How does Chekhov's impressionistic writing style affect the concerns and impact the story. (use quotes).-What is he saying?-How do you process it?Make an argument- What is the experience and how does

" anna O n T he N eck " A nton Chekhov I A FTER t he w eddin g th ey h ad not e ven li ght r efreshm ent s; th e h app y p air si mply d ra nk a g la ss of c hampa gn e, c han ged into their t rav ell in g thin gs, and d rove to th e station. Inst ead of a g ay w eddin g b all a nd s upper, inst ead of mus ic a nd dan cing, th ey w ent on a journ ey to p ra y a t a sh rine a hund red a nd fif ty m ile s a w ay . M any p eopl e c ommende d this, sayin g t ha t Mod est Al exeitch w as a man high up in th e servi ce a nd no l onger y oung, a nd th at a nois y w eddin g might not hav e s eemed quit e suitabl e; a nd m usic is a pt to sound d re ar y wh en a g o ver nm ent offi cia l of fif ty -two mar rie s a g ir l w ho is onl y jus t e igh teen. Peopl e s aid, too, th at Mod est Alexeitch, b eing a man of prin cip le , h ad a rran ged thi s v is it to th e mona stery expr essl y in o rde r to m ake his y oung b ride r ea liz e th at ev en in mar ria g e h e put re ligion a nd morali ty abov e every th in g. T he h appy pai r we re se en of f at th e st ation. T he c rowd of r ela tions a nd colleagu es i n th e s e rvi ce s tood, with g la sses in the ir hands, w aitin g fo r the t rain t o sta rt t o shout " Hurr ah !" a nd th e brid e's f ath er, P yot r L eo nty it ch , we arin g a top -hat a nd th e unifo rm of a tea ch er, a lr e ad y d runk a nd very pal e, kept cran ing tow ards t he window, g la ss in hand a nd say in g in a n implorin g voice: " A ny uta ! A nya, An ya! on e wo rd!" Ann a ben t out of the w indow to him, and he w hisp er ed somethin g to her , env elopin g h er in a s ta le sme ll of a lcohol , blew int o her ear - - sh e could ma ke out nothin g - - a nd made th e si gn of the cr oss ove r her face, h er bos om, a nd h er h ands ; meanwhile h e was b re athin g in g asp s and t ears w ere shini ng in hi s e yes. A nd t he s choolbo ys, A nn a's b rothers , Pet ya a nd And rusha, pul le d a t his c oat from behind, whispe ring in c onfu sion: " F ath er, hush ! . . . F ather, th at's enou gh. . . . " When the t rain s tarted, Ann a sa w he r fath er r un a little wa y a fter th e t rai n, st ag g eri ng a nd spilli ng his win e, and wh at a k ind, gu ilty , pit iful fac e he ha d: " H urr a--a h !" h e shout ed. T he h appy pai r we re l eft a lon e. Mod est A le xeit ch looke d about the c ompartment, arra nged th eir t hin gs on th e shelves, a nd s at down, s miling, oppos ite his youn g wi fe . H e w as a n off icial of medi um height, r ath er stout a nd puffy, who look ed e xceed ing ly w ell nou rished, with l ong whisk ers a nd no m oustach e. His cle an -sh aven, r ound, s harpl y d ef ined c hin look ed li ke th e heel of a foot . The m ost ch ara ct eristi c poin t i n his fac e w as the a bsen ce of mous ta c h e, th e bare, f reshl y sh aven pla ce, w hich g ra d u all y p assed into the fat c he ek s, quiv erin g lik e jell y. Hi s depo rtm ent was dignified, his move ments were delib erat e, his manne r was sof t. " I ca nno t h elp r emember ing now on e ci rcumstan ce," h e said, smiling. "Wh en, five yea rs Livros Grátis http://www.livrosgratis.com.br Milhares de livros grátis para download.

