWEDISH MATCH THE BISHOP THE LETTER EASTER EVE A NIGHTMARE THE MURDER UPROOTED THE STEPPE INTRODUCTION THE QUEEN OF SPADES THE CLOAK THE DISTRICT DOCTOR THE CHRISTMAS TREE AND THE WEDDING GOD SEES THE TRUTH, BUT WAITS HOW A MUZHIK FED TWO OFFICIALS THE SHADES, A PHANTASY THE SIGNAL THE DARLING THE BET VANKA HIDE AND SEEK DETHRONED THE SERVANT ONE AUTUMN NIGHT HER LOVER LAZARUS THE REVOLUTIONIST THE OUTRAGE--A TRUE STORY THE DUEL EXCELLENT PEOPLE MIRE NEIGHBOURS AT HOME EXPENSIVE LESSONS THE PRINCESS THE CHEMIST'S WIFE THE SCHOOLMISTRESS A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN MISERY CHAMPAGNE AFTER THE THEATRE A LADY'S STORY IN EXILE THE CATTLE-DEALERS SORROW ON OFFICIAL DUTY THE FIRST-CLASS PASSENGER A TRAGIC ACTOR A TRANSGRESSION SMALL FRY THE REQUIEM IN THE COACH-HOUSE PANIC FEARS THE BET THE HEAD-GARDENER'S STORY THE BEAUTIES THE SHOEMAKER AND THE DEVIL THE WIFE DIFFICULT PEOPLE THE GRASSHOPPER A DREARY STORY THE PRIVY COUNCILLOR THE MAN IN A CASE GOOSEBERRIES ABOUT LOVE THE LOTTERY TICKET THE WITCH PEASANT WIVES THE POST THE NEW VILLA DREAMS THE PIPE AGAFYA AT CHRISTMAS TIME GUSEV THE STUDENT IN THE RAVINE THE HUNTSMAN HAPPINESS A MALEFACTOR PEASANTS THE CHORUS GIRL VEROTCHKA MY LIFE AT A COUNTRY HOUSE A FATHER ON THE ROAD ROTHSCHILD'S FIDDLE IVAN MATVEYITCH ZINOTCHKA BAD WEATHER A GENTLEMAN FRIEND A TRIVIAL INCIDENT LOVE LIGHTS A STORY WITHOUT AN END MARI D'ELLE A LIVING CHATTEL THE DOCTOR TOO EARLY! THE COSSACK ABORIGINES AN INQUIRY MARTYRS THE LION AND THE SUN A DAUGHTER OF ALBION CHORISTERS NERVES A WORK OF ART A JOKE A COUNTRY COTTAGE A BLUNDER FAT AND THIN THE DEATH OF A GOVERNMENT CLERK A PINK STOCKING AT A SUMMER VILLA THE HOUSE WITH THE MEZZANINE TYPHUS GOOSEBERRIES IN EXILE THE LADY WITH THE TOY DOG GOUSSIEV MY LIFE THE BET A TEDIOUS STORY THE FIT MISFORTUNE AFTER THE THEATRE THAT WRETCHED BOY ENEMIES A TRIFLING OCCURRENCE A GENTLEMAN FRIEND OVERWHELMING SENSATIONS EXPENSIVE LESSONS A LIVING CALENDAR OLD AGE THE DARLING ARIADNE POLINKA ANYUTA THE TWO VOLODYAS THE TROUSSEAU THE HELPMATE TALENT AN ARTIST'S STORY THREE YEARS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER [ A ] ABORIGINES ABOUT LOVE ACTOR'S END ADVENTURE AFTER THE THEATRE AFTER THE THEATRE AGAFYA ALBUM ANNA ON THE NECK ANYUTA ARIADNE ART ARTIST'S STORY AUTUMN NIGHT AVENGER [ B ] BAD BUSINESS BAD WEATHER BARBER'S BEAUTIES BEGGAR BET BET BET BETROTHED BIRD MARKET BISHOP BLUNDER BOOTS BOYS [ C ] CATTLE-DEALERS CHAMELEON CHAMPAGNE CHEMIST'S WIFE CHILDREN CHORISTERS CHRISTMAS TIME CHRISTMAS TREE AND THE WEDDING CLASSICAL STUDENT CLOAK COACH-HOUSE COOK'S WEDDING COSSACK COUNTRY COTTAGE COUNTRY HOUSE COURT [ D ] DARK DARKNESS DARLING DARLING DAUGHTER OF ALBION DAY IN THE COUNTRY DEAD BODY DEATH OF A GOVERNMENT CLERK DEFENCELESS CREATURE DEPENDENTS DETHRONED DIARY OF A VIOLENT-TEMPERED MAN DIFFICULT PEOPLE DISTRICT DOCTOR DOCTOR DREAMS DREARY STORY DRUNK DUEL [ E ] EARLY! EASTER EVE ENEMIES ENEMIES ENIGMATIC NATURE EXAMINING MAGISTRATE EXCELLENT PEOPLE EXILE EXILE EXPENSIVE LESSONS EXPENSIVE LESSONS [ F ] FAT AND THIN FATHER FIRST-CLASS