To M. P. Chekhov, 24–25 April 1888. Moscow.

1 Written from Moscow around 24-25 April 1888 to Chekhov’s younger brother Mikhail Pavlovich ("Misha"), then staying at the Lintvaryov estate near Sumy to look over the dacha the family would rent for the summer.

2 Chekhov opens with an Easter greeting and chides Misha for skimping on details about the dacha, pressing him for a verdict on whether it is presentable – word has reached him that the publisher Alexei Suvorin might visit, so a shabby, shed-like place would be embarrassing. Pleshcheyev is expected on the 10th of May. Chekhov sends greetings to relatives and to the Lintvaryov household, mentions he has taken a liking to "the girls" (the Lintvaryov sisters) whom Misha will soon know himself, reports the family’s departure date, and notes he is sending off his novella along with a request for an advance. He adds Moscow news – Misha’s own Easter story has appeared in the children’s magazine "Drug detey," and the family enjoyed the Easter bell-ringing and vespers – before signing off with a mock-solemn Greek tag about the virtue of silence and a joking pseudonymous signature, "Count Platov."