a g o , Kos orotov r ec ei ved th e order of S t. A nna of th e s econd g ra de , a nd w ent to th ank His E xc ell ency , H is E xc ell ency expr essed hims elf as f ollows : 'So now y ou h av e thr ee Ann as: on e in y our bu ttonhol e and two on y our n ec k.' A nd i t must be e xpl ained th at at that time Kos orotov 's w if e, a quarre ls om e a nd f rivolous p erson, h ad just re turn ed to him, and th at her n ame wa s Anna. I tru st th at w hen I receive th e Ann a of the s econd g ra d e His Excell ency will not hav e o cca sion t o say th e s ame thin g t o m e." H e smi led wit h hi s littl e e yes. A nd sh e, t oo, smil ed, t roubl ed at th e t houg ht that a t any mo ment this man might k iss her w ith hi s thi ck damp lips , and th at she h ad no r ight to p rev ent hi s doin g so. Th e soft move ment s of his fat p erson f right en ed he r; she fe lt both f ear a nd di sgust. H e g ot up, withou t haste took off th e o rder f rom his neck, took off his c oat a nd w ais tco at, a nd put on his dr essin g-go wn. " T hat 's b etter," he s aid, sittin g dow n beside Ann a. Ann a r em embered w hat agon y t he w eddi ng ha d b een, wh en it had se emed to h er th at th e p riest, a nd th e g uests , a nd ev ery on e in chu rch h ad bee n lookin g a t he r so rrowfu lly and a sk ing why, w hy w as sh e, such a sweet, ni ce gi rl, mar ry in g s uch a n elde rly, unint ere stin g g en tl em an. O nly th at mornin g she was d eli ght ed th at every th in g h ad be en sa tis fa ct oril y a rra ng ed , but a t the time of th e w eddi ng, and no w in the ra ilwa y c ar riag e, she f elt chea te d, g u il ty , a nd ri diculous. H ere she h ad mar ried a rich man and y et s he had no mone y, h er w eddin g-dres s had b een bou ght on c re di t, a nd w hen h er f ath er and b rothers h ad be en sa yin g g o od -bye, sh e cou ld s ee f rom their f ace s th at th ey h ad not a far thin g. W ould th ey h av e an y supp er th at da y? And tomor row? And fo r some reas on it s eemed to her th at h er fa the r and th e bo ys w ere sittin g toni ght hun gry wit hout her , and f eelin g t he s ame miser y a s th ey h ad th e d ay a fter th eir mother 's funeral. " O h, how unh appy I a m! " she thou ght. " Why a m I so unh appy?" W ith th e aw kwa rdn ess of a man with s ettle d h abits, un accu stom ed to dea l w ith wom en, Mod est Al exeitch tou ched h er on th e waist a nd p atted h er on th e should er, whil e s he went on thi nking a bou t m one y, a bout her mothe r and her m othe r's de ath. When her m othe r di ed, h er f ath er, P yot r L eo nty itc h , a t each er of d rawin g and w ritin g i n th e hi gh s choo l, had ta ken to d rink, impoverishment had f ollow ed, t he bo ys had not h ad boots o r golo sh es , their f ath er h ad b een h aul ed up b efore the mag istrat e, th e wa rra nt off ice r h ad c ome and made a n inv ento ry of t he fu rni ture. . . . W hat a disgra ce ! A nna h ad had to look after he r drunken f ath er, d arn h er broth ers ' sto ckin gs, g o to mark et, and w hen s he w as c ompli mented on he r y out h, h er b eaut y, a nd h er el eg an t manne rs , i t s eemed to her th at ev ery on e w as looki ng a t h er c hea p h at and the hole s i n he r boo ts th at w ere i nked ov er. And a t ni ght th ere h ad b een t e ars a nd a haunt ing dre ad th at he r fath er would soon, v ery soon, b e dism issed from the s choo l for his w eakn ess , and th at he would not s urviv e i t, but would di e, too, like their mother. B ut ladies of t heir ac quaint an ce had ta ken th e matte r in hand a nd looked about f or a g o od mat ch f or A nna. T his Mod est Al exevitch, who w as neith er youn g no r good -look in g but h ad mone y, wa s soon found. H e had a hund red thou sand in t he bank a nd the fa mily e sta te , whi ch he h ad let on l ea se. H e was a man o f p rin cipl e a nd stood w ell w ith Hi s E xc ell ency ; i t w oul d be nothin g to him, so they told Ann a, to ge t a not e f rom His E xc ell ency to the di recto rs of t he hi gh s choo l, o r ev en to th e Educat ion Com missioner, t o p rev ent P yot r L eo nty it ch from bein g dis mis sed. Whi le she w as r ecall in g th ese det ails, s he sudd enly h eard s trai ns of mus ic whi ch flo ated i n a t th e windo w, together with the sound of voices. Th e train w as stoppi ng a t a st ation. In th e c rowd b ey on d th e pl atfo rm an a cco rdion a nd a cheap squ eak y fiddl e were be in g b riskl y pl ay ed , a nd th e sound of a military b and c ame from bey o nd t he vi llas a nd th e t all bir ches a nd popl ars t hat l ay b ath ed i n th e moonli ght; there m ust hav e been a dan ce i n th e pl ac e. Sum mer