Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev
COUNTY DOCTOR
One autumn, on the way back from the field I had left, I caught a cold and fell ill. Fortunately, the fever caught me in county town, in a hotel; I sent for the doctor. Half an hour later he showed up county doctor, a man of short stature, thin and black hair. He prescribed me the usual diaphoretic, ordered me to put on a mustard plaster, very deftly slipped a five-ruble note under his cuff, and, however, coughed dryly and looked to the side, and was just about to go home, but somehow got into conversation and stayed. The heat tormented me; I foresaw a sleepless night and was glad to chat with kind person. Tea was served. My doctor started talking. He was not a stupid little guy, he expressed himself smartly and quite funny. Strange things happen in the world: you live with another person for a long time and are on friendly terms, but you never speak to him openly, from the heart; You barely have time to get to know someone else - and lo and behold, either you told him or he told you, as if in confession, all the ins and outs. I don’t know how I earned the trust of my new friend - only he, out of the blue, as they say, “took it” and told me a rather remarkable case; and now I am bringing his story to the attention of the sympathetic reader. I will try to express myself in the words of a doctor.
You don’t deign to know,” he began in a relaxed and trembling voice (such is the effect of pure Berezovsky tobacco), “you don’t deign to know the local judge, Mylov, Pavel Lukich?.. You don’t know... Well, it doesn’t matter. (He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes.) Well, if you please see, it was like this, how can I tell you - not to lie, in Lent, at the very beginning. I sit with him, our judge, and play preference. We have a judge good man and the hunter plays preference. Suddenly (my doctor often used the word: suddenly) they say to me: your man is asking you. I say: what does he need? They say he brought a note - it must be from a patient. Give me a note, I say. That’s right: from a sick person... Well, okay - this, you know, is our bread... But here’s the thing: a landowner, a widow, writes to me; he says, his daughter is dying, come, for the sake of the Lord our God himself, and the horses, they say, have been sent for you. Well, that’s all nothing... Yes, she lives twenty miles from the city, and it’s night outside, and the roads are such that wow! And she herself is getting poorer, you can’t expect more than two rubles either, and it’s still doubtful, but maybe you’ll have to use canvas and some grains. However, duty, you understand, first of all: a person dies. I suddenly hand over the cards to the indispensable member Kalliopin and go home. I look: there is a little cart in front of the porch; The peasant horses are pot-bellied, the wool on them is real felt, and the coachman, for the sake of respect, sits without a hat. Well, I think it’s clear, brother, your gentlemen don’t eat on gold... You deign to laugh, but I’ll tell you: our brother, poor man, take everything into consideration... If the coachman sits like a prince, but doesn’t break his hat, and still chuckles from under his beard, and wiggles his whip - feel free to hit two deposits! But here, I see, things don’t smell right. However, I think there is nothing to do: duty comes first. I grab the essential medications and head off. Believe it or not, I barely made it. The road is hellish: streams, snow, mud, waterholes, and then suddenly the dam burst - disaster! However, I'm coming. The house is small, covered with thatch. There is light in the windows: you know, they are waiting. I'm coming in. A respectable old lady came towards me, wearing a cap. “Save me,” he says, “he’s dying.” I say: “Don’t worry about it... Where is the patient?” - “Here you go.” I look: the room is clean, and in the corner there is a lamp, on the bed there is a girl of about twenty, unconscious. She is bursting with heat, breathing heavily - she has a fever. There are two other girls there, sisters, scared and in tears. “They say that yesterday I was completely healthy and ate with appetite; In the morning today I complained about my head, and in the evening I was suddenly in this position...” I again said: “Please don’t worry,” - a doctor’s duty, you know, - and began. He bled her, ordered her to put mustard plasters on, and prescribed a potion. Meanwhile, I look at her, I look, you know, - well, by God, I have never seen such a face before... a beauty, in a word! Pity makes me feel so bad. The features are so pleasant, the eyes... Well, thank God, I’ve calmed down; sweat appeared as if she had come to her senses; she looked around, smiled, ran her hand over her face... The sisters bent over to her and asked: “What’s wrong with you? - “Nothing,” she said, and turned away... I looked - she fell asleep. Well, I say, now we should leave the patient alone. So we all tiptoed out; the maid stayed alone just in case. And in the living room there is already a samovar on the table, and a Jamaican one is right there: in our business we cannot do without it. They served me tea and asked me to stay overnight... I agreed: where to go now! The old lady keeps groaning. “What are you doing? - I say. “She’ll be alive, don’t worry, if you please, but rather rest yourself: it’s the second hour.” - “Will you order me to wake up if something happens?” - “I will order, I will order.” The old lady left, and the girls also went to their room; They made a bed for me in the living room. So I lay down, but I can’t fall asleep, what miracles! Well, it seems like he's worn himself out. My patient is driving me crazy. Finally, he couldn’t stand it, he suddenly stood up; I think I’ll go and see what the patient is doing? And her bedroom is next to the living room. Well, I got up, quietly opened the door, and my heart kept beating. I look: the maid is sleeping, her mouth is open and she’s even snoring, she’s a beast! and the sick woman lies facing me and spreads her arms, poor thing! I approached... She suddenly opened her eyes and stared at me!.. “Who is this? who is this?" I was embarrassed. “Don’t be alarmed,” I say, “madam: I’m a doctor, I came to see how you feel.” - “Are you a doctor?” - “Doctor, doctor... Your mother sent for me to the city; We bled you, madam; Now, if you please, rest, and in two days, God willing, we will get you back on your feet.” - “Oh, yes, yes, doctor, don’t let me die... please, please.” - “What are you talking about, God be with you!” And she has a fever again, I think to myself; I felt the pulse: definitely, fever. She looked at me - how she would suddenly take my hand. “I’ll tell you why I don’t want to die, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you... now we’re alone; Just you, please, no one... listen...” I bent down; she moved her lips close to my ear, touched my cheek with her hair - I admit, my head went spinning - and began to whisper... I don’t understand anything... Oh, yes, she’s delirious... She whispered, whispered, but so quickly and as if not -Russian finished, shuddered, dropped her head on the pillow and threatened me with her finger. “Look, doctor, no one...” Somehow I calmed her down, gave her something to drink, woke up the maid and left.
Annotation
“Rarely have two difficultly combined elements been combined to such an extent, in such complete balance: sympathy for humanity and artistic feeling,” F.I. admired “Notes of a Hunter.” Tyutchev. The series of essays “Notes of a Hunter” basically took shape over five years (1847-1852), but Turgenev continued to work on the book. To the twenty-two early essays, Turgenev added three more in the early 1870s. About two dozen more plots remained in sketches, plans and testimonies of contemporaries.
Naturalistic descriptions of the life of pre-reform Russia in “Notes of a Hunter” develop into reflections on the mysteries of the Russian soul. The peasant world grows into myth and opens up into nature, which turns out to be a necessary background for almost every story. Poetry and prose, light and shadows intertwine here in unique, whimsical images.
Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev
Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev
COUNTY DOCTOR
One autumn, on the way back from the field I had left, I caught a cold and fell ill. Fortunately, the fever caught me in the county town, in a hotel; I sent for the doctor. Half an hour later the district doctor appeared, a short man, thin and black-haired. He prescribed me the usual diaphoretic, ordered me to put on a mustard plaster, very deftly slipped a five-ruble note under his cuff, and, however, coughed dryly and looked to the side, and was just about to go home, but somehow got into conversation and stayed. The heat tormented me; I anticipated a sleepless night and was glad to chat with a kind man. Tea was served. My doctor started talking. He was not a stupid little guy, he expressed himself smartly and quite funny. Strange things happen in the world: you live with another person for a long time and are on friendly terms, but you never speak to him openly, from the heart; You barely have time to get to know someone else - and lo and behold, either you told him or he told you, as if in confession, all the ins and outs. I don’t know how I earned the trust of my new friend - only he, out of the blue, as they say, “took it” and told me a rather remarkable case; and now I am bringing his story to the attention of the sympathetic reader. I will try to express myself in the words of a doctor.
