<strong>The</strong> <strong>Schoolmaster</strong> & <strong>other</strong> <strong>stories</strong>Tears gushed from his eyes. He turned on one foot <strong>and</strong>began pacing up <strong>and</strong> down the drawing-room. Now inhis short coat, his fashionable narrow trousers whichmade his legs look disproportionately slim, with his bighead <strong>and</strong> long mane he was extremely like a lion. A gleamof curiosity came into the apathetic face of the doctor.He got up <strong>and</strong> looked at Abogin.“Excuse me, where is the patient?” he said.“<strong>The</strong> patient! <strong>The</strong> patient!” cried Abogin, laughing,crying, <strong>and</strong> still br<strong>and</strong>ishing his fists. “She is not ill, butaccursed! <strong>The</strong> baseness! <strong>The</strong> vileness! <strong>The</strong> devil himselfcould not have imagined anything more loathsome! Shesent me off that she might run away with a buffoon, adull-witted clown, an Alphonse! Oh God, better she haddied! I cannot bear it! I cannot bear it!”<strong>The</strong> doctor drew himself up. His eyes blinked <strong>and</strong> filledwith tears, his narrow beard began moving to right <strong>and</strong>to left together with his jaw.“Allow me to ask what’s the meaning of this?” heasked, looking round him with curiosity. “My child isdead, my wife is in grief alone in the whole house…. Imyself can scarcely st<strong>and</strong> up, I have not slept for threenights…. And here I am forced to play a part in somevulgar farce, to play the part of a stage property! I don’t… don’t underst<strong>and</strong> it!”Abogin unclenched one fist, flung a crumpled note onthe floor, <strong>and</strong> stamped on it as though it were an insecthe wanted to crush.“And I didn’t see, didn’t underst<strong>and</strong>,” he said throughhis clenched teeth, br<strong>and</strong>ishing one fist before his facewith an expression as though some one had trodden onhis corns. “I did not notice that he came every day! Idid not notice that he came today in a closed carriage!What did he come in a closed carriage for? And I didnot see it! Noodle!”“I don’t underst<strong>and</strong> …” muttered the doctor. “Why,what’s the meaning of it? Why, it’s an outrage on personaldignity, a mockery of human suffering! It’s incredible….It’s the first time in my life I have had suchan experience!”With the dull surprise of a man who has only justrealized that he has been bitterly insulted the doctor22
Anton Tchekhovshrugged his shoulders, flung wide his arms, <strong>and</strong> notknowing what to do or to say sank helplessly into a chair.“If you have ceased to love me <strong>and</strong> love an<strong>other</strong>—sobe it; but why this deceit, why this vulgar, treacheroustrick?” Abogin said in a tearful voice. “What is the objectof it? And what is there to justify it? And whathave I done to you? Listen, doctor,” he said hotly, goingup to Kirilov. “You have been the involuntary witnessof my misfortune <strong>and</strong> I am not going to conceal thetruth from you. I swear that I loved the woman, lovedher devotedly, like a slave! I have sacrificed everythingfor her; I have quarrelled with my own people, I havegiven up the service <strong>and</strong> music, I have forgiven her whatI could not have forgiven my own m<strong>other</strong> or sister … Ihave never looked askance at her…. I have never gainsaidher in anything. Why this deception? I do not dem<strong>and</strong>love, but why this loathsome duplicity? If shedid not love me, why did she not say so openly, honestly,especially as she knows my views on the subject? …”With tears in his eyes, trembling all over, Aboginopened his heart to the doctor with perfect sincerity. Hespoke warmly, pressing both h<strong>and</strong>s on his heart, exposingthe secrets of his private life without the faintesthesitation, <strong>and</strong> even seemed to be glad that at last thesesecrets were no longer pent up in his breast. If he hadtalked in this way for an hour or two, <strong>and</strong> opened hisheart, he would undoubtedly have felt better. Whoknows, if the doctor had listened to him <strong>and</strong> had sympathizedwith him like a friend, he might perhaps, asoften happens, have reconciled himself to his troublewithout protest, without doing anything needless <strong>and</strong>absurd…. But what happened was quite different. WhileAbogin was speaking the outraged doctor perceptiblychanged. <strong>The</strong> indifference <strong>and</strong> wonder on his face graduallygave way to an expression of bitter resentment, indignation,<strong>and</strong> anger. <strong>The</strong> features of his face becameeven harsher, coarser, <strong>and</strong> more unpleasant. WhenAbogin held out before his eyes the photograph of ayoung woman with a h<strong>and</strong>some face as cold <strong>and</strong> expressionlessas a nun’s <strong>and</strong> asked him whether, looking atthat face, one could conceive that it was capable of duplicity,the doctor suddenly flew out, <strong>and</strong> with flashing23
- Page 1 and 2: THESCHOOLMASTER&OTHER STORIESBYANTO
- Page 3 and 4: ContentsTHE SCHOOLMASTER...........