vi sito rs a nd t ownsp eople, who us ed to com e out h ere by t rai n in fine w eather fo r a b re ath of fr esh ai r, w ere paradin g up a nd down on the pla tfo rm . Among t hem was t he w ealth y owne r of all the sum mer vill as -- a tall , st out , dark m an c all ed Ar ty no v. He h ad p rominent e yes a nd look ed l ike an A rm enian. H e wore a stran ge c ostum e; his shi rt was unbutt oned, sho wing hi s c hest; h e wore hi gh boot s with spu rs, and a bla ck c loak hun g f rom his s houlders a nd d ragg ed on t he ground lik e a train. T wo bo ar- hound s follow ed him with th eir s harp no ses to th e gr ound. T ea rs we re s till shinin g in Ann a's e yes, but she w as not thinki ng now of h er m othe r, no r of mone y, no r of h er mar riag e; but sha kin g hands with s choolboys a nd of fic ers s he kn ew, she l au gh ed g aily and s aid quick ly : " H ow do y ou do? How are you?" She w ent out on to th e platfo rm betwe en the c arri ag es i nto the m oonl ight, a nd stood so that th ey c oul d all see h er in h er n ew splendid d ress a nd h at. " W hy a re we stoppin g here ?" s he a sked. " T hi s i s a jun ction. Th ey a re w aitin g fo r th e m ail train t o pass. " Se ein g th at Ar ty no v wa s lookin g at h er, sh e screw ed up h er eyes c oqu ettishl y and b eg an t alkin g a loud in F re n ch; and b ecau se he r voice s ound ed so pleasant, a nd bec ause she h eard mus ic a nd t he moon was r efl ec ted i n th e pond, and b eca us e A rty n ov , th e noto rious Don Jua n a nd spoil ed child of fo rtun e, w as l ooki ng a t he r eag erl y and w ith c uriosit y, a nd b eca use e very on e w as in g ood spi rits - - sh e sudd enl y f elt jo yfu l, a nd w hen the train st art ed a nd th e offic ers of h er a cqu aint ance s alut ed h er, sh e wa s hum ming th e pol ka th e strain s of whi ch r eac hed h er f rom the m ilit ary b and pl ay in g b ey on d th e t ree s; a nd sh e r et urn ed t o he r c ompartment feel in g a s t hou gh i t h ad b een prov ed to he r at th e st ation that sh e would c ertai nl y be h appy in spi te of ev ery th in g. T he h appy pai r s pent two d ay s a t th e m onaste ry , th en went b ack t o town. Th ey l iv ed i n a r e nt -free flat. When Modest Al exevit ch ha d gon e to t he office, A nna pl ay ed th e pi ano, o r sh ed t ea rs of dep res sion, or l ay down on a couc h and re ad nov els o r look ed t hrou gh f ashion p ap ers. A t dinn er Mod est Alexevitch a te a gre at d eal a nd ta lk ed about po litics, a bou t a ppointments, tran sfe rs, a nd promotions in the servi ce, a bout the n ece ss ity of hard w ork, a nd s aid tha t, f am ily l if e not being a pl easu re but a dut y, i f y ou t ook c are of th e kop eck s th e r oub les w ould take c are of t hems elve s, a nd t hat he pu t r eli gion a nd moral ity b efo re e v er yth in g e lse i n th e wo rld. A nd hol ding hi s kn if e in hi s fi st a s thou gh it w ere a swo rd, h e would s ay : " E ver y on e ou ght to hav e his duti es!" And Ann a listened to h im , w as f ri gh ten ed, a nd could not eat, a nd she u su all y g ot up f rom th e t abl e hung ry . Af te r dinn er h er hu sband l ay do wn for a nap and sno red loudl y, whil e Ann a went to s ee her own p eople. Her father and th e boys l ooked a t her in a pecul ia r w ay , a s t houg h just be fo re sh e cam e in th ey h ad b een bl aming h er fo r havin g ma rried fo r mone y a t edious , wear isome man s he did not love; he r rustlin g ski rts, her b racelet s, and h er g ene ra l a ir o f a mar ried l ady, off ended th em and made th em unc omfor tabl e. I n h er p resen ce t hey f elt a littl e e mba rrassed a nd did not know what to t alk to her abou t; but yet th ey st ill love d h er a s be fo re, a nd w ere not used to h aving dinn er without her. She sa t down w ith th em to c abba ge soup, po rrid ge, and fr ied pot atoes, smelling o f m utton dripp ing. Pyotr L eon ty itch fi lle d his glass f rom the d ecan te r with a trembling h and and drank i t off hurri edl y, g re edi ly , with r epu ls ion, then pou red out a second g la ss a nd th en a thi rd. P ety a a nd A ndrush a, thin, p al e bo ys wi th bi g e yes, w oul d tak e th e decant er and s ay d esp erat ely: " Y ou mustn't, fath er. . . . Enou gh, f ather. . . ." And Ann a, too, wa s troub le d a nd e ntreated hi m to d rink no mor e; and h e would sudd enly fl y i nto a rag e a nd b eat t he t able with h is f is ts: " I w on 't a llow a ny one to di ctate to me !" h e w oul d shout. " Wret ch ed bo ys! w ret ched g irl! I 'll tu rn y ou a ll out !" B ut th ere w as a note of w eakn ess, of g oo d-n atur e i n his voice, a nd no on e was a fr aid o f him.

