The Schoolmaster and other stories - Penn State University

Anton Tchekhoving away somewhere to the devil, into space.For some three minutes he lay on the chest, not movingand scarcely breathing, then he got up and askedhimself:“Where am I?”The first thing of which he was clearly conscious oncoming to himself was the pronounced smell of paraffin.“Holy saints,” he thought in horror, “it’s paraffin Ihave drunk instead of vodka.”The thought that he had poisoned himself threw himinto a cold shiver, then into a fever. That it was reallypoison that he had taken was proved not only by thesmell in the room but also by the burning taste in hismouth, the flashes before his eyes, the ringing in his head,and the colicky pain in his stomach. Feeling the approachof death and not buoying himself up with false hopes,he wanted to say good-bye to those nearest to him, andmade his way to Dashenka’s bedroom (being a widowerhe had his sister-in-law called Dashenka, an old maid,living in the flat to keep house for him).“Dashenka,” he said in a tearful voice as he went intothe bedroom, “dear Dashenka!”Something grumbled in the darkness and uttered adeep sigh.“Dashenka.”“Eh? What?” A woman’s voice articulated rapidly. “Isthat you, Pyotr Petrovitch? Are you back already? Well,what is it? What has the baby been christened? Whowas godmother?”“The godmother was Natalya AndreyevnaVelikosvyetsky, and the godfather Pavel IvanitchBezsonnitsin…. I … I believe, Dashenka, I am dying.And the baby has been christened Olimpiada, in honourof their kind patroness…. I … I have just drunk paraffin,Dashenka!”“What next! You don’t say they gave you paraffinthere?”“I must own I wanted to get a drink of vodka withoutasking you, and … and the Lord chastised me: by accidentin the dark I took paraffin…. What am I to do?”Dashenka, hearing that the cupboard had been opened129