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Chekhov - Kashtanka
I
II
III IV
V
VI VII
III
New and Very Agreeable Acquaintances
When Kashtanka woke up it was already light, and a sound rose
from the street, such as only comes in the day-time. There was
not a soul in the room. Kashtanka stretched, yawned and, cross
and ill-humoured, walked about the room. She sniffed the corners
and the furniture, looked into the passage and found nothing of
interest there. Besides the door that led into the passage there
was another door. After thinking a little Kashtanka scratched on
it with both paws, opened it, and went into the adjoining room.
Here on the bed, covered with a rug, a customer, in whom she
recognised the stranger of yesterday, lay asleep.
"Rrrrr . . ." she growled, but recollecting yesterday's dinner,
wagged her tail, and began sniffing.
She sniffed the stranger's clothes and boots and thought they
smelt of horses. In the bedroom was another door, also closed.
Kashtanka scratched at the door, leaned her chest against it,
opened it, and was instantly aware of a strange and very
suspicious smell. Foreseeing an unpleasant encounter, growling
and looking about her, Kashtanka walked into a little room with
a dirty wall-paper and drew back in alarm. She saw something
surprising and terrible. A grey gander came straight towards
her, hissing, with its neck bowed down to the floor and its
wings outspread. Not far from him, on a little mattress, lay a
white tom-cat; seeing Kashtanka, he jumped up, arched his back,
wagged his tail with his hair standing on end and he, too,
hissed at her. The dog was frightened in earnest, but not caring
to betray her alarm, began barking loudly and dashed at the cat.
. . . The cat arched his back more than ever, mewed and gave
Kashtanka a smack on the head with his paw. Kashtanka jumped
back, squatted on all four paws, and craning her nose towards
the cat, went off into loud, shrill barks; meanwhile the gander
came up behind and gave her a painful peck in the back.
Kashtanka leapt up and dashed at the gander.
"What's this?" They heard a loud angry voice, and the stranger
came into the room in his dressing-gown, with a cigar between
his teeth. "What's the meaning of this? To your places!"
He went up to the cat, flicked him on his arched back, and said:
"Fyodor Timofeyitch, what's the meaning of this? Have you got up
a fight? Ah, you old rascal! Lie down!"
And turning to the gander he shouted: "Ivan Ivanitch, go home!"
The cat obediently lay down on his mattress and closed his eyes.
Judging from the expression of his face and whiskers, he was
displeased with himself for having lost his temper and got into
a fight.
Kashtanka began whining resentfully, while the gander craned his
neck and began saying something rapidly, excitedly, distinctly,
but quite unintelligibly.
"All right, all right," said his master, yawning. "You must live
in peace and friendship." He stroked Kashtanka and went on: "And
you, redhair, don't be frightened. . . . They are capital
company, they won't annoy you. Stay, what are we to call you?
You can't go on without a name, my dear."
The stranger thought a moment and said: "I tell you what . . .
you shall be Auntie. . . . Do you understand? Auntie!"
And repeating the word "Auntie" several times he went out.
Kashtanka sat down and began watching. The cat sat motionless on
his little mattress, and pretended to be asleep. The gander,
craning his neck and stamping, went on talking rapidly and
excitedly about something. Apparently it was a very clever
gander; after every long tirade, he always stepped back with an
air of wonder and made a show of being highly delighted with his
own speech. . . . Listening to him and answering "R-r-r-r,"
Kashtanka fell to sniffing the corners. In one of the corners
she found a little trough in which she saw some soaked peas and
a sop of rye crusts. She tried the peas; they were not nice; she
tried the sopped bread and began eating it. The gander was not
at all offended that the strange dog was eating his food, but,
on the contrary, talked even more excitedly, and to show his
confidence went to the trough and ate a few peas himself.
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