“You don’t deign to know,” he began in a relaxed and trembling voice (such is the effect of pure Berezovsky tobacco), “you don’t deign to know the local judge, Mylov, Pavel Lukich?.. You don’t know... Well, it doesn’t matter. (He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes.) Well, if you please see, it was like this, how can I tell you - not to lie, during Lent, at the very beginning of the thaw. I sit with him, our judge, and play preference. Our judge is a good person and a keen player of preference. Suddenly (my doctor often used the word: suddenly) they say to me: your man is asking you. I say: what does he need? They say he brought a note - it must be from a patient. Give me a note, I say. That’s right: from a sick person... Well, okay - this, you know, is our bread... But here’s the thing: a landowner, a widow, writes to me; he says, his daughter is dying, come, for the sake of the Lord our God himself, and the horses, they say, have been sent for you. Well, that’s all nothing... Yes, she lives twenty miles from the city, and it’s night outside, and the roads are such that wow! And she herself is getting poorer, you can’t expect more than two rubles either, and it’s still doubtful, but maybe you’ll have to use canvas and some grains. However, duty, you understand, first of all: a person dies. I suddenly hand over the cards to the indispensable member Kalliopin and go home. I look: there is a little cart in front of the porch; The peasant horses are pot-bellied, the wool on them is real felt, and the coachman, for the sake of respect, sits without a hat. Well, I think it’s clear, brother, your gentlemen don’t eat on gold... You deign to laugh, but I’ll tell you: our brother, poor man, take everything into account... If the coachman sits like a prince, but doesn’t break his hat, and still chuckles from under his beard, and wiggles his whip - feel free to hit two deposits! But here, I see, things don’t smell right. However, I think there is nothing to do: duty comes first. I grab the essential medications and head off. Believe it or not, I barely made it. The road is hellish: streams, snow, mud, waterholes, and then suddenly the dam burst - disaster! However, I'm coming. The house is small, covered with thatch. There is light in the windows: you know, they are waiting. I'm coming in. A respectable old lady came towards me, wearing a cap. “Save me,” he says, “he’s dying.” I say: “Don’t worry about it... Where is the patient?” - “Here you go.” I look: the room is clean, and in the corner there is a lamp, on the bed there is a girl of about twenty, unconscious. She is bursting with heat, breathing heavily - she has a fever. There are two other girls there, sisters, scared and in tears. “They say that yesterday I was completely healthy and ate with appetite; In the morning today I complained about my head, and in the evening I was suddenly in this position...” I again said: “If you please, don’t worry,” it’s a doctor’s duty, you know, and I started. He bled her, ordered her to put mustard plasters on, and prescribed a potion. Meanwhile, I look at her, I look, you know, - well, by God, I have never seen such a face before... a beauty, in a word! Pity makes me feel so bad. The features are so pleasant, the eyes... Well, thank God, I’ve calmed down; sweat appeared as if she had come to her senses; she looked around, smiled, ran her hand over her face... The sisters bent over to her and asked: “What’s wrong with you?” “Nothing,” she said, and turned away... I saw that she had fallen asleep. Well, I say, now we should leave the patient alone. So we all tiptoed out; the maid stayed alone just in case. And in the living room there is already a samovar on the table, and a Jamaican one is right there: in our business we cannot do without it. They served me tea and asked me to stay overnight... I agreed: where to go now! The old lady keeps groaning. “What are you doing? - I say. “She’ll be alive, don’t worry, if you please, but rather rest yourself: it’s the second hour.” - “Will you order me to wake up if something happens?” - “I will order, I will order.” The old lady left, and the girls also went to their room; They made a bed for me in the living room. So I lay down, but I can’t fall asleep, what miracles! Well, it seems like he's worn himself out. My patient is driving me crazy. Finally, he couldn’t stand it, he suddenly stood up; I think I’ll go and see what the patient is doing? And her bedroom is next to the living room. Well, I got up, quietly opened the door, and my heart kept beating. I look: the maid is sleeping, her mouth is open and she’s even snoring, she’s a beast! and the sick woman lies facing me and spreads her arms, poor thing! I approached... She suddenly opened her eyes and stared at me!.. “Who is this? who is this?" I was embarrassed. “Don’t be alarmed,” I say, “madam: I’m a doctor, I came to see how you feel.” - “Are you a doctor?” - “Doctor, doctor... Your mother sent for me to the city; We bled you, madam; Now, if you please, rest, and in two days, God willing, we will get you back on your feet.” - “Oh, yes, yes, doctor, don’t let me die... please, please.” - “What are you talking about, God be with you!” And she has a fever again, I think to myself; I felt the pulse: definitely, fever. She looked at me - how she would suddenly take my hand. “I’ll tell you why I don’t want to die, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you... now we’re alone; Just you, please, no one... listen...” I bent down; she moved her lips close to my ear, touched my cheek with her hair - I admit, my head went spinning - and began to whisper... I don’t understand anything... Oh, yes, she’s delirious... She whispered, whispered, but so quickly and as if not -Russian finished, shuddered, dropped her head on the pillow and threatened me with her finger. “Look, doctor, no one...” Somehow I calmed her down, gave her something to drink, woke up the maid and left.
Here the doctor again sniffed tobacco fiercely and became numb for a moment.
However,” he continued, “the next day the patient, contrary to my expectations, did not feel better. I thought and thought and suddenly decided to stay, although other patients were waiting for me... And you know, this cannot be negliged: practice suffers from this. But, firstly, the patient was really in despair; and secondly, I must tell the truth, I myself felt a strong disposition towards her. Besides, I liked the whole family. Although they were poor people, they were, one might say, extremely educated... Their father was a learned man, a writer; He died, of course, in poverty, but managed to impart an excellent upbringing to his children; I also left a lot of books. Is it because I worked diligently around the sick woman, or for some other reason, only I, I dare say, was loved in the house like one of their own... Meanwhile, the mudslide became terrible: all communications, so to speak, stopped completely; even medicine was delivered with difficulty from the city... The patient did not get better... Day after day, day after day... But here... here... (The doctor paused.) Really, I don’t know how to explain it to you, sir... (He sniffed again tobacco, grunted and took a sip of tea.) I’ll tell you without mincing words, my patient... as if that... well, she fell in love with me, or something... or not, not that she fell in love... but by the way... really, as it is, that, sir ... (The doctor looked down and blushed.)
No,” he continued with liveliness, “what I fell in love with!” Finally, you need to know your worth. She was an educated, smart, well-read girl, and I even forgot my Latin, one might say, completely. As for the figure (the doctor looked at himself with a smile), there also seems to be nothing to brag about. But the Lord God didn’t make me a fool either: I won’t call white black; I also guess something. For example, I understood very well that Alexandra Andreevna - her name was Alexandra Andreevna - did not feel love for me, but a friendly, so to speak, disposition, respect, or something. Although she herself may have been mistaken in this regard, but what her position was, you can judge for yourself... However,” added the doctor, who said all these abrupt speeches without taking a breath and with obvious confusion, “I seem to be a little reported... You won’t understand anything... but let me tell you everything in order.
Yes, yes, sir. My patient is getting worse with...
Quick navigation back: Ctrl+←, forward Ctrl+→S. Gribkov. Sick
One autumn, on the way back from the field I had left, I caught a cold and fell ill. Fortunately, the fever caught me in the county town, in a hotel; I sent for the doctor. Half an hour later the district doctor appeared, a short man, thin and black-haired. He prescribed me the usual diaphoretic, ordered me to put on a mustard plaster, very deftly slipped a five-ruble note under his cuff, and, however, coughed dryly and looked to the side, and was just about to go home, but somehow got into conversation and stayed. The heat tormented me; I anticipated a sleepless night and was glad to chat with a kind man. Tea was served. My doctor started talking. He was not a stupid little guy, he expressed himself smartly and quite funny. Strange things happen in the world: you live with another person for a long time and are on friendly terms, but you never speak to him openly, from the heart; You barely have time to get to know someone else - and lo and behold, either you told him or he told you, as if in confession, all the ins and outs. I don’t know how I earned the trust of my new friend - only he, out of the blue, as they say, “took it” and told me a rather remarkable case; and now I am bringing his story to the attention of the sympathetic reader. I will try to express myself in the words of a doctor.
