Great Russian Short Stories (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Esper Konstantinovitch Saksaulov was in a worried, weary mood. It began, seemingly, from the moment when at the Gorodishchevs’ he was asked, “Where are you spending the festival?” Saksaulov for some reason delayed his reply. The hostess, a stout, short-sighted, bustling lady, said, “Come to us.” Saksaulov was annoyed. Was it with the girl, who, at her mother’s words, glanced at him quickly and instantly withdrew her gaze as she continued her conversation with the young assistant professor? Saksaulov was eligible in the eyes of mothers of grown-up daughters, and this fact irritated him. He regarded himself as an old bachelor, and he was only thirty-seven. He replied curtly: “Thank you. I always spend this night at home.” The girl glanced at him, smiled, and said, “With whom?” “Alone,” Saksaulov replied, with a slight surprise in his voice. “What a misanthrope!” said Madame Gorodishchev with a sour smile. Saksaulov liked his freedom. There were occasions when he wondered how at one time he had nearly come to marry.
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