Letter · 1889

To N. N. Obolonsky, 8 November 1889. Moscow.

H. H. ОБОЛОНСКОМУ, 8 ноября 1889 г. Москва.

Headnote

Written 8 November 1889 in Moscow, this is a brief, teasing personal note from Chekhov to Dr. Nikolai Nikolaevich Obolonsky, a physician and friend within Chekhov’s Moscow circle. Chekhov chaffs Obolonsky for having fallen in love and, on that account, failing to make good on a promised day-long visit; he issues a mock-official "first warning," threatening (in playful, bureaucratic language) to strip Obolonsky of unspecified "rights and privileges" if he does not appear within three days. The note is signed simply "A. Chekhov" and is followed by the reverse-side address block as it appeared on the item: "Here, / Petrovka, Kabanov’s house / To the Doctor / Nikolai Nikolaevich / Obolonsky" — i.e. a local Moscow delivery address (no postal stamps/routing data preserved in this source), broken into short fragments matching the original manuscript’s line layout. This address block is a normal envelope/verso feature of this letter series, not a separate document.

No other proper names, literary allusions, or quoted material appear in this very short note.

8 November 1889. Moscow.
8 ноября 1889 г. Москва.
Unhappy doctor, unable to find your place for love of a young lady unknown to me!!
Несчастный доктор, не находящий себе места от любви к неизвестной мне девице!!
You once promised to come and spend a whole day with me. That promise you have not yet fulfilled. I am giving you a first warning. And if you do not come to me within the next three days, I shall be compelled to deprive you of certain rights and privileges.
Вы как-то обещали приехать ко мне на целый день. Обещания этого Вы до сих пор не исполнили. Делаю Вам на первый раз замечание. Если же Вы не приедете ко мне в продолжение трех дней, то я вынужден буду лишить Вас некоторых прав и преимуществ.
А. Чехов.
On the reverse:
На обороте:
Here,
Здесь,
Petrovka, Kabanov’s house
Петровка, д. Кабанова
To the Doctor
Доктору
Obolonsky.
Оболонскому.

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