The Beggar - Chekhov

7/25/2019 The Beggar - Chekhov

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THE BEGGARby Anton Chekhov

"KIND sir, be so good as to notice a poor, hungry man. I have not tasted foodfor three days. I have not a ve-kopeck piece for a night's odging. I s!ear by

od# $or ve years I !as a viage schoomaster and ost my post through theintrigues of the Zemstvo. I !as the victim of fase !itness. I have been outof a pace for a year no!."

%kvortsov, a &etersburg a!yer, ooked at the speaker's tattered dark bueovercoat, at his muddy, drunken eyes, at the red patches on his cheeks, andit seemed to him that he had seen the man before.

"nd no! I am o(ered a post in the Kauga province," the beggar continued,"but I have not the means for the )ourney there. raciousy hep me# I amashamed to ask, but . . . I am compeed by circumstances."

%kvortsov ooked at his gooshes, of !hich one !as shao! ike a shoe, !hiethe other came high up the eg ike a boot, and suddeny remembered.

"*isten, the day before yesterday I met you in %adovoy %treet," he said, "andthen you tod me, not that you !ere a viage schoomaster, but that you!ere a student !ho had been e+peed. Do you remember"

"N-o. No, that cannot be so#" the beggar muttered in confusion. "I am aviage schoomaster, and if you !ish it I can sho! you documents to prove

it."

"hat's enough ies# ou caed yoursef a student, and even tod me !hatyou !ere e+peed for. Do you remember"

%kvortsov /ushed, and !ith a ook of disgust on his face turned a!ay fromthe ragged gure.

"It's contemptibe, sir#" he cried angriy. "It's a s!inde# I' hand you over tothe poice, damn you# ou are poor and hungry, but that does not give youthe right to ie so shameessy#"

he ragged gure took hod of the door-hande and, ike a bird in a snare,ooked round the ha desperatey.

"I . . . I am not ying," he muttered. "I can sho! documents."


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"0ho can beieve you" %kvortsov !ent on, sti indignant. "o e+poit thesympathy of the pubic for viage schoomasters and students -- it's so o!,so mean, so dirty# It's revoting#"

%kvortsov /e! into a rage and gave the beggar a merciess scoding. he

ragged feo!'s insoent ying aroused his disgust and aversion, !as ano(ence against !hat he, %kvortsov, oved and pri1ed in himsef2 kindiness, afeeing heart, sympathy for the unhappy. 3y his ying, by his treacherousassaut upon compassion, the individua had, as it !ere, deed the charity!hich he iked to give to the poor !ith no misgivings in his heart. he beggarat rst defended himsef, protested !ith oaths, then he sank into sience andhung his head, overcome !ith shame.

"%ir#" he said, aying his hand on his heart, "I reay !as . . . ying# I am not astudent and not a viage schoomaster. that's mere invention# I used tobe in the 4ussian choir, and I !as turned out of it for drunkenness. 3ut !hat

can I do 3eieve me, in od's name, I can't get on !ithout ying -- !hen I tethe truth no one !i give me anything. 0ith the truth one may die of hungerand free1e !ithout a night's odging# 0hat you say is true, I understand that,but . . . !hat am I to do"

"0hat are you to do ou ask !hat are you to do" cried %kvortsov, goingcose up to him. "0ork -- that's !hat you must do# ou must !ork#"

"0ork. . . . I kno! that mysef, but !here can I get !ork"

"Nonsense. ou are young, strong, and heathy, and coud a!ays nd !ork ifyou !anted to. 3ut you kno! you are a1y, pampered, drunken# ou reek ofvodka ike a pothouse# ou have become fase and corrupt to the marro! ofyour bones and t for nothing but begging and ying# If you do graciousycondescend to take !ork, you must have a )ob in an o5ce, in the 4ussianchoir, or as a billiard-marker, !here you !i have a saary and havenothing to do# 3ut ho! !oud you ike to undertake manua abour I' bebound, you !oudn't be a house porter or a factory hand# ou are too genteefor that#"

"0hat things you say, reay . . ." said the beggar, and he gave a bitter smie.

"6o! can I get manua !ork It's rather ate for me to be a shopman, for intrade one has to begin from a boy7 no one !oud take me as a house porter,because I am not of that cass. . . . nd I coud not get !ork in a factory7 onemust kno! a trade, and I kno! nothing."

"Nonsense# ou a!ays nd some )ustication# 0oudn't you ike to chop!ood"


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"I !oud not refuse to, but the reguar !oodchoppers are out of !ork no!."

"8h, a iders argue ike that# s soon as you are o(ered anything you refuseit. 0oud you care to chop !ood for me"

"9ertainy I !i. . ."

":ery good, !e sha see. . . . ;+ceent. 0e' see#" %kvortsov, in nervoushaste7 and not !ithout maignant peasure, rubbing his hands, summoned hiscook from the kitchen.

"6ere, 8ga," he said to her, "take this genteman to the shed and et himchop some !ood."

he beggar shrugged his shouders as though pu11ed, and irresoutey

foo!ed the cook. It !as evident from his demeanour that he had consentedto go and chop !ood, not because he !as hungry and !anted to earnmoney, but simpy from shame and amour propre,because he had beentaken at his !ord. It !as cear, too, that he !as su(ering from the e(ects ofvodka, that he !as un!e, and fet not the faintest incination to !ork.

