The New Villa (Chekhov)
Short summary
A Russian village, late 19th century. Near the village of Obrutchanovo, a huge bridge was being built. The engineer in charge bought land nearby and built a beautiful house called the New Villa, where he moved with his wife.
The villagers, particularly Kozov and the Lytchkovs, were suspicious of the newcomers. When the engineer's horses damaged the villagers' meadows, they impounded the animals and demanded payment. The engineer tried to reason with them, explaining that his property was constantly damaged by their cattle, yet he never complained.
Elena Ivanovna visited the village, gave money to the poor, and tried to befriend the villagers. She promised to build a school and improve roads, but the villagers remained hostile. The village blacksmith, Rodion, was the only one who understood the engineer's family and tried to mediate.
Eventually, the engineer grew irritable and petty. Elena Ivanovna left with her children for Moscow, and the engineer sold the villa. Years later, as the villagers passed the bridge, they wondered why they had been unable to live peacefully with the engineer's family.
How was it that some mist had shrouded from their eyes what mattered most, and had let them see nothing but damage done by cattle, bridles, pincers, and all those trivial things which now... seemed so nonsensical?
Despite this reflection, Volodka, one of the most hostile villagers, still maintained they had never needed the bridge in the first place.
Detailed summary by chapters
Chapter titles are editorial.
Chapter 1. The Bridge and the New Villa
Two miles from the village of Obrutchanovo, a large bridge was being constructed. From the village on the steep riverbank, its skeleton was visible, creating a picturesque sight, especially in foggy weather when covered with frost. The engineer who was building the bridge occasionally drove through the village, and sometimes the navvies came to beg for alms or take things, though such incidents were rare. Most days passed peacefully, with only the distant sounds of metal clanging from the construction site.
The engineer's wife came to see him. She was pleased with the riverbanks and the gorgeous view... and she began begging her husband to buy a small piece of ground and to build them a cottage on it.
The engineer agreed to his wife's request. They purchased sixty acres of land and built a beautiful two-story house with a terrace, veranda, tower, and flagstaff. The construction took only three months, and by spring, the property had avenues, a gardener, laborers, a fountain, and a decorative globe. The house was named the New Villa.
Chapter 2. Growing Tensions and Misunderstandings
One May morning, two white horses from the New Villa were brought to the village blacksmith, Rodion Petrov. The villagers gathered to admire the beautiful animals. The coachman shared details about his wealthy employers, mentioning that Elena Ivanovna had previously lived poorly as a governess in Moscow but was now kind and compassionate toward the poor. The villagers learned that the new owners were not planning to farm the land but simply wanted to enjoy the fresh air.
Among the onlookers was Kozov, an elderly man who immediately took a dislike to the new house and its owners. He sarcastically referred to them as "landowners" and doubted their status. Kozov was a solitary widower, maintained by his son who worked in Harkov, and spent his days wandering around making pessimistic predictions about everything.
The New Villa owners held evening entertainments with Bengal lights, fireworks, and a boat with red lanterns. One morning, Elena Ivanovna and her daughter drove to the village in a carriage with yellow wheels and dark bay ponies. They stopped at the poorest hut, where Rodion's wife Stepanida lived with many children. Elena Ivanovna gave Stepanida three roubles for the children, causing both Stepanida and Rodion to bow deeply in gratitude. Embarrassed by their reaction, Elena Ivanovna quickly drove away.
Chapter 3. Elena Ivanovnas Failed Overture
Tensions arose when the Lytchkovs, father and son, caught the engineer's horses, pony, and bull-calf in their meadows. With the help of Volodka, Rodion's son, they drove the animals to the village. They gathered witnesses, called for the village elder, and demanded compensation for the damage. The younger Lytchkov was particularly vocal, shouting that they would not tolerate such treatment and that they were "not serfs now." Kozov encouraged their indignation, repeating his skepticism about the "landowners."
The villagers locked up the animals and waited. That evening, the engineer sent five roubles for the damage, and the animals were released. The Lytchkovs, along with the village elder and Volodka, used the money to go drinking at a tavern across the river, causing their women to worry all night. Rodion couldn't sleep either, concerned that they had insulted the engineer and trouble would follow.
Later, when the peasants were returning from dividing their forest clearings, they encountered the engineer. He spoke to them gently but firmly, expressing his disappointment with their behavior. He explained that his cattle had been damaging their property since spring, yet he had never complained or fined them, while they had impounded his animals and demanded payment.
"My wife and I do our utmost to live with you in peace and harmony; we help the peasants as we can. My wife is a kind, warmhearted woman; she never refuses you help. That is her dream—to be of use to you."
The engineer asked why they continually harmed him despite his efforts to be neighborly. He mentioned other grievances: someone had cut down oak saplings in his copse, and they had dug up the road to Eresnevo, forcing him to take a longer route. He implored them to think about their actions and to repay kindness with kindness.
Chapter 4. Deteriorating Relations and Departure
One Sunday, Elena Ivanovna and her daughter walked to the village. They stopped at Rodion and Stepanida's hut, where more than a dozen children stared at them from the windows. Elena Ivanovna inquired about their well-being, and Stepanida spoke openly about their poverty and hardships. When Elena Ivanovna suggested that the poor would be happy in the next world, Stepanida disagreed, saying that the rich would be fine there too, as they could afford candles and services, while the poor had no time even to make the sign of the cross.
"It is only on the surface that the rich seem to be happy... Here my husband and I do not live poorly, we have means, but are we happy? I am young, but I have had four children; my children are always being ill."
Elena Ivanovna shared her own troubles: her illness, her worries about her children, and the tension with her husband's family who had opposed their marriage. She expressed feeling out of place, with no meaningful work to do. A crowd gathered to listen, including Kozov and the Lytchkovs.
"I like the river and the forest and the village... I want to help you—I want to dreadfully—to be of use, to be a real friend to you. I know your need, and what I don't know I feel, my heart guesses."
Chapter 5. Years Later: Reflections on the Past
The engineer grew increasingly irritable, seeing acts of theft or damage in every small incident. The gate to his property was kept locked even during the day, and watchmen patrolled at night. He stopped employing villagers from Obrutchanovo. When wheels were stolen from his cart and later bridles and pincers were found under his hedge, suspicions fell on the villagers.
Eventually, Elena Ivanovna left for Moscow with her children. Rumors spread that the engineer was selling his house. Years later, the New Villa belonged to a government clerk who came only for holidays and wore a cockade on his cap, ignoring the peasants' greetings.
The villagers had grown older; Kozov had died. Rodion's hut still housed many children. Volodka had grown a long red beard, but the people remained as poor as ever. One spring day, as the Obrutchanovo peasants were returning from sawing wood near the station, they reflected on the past events with the engineer's family. They wondered why they hadn't gotten along with the kind, gentle Elena Ivanovna, yet lived in peace with the new owner.
"We lived without a bridge," said Volodka gloomily. "We lived without a bridge, and did not ask for one... and we don't want it...." No one answered him and they walked on in silence with drooping heads.