At a Summer Villa (Chekhov)
Short summary
At a summer villa, Pavel Ivanitch Vyhodtsev received an anonymous love letter inviting him to meet at an arbor at eight o'clock. Though initially dismissive, he became intrigued and flattered by the idea that someone had fallen in love with him.
Despite his initial reluctance, Pavel Ivanitch's curiosity got the better of him. He dressed smartly, told his wife he needed a walk for his headache, and went to the arbor. There he found his wife's brother Mitya, who refused to leave. When a woman with a turn-up nose peeked into the arbor and quickly left, Pavel Ivanitch became furious, believing his rendezvous was ruined.
At supper, Pavel Ivanitch and Mitya sat in hostile silence. Suddenly, his wife burst into laughter.
"'What was that letter you got this morning?' she asked. 'I?― I didn't get one―' Pavel Ivanitch was overcome with confusion. 'You are inventing― imagination.' 'Oh, come, tell us! Own up, you did! Why, it was I sent you that letter!'"
She explained that she needed to get him out of the house so they could clean the rooms, and had sent the same letter to Mitya as well. Realizing they had both been tricked, Mitya grinned and stopped glaring at his rival.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The mysterious love letter
Pavel Ivanitch Vyhodtsev, a married man on holiday at a summer villa, received an anonymous love letter. The letter expressed passionate feelings for him and requested a meeting at an old arbour at eight o'clock that evening. The writer described herself as young and attractive, asking not for love in return but for sympathy.
"I love you. You are my life, my happiness―everything to me! Forgive the avowal, but I have not the strength to suffer and be silent. I ask not for love in return, but for sympathy."
Perplexed by this unexpected correspondence, Pavel Ivanitch initially dismissed it with disdain, considering it inappropriate for someone to write such a letter to a married man. He tried to maintain an air of indifference, but the mysterious message greatly intrigued him.
Pavel Ivanitchs internal struggle and curiosity
An hour after receiving the letter, Pavel Ivanitch lay on his sofa contemplating who might have written it. He wondered if it could be a neurotic girl or perhaps a frivolous widow. The situation was particularly puzzling since he had no female acquaintances among the summer visitors except his wife.
Pavel Ivanitch recalled encountering a fair young lady with a light blue hat and a turn-up nose during his recent walks. She had looked at him repeatedly and even sat beside him on a bench. He wondered if she could be the letter writer, though he doubted such a delicate creature could fall for someone like him.
At dinner, Pavel Ivanitch was distracted by his thoughts. When his wife asked what he was thinking about, he lied, claiming he had a headache. Despite telling himself that paying attention to such a letter was foolish, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
"'If I weren't married it would be all right―' he mused, driving sinful ideas out of his head. 'Though― for once in my life, it would do no harm to have the experience, or else one will die without knowing what.'"
Eventually, Pavel Ivanitch's curiosity overcame his principles. He decided to dress in his best clothes and go to the arbour, telling himself he would only observe from a distance. His wife noticed his formal attire and questioned him, but he maintained the headache excuse and left the house.
The visit to the arbour and meeting Mitya
As Pavel Ivanitch approached the arbour, his heart beat violently. He imagined meeting the fair girl with the blue hat and turn-up nose, picturing her trembling with love and embracing him. Despite his guilt about being unfaithful to his wife, he justified his actions by thinking of his eight years of irreproachable duty to her.
"Trembling all over and holding his breath, Pavel Ivanitch went up to the arbour, wreathed with ivy and wild vine, and peeped into it― A smell of dampness and mildew reached him―"
To his surprise, Pavel Ivanitch found not a woman but a man in the arbour. It was Mitya, his wife's brother, who was staying with them at the villa. Mitya explained that he was thinking over his dissertation and asked to be left alone.
Pavel Ivanitch tried to convince Mitya to leave, claiming he wanted to sleep there, but Mitya stubbornly refused. As they argued, a woman's face with a turn-up nose briefly peeked into the arbour. Seeing the two men, she frowned and vanished. Pavel Ivanitch was furious, believing Mitya had ruined his rendezvous.
Angry and disappointed, Pavel Ivanitch left the arbour, declaring that everything was over between them. Mitya was equally upset, accusing Pavel Ivanitch of playing a dirty trick on him by being there.
The revelation of the prank
When Pavel Ivanitch returned home, he was still seething with rage. At supper, he and Mitya maintained a sullen silence, hating each other. Pavel Ivanitch snapped at his wife when she smiled, asking what she was laughing at.
His wife then asked about the letter he had received that morning. When Pavel Ivanitch denied getting any letter, she confessed that she had sent it. She explained that they needed to clean the rooms that evening and had to find a way to get both men out of the house.
"'We had to scrub the rooms out this evening, and how could we get you out of the house? There was no other way of getting you out― But don't be angry, stupid― I didn't want you to be dull in the arbour, so I sent the same letter to Mitya too!'"
The revelation stunned both men. Pavel Ivanitch was embarrassed by his gullibility, while Mitya grinned as he realized they had both been victims of the same prank. The tension between them immediately dissolved as they understood the situation.