The Swedish Match (Chekhov)
Short summary
Russia, 1885. Psyekov, a steward, reported to the police that his employer Mark Klyauzov had been murdered. The police superintendent visited the scene and found Klyauzov's bedroom locked from inside with signs of a struggle. The examining magistrate Nikolay Yermolaitch Tchubikov and his assistant Dyukovsky were called to investigate.
They found evidence suggesting Klyauzov had been murdered while taking off his boots. Dyukovsky discovered a Swedish match at the crime scene, blood stains in the garden, and threads from dark blue clothing on some burdock plants. He theorized that three people committed the murder.
Suspicion fell on Nikolashka, Klyauzov's valet, who had a motive involving a woman named Akulka. Then Psyekov became a suspect when Dyukovsky noticed his dark blue trousers. Klyauzov's sister refused to provide information, making Dyukovsky suspect her involvement. Twelve days later, Nikolashka and Psyekov were arrested.
Determined to solve the case, Dyukovsky tracked down the source of the Swedish match and suspected the police superintendent's wife. He convinced Tchubikov to visit her house at night. In her bathhouse, they found someone lying on a shelf.
"Dyukovsky held the candle-end to the face of the unknown and uttered a shriek. In the crimson nose, in the ruffled, uncombed hair... he recognised Cornet Klyauzov. 'You... Mark... Ivanitch! Impossible!'"
It turned out Klyauzov was alive and had been staying with the superintendent's wife. The boot found in the garden had been thrown during an argument. The entire investigation had been a waste of time, leaving Tchubikov furious and Dyukovsky humiliated.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
A reported murder: Psyekov informs the police about Klyauzovs death
On the morning of October 6, 1885, a well-dressed young man arrived at the police superintendent's office in the S— district to report a murder. The young man, Psyekov, who worked as a steward for Mark Ivanovitch Klyauzov, appeared extremely agitated as he informed the authorities that his employer had been murdered.
The police superintendent immediately proceeded to the scene with Psyekov and necessary witnesses. When they arrived at Klyauzov's lodge, they found crowds of people already gathered outside, drawn by the news that had spread rapidly through the neighboring villages.
Initial investigation at the lodge: Inspecting the crime scene
The door to Klyauzov's bedroom was locked from the inside with the key still in the lock. Psyekov suggested that the criminals must have entered through the window. Upon examining the garden, they found the bedroom window covered by a faded green curtain with one corner slightly turned back. No one had dared to look inside, as the gardener Yefrem explained that everyone was too frightened.
The superintendent lamented that he had warned Klyauzov his dissipation would lead to a bad end. According to Psyekov, it was Yefrem who first raised concerns when he noticed that Klyauzov hadn't left his bedroom for an entire week. The superintendent sent for the police captain, inspector, and examining magistrate to investigate the case.
While waiting, the superintendent went to the steward's house for tea, lamenting how a gentleman of means like Klyauzov had wasted his life on drinking and debauchery. Two hours later, the examining magistrate Nikolay Yermolaitch Tchubikov arrived with his assistant Dyukovsky.
Evidence in the garden: The discovery of blood stains and a boot
After breaking open the bedroom door, the investigators found a rumpled bed, a pillow on the floor, a silver watch, and some coins on a table. There was no sign of Klyauzov's body. Tchubikov immediately suspected that the murderers had killed Klyauzov and removed his body through the window, similar to a previous case he had investigated.
Dyukovsky found a Swedish match in the room, noting that Klyauzov typically used sulphur matches, not Swedish ones. He also observed signs of a struggle on the bed and theorized that Klyauzov had been strangled while taking off his boots, as only one boot was found in the room.
"What powers of deduction! Just look at him!" Tchubikov jeered. "He brings it all out so pat! And when will you learn not to put your theories forward? You had better take a little of the grass for analysis instead of arguing!"
Outside in the garden, they found trampled grass under the window and a clump of burdock that had been stepped on. Dyukovsky discovered broken shoots, a bit of wadding, and threads of dark blue wool on the burrs. When he asked Psyekov about Klyauzov's last suit, Psyekov replied it was yellow canvas, suggesting the blue threads came from someone else.
Investigating suspects: Questioning Nikolashka about his relationship with Akulka
The investigators found a long streak of stains in the grass leading from the window to a brownish stain under a lilac bush. There they discovered the matching boot to the one found in the bedroom. The doctor confirmed the stain was blood. Dyukovsky theorized that Klyauzov had been strangled in the bedroom and then stabbed outside, where the body had remained while the murderers figured out how to transport it.
During lunch at the steward's house, Tchubikov noted that since the watch and money were untouched, the murder wasn't committed for mercenary motives. Dyukovsky suggested that the murderer was educated, based on the Swedish match, and that at least three people were involved. The gardener Yefrem accused Klyauzov's valet Nikolashka, mentioning that he had once threatened to kill his master over a woman named Akulka, whom Klyauzov had taken from him.
Nikolashka was brought in for questioning. He was drunk and tearful, confirming that his master had been murdered and claiming the body was buried in the garden. When asked about his whereabouts on the night of the murder, he said he was too drunk to remember. Questioned about the blood under the window, Nikolashka explained he had killed a chicken that ran away bleeding.
Suspicion shifts to Psyekov: The blue threads evidence
Nikolashka admitted to having relations with Akulka but claimed that Psyekov had first enticed her away from him, and then Klyauzov had taken her from Psyekov. This revelation caused Psyekov to look confused and begin rubbing his eye. Dyukovsky noticed that Psyekov was wearing dark blue trousers, which matched the blue threads found on the burdock.