PASSENGER FISH FROST [ G ] GENTLEMAN FRIEND GENTLEMAN FRIEND GOD SEES THE TRUTH, BUT WAITS GONE ASTRAY GOOSEBERRIES GOOSEBERRIES GOUSSIEV GRASSHOPPER GRAVEYARD GRISHA GUSEV [ H ] HAPPINESS HAPPY ENDING HAPPY MAN HEAD-GARDENER'S STORY HELPMATE HER LOVER HIDE AND SEEK HOME HOME HORSE-STEALERS HOTEL HOUSE WITH THE MEZZANINE HUNTSMAN HUSH! [ I ] INADVERTENCE INCIDENT INQUIRY IVAN MATVEYITCH [ J ] JEUNE PREMIER JOKE JOY [ K ] KASHTANKA KISS [ L ] LADIES LADY WITH THE TOY DOG LADY'S STORY LAZARUS LETTER LIGHTS LION AND THE SUN LIVING CALENDAR LIVING CHATTEL LOOKING-GLASS LOTTERY TICKET LOVE [ M ] MALEFACTOR MALINGERERS MAN IN A CASE MARI D'ELLE MARSHAL'S WIDOW MARTYRS MINDS IN FERMENT MIRE MISERY MISFORTUNE MISFORTUNE MURDER MUZHIK FED TWO OFFICIALS MY LIFE MY LIFE MYSTERY [ N ] NEIGHBOURS NERVES NERVOUS BREAKDOWN NEW VILLA NIGHTMARE NOT WANTED [ O ] OFFICIAL DUTY OLD AGE OLD AGE OLD HOUSE ON THE ROAD OUTRAGE--A TRUE STORY OVERDOING IT OVERWHELMING SENSATIONS OYSTERS [ P ] PANIC FEARS PARTY PASSION WEEK PEASANT WIVES PEASANTS PECULIAR MAN PETCHENYEG PINK STOCKING PIPE PLAY POLINKA POST PRINCESS PRIVY COUNCILLOR PROBLEM PUBLIC [ Q ] QUEEN OF SPADES [ R ] RAVINE REQUIEM REVOLUTIONIST ROTHSCHILD'S FIDDLE RUNAWAY [ S ] SCHOOLMASTER SCHOOLMISTRESS SERVANT SHADES, A PHANTASY SHOEMAKER AND THE DEVIL SHROVE TUESDAY SIGNAL SLANDER SLEEPY SMALL FRY SORROW STEPPE STORY WITHOUT A TITLE STORY WITHOUT AN END STRANGE LAND STRONG IMPRESSIONS STUDENT SUMMER VILLA SWEDISH MATCH [ T ] TALENT TEACHER OF LITERATURE TEDIOUS STORY TERROR THAT WRETCHED BOY THE CHORUS GIRL THE FIT THE ORATOR THREE YEARS TRAGIC ACTOR TRANSGRESSION TRIFLE FROM LIFE TRIFLING OCCURRENCE TRIPPING TONGUE TRIVIAL INCIDENT TROUBLE TROUBLESOME VISITOR TROUSSEAU TWO VOLODYAS TYPHUS TYPHUS [ U ] UPROOTED [ V ] VANKA VANKA VEROTCHKA [ W ] WARD NO. 6 WHITEBROW WHO WAS TO BLAME? WIFE WITCH WOMAN'S KINGDOM WORK OF ART [ Z ] ZINOTCHKA THE HORSE-STEALERS A HOSPITAL assistant, called Yergunov, an empty-headed fellow, known throughout the district as a great braggart and drunkard, was returning one evening in Christmas week from the hamlet of Ryepino, where he had been to make some purchases for the hospital. That he might get home in good time and not be late, the doctor had lent him his very best horse. At first it had been a still day, but at eight o'clock a violent snow- storm came on, and when he was only about four miles from home Yergunov completely lost his way. He did not know how to drive, he did not know the road, and he drove on at random, hoping that the horse would find the way of itself. Two hours passed; the horse was exhausted, he himself was chilled, and already began to fancy that he was not going home, but back towards Ryepino. But at last above the uproar of the storm he heard the far-away barking of a dog, and a murky red blur came into sight ahead of him: little by little, the outlines of a high gate could be discerned, then a long fence on which there were nails with their points uppermost, and beyond the fence there stood the slanting crane of a well. The wind drove