<strong>The</strong> <strong>Schoolmaster</strong> & <strong>other</strong> <strong>stories</strong>For a minute Sasha looked at her in astonishment; atlast he understood <strong>and</strong> was delighted as a child. Hewaved his arms <strong>and</strong> began pattering with his slippers asthough he were dancing with delight.“Splendid,” he said, rubbing his h<strong>and</strong>s. “My goodness,how fine that is!”And she stared at him without blinking, with adoringeyes, as though spellbound, expecting every minute thathe would say something important, something infinitelysignificant; he had told her nothing yet, but already itseemed to her that something new <strong>and</strong> great was openingbefore her which she had not known till then, <strong>and</strong>already she gazed at him full of expectation, ready toface anything, even death.“I am going to-morrow,” he said after a moment’sthought. “You come to the station to see me off…. I’lltake your things in my portmanteau, <strong>and</strong> I’ll get yourticket, <strong>and</strong> when the third bell rings you get into the carriage,<strong>and</strong> we’ll go off. You’ll see me as far as Moscow <strong>and</strong>then go on to Petersburg alone. Have you a passport?”“Yes.”“I can promise you, you won’t regret it,” said Sasha,with conviction. “You will go, you will study, <strong>and</strong> thengo where fate takes you. When you turn your life upsidedown everything will be changed. <strong>The</strong> great thing is toturn your life upside down, <strong>and</strong> all the rest is unimportant.And so we will set off to-morrow?”“Oh yes, for God’s sake!”It seemed to Nadya that she was very much excited,that her heart was heavier than ever before, that shewould spend all the time till she went away in misery<strong>and</strong> agonizing thought; but she had hardly gone upstairs<strong>and</strong> lain down on her bed when she fell asleep at once,with traces of tears <strong>and</strong> a smile on her face, <strong>and</strong> sleptsoundly till evening.VA CAB had been sent for. Nadya in her hat <strong>and</strong> overcoatwent upstairs to take one more look at her m<strong>other</strong>, atall her belongings. She stood in her own room beside her46
Anton Tchekhovstill warm bed, looked about her, then went slowly in toher m<strong>other</strong>. Nina Ivanovna was asleep; it was quite stillin her room. Nadya kissed her m<strong>other</strong>, smoothed herhair, stood still for a couple of minutes … then walkedslowly downstairs.It was raining heavily. <strong>The</strong> cabman with the hoodpulled down was st<strong>and</strong>ing at the entrance, drenched withrain.“<strong>The</strong>re is not room for you, Nadya,” said Granny, asthe servants began putting in the luggage. “What anidea to see him off in such weather! You had better stopat home. Goodness, how it rains!”Nadya tried to say something, but could not. <strong>The</strong>nSasha helped Nadya in <strong>and</strong> covered her feet with a rug.<strong>The</strong>n he sat down beside her.“Good luck to you! God bless you!” Granny cried fromthe steps. “Mind you write to us from Moscow, Sasha!”“Right. Good-bye, Granny.”“<strong>The</strong> Queen of Heaven keep you!”“Oh, what weather!” said Sasha.It was only now that Nadya began to cry. Now it wasclear to her that she certainly was going, which she hadnot really believed when she was saying good-bye toGranny, <strong>and</strong> when she was looking at her m<strong>other</strong>. Goodbye,town! And she suddenly thought of it all: Andrey,<strong>and</strong> his father <strong>and</strong> the new house <strong>and</strong> the naked ladywith the vase; <strong>and</strong> it all no longer frightened her, norweighed upon her, but was naïve <strong>and</strong> trivial <strong>and</strong> continuallyretreated further away. And when they got intothe railway carriage <strong>and</strong> the train began to move, allthat past which had been so big <strong>and</strong> serious shrank upinto something tiny, <strong>and</strong> a vast wide future which tillthen had scarcely been noticed began unfolding beforeher. <strong>The</strong> rain pattered on the carriage windows, nothingcould be seen but the green fields, telegraph posts withbirds sitting on the wires flitted by, <strong>and</strong> joy made herhold her breath; she thought that she was going to freedom,going to study, <strong>and</strong> this was just like what used,ages ago, to be called going off to be a free Cossack.She laughed <strong>and</strong> cried <strong>and</strong> prayed all at once.“It’s a-all right,” said Sasha, smiling. “It’s a-all right.”47
- 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 and 22: Anton Tchekhovsnug, pretty little d
- Page 23 and 24: Anton Tchekhovshrugged his shoulder
- 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: Anton Tchekhovutter a word; she gav
- 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
- Page 67 and 68: Anton Tchekhovwas at rest, but afte
- Page 69 and 70: Anton Tchekhovable (she had on a cr
- Page 71 and 72: Anton Tchekhovfelt her masculine te
- Page 73 and 74: Anton Tchekhovtack…. There’s a
- Page 75 and 76: Anton TchekhovFedyukov was, Navagin
- Page 77 and 78: Anton TchekhovThe spiritualistic la
- Page 79 and 80: Anton TchekhovWhat you want of me I
- Page 81 and 82: Anton Tchekhovyer maintained that I
- Page 83 and 84: Anton Tchekhovfriend and walked up
- Page 85 and 86: Anton TchekhovA dignified waiter wi
- Page 87 and 88: Anton Tchekhov“Ah, the parasite!
