A Troublesome Visitor (Chekhov)
Short summary
A small forest hut, stormy night. Artyom the forester and a young hunter took shelter together. Artyom expressed his fear of wicked men who might rob him, claiming he had no money despite the hunter's suspicions.
Suddenly, they heard cries for help outside. The hunter urged Artyom to come with him to assist, but the forester refused out of fear.
'Whatever do you think of me, lad?' wailed the forester. 'Do you think I am such a fool to go straight to my undoing?' 'So you are not coming?' The forester did not answer. The dog, probably hearing a human cry, gave a plaintive whine.
The hunter went alone to help, returning drenched from the rain. He had found a peasant woman who had gotten lost driving her cart.
Disgusted by Artyom's cowardice, the hunter berated him, suggesting he must have money to be so afraid of people. To teach him a lesson, he threatened to rob the forester, causing Artyom to break into tears. Repulsed, the hunter left the hut, refusing to spend the night with such a contemptible man.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The forester and the hunter in the hut
In a small, crooked hut in the forest, two men sat under a dark icon. One was Artyom, the forester, a short and lean peasant with a wrinkled face and a small beard growing from his neck. The other was a young man in a new crimson shirt and large wading boots who had been hunting and sought shelter for the night.
Outside, a storm was brewing. The wind howled fiercely, trees moaned, and leaves torn by the wind patted against the paper-covered window pane. The two men sat at a small three-legged table where a tallow candle burned lazily in a bottle.
Artyoms fear of wicked men
Artyom began speaking in a hoarse whisper about his fears. He told the hunter that while he wasn't afraid of wolves, bears, or other wild beasts, he greatly feared men. He explained that one could defend oneself from animals with weapons, but there was no protection against wicked people.
I am not afraid of wolves or bears, or wild beasts of any sort, but I am afraid of man. You can save yourself from beasts with a gun or some other weapon, but you have no means of saving yourself from a wicked man.
The forester described his thirty years of dealing with troublesome visitors. He complained about ruffians who demanded bread without showing proper respect, threatening him despite his small stature. When the hunter suggested that a forester must have money from selling timber, Artyom grew nervous and changed the subject, asking about the young man's background.
The hunter revealed he was from Vyazovka, the son of Nefed the village elder. Their conversation was briefly interrupted when the hunter's dog growled at Artyom's cat under the bench. The hunter noted how thin the cat was, suggesting Artyom didn't feed it properly, though it was a living creature deserving of pity.
The cries for help in the storm
As Artyom continued talking about wicked men and recent crimes, the hunter suddenly interrupted him, claiming to hear someone shouting. Both men listened intently, straining to distinguish human cries from the storm's noise. Soon they clearly heard shouts for help coming through the wind and rain.
The hunter looked aimlessly out of window and walked up and down the hut. 'What a night, what a night!' he muttered. 'You can't see your hand before your face! The very time for a robbery. Do you hear? There is a shout again.'
The forester grew pale and collapsed onto the bench like someone terrified by sudden bad news. He suggested bolting the door and putting out the light, fearing that whoever was outside might find their way to the hut. The hunter was incredulous at this reaction and insisted they should go help.
The hunters decision and Artyoms cowardice
The hunter urged Artyom to come with him to help whoever was calling out. He couldn't understand why the forester refused to assist someone potentially in danger. Artyom, trembling with fear, insisted he wouldn't venture into the darkness after their conversation about criminals and murderers.
Disgusted by the forester's cowardice, the hunter prepared to go alone. He threw his gun over his shoulder, called his dog Flerka, and headed out into the storm, leaving the door open. The wind rushed into the hut, extinguishing the candle flame. After the hunter left, Artyom quickly bolted the door.
Through a flash of lightning, the forester glimpsed the hunter's retreating figure. He returned to his bed, covered himself completely with a sheepskin, and listened to the thunder growing louder and the rain pattering against the windows. He thought scornfully that the hunter had gone on a fool's errand and was probably terrified and soaked.
The hunters return and condemnation
About ten minutes later, there was a loud knock at the door. The hunter and his dog had returned, both completely drenched from the downpour. When Artyom asked what had happened, the young man explained that he had found a peasant woman who had gotten lost driving her cart and become caught in a thicket.
The hunter then angrily denounced Artyom as a scoundrel and the lowest of men, especially shameful for someone employed as a keeper. Artyom slunk guiltily to the stove and lay down. The hunter extinguished the candle and lay on the bench, still fuming at the forester's behavior.
'I know now that you are a scoundrel and the lowest of men. And you a keeper, too, getting a salary! You blackguard!' The forester slunk with a guilty step to the stove, cleared his throat, and lay down.
The hunters threat and Artyoms terror
After the thunderstorm had passed, the hunter broke the silence. He asked Artyom how he would feel if he were the one shouting for help and no one came to his aid. The hunter then suggested that Artyom must have money, since only a person with something to lose would be so afraid of others.
Artyom hoarsely denied having money, but the hunter didn't believe him. To teach the forester a lesson, the young man threatened to rob him. Artyom slipped from the stove, lit a candle, and sat trembling under the icon, his face pale with fear as the hunter approached him demanding to know where his money was hidden.
Seeing the forester's tearful face, the hunter frowned, walked around the hut, and then angrily put on his cap. Disgusted by the sight of Artyom, he declared he couldn't bear to spend the night in such a man's house. He called his dog and left, slamming the door behind him. Artyom quickly bolted the door, crossed himself, and went to bed.
'Ugh!... ugh!... it makes me sick to look at you,' he filtered through his teeth. 'I can't bear the sight of you. I won't sleep in your house, anyway. Goodbye! Hey, Flerka!' The door slammed and the troublesome visitor went out...