Boys (Chekhov)
Short summary
Russia, late 19th century. Schoolboy Volodya Korolyov returned home for Christmas, bringing along his classmate Lentilov. The Korolyov family welcomed them warmly.
The boys behaved strangely, whispering together and studying maps. Lentilov called himself "Montehomo, the Hawk's Claw" and spoke of bisons, Indians, and mosquitoes. Volodya's sisters discovered the boys were planning to run away to America to dig for gold.
On Christmas Eve, the girls overheard the boys arguing about their plan. Volodya was having second thoughts about leaving.
"Oh dear," Volodya wept softly. "How can I go? I feel so unhappy about mamma." "My paleface brother, I pray you, let us set off. You declared you were going, you egged me on, and now the time comes, you funk it!"
Despite his hesitation, Volodya agreed to go. The boys disappeared, causing great distress in the household. The next day they were found at the Arcade, where they had been asking for gunpowder. The boys had spent the night at the train station. Volodya's father scolded them, and Lentilov's mother came to take her son home. Lentilov remained proud and haughty until the end.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Volodyas homecoming with an unexpected guest
The Korolyov family eagerly awaited the arrival of their son Volodya, who was returning home for Christmas. When the announcement of his arrival came, the entire household rushed to greet him. Volodya entered covered in frost, bringing with him the fresh smell of snow. His mother and aunt embraced him while Natalya, the cook, removed his snowboots. His sisters shrieked with delight, and his father, who had been working in his shirtsleeves, hurried to welcome his son.
Amid the joyful commotion, the family noticed another small person standing in the corner of the hall, also covered in frost. This was Lentilov, Volodya's schoolfellow from the second class, whom he had brought home to stay with them. Volodya's father welcomed the guest warmly, and soon both boys were sitting down to tea, their bodies tingling from the contrast between the outdoor frost and the warmth of the room.
The room was warm, and the boys felt as though the warmth and the frost were struggling together with a tingling sensation in their bodies... "Well, Christmas will soon be here," the father said in a pleasant singsong voice.
The boys mysterious behavior and plans for America
Volodya's three sisters - Katya, Sonya, and Masha - observed the newcomer with curiosity. Lentilov was thin, dark, and freckled, with bristling hair and small eyes - quite unlike their fair-skinned brother. He seemed morose and deeply thoughtful, starting whenever someone spoke to him. The girls also noticed that their usually cheerful brother was strangely quiet and seemed preoccupied.
While the family busied themselves making decorations for the Christmas tree, the two boys sat apart by the window, whispering and studying an atlas. They traced a route from Perm to Tyumen, then to Tomsk and Kamchatka, discussing how to cross the Bering Strait to reach America. Lentilov spoke of furry animals, hunting, and California, all in hushed, excited tones.
"First to Perm... from there to Tiumen, then Tomsk... then... then... Kamchatka. There the Samoyedes take one over Bering's Straits in boats.... And then we are in America.... There are lots of furry animals there...."
When left alone with the girls, Lentilov behaved strangely. He asked Katya if she had read Mayne Reid, spoke of bisons stampeding across prairies, and introduced himself as "Montehomo, the Hawk's Claw, Chief of the Ever Victorious." Little Masha, confused by his odd behavior and name, innocently remarked that they had eaten lentils for supper the previous day.
The sisters uncover the secret adventure plot
Intrigued by the boys' mysterious behavior, Katya and Sonya began to spy on them. One night, they crept to the boys' bedroom door and listened to their conversation. What they discovered was astonishing - Volodya and Lentilov were planning to run away to America to dig for gold. They had prepared everything for their journey: weapons, provisions, navigation tools, and even some money.
The boys were planning to run away to America to dig for gold: they had everything ready for the journey, a pistol, two knives, biscuits, a burning glass to serve instead of matches, a compass, and four roubles in cash.
According to their overheard plans, the boys would walk thousands of miles, fight tigers and savages, find gold and ivory, become pirates, and eventually marry beautiful maidens. Throughout their conversations, Lentilov called himself "Montehomo, the Hawk's Claw" while referring to Volodya as his "paleface brother." Katya warned her younger sister not to tell their mother about the plan, fearing that Volodya would be prevented from going and bringing back treasures for them.
And this thin, dark boy, with his freckles and his bristling shock of hair, impressed the little girls as an extraordinary remarkable person. He was a hero, a determined character, who knew no fear...
Volodyas conflict between adventure and family loyalty
The day before Christmas Eve, Lentilov spent hours studying the map of Asia and making notes. Meanwhile, Volodya wandered around the house with a swollen face, refusing to eat. At one point, he stood before the holy image in the nursery, crossed himself, and prayed for forgiveness and for his mother. That evening, he burst into tears and gave long, emotional hugs to his father, mother, and sisters.
"Lord, forgive me a sinner; Lord, have pity on my poor unhappy mamma!" In the evening he burst out crying. On saying good night he gave his father a long hug, and then hugged his mother and sisters.
Early on Christmas Eve morning, Katya and Sonya crept to the boys' door again and overheard a tense conversation. Lentilov was angrily questioning Volodya's commitment to their plan. Volodya, crying softly, expressed his reluctance to leave because of his concern for his mother. Despite his tears, when Lentilov threatened to go alone and demanded his cartridges back, Volodya finally agreed to proceed with their adventure. Lentilov tried to cheer him up by describing the wonders of America and imitating wild animals.
The failed escape attempt and its aftermath
By two o'clock that afternoon, the family discovered that the boys were missing. They searched everywhere - the servants' quarters, stables, village, and even along the riverbank with lanterns as evening fell. Volodya's mother grew increasingly distressed and wept openly. A police officer was summoned, and official documents were prepared regarding the disappearance.
At tea, too, the boys were still absent, and by suppertime Volodya's mother was dreadfully uneasy, and even shed tears. Late in the evening they sent again to the village, they searched everywhere, and walked along the river bank with lanterns.
Suddenly, a sledge with three white horses pulled up at the door, and Volodya returned. The boys had been stopped in the Arcade, where they had been going from shop to shop asking where they could buy gunpowder. Upon his return, Volodya burst into tears and threw himself into his mother's arms. The girls watched fearfully, wondering what punishment awaited the runaways.
Volodya's father took both boys into his study for a stern talking-to. He expressed his disappointment and concern that they might be expelled from school if their adventure became known. He particularly blamed Lentilov for initiating the plan. When asked where they had spent the night, Lentilov proudly answered, "At the station." A telegram was sent to Lentilov's mother, who arrived the next day to take her son home.
Volodya went to bed with a vinegar compress on his forehead. Lentilov remained morose and haughty until the end, not speaking a word to the girls as he left. His final gesture was to take Katya's book and write in it: "Montehomo, the Hawk's Claw, Chief of the Ever Victorious."
Lentilov looked morose and haughty to the end, and he did not utter a single word at taking leave of the little girls. But he took Katya's book and wrote in it as a souvenir: "Montehomo, the Hawk's Claw, Chief of the Ever Victorious."