"Black chicken, or Underground inhabitants» - a fairy tale for children (fairy tale) by Anthony Pogorelsky (Alexei Alekseevich Perovsky), written in 1829. The first author's work of literature for children in Russian. The tale was published many times in the Soviet Union and in the Russian Federation.
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Plot
Boy Alyosha (about 10 years old) studied at a St. Petersburg boarding house in the 1790s. His parents lived far away and he stayed at the boarding house during the holidays. V free time he often fed the chickens kept in the kitchen, and especially emphasized the black crested Nigella. Once the cook Trinushka decided to stab her for dinner, but Alyosha asked her not to do this, giving her (that is, Trinushka) a golden imperial - his only jewel that his grandmother gave him.
At night, the boy heard Chernushka calling him, and was surprised that the chicken could speak. She called him to follow her and eventually brought Alyosha to the underground kingdom, where little people lived half an arshin (about 35 cm) in height. The king met him and thanked him for saving his chief minister.
It turned out that this minister is Chernushka, only Alyosha did not immediately guess about it. For a favor, he asked for the ability to always know a lesson without learning anything, and the king gave him (that is, Alyosha) a hemp seed, although he was dissatisfied with its shortcomings. He made it a condition not to tell anyone about what he saw underground. Then the minister explained to Alyosha that, according to the customs of the underground inhabitants, they must leave their possessions if the person who found out about them would tell others about it.
The king's gift turned out to be effective, and Alyosha began to show phenomenal ability... At first he was embarrassed, but then he got used to it and became proud. Once Alyosha lost a hemp seed, and with it the ability to respond. He was severely punished, considering the inability to be a whim, but Chernushka returned and returned the lost seed to Alyosha, although she was saddened by his behavior.
Alyosha used magic and instantly learned a few pages, but the teacher suspected something was wrong and began to figure out how he did it. Out of fear of the rods, Alyosha forgot the king's prohibition and let slip about the inhabitants of the underground, but the teacher did not believe him, and the boy was still whipped.
On the night of the same day, the minister of the underground kingdom came to Alyosha and told him that because of his offense, the people of underground inhabitants had to leave their homes, and the minister himself was condemned by the king to wear golden shackles, which Alyosha saw with horror in his arms. They said goodbye with tears forever. Alyosha, having been in a strong fever for 6 weeks, again became a diligent and kind boy, although he lost his magical abilities.
History of creation
Anthony Pogorelsky composed this tale for his nephew, Alexei Tolstoy, whose education he paid much attention to. The name of the protagonist coincides both with the real name of the author (Aleksey Alekseevich Perovsky) and with the name of his nephew. Autobiographical motives are traced in the tale. The publication was greeted positive reviews press.
Analysis of the tale
OI Timanova notes the "romantic duality" of a fairy tale, "the narrative of which is distributed along two main lines (magic and realistic)." At the same time, the magic is discredited in the fairy tale: everything gained by the hero with the help of magic brings only misfortune to him and to others. The motive of "duality" is, in principle, inherent in the work of Pogorelsky. According to Timanova, the story is based on the tradition of the magic-knightly novel, which affirms the "high" as the norm of life, and has a pronounced didacticism characteristic of the works of that era. Timanova also draws parallels with various myths and legends, comparing Alyosha's travels to the underworld with the mystical experience of traveling “to the next world” in order to initiate, and the “werewolf” black hen-minister is a guide.
A. P. Efremov in his essay article points out that in Pogorelsky's tale the tendency of "indefinite spiritual crushing" of the heroes begins after they commit some unworthy deed, "sin", in the children's literature XIX century. Efremov notes that a sign of sin in children's literature is "the impossibility for heroes, even fabulous, to let go of what they have done," this function is entrusted to higher power, God, and the time of redemption is not limited by anything. In fact, The Black Chicken gives rise to a “literature of conscience”.
N.N. Podosokorsky investigated Masonic motifs in the story of Pogorelsky and substantiated the hypothesis that one of the main sources of the work could be the magic grimoire "The Black Hen" by an anonymous author: the hero passes certain trials / wanderings, as a result of which he gets a new spiritual experience... And this initiation has a pronounced Masonic character. "
Once upon a time there was a keeper of a men's boarding house, who is still probably still in the fresh memory of many, although the house where the boarding house was located had long ago given way to another, not at all similar to the previous one. At that time, our Petersburg was already famous throughout Europe for its beauty, although it was far from being what it is now. Then on the avenues of Vasilyevsky Ostrov there were no cheerful shady alleys: wooden scaffolding, often knocked together from rotten boards, took the place of the current beautiful sidewalks. St. Isaac's Bridge, narrow at that time and uneven, was a completely different view than it is now; and St. Isaac's Square itself was not at all like that. Then the monument to Peter the Great was separated from St. Isaac's Square by a ditch; The Admiralty was not lined with trees, the Konnogvardeisky Manege did not adorn the square with its beautiful current facade - in a word, Petersburg then was not what it is today. Cities have an advantage over people, by the way, that they sometimes become more beautiful with age ... However, this is not the point now. Another time and on another occasion, perhaps, I will talk with you more at length about the changes that have taken place in Petersburg during my century, but now we will turn again to the boarding house, which was located on Vasilievsky Island, in the First Line, forty years ago.