%kvortsov hurried into the dining-room. here from the !indo! !hich ookedout into the yard he coud see the !oodshed and everything that happenedin the yard. %tanding at the !indo!, %kvortsov sa! the cook and the beggarcome by the back !ay into the yard and go through the muddy sno! to the!oodshed. 8ga scrutini1ed her companion angriy, and )erking her ebo!

unocked the !oodshed and angriy banged the door open.

"


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"Never mind, et him go on . . ." he thought, going from the dining-room intohis study. "I am doing it for his good#"

n hour ater 8ga appeared and announced that the !ood had beenchopped up.

"6ere, give him haf a roube," said %kvortsov. "If he ikes, et him come andchop !ood on the rst of every month. . . . here !i a!ays be !ork forhim."

8n the rst of the month the beggar turned up and again earned haf aroube, though he coud hardy stand. $rom that time for!ard he took toturning up fre=uenty, and !ork !as a!ays found for him2 sometimes he!oud s!eep the sno! into heaps, or cear up the shed, at another he usedto beat the rugs and the mattresses. 6e a!ays received thirty to fortykopecks for his !ork, and on one occasion an od pair of trousers !as sent

out to him.

0hen he moved, %kvortsov engaged him to assist in packing and moving thefurniture. 8n this occasion the beggar !as sober, goomy, and sient7 hescarcey touched the furniture, !aked !ith hanging head behind thefurniture vans, and did not even try to appear busy7 he merey shivered !iththe cod, and !as overcome !ith confusion !hen the men !ith the vansaughed at his ideness, feebeness, and ragged coat that had once been agenteman's. fter the remova %kvortsov sent for him.

"0e, I see my !ords have had an e(ect upon you," he said, giving him aroube. "his is for your !ork. I see that you are sober and not disincined to!ork. 0hat is your name"

"*ushkov."

"I can o(er you better !ork, not so rough, *ushkov. 9an you !rite"

"es, sir."

"hen go !ith this note to-morro! to my coeague and he !i give you some

copying to do. 0ork, don't drink, and don't forget !hat I said to you. ood-bye."

%kvortsov, peased that he had put a man in the path of rectitude, patted*ushkov geniay on the shouder, and even shook hands !ith him at parting.


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*ushkov took the etter, departed, and from that time for!ard did not cometo the back-yard for !ork.

!o years passed. 8ne day as %kvortsov !as standing at the ticket-o5ce of atheatre, paying for his ticket, he sa! beside him a itte man !ith a ambskin

coar and a shabby cat's-skin cap. he man timidy asked the cerk for agaery ticket and paid for it !ith kopecks.

"*ushkov, is it you" asked %kvortsov, recogni1ing in the itte man his former!oodchopper. "0e, !hat are you doing re you getting on a right"

"&retty !e. . . . I am in a notary's o5ce no!. I earn thirty-ve roubes."

"0e, thank od, that's capita. I re)oice for you. I am very, very gad,*ushkov. ou kno!, in a !ay, you are my godson. It !as I !ho shoved youinto the right !ay. Do you remember !hat a scoding I gave you, eh ouamost sank through the /oor that time. 0e, thank you, my dear feo!, forremembering my !ords."

"hank you too," said *ushkov. "If I had not come to you that day, maybe Ishoud be caing mysef a schoomaster or a student sti. es, in your house I!as saved, and cimbed out of the pit."

"I am very, very gad."

"hank you for your kind !ords and deeds. 0hat you said that day !as

e+ceent. I am gratefu to you and to your cook, od bess that kind, nobe-hearted !oman. 0hat you said that day !as e+ceent7 I am indebted to youas ong as I ive, of course, but it !as your cook, 8ga, !ho reay saved me."

"6o! !as that"

"0hy, it !as ike this. I used to come to you to chop !ood and she !oudbegin2 'h, you drunkard# ou od-forsaken man# nd yet death does nottake you#' and then she !oud sit opposite me, amenting, ooking into myface and !aiing2 'ou unucky feo!# ou have no gadness in this !ord, andin the ne+t you !i burn in he, poor drunkard# ou poor sorro!fu creature#'

and she a!ays !ent on in that stye, you kno!. 6o! often she upset hersef,and ho! many tears she shed over me I can't te you. 3ut !hat a(ected memost -- she chopped the !ood for me# Do you kno!, sir, I never chopped asinge og for you -- she did it a# 6o! it !as she saved me, ho! it !as Ichanged, ooking at her, and gave up drinking, I can't e+pain. I ony kno!that !hat she said and the nobe !ay she behaved brought about a changein my sou, and I sha never forget it. It's time to go up, though, they are )ustgoing to ring the bell."


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*ushkov bo!ed and !ent o( to the gaery.

N8;%

>emstvo2 a district counci !ith ocay eected members

pothouse2 o!-cass pub

a biiard-marker2 one !ho keeps score in biiard games

amour propre2 conceit, vanity

ring the be2 in 4ussian theaters three bes !ere rung, and the curtain !entup on the third be

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The Beggar - Chekhov