After di nner he us ually dr essed in hi s be st. Pal e, wit h a c ut on his c hin f rom shavi ng, c ra nin g hi s thi n ne ck, h e would s ta nd fo r half a n hou r befo re th e g la ss, p rinking, combing his h air, twistin g h is bl ack moustach e, sprinkli ng himself with s cent, t ying his cr av at in a bow; th en he w oul d put on hi s gloves and his top -hat, a nd g o o ff to g iv e hi s p rivat e lessons. O r i f it was a holid ay h e would st ay a t hom e a nd p aint, o r pl ay th e h armoniu m, which wh eezed a nd gro wl ed; h e w oul d try to w res t f rom it pu re ha rmonious sounds and w ould sin g to it; o r w oul d storm at th e bo ys: " W ret ch es! Good -for-nothin g bo ys! You h ave s poi led th e instrument! " I n t he e venin g Ann a's husb and play ed c ards with his coll ea g ue s, w ho l iv ed und er th e same r oo f in the go vernment quart ers . T he wiv es of these g entlemen would come in -- ugly , t a st eles sly d ress ed women, as c oars e a s cooks - - a nd g ossip would beg in in t he flat as t a st eles s a nd un attr a ct iv e a s t he l adie s th ems elves . Som etimes Mod est Al exevitch w ould t ak e A nna to th e theatr e. I n th e inte rvals h e w ould nev er l et h er s tir a step fr om his side, but w alk ed a bout a rm in a rm wit h he r throu gh t he c orrido rs a nd th e f oyer. When he bow ed to som e one, h e immediate ly whispe re d to Anna: " A civ il c oun cillo r . . . v isits at Hi s E xc ell ency 's " ; o r, " A ma n o f m eans . . . ha s a hous e of h is own. " Whe n they pa sse d t he buff et Ann a had a gre at lon gin g fo r some thin g sweet; she w as fond of c hocolate a nd appl e c ake s, but she h ad no m oney, a nd sh e did no t l ik e t o a sk h er husband. H e would take a p ear , pin ch it wi th his finger s, a nd a sk unce rtainl y: " H ow much?" " T we nty -fi ve kop ecks !" " I sa y!" h e would r eply, a nd put i t dow n; but as i t w as aw kwa rd to l eave t he buf fet w ithout bu ying anyth in g, he w ould ord er some seltze r-water a nd d rink th e whole bottle himself, and t e ars would c ome in to his e yes. And Anna hated him at such ti mes . And s uddenl y fl ushi ng c rimson, he would s ay t o he r rapid ly : " B ow t o th at old lady!" " B ut I don 't know h er. " " N o matte r. That's the wi fe of t he di re cto r of t he lo cal t re asu ry ! B ow , I tell y ou," h e w ould g rumble insi stent ly . "Y our hea d won't drop off. " Ann a bowed a nd he r head ce rtainl y did no t d rop off, but it was agonizin g. She did e v er yth in g h er hus band w anted he r to, and w as fu rious wi th herself fo r h avin g l et h im d ece ive her lik e th e v eri est idiot. She h ad only mar ried him for h is m one y, a nd y et s he had l e ss mone y no w th an be fo re h er mar ria g e. In ol d da ys he r fathe r would s ometi mes giv e h er tw ent y kop ecks , but now s he h ad no t a farthing. T o tak e mone y b y s te al th o r ask fo r it, she c ould not; sh e wa s afraid of her hus band, s he t r embled befo re him . She fe lt a s thou gh sh e had be en afra id of hi m fo r years. In h er c hildhood th e directo r of th e high sc hool h ad alw ay s s eemed the most im pres siv e a nd t e rri fy in g f or ce in th e world, s weepin g dow n lik e a thund ers to rm or a ste am- en gin e r ead y to c ru sh he r; anoth er simila r f or ce of whi ch the w hol e fam ily t alk ed, a nd of which t hey w ere fo r some reason a fra id, w as Hi s E xce lle n cy ; th en th ere w ere a doz en oth ers, l ess fo rmidable, a nd among them the t each ers at t he hi gh s chool, wit h shaven upp er li ps, stern, implac abl e; and now fin ally, th ere w as Mod est A lexeitch, a man of princ ipl e, w ho eve n r e se m bl ed the directo r in the face. And in Ann a's ima ginati on al l these fo rces bl ended to geth er into on e, and, in t he form of a ter ribl e, hu ge whit e bear, me naced th e w ea k and e rri ng s uch a s her fath er. And she was a fraid to s ay a nyth in g i n oppos ition to h er husb and, a nd g ave a fo rce d sm ile, and t ried t o make a show of ple a su re wh en she was coarsel y c ares sed a nd de file d b y em braces th at e xcit ed h er t erro r. Onl y on ce P yo tr L eo nt yitc h h ad th e t emerit y to a sk f or a loan o f f ift y ro ubl es in o rder to p ay