Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Anton ChekhovTO MADAME LINTVARYOV.MOSCOW, October 25, 1891.HONOURED NATALYA MIHAILOVNA,I have not gone to Nizhni as I meant to, but am sitting at home,writing and sneezing. Madame Morozov has seen the Minister, hehas absolutely prohibited private initiative in the work of faminerelief, and actually waved her out of his presence. This has reducedme to apathy at once. Add to that, complete lack of money, sneezing,a mass of work, the illness of my aunt who died to-day, theindefiniteness, the uncertainty in fact—everything has come togetherto hinder a lazy person like me. I have put off my going away till thefirst of December.We felt dull without you for a long time, and when the Shah ofPersia* went away it was duller still. I have given orders that no oneis to be admitted, and sit in my room like a heron in the reeds; I seeno one, and no one sees me. And it is better so, or the public wouldpull the bell off, and my study would be turned into a smoking andtalking room. It’s dull to live like this, but what am I to do? I shallwait till the summer and then let myself go.I shall sell the mongoose by auction. I should be glad to sell N.and his poems too, but no one would buy him. He dashes in to seeme almost every evening as he used to do, and bores me with hisdoubts, his struggles, his volcanoes, slit nostrils, atamans, the life ofthe free, and such tosh, for which God forgive him.Russkiya Vyedomosti is printing a Sbornik for the famine fund.With your permission, I shall send you a copy.Well, good health and happiness to you; respects and greetings toall yours fromthe Geographer,A. CHEKHOV.P. S.—All my family send their regards.*A. I. Smagin.271