Author of the retelling: O. V. Butkova

In the city of T., on the wretched and dirty Rasteryaeva Street, many poor people live: petty officials, philistines, artisans. Among them - a young pistol master Prokhor Porfirych. He is "of the noble": the illegitimate son of a master, a police official. But the origin did not make Prokhor's life easier. Glafira, Prokhor's mother, was "relegated" by the gentleman to a cook, and the boy was sent to study with a drunken master, where he had to endure both hunger and beatings. Then Prokhor tried to do business with his friend, but after a drunken quarrel, he broke off relations with him and began to work alone.

Prokhor Porfirych considers all other artisans to be no equal to himself, despising them for drunkenness and ignorance (and these shortcomings are indeed characteristic of them: the lack of any interests in life and hopeless poverty push a person into a tavern). Porfirych himself is reserved and calculating. He is in no hurry to take the money he has acquired to the kisser. Prokhor Porfirych dreams of getting rich by using the general “crazyness” and “perekabylstvo” (from the word “if only”) for his own purposes. The old master, Prokhor's father, dies. The son extracts all possible benefits from his death: he builds on some of his things and inherits even more than he should have. After that, he buys himself a house for pennies from a crazy old woman, deceiving his own mother, since he was supposed to buy a house for her. Prokhor Porfirych acquires a cook and an apprentice drunk named Krivonogov, who does most of the work for him. Porfirych makes money off the people around him in various ways. He buys products for next to nothing from those craftsmen who urgently need money to recover from their hangover. He robs the good-natured and stupid shopkeeper Lubkov (buys things from Lubkov cheaper, sells them more expensive), Porfirych does not disdain pimping: he finds a “girl” for Kapiton Ivanovich, the owner of a steel products shop, and for this he gets the opportunity to sell him his pistols at a good price.

In his free time, Prokhor Porfirych goes to visit his familiar officials, including Yegor Matveich Bogobortsev and civil general Kalachov. Bogobortsev is indifferent to everything except raising chickens. And everyone, including Porfirych, considers General Kalachov to be an unusually ferocious person, whereas this is simply a misunderstanding. The general is trying to bring at least some order and meaning into life, which causes horror and rejection in his family. He wants, for example, to cut down a willow that is destroying the surrounding garden trees, but his wife believes that her husband wants to cut down her favorite tree to spite her.

Another "remarkable personality" of Rasteryaeva Street is the military clerk Khripushin, who is known in the city as a "medic". Actually, he pretends to be a "doctor" in order to visit many houses, have a drink everywhere and have conversations. Khripushin cannot sit at home: a pugnacious schismatic wife kicks him out. Often he comes to Tomilinsky Lane and visits the Preterpeev family. Spouses Artamon Ilyich and Avdotya Karpovna Preterpeev run the economy economically, save up dowries for their daughters. They lived in perfect harmony until the wife decided to send her eldest daughter Olimpiada to a boarding school. The "educated" girl began to strive for social life, three younger sisters imitate her in this. Parents indulged their daughters until their household fell into complete decline. However, they have to endure not only poverty: the young ladies Preterpeeva became the subject of slander and ridicule for everyone around. With grief, the father of the family begins to drink, falls ill and soon dies.

The official Tolokonnikov, who lives on Rasteryaeva Street, pays attention to the Preterpeevs. He becomes their benefactor: he sends food supplies, gives gifts. The Preterpeevs think that he wants to marry one of the young ladies. But this is not so: Tolokonnikov simply wants to be revered, to be feared. It is not enough for him to have power over his cook - he wants to acquire the same power over the Preterpeevs. To do this, he even decides to rent a house from them. The Preterpeians please him in every possible way, and his treatment of them becomes more and more unceremonious and despotic. He constantly arranges scenes for the unfortunate family, so that her life flows in constant fear of Tolokonnikov. Finally, the Preterpeevs begin to rebel: they invite another friend to visit. Tolokonnikov drives away from them in a rage and takes all his gifts. The Preterpeev family is again in poverty, and Tolokonnikov marries an ugly girl, whose main advantage he sees in the fact that she is "intimidated", that is, frightened by life to the last degree.

The inhabitants of Rasteryaeva Street are wary of books. They consider the fate of an orphan named Alifan to be instructive. He, having memorized the alphabet with great zeal, read the book "The Journey of Captain Cook." The book made a huge impression on him. Alifan peddles small things (and an absent-minded and dreamy guy does not know how to trade) and tells everyone about Captain Cook. These stories make him a laughingstock. He is considered crazy.

But still, the Rasteryaevites do not despise all education. Thus, they greatly respect Pelageya Petrovna Balkanova, or Balkanikha, who is very knowledgeable in church matters. Balkanikha is a respectable and stern woman. Her husband was incredibly afraid of her. There is a rumor in the city that he died of fear when his wife caught him secretly eating jam. The widowed Balkanika was wooed by the tradesman Drykin, who had become rich through some shady business. Having discovered an extraordinary mind in Balkanikha, Drykin was frightened and married the young Nenila. After the wedding, Drykin immediately “pacified” his obstinate wife. She became completely submissive, but quietly began to hate her husband. When Drykin went blind, Nenila felt freedom. She doesn’t do housework, spends money on clothes and beats her husband. Balkanikha goes to visit the Drykins and quarrels with them even more.

One of the residents of Balkanikha is the cabman Nikita. The hostess constantly instructs him on the true path. Each time, Nikita sincerely promises to improve and not to drink again, but nothing comes of these good intentions.

Pelageya Petrovna has an adopted son, Kuzka. He is "fed and lulled", nothing interests his bored soul. At seventeen, Kuzka is as unreasonable as a child. One day Kuzka and Prokhor Porfirych went on a pilgrimage to the neighboring village of Three. There Kuzka drinks a quarter of beer on a bet and dies of unaccustomed to alcohol. And Prokhor Porfirych on a pilgrimage finds his bride - Raisa Karpovna. She is the kept woman of Captain Burtsev; the captain leaves and promises to give one and a half thousand (moreover, before the wedding) to the one who marries Raisa Karpovna. Upon learning of this, Prokhor Porfirych decides to marry. He is very pleased with the good deal. The bride is happy and grateful to her groom.

Author of the retelling: O. V. Butkova

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