Ladies

"e;Ladies"e; by Anton Chekhov tells the story of Fyodor Petrovitch, the Director of Elementary Schools in the N. District, who offers a vacant post to a schoolmaster, Vremensky, who lost his voice. However, when Fyodor Petrovitch's wife, Nastasya Ivanovna, asks him to consider Polzuhin, a young man she knows, for the same post, Fyodor Petrovitch refuses, stating that he does not give posts through patronage. Despite his refusal, he begins receiving letters recommending Polzuhin for the position, and Polzuhin himself appears before Fyodor Petrovitch. In the end, Fyodor Petrovitch, tired of the pressure, gives the post to Polzuhin, leaving Vremensky in a dire situation. The story is a satire on the corrupt nature of patronage and nepotism in society. Read in English, unabridged.