The house, which you will not find now - as I have already told you - was about two floors, covered with Dutch tiles. The porch, through which it was entered, was wooden and protruded into the street. From the entrance, a rather steep staircase led to the upper dwelling, which consisted of eight or nine rooms, in which the owner of the boarding house lived on one side, and on the other there were classes. The dortoirs, or children's bedrooms, were on the ground floor, along right side the passage, and on the left lived two old Dutch women, each of whom was more than a hundred years old and who saw Peter the Great with their own eyes and even talked to him. V present time it is unlikely that in the whole of Russia you will meet a person who would have seen Peter the Great; the time will come when our traces will be erased from the face of the earth! Everything passes, everything disappears in our mortal world ... but that is not what the matter is now about.
Among the thirty or forty children who studied at that boarding house, there was one boy named Alyosha, who was then no more than 9 or 10 years old. His parents, who lived far, far from Petersburg, had brought him to the capital two years before, sent him to a boarding school and returned home, having paid the teacher the agreed payment for several years in advance. Alyosha was a smart little boy, cute, he studied well, and everyone loved and caressed him. However, despite the fact, he was often bored at the boarding house, and sometimes even sad. Especially at first he could not get used to the idea that he was separated from his relatives. But then, little by little, he began to get used to his position, and there were even moments when, playing with his comrades, he thought that it was much more fun in the boarding house than in his parents' house. In general, the days of teaching passed quickly and pleasantly for him, but when Saturday was teaching and all his comrades hurried home to their relatives, then Alyosha bitterly felt his loneliness. On Sundays and holidays he was alone all day, and then his only consolation was to read books that the teacher allowed him to borrow from his small library. The teacher was by birth German, at that time the fashion for knightly novels and fairy tales prevailed in German literature, and this library for the most part consisted of books of this kind.
So, Alyosha, still at the age of ten, already knew by heart the deeds of the most glorious knights, by at least the way they were described in the novels. His favorite pastime in long winter evenings, on Sundays and others holidays was mentally transported to the old, long past centuries ... Especially in a vacant time, such as about Christmas or a bright Christ sunday- when he was separated for a long time from his comrades, when he often spent whole days in solitude, his young imagination wandered through knightly castles, over terrible ruins or through dark, dense forests.
I forgot to tell you that a rather spacious courtyard belonged to this house, separated from the alley by a wooden fence made of baroque planks. The gate and the gate leading to the alley were always locked, and therefore Alyosha never managed to visit this alley, which greatly aroused his curiosity. Whenever he was allowed to play outside during his leisure hours, his first move was to run up to the fence. Here he stood on tiptoe and gazed intently into the round holes with which the fence was dotted. Alyosha did not know that these holes came from wooden nails with which the barges had been hammered together, and it seemed to him that some kind sorceress had purposely drilled these holes for him. He kept expecting that someday this sorceress would appear in the alley and through the hole would give him a toy, or a talisman, or a letter from papa or mama, from whom he had not received any news for a long time. But, to his extreme regret, no one even looked like a sorceress.
Another occupation of Alyosha was to feed the chickens who lived near the fence in a house specially built for them and played and ran in the yard all day. Alyosha got to know them very briefly, knew everyone by name, broke up their fights, and the bully punished them with the fact that sometimes for several days in a row he did not give them anything from the crumbs, which he always collected from the tablecloth after lunch and dinner. Among the chickens, he especially loved the black crested, called Chernushka. Nigella was more affectionate to him than others; she even sometimes allowed herself to be stroked, and therefore Alyosha brought her the best pieces. She had a quiet disposition; She rarely walked with others and seemed to love Alyosha more than her friends.
Once (it was during the vacations, between the New Year and Epiphany - the day was beautiful and unusually warm, no more than three or four degrees of frost) Alyosha was allowed to play in the yard. That day the teacher and his wife were in great trouble. They gave lunch to the director of the schools, and even the day before, from morning until late at night, everywhere in the house they washed the floors, wiped the dust and waxed mahogany tables and dressers. The teacher himself went to buy provisions for the table: white Arkhangelsk veal, a huge ham and Kiev jam from Milutin shops. Alyosha also contributed to the preparations to the best of his ability: he was forced to cut a beautiful net for the ham out of white paper and decorate the six wax candles that were specially bought on purpose with paper carvings. On the appointed day in the morning, the hairdresser appeared and showed his skill over the curls, the dumb and long scythe of the teacher. Then he began to work on his wife, remind and powder her curls and a hairpiece and piled a whole greenhouse on her head different colors, between which two diamond rings, once presented to her husband by her pupils' parents, sparkled in a skillful way. At the end of the headdress, she threw on an old, worn-out cloak and went to fuss about the housework, observing strictly so that her hairstyle did not deteriorate in some way; and for this she herself did not enter the kitchen, but gave orders to her cook, standing in the doorway. When necessary, she sent her husband there, whose hair was not so high.