You don’t deign to know,” he began in a relaxed and trembling voice (such is the effect of pure Berezovsky tobacco), “you don’t deign to know the local judge, Mylov, Pavel Lukich?.. You don’t know... Well, it doesn’t matter. (He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes.) Well, if you please see, it was like this, how can I tell you - not to lie, during Lent, at the very beginning of the thaw. I sit with him, our judge, and play preference. Our judge is a good person and a keen player of preference. Suddenly (my doctor often used the word: suddenly) they say to me: your man is asking you. I say: what does he need? They say he brought a note - it must be from a patient. Give me a note, I say. That’s right: from a sick person... Well, okay - this, you know, is our bread... But here’s the thing: a landowner, a widow, writes to me; he says, his daughter is dying, come, for the sake of the Lord our God himself, and the horses, they say, have been sent for you. Well, that’s all nothing... Yes, she lives twenty miles from the city, and it’s night outside, and the roads are such that wow! And she herself is getting poorer, you can’t expect more than two rubles either, and it’s still doubtful, but maybe you’ll have to use canvas and some grains. However, duty, you understand, first of all: a person dies. I suddenly hand over the cards to the indispensable member Kalliopin and go home. I look: there is a little cart in front of the porch; The peasant horses are pot-bellied, the wool on them is real felt, and the coachman, for the sake of respect, sits without a hat. Well, I think it’s clear, brother, your gentlemen don’t eat on gold... You deign to laugh, but I’ll tell you: our brother, poor man, take everything into consideration... If the coachman sits like a prince, but doesn’t break his hat, and still chuckles from under his beard, and wiggles his whip - feel free to hit two deposits! But here, I see, things don’t smell right. However, I think there is nothing to do: duty comes first. I grab the essential medications and head off. Believe it or not, I barely made it. The road is hellish: streams, snow, mud, waterholes, and then suddenly the dam burst - disaster! However, I'm coming. The house is small, covered with thatch. There is light in the windows: you know, they are waiting. I'm coming in. A respectable old lady came towards me, wearing a cap. “Save me,” he says, “he’s dying.” I say: “Don’t worry about it... Where is the patient?” - “Here you go.” I look: the room is clean, and in the corner there is a lamp, on the bed there is a girl of about twenty, unconscious. She is bursting with heat, breathing heavily - she has a fever. There are two other girls there, sisters, scared and in tears. “They say that yesterday I was completely healthy and ate with appetite; In the morning today I complained about my head, and in the evening I was suddenly in this position...” I again said: “Please don’t worry,” - a doctor’s duty, you know, - and began. He bled her, ordered her to put mustard plasters on, and prescribed a potion. Meanwhile, I look at her, I look, you know, - well, by God, I have never seen such a face before... a beauty, in a word! Pity makes me feel so bad. The features are so pleasant, the eyes... Thank God, I’ve calmed down; sweat appeared as if she had come to her senses; she looked around, smiled, ran her hand over her face... The sisters bent over to her and asked: “What’s wrong with you?” “Nothing,” she said, and turned away... I saw that she had fallen asleep. Well, I say, now we should leave the patient alone. So we all tiptoed out; the maid stayed alone just in case. And in the living room there is already a samovar on the table, and a Jamaican one is right there: in our business we cannot do without it.
They served me tea and asked me to stay overnight... I agreed: where to go now! The old lady keeps groaning. “What are you doing? - I say. “She’ll be alive, don’t worry, if you please, but rather rest yourself: it’s the second hour.” - “Will you order me to wake up if something happens?” - “I will order, I will order.” The old lady left, and the girls also went to their room; They made a bed for me in the living room. So I lay down, but I can’t fall asleep, what miracles! Well, it seems like he's worn himself out. My patient is driving me crazy. Finally, he couldn’t stand it, he suddenly stood up; I think I’ll go and see what the patient is doing? And her bedroom is next to the living room. Well, I got up, quietly opened the door, and my heart kept beating. I look: the maid is sleeping, her mouth is open and she’s even snoring, she’s a beast! and the sick woman lies facing me and spreads her arms, poor thing! I approached... She suddenly opened her eyes and stared at me!.. “Who is this? who is this?" I was embarrassed. “Don’t be alarmed,” I say, “madam: I’m a doctor, I came to see how you feel.” - “Are you a doctor?” - “Doctor, doctor... Your mother sent for me to the city; We bled you, madam; Now, if you please, rest, and in two days, God willing, we will get you back on your feet.” - “Oh, yes, yes, doctor, don’t let me die... please, please.” - “What are you doing, God bless you!” And she has a fever again, I think to myself; I felt the pulse: definitely, fever. She looked at me - how she would suddenly take my hand. “I’ll tell you why I don’t want to die, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you... now we’re alone; Just you, please, no one... listen...” I bent down; she moved her lips close to my ear, touched my cheek with her hair - I admit, my head went spinning - and began to whisper... I don’t understand anything... Oh, yes, she’s delirious... She whispered, whispered, but so quickly and as if not -Russian finished, shuddered, dropped her head on the pillow and threatened me with her finger. “Look, doctor, no one...” Somehow I calmed her down, gave her something to drink, woke up the maid and left.
Here the doctor again sniffed tobacco fiercely and became numb for a moment.
However,” he continued, “the next day the patient, contrary to my expectations, did not feel better. I thought and thought and suddenly decided to stay, although other patients were waiting for me... And you know, this cannot be negliged: practice suffers from this. But, firstly, the patient was really in despair; and secondly, I must tell the truth, I myself felt a strong disposition towards her. Besides, I liked the whole family. Although they were poor people, they were, one might say, extremely educated... Their father was a learned man, a writer; He died, of course, in poverty, but managed to impart an excellent upbringing to his children; I also left a lot of books. Is it because I worked diligently around the sick woman, or for some other reason, only I, I dare say, was loved in the house like one of their own... Meanwhile, the mudslide became terrible: all communications, so to speak, stopped completely; even the medicine was delivered with difficulty from the city... The patient did not get better... Day after day, day after day... But here... here... (The doctor paused.) Really, I don’t know how to explain it to you, sir... (He sniffed again tobacco, grunted and took a sip of tea.) I’ll tell you without mincing words, my patient... as if that... well, she fell in love with me, or something... or not, not that she fell in love... but by the way... really, as it is, that, sir ... (The doctor looked down and blushed.)
No,” he continued with liveliness, “what I fell in love with!” Finally, you need to know your worth. She was an educated, smart, well-read girl, and I even forgot my Latin, one might say, completely. As for the figure (the doctor looked at himself with a smile), there also seems to be nothing to brag about. But the Lord God didn’t make me a fool either: I won’t call white black; I also guess something. For example, I understood very well that Alexandra Andreevna - her name was Alexandra Andreevna - did not feel love for me, but a friendly, so to speak, disposition, respect, or something. Although she herself may have been mistaken in this regard, but what her position was, you can judge for yourself... However,” added the doctor, who said all these abrupt speeches without taking a breath and with obvious confusion, “I seem to be a little reported... You won’t understand anything... but let me tell you everything in order.