- Page 5 and 6: Anton TchekhovTHESCHOOLMASTER&OTHER
- Page 7 and 8: Anton Tchekhovran out of the house,
- Page 9 and 10: Anton TchekhovAt dinner Sysoev was
- Page 11 and 12: Anton Tchekhovbeen born a teacher.
- Page 13 and 14: Anton TchekhovENEMIESBETWEEN NINE A
- Page 15 and 16: Anton Tchekhovthe drawing-room seem
- Page 17 and 18: Anton TchekhovAbogin followed him a
- Page 19 and 20: Anton Tchekhova pond, on which grea
- Page 21: Anton Tchekhovsnug, pretty little d
- Page 25 and 26: Anton Tchekhovspendthrift who canno
- Page 27 and 28: Anton TchekhovTHE EXAMINING MAGISTR
- Page 29 and 30: Anton Tchekhovwith an unpleasant sm
- Page 31 and 32: Anton Tchekhovfidelity. His wife lo
- Page 33 and 34: Anton Tchekhovshadows lay on the gr
- Page 35 and 36: Anton Tchekhovshe said and got up.
- Page 37 and 38: Anton TchekhovIIWHEN NADYA WOKE UP
- Page 39 and 40: Anton Tchekhovdown. Nina Ivanovna p
- Page 41 and 42: Anton TchekhovIIIIN THE MIDDLE of J
- Page 43 and 44: Anton TchekhovLatin master or a mem
- Page 45 and 46: Anton Tchekhovutter a word; she gav
- Page 47 and 48: Anton Tchekhovstill warm bed, looke
- Page 49 and 50: Anton Tchekhov“Oh, dear!” cried
- Page 51 and 52: Anton Tchekhovit were through a pri
- Page 53 and 54: Anton TchekhovFROM THE DIARY OFA VI
- Page 55 and 56: Anton Tchekhovlabours every morning
- Page 57 and 58: Anton Tchekhov“Nicolas,” sighs
- Page 59 and 60: Anton TchekhovIt is a matter of suc
- Page 61 and 62: Anton TchekhovI go home. Thanks to
- Page 63 and 64: Anton Tchekhovput a lady’s muff o
- Page 65 and 66: Anton Tchekhovthe silver is in the
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Anton Tchekhovtack…. There’s a
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Anton TchekhovFedyukov was, Navagin
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Anton TchekhovThe spiritualistic la
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Anton TchekhovWhat you want of me I
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Anton Tchekhovyer maintained that I
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Anton Tchekhovfriend and walked up
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Anton TchekhovA dignified waiter wi
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Anton Tchekhov“Ah, the parasite!
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Anton Tchekhovus as waiters and sel
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Anton TchekhovTHE MARSHAL’S WIDOW
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Anton TchekhovThe lunch is certainl
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Anton Tchekhovhad to pour water on
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Anton Tchekhov“As though I had th
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Anton Tchekhov“O-o-oh!” sighs t
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Anton TchekhovIN THE COURTAT THE DI
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Anton Tchekhovof the ventilation wh
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Anton Tchekhovnesses’ room, gloom
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Anton Tchekhovone. It was clear eve
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Anton Tchekhov“Where can they be,
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Anton Tchekhovagonies he had to suf
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Anton TchekhovJOYIT WAS TWELVE o’
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Anton TchekhovMitya put on his cap
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Anton Tchekhovmight make an excepti
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Anton Tchekhovtively…. Well, I’
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Anton Tchekhovfor nothing …. Five
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Anton Tchekhov“What a man, bless
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Anton Tchekhov“How are you?”“
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Anton Tchekhov“So I’ll come to-
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Anton Tchekhoving away somewhere to
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Anton Tchekhovbreathlessly, “give
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Anton Tchekhovand progress…” ad
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Anton TchekhovOH! THE PUBLIC“HERE
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Anton Tchekhovin duty … if they d
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Anton TchekhovA TRIPPING TONGUENATA
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Anton Tchekhovtrue? If you rode abo
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Anton TchekhovThe surveyor heaved a
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Anton Tchekhovpolice captains, I am
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Anton TchekhovTHE ORATORONE FINE MO
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Anton Tchekhovalms. Devoted to good
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Anton TchekhovThe door opens and in
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Anton TchekhovWe live in stone hous
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Anton Tchekhovbang on the head from
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Anton TchekhovHUSH!IVAN YEGORITCH K
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Anton Tchekhovor pauses, he has sca
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Anton Tchekhovand as he usually did
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Anton Tchekhovter dinner. Oh, Mila,
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Anton Tchekhov“No, not perhaps, b
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Anton Tchekhovthe fatal thought of