Short Fiction, Anton Chekhov [websites to read books for free .TXT] 📗

as though it had chimed just under the window. The child, sleeping on the fox-skin, started and raised her head. For a minute she stared blankly at the dark window, at Nasir-ed-Din over whom a crimson glow from the fire flickered at that moment, then she turned her eyes upon the sleeping man.

“Daddy,” she said.

But the man did not move. The little girl knitted her brow angrily, lay down, and curled up her legs. Someone in the tavern gave a loud, prolonged yawn. Soon afterwards there was the squeak of the swing door and the sound of indistinct voices. Someone came in, shaking the snow off, and stamping in felt boots which made a muffled thud.

“What is it?” a woman’s voice asked languidly.

“Mademoiselle Ilovaisky has come,⁠ ⁠…” answered a bass voice.

Again there was the squeak of the swing door. Then came the roar of the wind rushing in. Someone, probably the lame boy, ran to the door leading to the Travellers’ Room, coughed deferentially, and lifted the latch.

“This way, lady, please,” said a woman’s voice in dulcet tones. “It’s clean in here, my beauty.⁠ ⁠…”

The door was opened wide and a peasant with a beard appeared in the doorway, in the long coat of a coachman, plastered all over with snow from head to foot, and carrying a big trunk on his shoulder. He was followed into the room by a feminine figure, scarcely half his height, with no face and no arms, muffled and wrapped up like a bundle and also covered with snow. A damp chill, as from a cellar, seemed to come to the child from the coachman and the bundle, and the fire and the candles flickered.

“What nonsense!” said the bundle angrily, “We could go perfectly well. We have only nine more miles to go, mostly by the forest, and we should not get lost.⁠ ⁠…”

“As for getting lost, we shouldn’t, but the horses can’t go on, lady!” answered the coachman. “And it is Thy Will, O Lord! As though I had done it on purpose!”

“God knows where you have brought me.⁠ ⁠… Well, be quiet.⁠ ⁠… There are people asleep here, it seems. You can go.⁠ ⁠…”

The coachman put the portmanteau on the floor, and as he did so, a great lump of snow fell off his shoulders. He gave a sniff and went out.

Then the little girl saw two little hands come out from the middle of the bundle, stretch upwards and begin angrily disentangling the network of shawls, kerchiefs, and scarves. First a big shawl fell on the ground, then a hood, then a white knitted kerchief. After freeing her head, the traveller took off her pelisse and at once shrank to half the size. Now she was in a long, grey coat with big buttons and bulging pockets. From one pocket she pulled out a paper parcel, from the other a bunch of big, heavy keys, which she put down so carelessly that the sleeping man started and opened his eyes. For some time he looked blankly round him as though he didn’t know where he was, then he shook his head, went to the corner and sat down.⁠ ⁠… The newcomer took off her great coat, which made her shrink to half her size again, she took off her big felt boots, and sat down, too.

By now she no longer resembled a bundle: she was a thin little brunette of twenty, as slim as a snake, with a long white face and curly hair. Her nose was long and sharp, her chin, too, was long and sharp, her eyelashes were long, the corners of her mouth were sharp, and, thanks to this general sharpness, the expression of her face was biting. Swathed in a closely fitting black dress with a mass of lace at her neck and sleeves, with sharp elbows and long pink fingers, she recalled the portraits of medieval English ladies. The grave concentration of her face increased this likeness.

The lady looked round at the room, glanced sideways at the man and the little girl, shrugged her shoulders, and moved to the window. The dark windows were shaking from the damp west wind. Big flakes of snow glistening in their whiteness, lay on the window frame, but at once disappeared, borne away by the wind. The savage music grew louder and louder.⁠ ⁠…

After a long silence the little girl suddenly turned over, and said angrily, emphasizing each word:

“Oh, goodness, goodness, how unhappy I am! Unhappier than anyone!”

The man got up and moved with little steps to the child with a guilty air, which was utterly out of keeping with his huge figure and big beard.

“You are not asleep, dearie?” he said, in an apologetic voice. “What do you want?”

“I don’t want anything, my shoulder aches! You are a wicked man, Daddy, and God will punish you! You’ll see He will punish you.”

“My darling, I know your shoulder aches, but what can I do, dearie?” said the man, in the tone in which men who have been drinking excuse themselves to their stern spouses. “It’s the journey has made your shoulder ache, Sasha. Tomorrow we shall get there and rest, and the pain will go away.⁠ ⁠…”

“Tomorrow, tomorrow.⁠ ⁠… Every day you say tomorrow. We shall be going on another twenty days.”

“But we shall arrive tomorrow, dearie, on your father’s word of honour. I never tell a lie, but if we are detained by the snowstorm it is not my fault.”

“I can’t bear any more, I can’t, I can’t!”

Sasha jerked her leg abruptly and filled the room with an unpleasant wailing. Her father made a despairing gesture, and looked hopelessly towards the young lady. The latter shrugged her shoulders, and hesitatingly went up to Sasha.

“Listen, my dear,” she said, “it is no use crying. It’s really naughty; if your shoulder aches it can’t be helped.”

“You see, Madam,” said the man quickly, as though defending himself, “we have not slept for two nights, and have been travelling in a revolting conveyance. Well, of course, it is natural she should be ill