person
Nadenka
also: Наденька, Nadezhda Petrovna, Надежда Петровна, Nadya, Надя
The young woman the narrator courts by sledding with her down a terrifying ice hill, whispering 'I love you, Nadya' only at the loudest moment of the ride so she can never be sure whether he spoke or the wind did; years later, married with three children, she still treasures the memory as the happiest of her life.
Reading notes
- A Little Joke §2 Надежда Петровна
Nadezhda Petrovna is Nadenka's formal name-and-patronymic, used here by the narrator in a moment of mock-gallant formality as he pleads with her to risk the sled ride; 'Nadenka' is the affectionate diminutive of 'Nadezhda' (hope) used through the rest of the story, while 'Nadya' is the shorter pet form he actually whispers to her.