The Head-Gardener's Story (Chekhov)
Short summary
A small group of men were chatting at a flower sale in Count N――'s greenhouses. The head-gardener, Mihail Karlovitch, joined their conversation when one man mentioned a criminal who had been acquitted on grounds of mental derangement.
While others criticized such verdicts, Mihail expressed delight in them, saying they showed faith in humanity. He then shared a legend his grandmother told him about a doctor who lived in a small town. This physician was selfless, treating patients regardless of weather or his own tuberculosis, never accepting payment.
One day, the beloved doctor was found murdered. When a vagrant was caught with the doctor's possessions and overwhelming evidence pointed to his guilt, the judges still could not bring themselves to convict him. The chief judge exclaimed:
"'No! May God punish me if I judge wrongly, but I swear he is not guilty. I cannot admit the thought that there exists a man who would dare to murder our friend the doctor! A man could not sink so low!'"
Mihail concluded that God forgave the town's sins because of their faith in humanity. When his neighbor tried to object, Mihail walked away with dignity.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Setting the scene: The flower sale and introduction to the head gardener
A flower sale took place at Count N's greenhouses. The purchasers included the narrator, a neighboring landowner, and a young timber-merchant. While workers packed their purchases, the three men sat at the entrance to the greenhouse, enjoying the pleasant April morning and conversing.
The head-gardener, Mihail Karlovitch, supervised the packing while listening to their conversation. Though everyone considered him German, he was actually Swedish on his father's side and Russian on his mother's. He was well-read, dignified, and enjoyed being respected and listened to.
The conversation turned to justice when the neighbor pointed out a laborer with a swarthy face who had recently been acquitted of burglary on grounds of mental derangement. The neighbor criticized such acquittals as demoralizing to society, and the timber-merchant agreed that they led to increased crime.
The head gardeners story begins: The beloved doctor of a small town
Mihail Karlovitch surprised them by expressing delight at verdicts of not guilty. He explained that when judges and juries have more faith in humanity than in material evidence, this faith itself is more important than ordinary considerations. To illustrate his point, he shared a legend his grandmother had told him.
"Judge for yourselves, gentlemen; if the judges and the jury have more faith in man than in evidence, material proofs, and speeches for the prosecution, is not that faith in man in itself higher than any ordinary considerations?"
The story began with a solitary, elderly gentleman named Thomson or Wilson who settled in a small town. He was a doctor, always morose and unsociable, speaking only when required by his profession. The townspeople respected him for his learning and were proud to have such a remarkable healer among them.
Despite his unsociable nature, the doctor had a wonderful, loving heart. Though he himself suffered from consumption, he never spared himself for his patients, climbing hills despite his labored breathing, disregarding heat, cold, hunger, and thirst. He accepted no payment for his services and wept at the funerals of patients who died.
"In the breast of that learned man there beat a wonderful angelic heart. Though the people of that town were strangers and not his own people, yet he loved them like children, and did not spare himself for them."
The doctor became indispensable to the town, and everyone respected him deeply. He lived with complete trust in his fellow humans, never locking his doors or windows. Even when traveling through forests inhabited by vagrants, he felt perfectly secure. Once, robbers who encountered him in the forest recognized him, respectfully offered him food, and escorted him safely to town.
The doctors murder and the towns shock
One morning, the beloved doctor was found murdered in a ravine, his skull broken and his face showing an expression not of horror but of amazement. The townspeople were devastated and unable to believe anyone could commit such a crime against their doctor.
"And this man who seemed by his sanctity to have guarded himself from every evil, to whom even brigands and frenzied men wished nothing but good, was one fine morning found murdered... with his pale face wore an expression of amazement."
The judges who examined the body concluded that despite evidence of murder, since no one could possibly want to kill their doctor, it must have been an accident. They supposed he had fallen into the ravine in the darkness. The town accepted this explanation, as the existence of someone wicked enough to murder the doctor seemed inconceivable.
However, chance soon led to the discovery of the murderer. A vagrant with a history of criminal convictions was seen selling the doctor's snuffbox and watch. When questioned, he gave unconvincing answers. A search of his belongings revealed a bloodstained shirt and the doctor's gold lancet. The evidence against him was overwhelming.
The trial and acquittal of the murderer
Despite the criminal's denial of guilt, the evidence against him was as clear as day. Yet the judges seemed strangely reluctant to convict him. The trial began in the morning and lasted until evening, with the judges weighing every piece of evidence multiple times and appearing visibly distressed.
When the chief judge finally began to pronounce the sentence, he suddenly dropped the paper, wiped sweat from his face, and declared that he could not believe anyone would dare to murder their beloved doctor. The other judges agreed, and the crowd supported their decision. The murderer was set free, and no one criticized the court for this verdict.
The judges and townspeople simply could not accept that such evil could exist in their world. Their faith in humanity was so strong that they rejected the evidence before their eyes. Though they knew the vagrant was guilty, they could not bring themselves to believe that anyone could commit such a heinous act against their beloved doctor.
"The existence of a man who could have the baseness and wickedness to kill the doctor seemed incredible. There is a limit even to wickedness, isn't there?"
The moral of the story and conclusion
Mihail Karlovitch concluded his grandmother's legend by explaining that God forgave the sins of all the townspeople because of their faith in humanity. Though the acquittal might have caused harm, the beneficial influence of their faith in human goodness was more important.
"The sentence of acquittal may bring harm to the inhabitants of the town, but on the other hand, think of the beneficial influence upon them of that faith in man... which raises up generous feelings in us, and always impels us to love and respect every man."
Having finished his story, the head-gardener made a gesture indicating he would tolerate no objections. He then walked away with dignity to continue supervising the packing of the flowers. The narrator's neighbor seemed ready to argue, but Mihail Karlovitch's demeanor made it clear the discussion was over.