Yes, yes, sir. My patient was getting worse, worse, worse. You are not a doctor, dear sir; you cannot understand what is happening in our brother’s soul, especially at first, when he begins to realize that the illness is overpowering him. Where does self-confidence go? You suddenly become so shy that you can’t even tell. So it seems to you that you have forgotten everything you knew, and that the patient no longer trusts you, and that others are already beginning to notice that you are lost, and they are reluctant to tell you the symptoms, they look at you from under their brows, they whisper... uh, bad! After all, there is a cure, you think, for this disease, you just have to find it. Isn't that it? If you try, no, it’s not! You don’t give the medicine time to work properly... you grab this, then that. You used to take a recipe book... because here it is, you think, here! Honestly, sometimes you reveal it at random: maybe, you think, it’s fate... And meanwhile the person dies; and another doctor would have saved him. A consultation, you say, is needed; I don't take responsibility. And what a fool you look in such cases! Well, you'll get over it over time, that's okay. A person died - it’s not your fault: you acted according to the rules. But here’s what else is painful: you see blind trust in you, but you yourself feel that you are unable to help. This is exactly the kind of trust that Alexandra Andreevna’s entire family had in me: they forgot to think that their daughter was in danger. I, for my part, also assure them that it’s nothing, they say, but the soul itself is sinking into their heels. To top off the misfortune, the mud became so bad that the coachman used to drive for medicine all day long. But I don’t leave the sick room, I can’t tear myself away, I tell different, you know, funny jokes, I play cards with her. I sit through the night. The old lady thanks me with tears; and I think to myself: “I’m not worth your gratitude.” I confess to you frankly - now there is no need to hide - I fell in love with my patient. And Alexandra Andreevna became attached to me: she used to let no one into her room except me. He starts talking to me, asking me where I studied, how I live, who are my relatives, who am I going to? And I feel that there is no point in talking to her; but I can’t forbid her, resolutely, you know, forbid her. Sometimes I’ll grab myself by the head: “What are you doing, robber?..” Or he’ll take my hand and hold it, look at me, look at me for a long, long time, turn away, sigh and say: “How kind you are!” Her hands are so hot, her eyes are big and languid. “Yes,” he says, “you are kind, you are a good person, you are not like our neighbors... no, you are not like that, you are not like that... How come I still didn’t know you! “-“Alexandra Andreevna, calm down,” I say... “believe me, I feel, I don’t know what I did to deserve it... just calm down, for God’s sake, calm down... everything will be fine, you’ll be healthy.” Meanwhile, I must tell you,” added the doctor, bending forward and raising his eyebrows, “that they had little contact with their neighbors because the small ones were no match for them, and pride forbade them to know the rich. I’m telling you: it was an extremely educated family - so, you know, it was flattering to me. She took the medicine from my hands alone... the poor thing will rise up, take it with my help and look at me... my heart will skip a beat. And meanwhile she was getting worse and worse: she would die, I think she would certainly die. Would you believe it, even going to the coffin yourself; and here my mother and sisters are watching, looking into my eyes... and trust disappears. "What? How?" - “Nothing, sir, nothing!” Why, sir, the mind is in the way. Well, sir, I was sitting one night, alone again, next to the patient. The girl is also sitting here and snoring at the top of her lungs in Ivanovo... Well, it’s impossible to recover from the unfortunate girl: she, too, has slowed down. Alexandra Andreevna felt very unwell all evening; the fever tormented her. Until midnight everything was rushing about; finally seemed to fall asleep; at least he’s not moving, he’s lying down. The lamp in the corner in front of the image is burning. I’m sitting, you know, with my eyes down, dozing too. Suddenly, as if someone had pushed me in the side, I turned around... Lord, my God! Alexandra Andreevna looks at me with all her eyes... her lips are open, her cheeks are burning. "What's wrong with you?" - “Doctor, am I going to die?” - “God have mercy!” - “No, doctor, no, please don’t tell me that I’ll be alive... don’t tell me... if you knew... listen, for God’s sake don’t hide my situation from me! - And she breathes so quickly. “If I know for sure that I have to die... then I’ll tell you everything, everything!” - “Alexandra Andreevna, have mercy!” - “Listen, I haven’t slept at all, I’ve been looking at you for a long time... for God’s sake... I believe you, you are a good person, you honest man , I conjure you with all that is holy in the world - tell me the truth! If you knew how important this is for me... Doctor, for God’s sake, tell me, am I in danger?” - “What can I tell you, Alexandra Andreevna, have mercy!” - “For God’s sake, I beg you!” - “I can’t hide it from you, Alexandra Andreevna, - you are definitely in danger, but God is merciful...” - “I will die, I will die...” And she seemed to be delighted, her face became so cheerful; I was scared. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, death doesn’t frighten me at all.” She suddenly stood up and leaned on her elbow. “Now... well, now I can tell you that I am grateful to you with all my heart, that you are a kind, good person, that I love you...” I look at her like crazy; I’m terrified, you know... “Do you hear, I love you...” - “Alexandra Andreevna, what did I do to deserve it!” - “No, no, you don’t understand me... you don’t understand me...” And suddenly she reached out her hands, grabbed my head and kissed me... Would you believe it, I almost screamed... I threw myself on my knees and hid my head in the pillows. She is silent; her fingers are trembling on my hair; I hear: crying. I began to console her, assure her... I really don’t know what I told her. “Wake up the girl,” I say, “Alexandra Andreevna... thank you... believe me... calm down.” “Yes, that’s enough, that’s enough,” she repeated. - God be with them all; Well, they’ll wake up, well, they’ll come - it doesn’t matter: after all, I’m going to die... And why are you timid, why are you afraid? Raise your head... Or maybe you don’t love me, maybe I was deceived... in that case, forgive me.” - “Alexandra Andreevna, what are you saying?.. I love you, Alexandra Andreevna.” She looked me straight in the eyes and opened her arms. “So hug me...” I’ll tell you frankly: I don’t understand how I didn’t go crazy that night. I feel that my patient is ruining herself; I see that she is not entirely in my memory; I also understand that if she had not honored herself at death’s door, she would not have thought about me; but, as you wish, it’s terrible to die at twenty-five years old, without loving anyone: that’s what tormented her, that’s why, out of despair, she even grabbed hold of me, do you understand now? Well, she doesn’t let me out of her arms. “Spare me, Alexandra Andreevna, and spare yourself, I say.” “Why,” he says, “why regret? After all, I must die...” She kept repeating this. “Now, if I knew that I would survive and again end up with decent young ladies, I would be ashamed, as if ashamed... but then what?” - “Who told you that you would die?” - “Eh, no, that’s enough, you won’t deceive me, you don’t know how to lie, look at yourself.” - “You will live, Alexandra Andreevna, I will cure you; we will ask your mother for a blessing... we will unite in ties, we will be happy.” - “No, no, I took your word, I have to die... you promised me... you told me...” It was bitter for me, bitter for many reasons. And just think, these are the kind of things that sometimes happen: it seems like nothing, but it hurts. She took it into her head to ask me what my name was, that is, not my surname, but my first name. It must be such a misfortune that my name is Tryphon. Yes, yes, yes, Trifon, Trifon Ivanovich. Everyone in the house called me doctor. I, having nothing to do, say: “Tryphon, madam.” She squinted, shook her head and whispered something in French, “oh, something bad,” and then laughed, not good either. This is how I spent almost the whole night with her. In the morning he came out like he was mad; I entered her room again in the afternoon, after tea. My God, my God! It is impossible to recognize her: they put her in a more beautiful coffin. I swear on your honor, I don’t understand now, I absolutely don’t understand how I survived this torture. My patient creaked for three days and three nights... and what nights! What did she tell me!.. And on the last night, just imagine, I was sitting next to her and I asked God for one thing: clean her up as quickly as possible, and me too right there... Suddenly the old mother came into the room ... I told her the day before, my mother, that there is not enough hope, it’s bad, and a priest wouldn’t be bad. The sick woman saw her mother and said: “Well, it’s good that you came... look at us, we love each other, we gave each other our word.” - “What is she, doctor, what is she?” I'm dead. “He’s delirious, sir,” I say, “he’s feverish...” And she said: “Come on, come on, you just told me something completely different, and you accepted the ring from me... why are you pretending? My mother is kind, she will forgive, she will understand, but I am dying - there is no need for me to lie; give me your hand...” I jumped up and ran out. The old woman, of course, guessed.
I won’t, however, torment you any longer, and I myself, to admit, find it hard to remember all this. My patient died the next day. The kingdom of heaven to her (the doctor added quickly and with a sigh)! Before her death, she asked her people to go out and leave me alone with her. “Forgive me,” he says, “I may be to blame for you... illness... but, believe me, I didn’t love anyone more than you... don’t forget me... take care of my ring...”
The doctor turned away; I took his hand.
Eh! - he said. - Let's talk about something else, or would you like a small preference? Our brother, you know, has no reason to indulge in such sublime feelings. Our brother, think about one thing: no matter how the children squeal and the wife scold. After all, since then I managed to enter into a legal, as they say, marriage... How... I took the merchant’s daughter: seven thousand dowry. Her name is Akulina; Something to match Tryphon. Baba, I must tell you, is evil, but fortunately she sleeps all day... But what about preference?
We sat down in preference for a penny. Trifon Ivanovich won two rubles and a half from me - and left late, very pleased with his victory.
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Notes of a hunter -
Zmiy
“I.S. Turgenev. “Notes of a Hunter”: People's Asveta; Minsk; 1977
Annotation
“Rarely have two difficultly combined elements been combined to such an extent, in such complete balance: sympathy for humanity and artistic feeling,” F.I. admired “Notes of a Hunter.” Tyutchev. The series of essays “Notes of a Hunter” basically took shape over five years (1847-1852), but Turgenev continued to work on the book. To the twenty-two early essays, Turgenev added three more in the early 1870s. About two dozen more plots remained in sketches, plans and testimonies of contemporaries.
Naturalistic descriptions of the life of pre-reform Russia in “Notes of a Hunter” develop into reflections on the mysteries of the Russian soul. The peasant world grows into myth and opens up into nature, which turns out to be a necessary background for almost every story. Poetry and prose, light and shadows intertwine here in unique, whimsical images.
Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev
COUNTY DOCTOR
One autumn, on the way back from the field I had left, I caught a cold and fell ill. Fortunately, the fever caught me in the county town, in a hotel; I sent for the doctor. Half an hour later the district doctor appeared, a short man, thin and black-haired. He prescribed me the usual diaphoretic, ordered me to put on a mustard plaster, very deftly slipped a five-ruble note under his cuff, and, however, coughed dryly and looked to the side, and was just about to go home, but somehow got into conversation and stayed. The heat tormented me; I anticipated a sleepless night and was glad to chat with a kind man. Tea was served. My doctor started talking. He was not a stupid little guy, he expressed himself smartly and quite funny. Strange things happen in the world: you live with another person for a long time and are on friendly terms, but you never speak to him openly, from the heart; You barely have time to get to know someone else - and lo and behold, either you told him or he told you, as if in confession, all the ins and outs. I don’t know how I earned the trust of my new friend - only he, out of the blue, as they say, “took it” and told me a rather remarkable case; and now I am bringing his story to the attention of the sympathetic reader. I will try to express myself in the words of a doctor.
“You don’t deign to know,” he began in a relaxed and trembling voice (such is the effect of pure Berezovsky tobacco), “don’t you deign to know the local judge, Mylov, Pavel Lukich?.. You don’t know... Well, it doesn’t matter.” (He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes.) Well, if you please see, it was like this, how can I tell you - not to lie, during Lent, at the very beginning of the thaw. I sit with him, our judge, and play preference. Our judge is a good person and a keen player of preference. Suddenly (my doctor often used the word: suddenly) they say to me: your man is asking you. I say: what does he need? They say he brought a note - it must be from a patient. Give me a note, I say. That’s right: from a sick person... Well, okay - this, you know, is our bread... But here’s the thing: a landowner, a widow, writes to me; he says, his daughter is dying, come, for the sake of the Lord our God himself, and the horses, they say, have been sent for you. Well, that’s all nothing... Yes, she lives twenty miles from the city, and it’s night outside, and the roads are such that wow! And she herself is getting poorer, you can’t expect more than two rubles either, and it’s still doubtful, but maybe you’ll have to use canvas and some grains. However, duty, you understand, first of all: a person dies. I suddenly hand over the cards to the indispensable member Kalliopin and go home. I look: there is a little cart in front of the porch; The peasant horses are pot-bellied, the wool on them is real felt, and the coachman, for the sake of respect, sits without a hat. Well, I think it’s clear, brother, your gentlemen don’t eat on gold... You deign to laugh, but I’ll tell you: our brother, poor man, take everything into consideration... If the coachman sits like a prince, but doesn’t break his hat, and still chuckles from under his beard, and wiggles his whip - feel free to hit two deposits! But here, I see, things don’t smell right. However, I think there is nothing to do: duty comes first. I grab the essential medications and head off. Believe it or not, I barely made it. The road is hellish: streams, snow, mud, waterholes, and then suddenly the dam burst - disaster! However, I'm coming. The house is small, covered with thatch. There is light in the windows: you know, they are waiting. I'm coming in. A respectable old lady came towards me, wearing a cap. “Save me,” he says, “he’s dying.” I say: “Don’t worry about it... Where is the patient?” - “Here you go.” I look: the room is clean, and in the corner there is a lamp, on the bed there is a girl of about twenty, unconscious. She is bursting with heat, breathing heavily - she has a fever. There are two other girls there, sisters, scared and in tears. “They say that yesterday I was completely healthy and ate with appetite; In the morning today I complained about my head, and in the evening I was suddenly in this position...” I again said: “Please don’t worry,” - a doctor’s duty, you know, - and began. He bled her, ordered her to put mustard plasters on, and prescribed a potion. Meanwhile, I look at her, I look, you know, - well, by God, I have never seen such a face before... a beauty, in a word! Pity makes me feel so bad. The features are so pleasant, the eyes... Well, thank God, I’ve calmed down; sweat appeared as if she had come to her senses; she looked around, smiled, ran her hand over her face... The sisters bent over to her and asked: “What’s wrong with you?” “Nothing,” she said, and turned away... I saw that she had fallen asleep. Well, I say, now we should leave the patient alone. So we all tiptoed out; the maid stayed alone just in case. And in the living room there is already a samovar on the table, and a Jamaican one is right there: in our business we cannot do without it. They served me tea and asked me to stay overnight... I agreed: where to go now! The old lady keeps groaning. “What are you doing? - I say. “She’ll be alive, don’t worry, if you please, but rather rest yourself: it’s the second hour.” - “Will you order me to wake up if something happens?” - “I will order, I will order.” The old lady left, and the girls also went to their room; They made a bed for me in the living room. So I lay down, but I can’t fall asleep, what miracles! Well, it seems like he's worn himself out. My patient is driving me crazy. Finally, he couldn’t stand it, he suddenly stood up; I think I’ll go and see what the patient is doing? And her bedroom is next to the living room. Well, I got up, quietly opened the door, and my heart kept beating. I look: the maid is sleeping, her mouth is open and she’s even snoring, she’s a beast! and the sick woman lies facing me and spreads her arms, poor thing! I approached... She suddenly opened her eyes and stared at me!.. “Who is this? who is this?" I was embarrassed. “Don’t be alarmed,” I say, “madam: I’m a doctor, I came to see how you feel.” - “Are you a doctor?” - “Doctor, doctor... Your mother sent for me to the city; We bled you, madam; Now, if you please, rest, and in two days, God willing, we will get you back on your feet.” - “Oh, yes, yes, doctor, don’t let me die... please, please.” - “What are you talking about, God be with you!” And she has a fever again, I think to myself; I felt the pulse: definitely, fever. She looked at me - how she would suddenly take my hand. “I’ll tell you why I don’t want to die, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you... now we’re alone; Just you, please, no one... listen...” I bent down; she moved her lips close to my ear, touched my cheek with her hair - I admit, my head went spinning - and began to whisper... I don’t understand anything... Oh, yes, she’s delirious... She whispered, whispered, but so quickly and as if not -Russian finished, shuddered, dropped her head on the pillow and threatened me with her finger. “Look, doctor, no one...” Somehow I calmed her down, gave her something to drink, woke up the maid and left.
Here the doctor again sniffed tobacco fiercely and became numb for a moment.
“However,” he continued, “the next day the patient, contrary to my expectations, did not feel better.” I thought and thought and suddenly decided to stay, although other patients were waiting for me... And you know, this cannot be negliged: practice suffers from this. But, firstly, the patient was really in despair; and secondly, I must tell the truth, I myself felt a strong disposition towards her. Besides, I liked the whole family. Although they were poor people, they were, one might say, extremely educated... Their father was a learned man, a writer; He died, of course, in poverty, but managed to impart an excellent upbringing to his children; I also left a lot of books. Is it because I worked diligently around the sick woman, or for some other reason, only I, I dare say, was loved in the house like one of their own... Meanwhile, the mudslide became terrible: all communications, so to speak, stopped completely; even medicine was delivered with difficulty from the city... The patient did not get better... Day after day, day after day... But here... here... (The doctor paused.) Really, I don’t know how to explain it to you, sir... (He sniffed again tobacco, grunted and took a sip of tea.) I’ll tell you without mincing words, my patient... as if that... well, she fell in love with me, or something... or not, not that she fell in love... but by the way... really, as it is, that, sir ... (The doctor looked down and blushed.)
“No,” he continued with liveliness, “what I fell in love with!” Finally, you need to know your worth. She was an educated, smart, well-read girl, and I even forgot my Latin, one might say, completely. As for the figure (the doctor looked at himself with a smile), there also seems to be nothing to brag about. But the Lord God didn’t make me a fool either: I won’t call white black; I also guess something. For example, I understood very well that Alexandra Andreevna - her name was Alexandra Andreevna - did not feel love for me, but a friendly, so to speak, disposition, respect, or something. Although she herself may have been mistaken in this regard, but what her position was, you can judge for yourself... However,” added the doctor, who said all these abrupt speeches without taking a breath and with obvious confusion, “I seem to be a little reported... You won’t understand anything... but let me tell you everything in order.
He finished his glass of tea and spoke in a calmer voice.
