From publisher

The publisher decided to attach “a short biography of the late author,” Ivan Petrovich Belkin, to the first edition of the stories. He contacted his friend, and he told me that Belkin’s father was a second major and a poor landowner. Belkin himself also served in the army, but retired after the death of his parents.

Ivan Petrovich was a gentle and inexperienced man, the peasants were not afraid of him and shamelessly deceived him. He led a moderate life, had a strong inclination toward the female sex, but “truly girlish” modesty hindered him. Ivan Petrovich died a bachelor, in his thirtieth year of life, from a fever.

These stories were his first literary experience. They are mostly true - Belkin wrote down stories he heard from different people. With the rest of the manuscripts of Ivan Petrovich, the housekeeper taped the windows.

Shot

Officers of an army regiment stationed in a provincial town met a mysterious man named Silvio. He was gloomy and quick-tempered, once served in the hussar regiment and shot very accurately, but did not take part in duels. Nothing more was known about him.

Silvio once decided to leave and before leaving told one of the officers his story.During the years of service, he quarreled with a young aristocrat and challenged him to a duel. The aristocrat came to the duel with a cap full of sweet cherry and, after his shot, began to regale with it. Enraged, Silvio did not shoot. The adversary stated that he could use this shot whenever he wanted. Now Silvio learned that the aristocrat was engaged, and was about to take revenge.

A few years later, a retired officer met the count and his young wife. In their living room, he saw a picture shot "by two bullets planted one on top of the other." This well-aimed shot reminded him of Silvio. It turned out that the count is the enemy.

Five years ago, Silvio appeared to the Count and forced him to draw lots. The first shot again went to the aristocrat, but he shot not at Silvio, but at the picture. Then a frightened countess appeared, the count also became confused, and Silvio did not shoot. It was enough for him that the count was frightened. Leaving the room, Silvio almost without aiming shot at a picture and ended up in a spot shot by a count.

Later, the officer learned that Silvio had died while participating in the Greek uprising.

Blizzard

The daughter of a wealthy landowner Marya Gavrilovna R. was in love with a poor neighbor, an army ensign Vladimir. He believed that Masha’s parents would not bless their marriage, and persuaded the girl to get married secretly.

Vladimir prepared a wedding in a neighboring village and was supposed to meet with the bride at the church, but got lost in a snowstorm, missed all night, and, reaching the village, found the church locked.

By the evening of the next day, Masha had a fever.Out of the daughter’s delirium, the parents realized that she was in love with a neighbor, and decided to marry her. They sent an invitation to Vladimir, but he replied that his legs would not be in their house, went to the army, was wounded near Borodin and died.

Soon, Mashin's father also died. The girl became a rich heiress, but refused all the grooms. After the Patriotic War, Masha had a new neighbor - the wounded hussar colonel Burmin. There was sympathy between them.

Burmin admitted to Masha that he loves her, but he is married and does not know who his wife is. Once, during a severe snowstorm, he lost his way, drove into an open church and frivolously married a stranger who fainted when she saw him after the rite. Pale, Masha admitted that it was her, and Burmin rushed to her feet.

Undertaker

Undertaker Adriyan Prokhorov moved to a new house and met a neighbor, a German shoemaker, Schultz. He invited him to a celebration on the occasion of his silver wedding. During the feast, the Germans began to drink for their customers and suggested that Prokhorov drink for the health of the dead, which seemed offensive to him.

Adrian returned home drunk and angry. At night they sent him - a rich merchant merchant died. Returning, the undertaker saw some people enter his gate. Entering the house, Adriyan was horrified to find that the room was full of the dead - his clients.

One of the dead tried to hug Adriyan, he pushed him away, the dead man fell and crumbled. The rest saw this, threatened the undertaker, and he lost his senses.

In the morning, Adriyan found out that the merchant was not dying and that the dead did not come to him. Returning from the shoemaker, Prokhorov immediately fell asleep, and he dreamed all this.

Station ranger

Caught by the rain, the narrator stopped at the post station, where he met station superintendent Samson Vyrin and his fourteen-year-old beautiful daughter, Dunya. A few years later, the narrator was again at this station, but Duni did not catch it anymore. Vyrin told him the story of her disappearance.

Once a young officer Minsky arrived at the station, fell ill with fever and lay with Vyrin for several days. As he was about to leave, Minsky offered to give Dunya a lift to the church. Vyrin allowed, but after feeling uneasy, he ran to the church and found out that her daughter did not appear there - Minsky took her with him.

Vyrin lay down in a fever, and, recovering, went to Petersburg and tracked down Minsky. He vowed that he loved Dunya and would make her happy, he gave the caretaker money and sent him out into the street. Then Vyrin spotted a daughter who lived in a luxurious mansion. Seeing his father, Dunya fainted, and Minsky pushed the old man out of the house.

Once again at that station, the narrator found out that Vyrin had died a year ago. Then came the "beautiful lady" with three children and lay for a long time on his grave.

Young lady peasant

A son Aleksey, who graduated from the university, came to the retired guardsman Berestov. This was found out by Lisa, the daughter of their Angloman neighbor, Murom. She wanted to see Alexei, but it was impossible - Berestov and Murom were at enmity.The story of the maid who visited the neighbors further sparked Lisa’s curiosity. She dressed as a peasant and met Alexei in the forest, calling herself Akulina, the daughter of a blacksmith.

Alex fell in love with a smart and pretty "peasant girl", and young people began to secretly meet. Two months later, Muromsky and Berestov reconciled. Berestov invited the neighbors to visit. To remain unrecognized, Lisa whitened her face and appeared before Alexei in the form of a cutesy young lady.

Soon Berestov and Murom finally became friends and decided to marry their children. Aleksey refused to marry the manurer of Murom and decided to associate his fate with the daughter of a blacksmith. He went to the neighbors to explain himself, saw Lisa without make-up and recognized in her his beloved Akulina.