The Schoolmaster and other stories - Penn State University

The Schoolmaster & other storiesBARON: Anna Sergyevna, you forget that you are ruiningyour father ….A MYSTERYThe lady began swelling again…. Looking round himwildly Pavel Vassilyevitch got up, yelled in a deep, unnaturalvoice, snatched from the table a heavy paperweight,and beside himself, brought it down with all hisforce on the authoress’s head….* * *“Give me in charge, I’ve killed her!” he said to the maidservantwho ran in, a minute later.The jury acquitted him.ON THE EVENING of Easter Sunday the actual Civil Councillor,Navagin, on his return from paying calls, pickedup the sheet of paper on which visitors had inscribedtheir names in the hall, and went with it into his study.After taking off his outer garments and drinking someseltzer water, he settled himself comfortably on a couchand began reading the signatures in the list. When hiseyes reached the middle of the long list of signatures,he started, gave an ejaculation of astonishment andsnapped his fingers, while his face expressed the utmostperplexity.“Again!” he said, slapping his knee. “It’s extraordinary!Again! Again there is the signature of that fellow,goodness knows who he is! Fedyukov! Again!”Among the numerous signatures on the paper was thesignature of a certain Fedyukov. Who the devil this74