- Yes, yes, sir. My patient was getting worse, worse, worse. You are not a doctor, dear sir; you cannot understand what is happening in our brother’s soul, especially at first, when he begins to realize that the illness is overpowering him. Where does self-confidence go? You suddenly become so shy that you can’t even tell. So it seems to you that you have forgotten everything you knew, and that the patient no longer trusts you, and that others are already beginning to notice that you are lost, and they are reluctant to tell you the symptoms, they look at you from under their brows, they whisper... uh, bad! After all, there is a cure, you think, for this disease, you just have to find it. Isn't that it? If you try, no, it’s not! You don’t give the medicine time to work properly... you grab this, then that. You used to take a recipe book... because here it is, you think, here! Honestly, sometimes you reveal it at random: maybe, you think, it’s fate... And meanwhile the person dies; and another doctor would have saved him. A consultation, you say, is needed; I don't take responsibility. And what a fool you look in such cases! Well, you'll get over it over time, that's okay. A person died - it’s not your fault: you acted according to the rules. But here’s what else is painful: you see blind trust in you, but you yourself feel that you are unable to help. This is exactly the kind of trust that Alexandra Andreevna’s entire family had in me: they forgot to think that their daughter was in danger. I, for my part, also assure them that it’s nothing, they say, but the soul itself is sinking into their heels. To top off the misfortune, the mud became so bad that the coachman used to drive for medicine all day long. But I don’t leave the sick room, I can’t tear myself away, I tell different, you know, funny jokes, I play cards with her. I sit through the night. The old lady thanks me with tears; and I think to myself: “I’m not worth your gratitude.” I confess to you frankly - now there is no need to hide - I fell in love with my patient. And Alexandra Andreevna became attached to me: she used to let no one into her room except me. He starts talking to me, asking me where I studied, how I live, who are my relatives, who am I going to? And I feel that there is no point in talking to her; but I can’t forbid her, resolutely, you know, forbid her. Sometimes I’ll grab myself by the head: “What are you doing, robber?..” Or he’ll take my hand and hold it, look at me, look at me for a long, long time, turn away, sigh and say: “How kind you are!” Her hands are so hot, her eyes are big and languid. “Yes,” he says, “you are kind, you are a good person, you are not like our neighbors... no, you are not like that, you are not like that... How come I still didn’t know you! “-“Alexandra Andreevna, calm down,” I say... “believe me, I feel, I don’t know what I did to deserve it... just calm down, for God’s sake, calm down... everything will be fine, you’ll be healthy.” Meanwhile, I must tell you,” added the doctor, bending forward and raising his eyebrows, “that they had little contact with their neighbors because the small ones were no match for them, and pride forbade them to know the rich. I’m telling you: it was an extremely educated family - so, you know, it was flattering to me. From my hands alone she took the medicine... the poor thing will rise up, with my help she will take a look at me... my heart will begin to skip. And meanwhile she was getting worse and worse: she would die, I think she would certainly die. Would you believe it, even going to the coffin yourself; and here my mother and sisters are watching, looking into my eyes... and trust disappears. "What? How?" - “Nothing, sir, nothing!” Why, sir, the mind is in the way. Well, sir, I was sitting one night, alone again, next to the patient. The girl is also sitting here and snoring at the top of her lungs in Ivanovo... Well, it’s impossible to recover from the unfortunate girl: she, too, has slowed down. Alexandra Andreevna felt very unwell all evening; the fever tormented her. Until midnight everything was rushing about; finally seemed to fall asleep; at least he’s not moving, he’s lying down. The lamp in the corner in front of the image is burning. I’m sitting, you know, with my eyes down, dozing too. Suddenly, as if someone had pushed me in the side, I turned around... Lord, my God! Alexandra Andreevna looks at me with all her eyes... her lips are open, her cheeks are burning. "What's wrong with you?" - “Doctor, am I going to die?” - “God have mercy!” - “No, doctor, no, please don’t tell me that I’ll be alive... don’t tell me... if you knew... listen, for God’s sake don’t hide my situation from me! - And she breathes so quickly. “If I know for sure that I have to die... then I’ll tell you everything, everything!” - “Alexandra Andreevna, have mercy!” - “Listen, I haven’t slept at all, I’ve been looking at you for a long time... for God’s sake... I believe you, you are a kind person, you are an honest person, I conjure you with everything that is holy in the world - tell me the truth! If you knew how important this is for me... Doctor, for God’s sake, tell me, am I in danger?” - “What can I tell you, Alexandra Andreevna, have mercy!” - “For God’s sake, I beg you!” - “I can’t hide it from you, Alexandra Andreevna, - you are definitely in danger, but God is merciful...” - “I will die, I will die...” And she seemed to be delighted, her face became so cheerful; I was scared. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, death doesn’t frighten me at all.” She suddenly stood up and leaned on her elbow. “Now... well, now I can tell you that I am grateful to you with all my heart, that you are a kind, good person, that I love you...” I look at her like crazy; I’m terrified, you know... “Do you hear, I love you...” - “Alexandra Andreevna, what did I do to deserve it! " - “No, no, you don’t understand me... you don’t understand me..." And suddenly she reached out her hands, grabbed my head and kissed me... Would you believe it, I almost screamed... I threw myself on my knees and hid my head in the pillows. She is silent; her fingers are trembling on my hair; I hear: crying. I began to console her, assure her... I really don’t know what I told her. “Wake up the girl,” I say, “Alexandra Andreevna... thank you... believe me... calm down.” “Yes, that’s enough, that’s enough,” she repeated. - God be with them all; Well, they’ll wake up, well, they’ll come - it doesn’t matter: after all, I’m going to die... And why are you timid, why are you afraid? Raise your head... Or maybe you don’t love me, maybe I was deceived... in that case, forgive me.” - “Alexandra Andreevna, what are you saying?.. I love you, Alexandra Andreevna.” She looked me straight in the eyes and opened her arms. “So hug me...” I’ll tell you frankly: I don’t understand how I didn’t go crazy that night. I feel that my patient is ruining herself; I see that she is not entirely in my memory; I also understand that if she had not honored herself at death’s door, she would not have thought about me; but, as you wish, it’s terrible to die at twenty-five years old, without loving anyone: that’s what tormented her, that’s why, out of despair, she even grabbed hold of me, do you understand now? Well, she doesn’t let me out of her arms. “Spare me, Alexandra Andreevna, and spare yourself, I say.” “Why,” he says, “why regret? After all, I must die...” She kept repeating this. “Now, if I knew that I would survive and again end up with decent young ladies, I would be ashamed, as if ashamed... but then what?” - “Who told you that you would die?” - “Eh, no, that’s enough, you won’t deceive me, you don’t know how to lie, look at yourself.” - “You will live, Alexandra Andreevna, I will cure you; we will ask your mother for a blessing... we will unite in ties, we will be happy.” - “No, no, I took your word, I have to die... you promised me... you told me...” It was bitter for me, bitter for many reasons. And just think, these are the kind of things that sometimes happen: it seems like nothing, but it hurts. She took it into her head to ask me what my name was, that is, not my surname, but my first name. It must be such a misfortune that my name is Tryphon. Yes, sir, yes, sir; Trifon, Trifon Ivanovich. Everyone in the house called me doctor. I, having nothing to do, say: “Tryphon, madam.” She squinted, shook her head and whispered something in French, “oh, something bad,” and then laughed, not good either. This is how I spent almost the whole night with her. In the morning he came out like he was mad; I entered her room again in the afternoon, after tea. My God, my God! It is impossible to recognize her: they put her in a more beautiful coffin. I swear on your honor, I don’t understand now, I absolutely don’t understand how I survived this torture. My patient creaked for three days and three nights... and what nights! What did she tell me!.. And on the last night, just imagine, I was sitting next to her and I asked God for one thing: clean her up as quickly as possible, and me too right there... Suddenly the old mother came into the room ... I told her the day before, my mother, that there is not enough hope, it’s bad, and a priest wouldn’t be bad.
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One autumn, on the way back from the field I had left, I caught a cold and fell ill. Fortunately, the fever caught me in the county town, in a hotel; I sent for the doctor. Half an hour later the district doctor appeared, a short man, thin and black-haired. He prescribed me the usual diaphoretic, ordered me to put on a mustard plaster, very deftly slipped a five-ruble note under his cuff, and, however, coughed dryly and looked to the side, and was just about to go home, but somehow got into conversation and stayed. The heat tormented me; I anticipated a sleepless night and was glad to chat with a kind man. Tea was served. My doctor started talking. He was not a stupid little guy, he expressed himself smartly and quite funny. Strange things happen in the world: you live with another person for a long time and are on friendly terms, but you never speak to him openly, from the heart; you barely have time to get acquainted with another - lo and behold, either you told him or he, as if in confession, blurted out all the ins and outs. I don’t know how I earned the trust of my new friend - only he, out of the blue, as they say, “took it” and told me a rather remarkable case; and now I am bringing his story to the attention of the sympathetic reader. I will try to express myself in the words of a doctor.