some ver y i rk some debt, bu t wh at a n ago ny it h ad be en! " V ery go od; I 'l l g iv e it to y ou," sa id Mod est Alexeitch a fter a mo ment's thought; " bu t I wa rn y ou I won 't help y ou a gain t ill y ou g iv e up d rinkin g. Such a failin g is di sgra ce ful in a man in th e g ov er nment servi ce! I mus t r emind you of the well -kno wn fact th at ma ny c ap abl e p eopl e have bee n r uine d b y th at p as sion, thou gh th ey might poss ibl y, with t emperance, hav e r is en in t im e to a very hig h And lon g-wind ed phr ases fol lowed: " inasmuch as . . ., " "f ollowin g upon whi ch propo siti on . . . , " in vi ew of th e a fo res aid c ont ent ion . . . "; a nd P yotr L eo n ty itc h w as i n ag oni es of humili ati on and fe lt a n i ntens e cr avin g fo r alc ohol. And wh en the bo ys cam e to vis it A nn a, g en er ally in b roken boots a nd thre adba re trou sers, th ey , too, h ad to lis ten to sermons. " E ver y man ought to h ave his du ties !" Mode st Al exe itc h would s ay t o th em . And h e did not g iv e t hem mone y. B ut he did g iv e A nna b ra cel ets , ri ng s, a nd b rooches, s a y in g th at th ese th in gs w oul d come in useful fo r a rain y da y. And h e ofte n unl ocked h er d raw er and made an inspecti on to see w heth er the y we re a ll sa fe. I I M eanwhil e winter c ame on. L on g b efo re C hrist m as th ere w as an a nnoun cement in the local p ap ers th at th e usual win ter b all would t ake pl ace on th e t w ent y-ni nth of D ecem ber in the H all of Nobil ity. Ev ery ev enin g aft er c ards Mod est Alexeitch w as excitedl y w hisp erin g wi th his c olleag ues' wiv es and gl an cin g a t Ann a, and th en paced up a nd down th e room for a lon g whil e, thinkin g. At l ast, l ate one eve nin g, h e stood s till , facin g A nna, a nd said: " Y ou ou ght to g et y ou rse lf a ball dr ess . Do y ou und erst and? Only pl eas e consu lt M ary a G rigo ry ev n a a nd N atalya K uzm inishna. " And h e ga ve h er a hund red roubl es. She took t he money, but s he did not consult any one wh en she o rdere d t he b all d res s; sh e spoke to no on e but her fa the r, a nd t ried to ima gine how h er mother would h ave d re ssed fo r a ball. H er m othe r had a lw ay s d re sse d i n th e l at est f a shion and ha d alwa ys t ake n tr oubl e over Ann a, dressi ng her e legant ly lik e a dol l, a nd h ad t au ght h er to sp eak F ren ch a nd danc e the mazurka sup erbl y ( sh e had b een a gov er nes s fo r fi ve y ears b efo re he r mar riag e). L ik e h er mothe r, A nna could make a new d re ss ou t of a n old on e, clea n g lov es with b enzine, hire jew els; a nd, l ike h er mother, sh e knew how to s c re w up h er e yes, l is p, a ssume gra cefu l a ttitud es, fl y into r apture s when n ece ssary , and th row a mournful and e nigm atic look into h er e yes. A nd f rom her f ath er she h ad i nherite d th e d ark c olour of h er h air a nd e yes, h er hi ghl y-st run g ne rves, a nd th e habi t of a lwa ys makin g herse lf look h er b est. When, half a n hou r be fo re s ett in g off for the b all, Mod est Alexeitch w ent into her room without his c oat on, to put h is o rde r round his n eck be fo re h er pi er-g las s, d azz le d b y he r b eaut y a nd th e splendou r of her fresh, e therea l d re ss, h e combed his whiskers c omplac entl y a nd s aid: " S o th at's wh at m y w if e c an look like . . . so t hat's w hat y ou c an l ook lik e! Anyuta !" h e w ent on, d ropping int o a ton e of sol emnity, "I ha ve m ade y our fo rtune, a nd now I beg y ou to do som ethi ng for mine. I b eg y ou t o ge t int roduc ed to th e wife of Hi s E xce lle n cy ! F or God 's s ak e, do ! Throu gh h er I m ay g et th e pos t o f s enio r r epo rtin g c le rk! " T he y w ent to the ball . They r ea ch ed th e Hall of Nobil ity, th e e ntra nc e with th e hall po rter. T he y c am e to th e vesti bule wi th the ha t-st ands, t he fur coa ts ; footme n s cu rry in g a bout, a nd l adi es w ith low nec ks put ting up th eir f ans to s cree n the mselv es from the d rau ght s. T here w as a smell of gas and of soldi ers. W hen Ann a, walki ng ups tairs on he r husband's a rm, h ear d th e mus ic a nd saw herself full len gth in t he looki ng-g la ss in th e full glow of t he li ghts , th ere wa s a