Pogorelsky Anthony (A. A. Petrovsky) wrote the tale "The Black Hen or Underground People" in 1829. She became the first author literary work for children in Russian. The story traces the motive of "duality" - the work has a magical (fantastic) and realistic narrative line.
main characters
Alyosha- a boy of 9-10 years old, "smart, cute, he studied well." His parents lived far away, two years ago they brought the boy to Petersburg and sent him to a boarding school to study.
Nigella- a chicken from the yard of the boarding house, minister.
Other characters
King
Boarding school teacher
"Forty years ago, in St. Petersburg on Vasilievsky Island, in the First Line" there was a men's boarding house. Among the children who studied at the boarding house was the boy Alyosha. Everyone here loved him, but sometimes the boy felt sad without his family, especially when the other guys went home.
There was a large courtyard next to the building of the guesthouse. Alyosha liked to walk there and feed the chickens, and especially the black crested, "named Chernushka", who even allowed herself to be stroked.
Somehow during winter break The cook was going to catch and kill Chernushka, since she did not lay eggs. To save the chicken, the boy gave the cook "all his estate" - gold coin, grandmother's gift. After that, Chernushka followed Alyosha around the yard all day, as if she wanted to tell him something.
Alyosha did not sleep at night. Suddenly, Chernushka appeared in his room and asked him to go with her. The chicken led him through the rooms of the old Dutch women who also lived in the boarding house. They had a large gray parrot and a cat. The boy called the cat, she suddenly meowed, and the parrot shouted: "Fool!" ... Chernushka and Alyosha quickly ran away. The chicken said that the boy woke the knights. Chernushka led Alyosha through unfamiliar corridors, and they came out to a large door of yellow copper. Two knights standing at the walls pounced on Chernushka, and the chicken began to fight with them. Alyosha fainted.
The boy woke up in the morning, in his bed. At lunch, from the teacher, Alyosha heard that the black chicken had disappeared somewhere.
The next night Chernushka came to the boy again. The chicken again took the boy to the old ladies' rooms, but this time he tried not to be distracted. They walked out to large brass doors. This time the knights were barely on their feet. Nigella flapped her wings, and they crumbled - it turned out that they were empty armor.
They entered the great hall. Chernushka left Alyosha alone. Suddenly, from the side door "came a multitude of small people<…>in elegant multi-colored dresses ”and hats with feathers. After them entered "a man with a majestic bearing, with a crown on his head." Alyosha guessed that it was the king. The king thanked the boy for saving their chief minister from an "inevitable and cruel death," pointing to a little man dressed in all black with a crimson cap. In him the boy recognized his Chernushka. The king said that the boy could ask him for any reward. Alyosha asked the first thing that came into his head - so that he always knew the lesson that was given to him. The king gave the boy a hemp seed, but asked not to tell anyone about them.
The minister told Alyosha that underground residents have long lived underground, but if one of the people finds out about them and tells others, they have to change their place of stay. The boy still wanted to ask the Minister-Chernushka about many things, but he began to fall asleep.
In the morning Alyosha found a hemp seed in his pocket. Now the boy always answered correctly in the classroom, the teachers were very pleased with him. Alyosha "was ashamed that they set him up as an example for his comrades, while he did not deserve it at all." Nigella did not appear all this time.
However, soon Alyosha began to get used to praise and to think that he was smarter and better than other boys, "he became proud and disobedient," "a terrible mischief." To teach the boy a lesson, the teacher asked him to learn 20 pages. This time Alyosha was even more naughty. But the next day the boy did not find the seed in his pocket and could not tell anything in the lesson. As a punishment, the teacher locked Alyosha until he learned everything.
At night Chernushka came to Alyosha. The chicken said that she did not recognize in him that kind and modest boy who saved her, but still gave him a grain.
In the morning Alyosha recited all 20 pages without hesitation, lying that he had learned them in the morning. But the boys told the teacher that Alyosha had not picked up a book in the morning. The teacher, thinking that the boy had learned everything in advance and was indulging yesterday on purpose, decided to punish him - ordered to bring a rod. Frightened, Alyosha told everything about the chicken and the underground inhabitants.
At night, the minister-Chernushka came to the boy. He had gold chains on his hands, which they put on him because of the boy's behavior. The minister said that now all small people will need to move far from these places, said goodbye and disappeared.
