To F. O. Shekhtel, 10 February 1888. Moscow.

1 Written from Moscow on February 10, 1888, this short letter to the architect Franz Schechtel accompanies the repayment of a debt, with a wry apology for the delay – blamed, Chekhov jokes, not on himself but on an ungrateful humanity that never pays its debts to its geniuses. He reports having just received a 500-ruble advance for the novella that will run in the March "Severny Vestnik," adding dryly that Schechtel will lose little if he never reads it.

2 The rest is affectionate needling: Chekhov complains, half in jest, that Schechtel has neglected him for nineteen months despite promising to visit with Natalya Timofeyevna, then closes with a message to be passed on to a third party, Derviz – regards, and a joking request to borrow half a million rubles from him. Chekhov signs off with the French form of his first name, "Antoine."