r ush o f jo y in h er h ear t, a nd sh e f elt th e s ame pr esentiment of happin ess a s i n th e m oonl ight at th e st ation. She w alked i n proudl y, c onf id en tly, for the first ti me f e elin g he rself not a girl but a lad y, a nd un consciou sly imitati ng h er mother in h er w alk and in h er mann er. And fo r th e fi rst t ime in he r life s he fe lt r ich a nd f ree. E ven h er hus band's p re senc e did not oppress h er, fo r a s sh e cros sed th e thre shol d of the hall she h ad g uessed instin ctively tha t th e p roxi mity o f a n o ld hus band did not detrac t f rom her in t he l ea st, but, on th e contr ary , ga ve h er tha t s had e of piqu ant myst ery th at is so a ttr a ct iv e t o m en. The o rch estr a w as a lre ad y pl ay in g and th e danc es h ad b egu n. Aft er th eir f la t A nn a w as ov erwh elm ed by th e li ghts, th e bri gh t c olour s, t he m usic, the noise, a nd lookin g round th e r oom, thought, " Oh, how lov ely!" She a t on ce distin gu is h ed i n th e c rowd a ll her a cqua int an ces, e very on e she h ad me t be fo re a t parties o r on pi cnics -- all th e offi cers , t he t e ache rs, t he l aw yers , th e off icia ls , th e l andown ers, H is Exce llenc y, Art yno v, and th e ladi es of t he hi gh est st andin g, dr ess ed up a nd very d écoll ettées , h andsome and u gly , who h ad a lr e ad y t ak en up th eir po siti ons in the s talls a nd pavil ions of the c harit y b aza ar, to b eg in s e llin g thin gs fo r th e be nef it of t he poo r. A hu ge of ficer i n epa ule ttes - - s he had b een int rodu ced to him in Sta ro-Ki evsky S tr e et w hen s he w as a school gir l, but now she cou ld not r emember hi s name -- s eemed to sprin g f rom out of the gr ound, b eg g ing her fo r a waltz , and sh e fl ew a way f rom her husb and, f eelin g a s thou gh s he w ere f loatin g a way in a sai lin g-boat in a viol ent sto rm , whi le her hus band w as left f ar a way on the shor e. S he dan ced p assion ately, w ith fe rvou r, a waltz, then a polka and a quadrill e, b eing snatch ed b y one p artn er a s soon a s she w as l eft b y a noth er, dizz y with music and the nois e , mix ing Russian with F ren ch, lis ping, l au ghin g, a nd w ith no thou ght of her husband o r anyth in g e ls e . S he excit ed gre at admiration amon g th e men -- t hat wa s evid ent, and ind eed it could not have b een ot herwis e; sh e w as b reathles s with excitem ent, felt thi rs ty, and c onvulsiv ely clut ched h er f an. P yot r L eo nty it ch , he r fath er, in a crumpled dre ss-c oat t hat sm elt of b enzine , c am e up to h er, o ffe ri ng her a plate of p ink ice. " Y ou a re e nchanti ng thi s e veni ng," h e sa id, looki ng at h er ra ptu rou sly, " an d I hav e never so much reg re tted th at you w ere in su ch a hu rry t o ge t marri ed. . . . Wha t w as it fo r? I know y ou did i t for ou r sak e, but . . . " With a shaking hand h e drew out a roll of notes a nd said: " I g o t th e mone y f or m y l essons toda y, a nd ca n pay y our hus band wh at I ow e him." She put t he plate b ack into hi s h and, a nd was poun ced upon b y some one and bo rne off to a dist ance. S he cau gh t a gl im pse over h er pa rtne r's shoul der of her fath er g lid in g ov er th e fl oor, puttin g h is a rm round a lady a nd w hirlin g down th e ball -room with h er. " H ow sw eet he is wh en he is sobe r!" s he thou ght. She d anced the mazurka wit h the s ame huge offi cer ; h e m oved gra vel y, a s h eavi ly a s a de ad c arca se in a unifo rm, twit ched his s houlders a nd hi s chest, s tam ped his feet v ery l ang uid ly - - he f elt fea rfu lly di sin clin ed to d ance. S he flut ter ed r ound hi m, p rovokin g him by h er b eaut y, h er b are ne ck; h er e yes g low ed defi antly, h er m ove ments were pass ion ate, whi le h e b eca me more a nd more i ndiff ere nt, a nd he ld out hi s ha nds t o he r as gr aciou sly a s a kin g. " B ra v o, b ravo !" said p eople watchi ng the m. B ut lit tle b y li ttl e th e hug e of fic er, too, b roke out ; he gre w liv ely, exc ite d, and, ov erc om e b y h er f ascin ation, w as carri ed aw ay a nd d anc ed l ightl y, y outh fu lly , whil e she mer ely moved h er s hould ers a nd look ed sl yly a t him as thou gh she we re no w th e qu een and he were h er sl