Another tale, another twist.
In this one, an errant husband is nearly caught out in an affair, but manages to make up a story that fools his credulous wife and her equally sheeplike mother. These two sheep-ish ladies are the main focus of the story, and the portrait of them sitting around, plumply waiting for the man to show up at their dacha, is pretty cunningly described.
Here’s the mother:
It was written on the countenance of the elder lady that she was, thank God, well-fed, well-clothed and in good health, that she had married her only daughter to a good man, and now could play her game of patience with an easy conscience.
Very good!
READ THIS? READ THAT!
Sometimes the husband strays, sometimes the wife. It’s interesting to compare this story to “The Helpmate.” In both, the errant spouse wants his/her cake while eating a completely different pastry on the side.
A Chekhov Circus 