To A. I. Urusov, 9 November 1891. Moscow.
А. И. УРУСОВУ, 9 ноября 1891 г. Москва.
Headnote
It is given twice-dated as in the source: a full dateline, then a fuller repeat with time of day.
Addressee: Prince Alexander Ivanovich Urusov (1843-1900), the noted lawyer (a celebrated defense attorney) and literary/theatrical critic, already established elsewhere in this corpus as one of the early, more indulgent readers of Chekhov’s play "The Wood Demon".
Content summary, by section: - (1-2) Dateline, given twice: the date, then repeated with the exact time of writing (5:30 in the evening). - (3) Chekhov apologizes for having missed an appointment with Urusov the previous Thursday: he had fallen seriously ill (fever, chills, aches) and was confined to his bedroom when Urusov called, which he calls an infernal vexation. He explains he has just returned from treating Suvorin (his friend and publisher, Alexey Suvorin), quoting the proverb "physician, heal thyself" against himself, and was brought home by carriage with his own head now beginning to ache. He worries that Suvorin’s influenza may turn into pneumonia. - (4) He asks Urusov to name a day and hour after 12 November when he may call without disrupting Urusov’s schedule, noting evenings after 6 suit him best. - (5-6) Closing courtesy formula and signature, "A. Chekhov."