ave ; a nd a t that m ome nt it s eeme d to he r that th e whole r oom was look in g a t th em , and th at e ver yb ody w as th rill ed a nd e nvied th em. The hu ge offi ce r h ad ha rdly ha d time to thank h er fo r the d ance, wh en the c rowd sudd enly p art ed and the men dre w thems elve s up in a st ran ge w ay , wi th t hei r hands a t th eir si des . His Excell ency , w ith t wo s ta rs on hi s dres s-co at, w as walkin g up t o her. Yes, H is E xc ell ency was walkin g st rai ght towa rds her, fo r he w as st ari ng directl y a t h er w ith a su gar y sm ile, while h e li cke d his l ips a s he alw ay s did whe n he saw a pre tty wom an. " D eli gh ted, d elig hted . . . " h e b eg an. " I s hall o rder y our husb and to be c la pped in a lock-up fo r ke epin g s uch a trea sur e hi dden f rom us t ill now. I 'v e c om e to y ou with a message fr om m y wif e," h e went on, off ering her his a rm. "Y ou m ust help us. . . . M -m-yes. . . . W e ou ght to g iv e y ou th e p rize f or beauty a s th ey do in Ameri ca. . . . M -m-yes. . . . T he Ame ric ans . . . . M y wif e is e xpecti ng you i m pati en tly ." H e l ed he r to a sta ll a nd p res ent ed h er to a middl e-a g ed la dy, t he l owe r part of whos e fac e w as disp roportion atel y l arg e, so th at she look ed as thou gh s he w ere ho lding a big s tone in h er mouth. " Y ou must help us, " s he said th rough h er nos e in a sing -son g voi ce. " All th e pretty wom en a re w orkin g for ou r char ity baz aar , and y ou a re t he onl y on e enjoyin g y ours e lf . W hy w on 't y ou h elp u s?" She w ent aw ay , and Ann a took her pl ace b y t he c ups a nd th e silver samovar. S he w as soon doin g a liv ely tr ade. A nna ask ed no l ess t han a roubl e fo r a cup of tea, a nd m ade th e hu ge off icer d rink th ree c ups. A rtyno v, t he r ich m an with p rominent e yes, who s uffe red f rom a sth ma, came up, t oo; he w as not dress ed in t he strang e c ostume in which Ann a had s een him in the s um mer at th e s ta ti on, but wo re a d res s-c oat l ike eve ry on e els e. Ke epin g hi s e y es f ixe d on Ann a, he d rank a glass of c hampa gne and p aid a hundr ed roubles fo r it, th en d rank s ome t ea a nd g av e a no th er hund re d -- all this without s ay in g a w ord, a s he was sho rt of b re ath th rough a sthm a. . . . Ann a invited pu rchas ers a nd g ot m one y out o f them , f irml y c onvin ced b y now th at h er smil es a nd gl an ces c ould not fai l to a fford t hese peopl e gre at pl easu re. She r ealiz ed now tha t s he w as c re ated exclus iv ely f or th is noi sy , b rilli ant, l au ghin g l if e , with its music, its d ancer s, its a dorers, a nd h er old terro r of a force th at wa s sw eepin g dow n upon h er a nd mena cing t o c rush h er s eemed t o her rid ic u lous : sh e w as a fraid o f no one now, and onl y r eg re tted t hat h er mother c ould not be the re to rejoi ce a t her su ccess. P yotr L eon ty itc h, p ale b y now but stil l stead y on hi s l eg s, c ame up to t he stall a nd ask ed for a g las s of brand y. Ann a tu rn ed cr imson, expecting him to say s ome thin g in app ropri ate ( sh e w as a lre ad y a sha med of h avin g su ch a poo r and o rdinary fa th er); bu t he emptied hi s glass, took t en roubl es out o f his ro ll of no tes, fl ung it dow n, and w alked a way wi th di gnit y without utte rin g a wo rd. A li ttle l ate r sh e sa w him danc in g in th e gra n d c hain, a nd by now h e w as st ag gering and kept s houting s om ethi ng, t o the g re a t confus ion of hi s pa rtner; a nd Ann a r em embered ho w at the ball th ree yea rs befo re h e h ad s ta g gere d a nd s hout ed i n th e s ame way , a nd it h ad ended in t he police -serg ean t's t akin g hi m home to bed, a nd next da y th e di recto r had thr eat en ed to dismiss him from his po st. H ow inapp ropria te th at memor y w as ! When the sam ovars w ere put out in th e sta ll s a nd th e exh aus ted l adi es h anded ov er th eir t akin gs t o th e middl e-a ged l ad y with t he ston e in her m out h, A rty no v took Ann a on hi s arm to t he h all wh ere supp er w as se rv ed to a ll who h ad assist ed a t th e ba zaa r. Th ere w ere some tw ent y p eopl e at suppe r, not more, but it was ve ry noi sy . H is Excel le n cy p roposed a toas