Tchubikov then questioned Psyekov about his whereabouts on the night of the murder. Psyekov admitted he had supper with Klyauzov at ten o'clock but claimed he was too drunk to remember what happened afterward or where he went to bed. He only remembered waking up on the stove in the servants' kitchen. His nervousness increased as he asked why everyone was looking at him as though he had committed the murder.
Tchubikov and Dyukovsky then visited Klyauzov's sister, Marya Ivanovna, a maiden lady of forty-five. They found her kneeling before icons. When they asked for information about her brother, she became extremely distressed, refused to speak about him, and fled to another room.
Interrogation continues: Nikolashka and Psyekov questioned again
As Tchubikov and Dyukovsky drove home that evening, Dyukovsky theorized that Nikolashka and Psyekov were involved in the murder but weren't the instigators. He suspected Marya Ivanovna, suggesting that as an Old Believer, she might have killed her brother out of religious fanaticism, viewing him as a godless profligate.
"She's an Old Believer, she murdered him through fanaticism! She has not merely slain a wicked man, a profligate, she has freed the world from Antichrist—and that she fancies is her merit, her religious achievement!"
Tchubikov dismissed Dyukovsky's theory, telling him to stick to writing what was dictated to him. The next morning, however, new evidence emerged when a shepherd named Danilko reported seeing two men carrying something black along the dam late at night. Based on this testimony, Psyekov and Nikolashka were arrested and taken to the district town prison.
The Swedish match: Dyukovskys investigation of a crucial clue
Twelve days later, Tchubikov was reviewing the case papers at home while Dyukovsky paced restlessly. Dyukovsky remained convinced of Marya Ivanovna's guilt and was particularly fixated on the Swedish match found at the scene. He believed it was the key to solving the case and begged Tchubikov to let him investigate further.
"The Swedish match! Have you forgotten? I haven't forgotten it! I'll find out who struck it in the murdered man's room! It was not struck by Nikolashka, nor by Psyekov... but a third person, that is Marya Ivanovna."
Tchubikov proceeded with the formal interrogation of the suspects. Nikolashka, now pale and thin, broke down sobbing when confronted with his criminal record. Psyekov, also visibly changed after twelve days in prison, continued to deny involvement despite Tchubikov's detailed description of how the crime supposedly occurred. When Psyekov heard the account, he became so distressed he had to be led out.
"Veni, vidi, vici!" he cried, dashing into Tchubikov's room and sinking into an armchair. "I vow on my honour, I begin to believe in my own genius. Listen, damnation take us! Listen and wonder, old friend!"
Confronting the police superintendents wife: Following the trail of evidence
Later that day, Dyukovsky returned in a state of extreme excitement. He had spent the day visiting shopkeepers and innkeepers in the area, asking about Swedish matches. Finally, he discovered that a box of matches was missing from a packet, and learned that the police superintendent's wife, Olga Petrovna, had purchased it. Dyukovsky theorized that she was involved in the murder because she had been in love with Klyauzov, who had rejected her for Akulka.
Despite Tchubikov's reluctance to disturb a respectable woman at night, Dyukovsky persuaded him to visit the police superintendent's house. They were greeted by Olga Petrovna, who welcomed them to supper in her husband's absence. Dyukovsky immediately confronted her about Klyauzov's whereabouts. Shocked and confused, she turned pale and admitted that Klyauzov was hidden in her bathhouse, begging them not to tell her husband.
Unexpected discovery: Klyauzov found alive in the bathhouse
Olga Petrovna led Tchubikov and Dyukovsky to the bathhouse in her yard. Inside, they found a table with a samovar and food. In the next room, Dyukovsky climbed up to the top shelf and discovered not a corpse but a living man lying on a feather bed and snoring. When prodded, the man woke up and revealed himself to be none other than Mark Ivanovitch Klyauzov, very much alive.
Klyauzov was surprised to see the investigators but quickly invited them to drink with him. He explained that he had been staying with the superintendent's wife in the bathhouse, feeling sorry for her and living there like a hermit. When asked about his boots, he explained that during a drunken argument, he had thrown one boot at Olga Petrovna through the window. She had climbed in, given him a beating, and they had reconciled.
"I'm staying with the superintendent's wife, as you see. In the wilds among the ruins, like some house goblin. I felt sorry for her... and, well, I am living here in the deserted bathhouse, like a hermit... I am well fed."
The whole murder investigation had been based on a misunderstanding. Klyauzov had simply been hiding away with his lover for a week, while everyone assumed he had been murdered. The evidence that seemed to point to foul play—the locked door, the blood stains, the boot in the garden—all had innocent explanations.
The aftermath: Embarrassment and reconciliation
Tchubikov and Dyukovsky left the bathhouse in humiliated silence. The road home seemed unbearably long and dreary. Tchubikov was shaking with anger, while Dyukovsky hid his face in his collar out of shame. When they arrived home, they found Doctor Tyutyuev waiting, more interested in international politics than in the case.
"Choke yourself with your match! Go away and don't irritate me, or goodness knows what I shall do to you. Don't let me set eyes on you... Dyukovsky heaved a sigh, took his hat, and went out. 'I'll go and get drunk!'"
Tchubikov, furious with Dyukovsky's theories that had led to their embarrassment, ordered him to leave. Dyukovsky departed, declaring he would go get drunk. Meanwhile, when the police superintendent returned home, his wife told him that the examining magistrate had come by to inform them that Klyauzov had been found staying with another man's wife. The irony of the situation completed the comedy of errors that had unfolded over the supposed murder case.