Boots

"Boots" by Anton Chekhov tells the story of Murkin, a piano-tuner who, due to a mistake by the hotel attendant Semyon, is left without his boots. Semyon admits to having accidentally taken the boots to the neighboring actress's room, but upon retrieving them, Murkin discovers they are not his. They belong to Pavel Alexandritch, an actor who only stays at the hotel on Tuesdays and who is now unreachable. Murkin is desperate to find his own boots as he has an appointment with a client, Madame la Générale Shevelitsyn. Semyon suggests that Murkin wears the boots that are left, even though they are two left boots and full of holes. Murkin is hesitant, but in the end, he puts them on and goes to Madame la Générale Shevelitsyn's house. He is ridiculed by the servants, and his client cannot contain her laughter. The story shows the hardships faced by the poor, and the difficulties people go through to make ends meet. Read in English, unabridged.