“You don’t deign to know,” he began in a relaxed and trembling voice (such is the effect of pure Berezovsky tobacco), “don’t you deign to know the local judge, Mylov, Pavel Lukich?.. You don’t know... Well, it doesn’t matter.” (He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes.) Well, if you please see, it was like this, how can I tell you - no lie, during Lent, at the very beginning of the thaw. I sit with him, our judge, and play preference. Our judge is a good person and a keen player of preference. Suddenly (my doctor often used the word: suddenly) they say to me: your man is asking you. I say: what does he need? They say he brought a note - it must be from a patient. Give me a note, I say. That’s right: from a sick person... Well, okay - this, you know, is our bread... But here’s the thing: a landowner, a widow, writes to me; he says, his daughter is dying, come, for the sake of the Lord our God himself, and the horses, they say, have been sent for you. Well, that’s all nothing... Yes, she lives twenty miles from the city, and it’s night outside, and the roads are such that wow! And she herself is getting poorer, you can’t expect more than two rubles either, and it’s still doubtful, but maybe you’ll have to use canvas and some grains. However, duty, you understand, first of all: a person dies. I suddenly hand over the cards to the indispensable member Kalliopin and go home. I look: there is a little cart in front of the porch; The peasant horses are pot-bellied, the wool on them is real felt, and the coachman, for the sake of respect, sits without a hat. Well, I think it’s clear, brother, your gentlemen don’t eat on gold... You deign to laugh, but I’ll tell you: our brother, poor man, take everything into consideration... If the coachman sits like a prince, but doesn’t break his hat, and still chuckles from under his beard, and wiggles his whip - feel free to hit two deposits! But here, I see, things don’t smell right. However, I think there is nothing to do: duty comes first. I grab the essential medications and head off. Believe it or not, I barely made it. The road is hellish: streams, snow, mud, waterholes, and then suddenly the dam burst - disaster! However, I'm coming. The house is small, covered with thatch. There is light in the windows: you know, they are waiting. I'm coming in. A respectable old lady came towards me, wearing a cap. “Save me,” he says, “he’s dying.” I say: “Don’t worry about it... Where is the patient?” - “Here you go.” I look: the room is clean, and in the corner there is a lamp, on the bed there is a girl of about twenty, unconscious. She is bursting with heat, breathing heavily - she has a fever. There are two other girls there, sisters, scared and in tears. “They say that yesterday I was completely healthy and ate with appetite; In the morning today I complained about my head, and in the evening I suddenly found myself in this position...” I again said: “Please don’t worry,” it’s a doctor’s duty, you know, and I started. He bled her, ordered her to put mustard plasters on, and prescribed a potion. Meanwhile, I look at her, I look, you know, - well, by God, I have never seen such a face before... she is a beauty, in a word! Pity makes me feel so bad. The features are so pleasant, the eyes... Well, thank God, I’ve calmed down; sweat appeared as if she had come to her senses; she looked around, smiled, ran her hand over her face... The sisters bent over to her and asked: “What’s wrong with you?” “Nothing,” she said, and turned away... I looked and fell asleep. Well, I say, now we should leave the patient alone. So we all tiptoed out; the maid stayed alone just in case. And in the living room there is already a samovar on the table, and a Jamaican one is right there: in our business we cannot do without it. They served me tea and asked me to stay overnight... I agreed: where to go now! The old lady keeps groaning. “What are you doing? - I say. “She’ll be alive, don’t worry, if you please, but rather rest yourself: it’s the second hour.” - “Will you order me to wake up if something happens?” - “I will order, I will order.” The old lady left, and the girls also went to their room; They made a bed for me in the living room. So I lay down, but I can’t fall asleep, what miracles! Well, it seems like he's worn himself out. My patient is driving me crazy. Finally, he couldn’t stand it, he suddenly stood up; I think I’ll go and see what the patient is doing? And her bedroom is next to the living room. Well, I got up, quietly opened the door, and my heart kept beating. I look: the maid is sleeping, her mouth is open and she’s even snoring, she’s a beast! and the sick woman lies facing me and spreads her arms, poor thing! I approached... She suddenly opened her eyes and stared at me!.. “Who is this? who is this?" I was embarrassed. “Don’t be alarmed,” I say, “madam: I’m a doctor, I came to see how you feel.” - “Are you a doctor?” - “Doctor, doctor... Your mother sent for me to the city; We bled you, madam; Now, if you please, rest, and in two days, God willing, we will get you back on your feet.” - “Oh, yes, yes, doctor, don’t let me die... please, please.” - “What are you talking about, God be with you!” And she has a fever again, I think to myself; I felt the pulse: definitely, fever. She looked at me and suddenly took my hand. “I’ll tell you why I don’t want to die, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you... now we’re alone; Just you, please, no one... listen...” I bent down; she moved her lips close to my ear, touched my cheek with her hair - I admit, my head went spinning - and began to whisper... I don’t understand anything... Oh, yes, she’s delirious... She whispered, whispered, but so quickly and as if not -Russian finished, shuddered, dropped her head on the pillow and threatened me with her finger. “Look, doctor, no one...” Somehow I calmed her down, gave her something to drink, woke up the maid and left.
Here the doctor again sniffed tobacco fiercely and became numb for a moment.
“However,” he continued, “the next day the patient, contrary to my expectations, did not feel better.” I thought and thought and suddenly decided to stay, although other patients were waiting for me... And you know, this cannot be negliged: practice suffers from this. But, firstly, the patient was really in despair; and secondly, I must tell the truth, I myself felt a strong disposition towards her. Besides, I liked the whole family. Although they were poor people, they were, one might say, extremely educated... Their father was a learned man, a writer; He died, of course, in poverty, but managed to impart an excellent upbringing to his children; I also left a lot of books. Is it because I worked diligently around the sick woman, or for some other reason, only I, I dare say, was loved in the house like one of their own... Meanwhile, the mudslide became terrible: all communications, so to speak, stopped completely; even medicine was delivered with difficulty from the city... The patient did not get better... Day after day, day after day... But here... here... (The doctor paused.) Really, I don’t know how to explain it to you, sir... (He sniffed again tobacco, grunted and took a sip of tea.) I’ll tell you without mincing words, my patient... as if that... well, she fell in love with me, or something... or not, not that she fell in love... but by the way... really, as it is, that, sir ... (The doctor looked down and blushed.)
“No,” he continued with liveliness, “what I fell in love with!” Finally, you need to know your worth. She was an educated, smart, well-read girl, and I even forgot my Latin, one might say, completely. As for the figure (the doctor looked at himself with a smile), there also seems to be nothing to brag about. But the Lord God didn’t make me a fool either: I won’t call white black; I also guess something. For example, I understood very well that Alexandra Andreevna - her name was Alexandra Andreevna - did not feel love for me, but a friendly, so to speak, disposition, respect, or something. Although she herself may have been mistaken in this regard, but what her position was, you can judge for yourself... However,” added the doctor, who said all these abrupt speeches without taking a breath and with obvious confusion, “I seem to be a little reported... You won’t understand anything... but let me tell you everything in order.