- Page 89 and 90: Anton Tchekhovus as waiters and sel
- Page 91 and 92: Anton TchekhovTHE MARSHAL’S WIDOW
- Page 93 and 94: Anton TchekhovThe lunch is certainl
- Page 95 and 96: Anton Tchekhovhad to pour water on
- Page 97 and 98:
Anton Tchekhov“As though I had th
- Page 99 and 100:
Anton Tchekhov“O-o-oh!” sighs t
- Page 101 and 102:
Anton TchekhovIN THE COURTAT THE DI
- Page 103 and 104:
Anton Tchekhovof the ventilation wh
- Page 105 and 106:
Anton Tchekhovnesses’ room, gloom
- Page 107 and 108:
Anton Tchekhovone. It was clear eve
- Page 109 and 110:
Anton Tchekhov“Where can they be,
- Page 111 and 112:
Anton Tchekhovagonies he had to suf
- Page 113 and 114:
Anton TchekhovJOYIT WAS TWELVE o’
- Page 115 and 116:
Anton TchekhovMitya put on his cap
- Page 117 and 118:
Anton Tchekhovmight make an excepti
- Page 119 and 120:
Anton Tchekhovtively…. Well, I’
- Page 121 and 122:
Anton Tchekhovfor nothing …. Five
- Page 123 and 124:
Anton Tchekhov“What a man, bless
- Page 125 and 126:
Anton Tchekhov“How are you?”“
- Page 127 and 128:
Anton Tchekhov“So I’ll come to-
- Page 129 and 130:
Anton Tchekhoving away somewhere to
- Page 131 and 132:
Anton Tchekhovbreathlessly, “give
- Page 133 and 134:
Anton Tchekhovand progress…” ad
- Page 135 and 136:
Anton TchekhovOH! THE PUBLIC“HERE
- Page 137 and 138:
Anton Tchekhovin duty … if they d
- Page 139 and 140:
Anton TchekhovA TRIPPING TONGUENATA
- Page 141 and 142:
Anton Tchekhovtrue? If you rode abo
- Page 143 and 144:
Anton TchekhovThe surveyor heaved a
- Page 145 and 146:
Anton Tchekhovpolice captains, I am
- Page 147 and 148:
Anton TchekhovTHE ORATORONE FINE MO
- Page 149 and 150:
Anton Tchekhovalms. Devoted to good
- Page 151 and 152:
Anton TchekhovThe door opens and in
- Page 153 and 154:
Anton TchekhovWe live in stone hous
- Page 155 and 156:
Anton Tchekhovbang on the head from
- Page 157 and 158:
Anton TchekhovHUSH!IVAN YEGORITCH K
- Page 159 and 160:
Anton Tchekhovor pauses, he has sca
- Page 161 and 162:
Anton Tchekhovand as he usually did
- Page 163 and 164:
Anton Tchekhovter dinner. Oh, Mila,
- Page 165 and 166:
Anton Tchekhov“No, not perhaps, b
- Page 167:
Anton Tchekhovthe fatal thought of