t: " In this m agn ifi cent dinin g-room it wil l be approp riat e to drink to t he success of the che ap dini ng-room s, w hich a re the ob je ct o f tod ay 's b azaa r." T he b rigadi er-g ene ra l p ropos ed the toast: "T o th e pow er by whi ch even the artill ery is v anqui shed," a nd a ll the com pany c link ed g la ss es with t he ladies. I t w as v ery , ve ry g ay . When Anna w as e sco rted hom e i t w as day lig ht a nd t he c ooks w ere go ing to m arke t. J oy fu l, int oxi ca ted, fu ll of n ew sens ations , exh aust ed, sh e undre ssed, dropp ed into bed, a nd at once f ell a slee p. . . . I t w as p ast on e in the afte rnoon w hen the serv ant w aked h er a nd a nnoun ced th at M. A rtyn ov had c alled. She d re ssed qui ckl y a nd w ent dow n into the dr awin g-room. Soon after A rtyn ov , His Excell ency c all ed t o th ank h er fo r he r assist ance in th e baz aa r. With a sug ary sm ile, chewin g hi s lips, he kiss ed her h and, and a sking her p ermission to com e again , took his l eave , whi le sh e rem ain ed s tandin g i n th e middle of the dra w ing -ro om , a m azed, e n cha nte d, un able to b elie v e th at t his ch ange in h er l if e, thi s m arve llous c hange, h ad t aken pl ace s o qui ckl y; a nd a t tha t m oment Mod est Al exeitch w alked in . . . a nd he, too, stood b efo re h er now with the s ame ing ra ti atin g, s ug ary , c rin ging ly r espec tful expr ession w hich sh e w as a ccustome d to s ee on hi s face in the pr esenc e of th e gre at and pow erful ; a nd wit h r a ptu re, w ith indi gnation, wi th c onte mpt, convin ced th at no h arm would c ome to her from it , s he s aid, a rticul atin g di stin ctly e ac h w ord: " B e off , you bl ockh ead !" F rom this time forward A nna ne ver had on e day f re e, a s she w as alway s ta king pa rt in pi cni cs, e xpedit ions, perfo rmanc es. She r etu rn ed hom e ev ery d ay a fter midnight, a nd went to b ed on th e floor in th e d rawin g-r oom, and a fte rwa rds us ed to t ell ev ery on e, touch in gly , how s he slept und er fl ow ers. She n eed ed a very g re at d eal of mone y, but she w as no lon ger a fraid o f M odest Al exeitch, a nd spent hi s m one y a s t houg h it we re h er ow n; and sh e did not a sk, d id not demand it, simp ly sent him in th e bi lls . "G ive be arer t w o hund red r oubles," o r " P ay on e hundr ed roubl es a t on ce." At E aster Mod est Al exe itc h r eceived th e Anna of the s econd g ra d e. When he w ent to off er his th anks, His Excell ency put asid e th e pa per h e w as r ea din g and s ettle d hi mself m ore c omfortabl y in hi s c hai r. " S o now you h av e t hree Ann as," h e said, s crutini zin g his white h ands and pink n ails -- " one on y our bu ttonhol e a nd two on y our n eck. " Mod est Al exeitch put two f in gers t o his lips a s a p re cau tion ag ainst l aughin g too loud a nd s a id: " N ow I hav e onl y t o l ook fo rward to the arriv al of a littl e Vl adimir. I make bol d to b eg y our E xc ell ency to stand g odf ath er." H e wa s all udin g to V ladimir of the fourth gr ade, and w as alr e ad y ima ginin g ho w he w ould t ell e very w her e th e s to ry o f this pun, so happ y in its re adiness and a udacit y, a nd h e want ed to s ay s omething e qually h app y, but His E xce lle n cy w as bu rie d a gain in h is n ews pap er, a nd mer ely g av e him a nod. And Ann a went on d riving about with th ree ho rses, g oing out hunt in g w ith Ar ty n ov , pl ay in g in on e-act d ram as, g oin g out to s uppe r, and w as more a nd m ore r arely w ith h er own f amil y; t hey d ine d now a lone. P yotr L eon ty itc h w as d rinki ng more h eavi ly t han e ver; th ere w as no mone y, and t he ha rmonium had been sold lon g a go fo r debt. Th e boys did no t l et him go out a lone in th e stree t now, but look ed after him for f ea r h e might fa ll down; a nd wh enev er th ey met Ann a d rivi ng in S taro-Kievsk y S tr ee t with a pair o f ho rses a nd A rtynov on th e box ins te ad of a coachman, Pyo tr L eo nty itch took of f hi s top -hat, a nd was about to shout to h er, but Pe ty a a nd And rusha took him by th e a rm, and s aid im pl or ingly: " Y ou mustn't, fath er. H ush, f ather!" Livros Grátis ( http :// www .

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