- Yes, yes, sir. My patient was getting worse, worse, worse. You are not a doctor, dear sir; you cannot understand what is happening in our brother’s soul, especially at first, when he begins to realize that the illness is overpowering him. Where does self-confidence go? You suddenly become so shy that you can’t even tell. So it seems to you that you have forgotten everything you knew, and that the patient no longer trusts you, and that others are already beginning to notice that you are lost, and they are reluctant to tell you the symptoms, they look at you from under their brows, they whisper... uh, bad! After all, there is a cure, you think, for this disease, you just have to find it. Isn't that it? If you try, no, it’s not! You don’t give the medicine time to work properly... you grab this, then that. You used to take a recipe book... because here it is, you think, here! Honestly, sometimes you reveal it at random: maybe, you think, it’s fate... And meanwhile the person dies; and another doctor would have saved him. A consultation, you say, is needed; I don't take responsibility. And what a fool you look in such cases! Well, you'll get over it over time, that's okay. A person died - it’s not your fault: you acted according to the rules. But here’s what else is painful: you see blind trust in you, but you yourself feel that you are unable to help. This is exactly the kind of trust that Alexandra Andreevna’s entire family had in me: they forgot to think that their daughter was in danger. I, for my part, also assure them that it’s nothing, they say, but the soul itself is sinking into their heels. To top off the misfortune, the mud became so bad that the coachman used to drive for medicine all day long. But I don’t leave the sick room, I can’t tear myself away, I tell different, you know, funny jokes, I play cards with her. I sit through the night. The old lady thanks me with tears; and I think to myself: “I’m not worth your gratitude.” I confess to you frankly - now there is no need to hide - I fell in love with my patient. And Alexandra Andreevna became attached to me: she used to let no one into her room except me. He starts talking to me, asking me where I studied, how I live, who are my relatives, who am I visiting? And I feel that there is no point in talking to her; but I can’t forbid her, decisively, you know, forbid her. Sometimes I’ll grab myself by the head: “What are you doing, robber?..” Or he’ll take my hand and hold it, look at me, look at me for a long, long time, turn away, sigh and say: “How kind you are!” Her hands are so hot, her eyes are big and languid. “Yes,” he says, “you are kind, you are a good person, you are not like our neighbors... no, you are not like that, you are not like that... How is it that I still didn’t know you! - “Alexandra Andreevna, calm down,” I say... “believe me, I feel, I don’t know what I did to deserve it... just calm down, for God’s sake, calm down... everything will be fine, you’ll be healthy.” Meanwhile, I must tell you,” added the doctor, bending forward and raising his eyebrows, “that they had little contact with their neighbors because the small ones were no match for them, and pride forbade them to know the rich. I’m telling you: it was an extremely educated family—so, you know, that was flattering to me. From my hands alone she took the medicine... the poor thing will rise up, with my help she will take a look at me... my heart will begin to skip. And meanwhile she was getting worse and worse: she would die, I think she would certainly die. Would you believe it, even going to the coffin yourself; and here my mother and sisters are watching, looking into my eyes... and trust disappears. "What? How?" - “Nothing, sir, nothing!” Why, sir, the mind is in the way. Well, sir, I was sitting one night, alone again, next to the patient. The girl is also sitting here and snoring at the top of her lungs in Ivanovo... Well, it’s impossible to recover from the unfortunate girl: she, too, has slowed down. Alexandra Andreevna felt very unwell all evening; the fever tormented her. Until midnight everything was rushing about; finally seemed to fall asleep; at least he’s not moving, he’s lying down. The lamp in the corner in front of the image is burning. I’m sitting, you know, with my eyes down, dozing too. Suddenly, as if someone had pushed me in the side, I turned around... Lord, my God! Alexandra Andreevna looks at me with all her eyes... her lips are open, her cheeks are burning. "What's wrong with you?" - “Doctor, am I going to die?” - “God have mercy!” - “No, doctor, no, please don’t tell me that I’ll be alive... don’t tell me... if you knew... listen, for God’s sake don’t hide my situation from me! - And she breathes so quickly. “If I know for sure that I have to die... then I’ll tell you everything, everything!” - “Alexandra Andreevna, have mercy!” - “Listen, I haven’t slept at all, I’ve been looking at you for a long time... for God’s sake... I believe you, you are a kind person, you are an honest person, I conjure you with everything that is holy in the world - tell me the truth! If you knew how important this is for me... Doctor, for God’s sake, tell me, am I in danger?” - “What can I tell you, Alexandra Andreevna, have mercy!” - “For God’s sake, I beg you!” - “I can’t hide it from you, Alexandra Andreevna, - you are definitely in danger, but God is merciful...” - “I will die, I will die...” And she seemed to be delighted, her face became so cheerful; I was scared. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, death doesn’t frighten me at all.” She suddenly stood up and leaned on her elbow. “Now... well, now I can tell you that I am grateful to you with all my heart, that you are a kind, good person, that I love you...” I look at her like crazy; I’m terrified, you know... “Do you hear, I love you...” - “Alexandra Andreevna, what did I do to deserve it! “-“ No, no, you don’t understand me... you don’t understand me...” And suddenly she reached out her hands, grabbed my head and kissed me... Would you believe it, I almost screamed... I threw myself on my knees and hid my head in the pillows. She is silent; her fingers are trembling on my hair; I hear: crying. I began to console her, assure her... I really don’t know what I told her. “Wake up the girl,” I say, “Alexandra Andreevna... thank you... believe me... calm down.” “Yes, that’s enough, that’s enough,” she repeated. - God be with them all; Well, they’ll wake up, well, they’ll come - it doesn’t matter: after all, I’m going to die... And why are you timid, why are you afraid? Raise your head... Or maybe you don’t love me, maybe I was deceived... in that case, forgive me.” - “Alexandra Andreevna, what are you saying?.. I love you, Alexandra Andreevna.” She looked me straight in the eyes and opened her arms. “So hug me...” I’ll tell you frankly: I don’t understand how I didn’t go crazy that night. I feel that my patient is ruining herself; I see that she is not entirely in my memory; I also understand that if she had not honored herself at death’s door, she would not have thought about me; but, as you wish, it’s terrible to die at twenty-five years old, without loving anyone: that’s what tormented her, that’s why, out of despair, she even grabbed hold of me, do you understand now? Well, she doesn’t let me out of her arms. “Spare me, Alexandra Andreevna, and spare yourself, I say.” “Why,” he says, “why regret? After all, I must die...” She kept repeating this. “Now, if I knew that I would survive and again end up with decent young ladies, I would be ashamed, as if ashamed... but then what?” - “Who told you that you would die?” - “Eh, no, that’s enough, you won’t deceive me, you don’t know how to lie, look at yourself.” - “You will live, Alexandra Andreevna, I will cure you; we will ask your mother for a blessing... we will unite in ties, we will be happy.” - “No, no, I took your word, I must die... you promised me... you told me...” It was bitter for me, bitter for many reasons. And just think, these are the kind of things that sometimes happen: it seems like nothing, but it hurts. She took it into her head to ask me what my name was, that is, not my surname, but my first name. It must be such a misfortune that my name is Tryphon. Yes, sir, yes, sir; Trifon, Trifon Ivanovich. Everyone in the house called me doctor. I, having nothing to do, say: “Tryphon, madam.” She squinted, shook her head and whispered something in French - oh, something bad - and then laughed, not good either. This is how I spent almost the whole night with her. In the morning he came out like he was mad; I entered her room again in the afternoon, after tea. My God, my God! It is impossible to recognize her: they put her in a more beautiful coffin. I swear on your honor, I don’t understand now, I absolutely don’t understand how I survived this torture. My patient creaked for three days and three nights... and what nights! What did she tell me!.. And on the last night, just imagine, I was sitting next to her and I asked God for one thing: clean her up as quickly as possible, and me too right there... Suddenly the old mother walked into the room ... I told her the day before, my mother, that there is not enough hope, it’s bad, and a priest wouldn’t be bad. The sick woman saw her mother and said: “Well, it’s good that you came... look at us, we love each other, we gave each other our word.” - “What is she, doctor, what is she?” I'm dead. “He’s delirious, sir,” I say, “fever...” And she said: “Enough, come on, you just told me something completely different, and you accepted the ring from me... why are you pretending? My mother is kind, she will forgive, she will understand, but I am dying - there is no need for me to lie; give me your hand...” I jumped up and ran out. The old woman, of course, guessed.
“I won’t, however, torment you any longer, and I myself, to admit, have a hard time remembering all this.” My patient died the next day. The kingdom of heaven to her (the doctor added quickly and with a sigh)! Before her death, she asked her people to go out and leave me alone with her. “Forgive me,” he says, “I may be to blame for you... illness... but, believe me, I didn’t love anyone more than you... don’t forget me... take care of my ring...”
The doctor turned away; I took his hand.
- Eh! - he said. – Let’s talk about something else, or would you like to have a small preference? Our brother, you know, has no reason to indulge in such sublime feelings. Our brother, think about one thing: no matter how the children squeal and the wife scold. After all, since then I managed to enter into a legal, as they say, marriage... How... I took the merchant’s daughter: seven thousand dowry. Her name is Akulina; Something to match Tryphon. Baba, I must tell you, is evil, but fortunately she sleeps all day... But what about preference?
We sat down in preference for a penny. Trifon Ivanovich won two rubles and a half from me - and left late, very pleased with his victory.