away the mist of snow from before the eyes, and where there had been a red blur, there sprang up a small, squat little house with a steep thatched roof. Of the three little windows one, covered on the inside with something red, was lighted up. What sort of place was it? Yergunov remembered that to the right of the road, three and a half or four miles from the hospital, there was Andrey Tchirikov's tavern. He remembered, too, that this Tchirikov, who had been lately killed by some sledge-drivers, had left a wife and a daughter called Lyubka, who had come to the hospital two years before as a patient. The inn had a bad reputation, and to visit it late in the evening, and especially with someone else's horse, was not free from risk. But there was no help for it. Yergunov fumbled in his knapsack for his revolver, and, coughing sternly, tapped at the window-frame with his whip. "Hey! who is within?" he cried. "Hey, granny! let me come in and get warm!" With a hoarse bark a black dog rolled like a ball under the horse's feet, then another white one, then another black one--there must have been a dozen of them. Yergunov looked to see which was the biggest, swung his whip and lashed at it with all his might. A small, long-legged puppy turned its sharp muzzle upwards and set up a shrill, piercing howl. Yergunov stood for a long while at the window, tapping. But at last the hoar-frost on the trees near the house glowed red, and a muffled female figure appeared with a lantern in her hands. "Let me in to get warm, granny," said Yergunov. "I was driving to the hospital, and I have lost my way. It's such weather, God preserve us. Don't be afraid; we are your own people, granny." "All my own people are at home, and we didn't invite strangers," said the figure grimly. "And what are you knocking for? The gate is not locked." Yergunov drove into the yard and stopped at the steps. "Bid your labourer take my horse out, granny," said he. "I am not granny." And indeed she was not a granny. While she was putting out the lantern the light fell on her face, and Yergunov saw black eyebrows, and recognized Lyubka. "There are no labourers about now," she said as she went into the house. "Some are drunk and asleep, and some have been gone to Ryepino since the morning. It's a holiday. . . ." As he fastened his horse up in the shed, Yergunov heard a neigh, and distinguished in the darkness another horse, and felt on it a Cossack saddle. So there must be someone else in the house besides the woman and her daughter. For greater security Yergunov unsaddled his horse, and when he went into the house, took with him both his purchases and his saddle. The first room into which he went was large and very hot, and smelt of freshly washed floors. A short, lean peasant of about forty, with a small, fair beard, wearing a dark blue shirt, was sitting at the table under the holy images. It was Kalashnikov, an arrant scoundrel and horse-stealer, whose father and uncle kept a tavern in Bogalyovka, and disposed of the stolen horses where they could. He too had been to the