Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Anton ChekhovNAPLES, April 4, 1891.I arrived in Naples, went to the post-office and found there fiveletters from home, for which I am very grateful to you all. Welldone, relations! Even Vesuvius is so touched it has gone out.Vesuvius hides its top in clouds and can only be seen well in theevening. By day the sky is overcast. We are staying on the sea-frontand have a view of everything: the sea, Vesuvius, Capri, Sorrento…. We drove in the daytime up to the monastery of St. Martini: theview from here is such as I have never seen before, a marvellouspanorama. I saw something like it at Hong Kong when I went upthe mountain in the railway.In Naples there is a magnificent arcade. And the shops!! The shopsmake me quite giddy. What brilliance! You, Masha, and you, Lika,would be rabid with delight.* * *There is a wonderful aquarium in Naples. There are even sharksand squids. When a squid (an octopus) devours some animals it’s arevolting sight.I have been to a barber’s and watched a young man having hisbeard clipped for a whole hour. He was probably engaged to bemarried or else a cardsharper. At the barber’s the ceiling and all thefour walls were made of looking-glass, so that you feel that you arenot at a hairdresser’s but at the Vatican where there are eleven thousandrooms. They cut your hair wonderfully.I shan’t bring you any presents, as you don’t write to me about thesummer villa and the mongoose. I bought you a watch, Masha, butI have cast it to the swine. But there, God forgive you!P.S.—I shall be back by Easter, come and meet me at the station.237