To I. L. Leontyev, 16–17 November 1888. Moscow.

1 Written from Moscow on 16 or 17 November 1888 to Ivan Leontyev, who wrote under the pen name Ivan Shcheglov and whom Chekhov addressed by the nickname "Jean," this short, high-spirited letter continues the same run of correspondence as the letters to Shcheglov of 14 September, 2 November, 7 November, and 11 November. It follows directly on the casting muddle over "The Bear" reported in the 11 November letter, here treated as settled into indifference, and closes with a joking domestic wish rather than any business matter.

2 Chekhov opens with a mock-Latin salutation and sends two censored copies of "The Bear," one for Smolensk and one for Shcheglov to give away as he sees fit, then dismisses the Abarinova/Savina casting tangle from the previous letter with studied unconcern: let it run aground if it must. He reports that the actor Solovtsov is about to visit to discuss placing "The Theatrical Sparrow" ("the sparrow"), grumbling about the crush and heat backstage that make serious talk impossible, then bats away Shcheglov’s teasing comparison of him to Potemkin, listing labor, exhaustion, poverty, and boredom as the only truths of his situation. A few quick items follow – praise for Shcheglov’s improving handwriting with advice not to overcorrect it, enthusiasm for Shcheglov’s new tale "Cordelia" paired with an exhortation not to abandon fiction for playwriting, and a reminder that Shcheglov must spend the coming summer in the country – before closing greetings "from all my people" (including the nicknamed "Coquelin the Younger") and the signature "Your Antoine." The letter ends with a single joking line wishing Shcheglov’s wife would beat him.