After that, Alyosha had a strong fever, he was ill for six weeks. The boy was ashamed to talk about what had happened, he tried to be obedient, modest, diligent. Soon Alyosha became an example for his comrades, although he could no longer memorize 20 pages.
Conclusion
Anthony Pogorelsky wrote the tale "The Black Hen or the Underground People" for his nephew, the future writer Alexei Tolstoy. Researchers of literature trace in the work the theme of initiation, the passage of the hero's tests in order to obtain a certain moral and ethical experience.
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Retelling rating
average rating: 4.9. Total ratings received: 275.
The tale called "The Black Hen, or Underground Dwellers" was written by the Russian writer A. Pogorelsky in 1829. But the work has not lost its relevance today. The tale will be of interest to many schoolchildren, and for some it can serve as a real source of life wisdom.
How the book was created
Many schoolchildren liked the fairy tale "The Black Hen, or Underground People". Readers have the most positive reviews of this book. However, not everyone knows for what purpose the fairy tale was originally created. This work was a gift to A. Tolstoy, to whom Pogorelsky replaced his father. Alexey Tolstoy was a relative of paternal line the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy... It is known that over time, Alexei Nikolaevich also became a popular writer and even contributed to the creation of the famous image of Kozma Prutkov.
However, this awaited him only in the future, but so far the lad was giving Pogorelsky a lot of difficulties due to the fact that he did not want to study. That is why Pogorelsky decided to compose a fairy tale that would encourage his pupil to work in his studies. Over time, the book gained more and more popularity, and already every student could write his own review about it. The Black Chicken, or Underground Dwellers has become a classic for every student. Perhaps fans of the fairy tale will be interested to know that the surname Pogorelsky is actually a pseudonym. In fact, the name of the writer was Alexey Alekseevich Perovsky.
The main character of the fairy tale, scene of action
The main character of "The Black Hen, or Underground inhabitants" is the boy Alyosha. The tale begins with a story about the protagonist. The boy studies in a private boarding school and often suffers from his loneliness. He is tormented by longing for his parents, who, having paid the money for their education, live with their worries far from St. Petersburg. Alyosha replaces emptiness in his soul and communication with close people. The child's fantasy transports him to distant lands, where he imagines himself a valiant knight. Other children are taken by parents on weekends and holidays. But for Alyosha, books remain the only joy. The scene of the fairy tale, as indicated, is a small private boarding house in St. Petersburg, where parents send their children to study. Having paid money for the education of his child for several years in advance, they, in fact, disappear from his life completely.
The beginning of the story
The main characters of "The Black Hen, or Underground Dwellers" are the boy Alyosha and Chernushka, the character whom Alyosha meets in the poultry yard. It is there that the boy spends a significant part of his free time. He really enjoys watching how birds live. In particular, he liked Chernushka chicken. It seems to Alyosha that Chernushka is silently trying to tell him something and has a meaningful look. Once Alyosha wakes up from the screams of Chernushka and saves the chicken from the hands of the cook. And by this act, the boy discovers an unusual one, fairy world... This is how it begins fairy tale"Black Hen, or Underground Dwellers" by Anthony Pogorelsky.
Introducing the Underworld
At night Chernushka comes to the boy and starts talking to him in a human voice. Alyosha was very surprised, but decided to follow Chernushka into the magical underground world in which little people live. The king of this unusual people offers Alyosha any reward for the fact that he was able to save their minister, Chernushka, from death. But Alyosha could not invent anything better than to ask the king for a magical ability - to be able to answer correctly in any lesson, even without preparation. The king of underground inhabitants did not like this idea, because it spoke of Alyosha's laziness and negligence.
The lazy student's dream
However, a word is a word, and he had to fulfill his promise. Alyosha received a special hemp seed, which he had to always carry with him in order to answer his homework. At parting, Alyosha was ordered not to tell anyone about what he saw in the underworld. Otherwise, its inhabitants will have to leave their places in order to leave forever, and begin to equip their lives in unknown lands. Alyosha vowed that he would not break this promise.
Since then, the hero of the fairy tale "The Black Hen, or Underground inhabitants" has become the best student in all of St. Petersburg. He is embarrassed at first as his teachers praise him. completely undeserved... But soon Alyosha himself begins to believe that he is the chosen and exclusive. He begins to be proud, often plays naughty. His character is getting worse and worse. Alyosha becomes more and more lazy, becomes angry, shows insolence.
Development of the plot
It's not enough to become familiar with summary"Black Hen, or Underground Dwellers." This book is definitely worth reading, because it contains many useful ideas, and its plot will be interesting to everyone. The teacher tries not to praise Alyosha anymore, but, on the contrary, seeks to reason. And asks him to memorize as many as 20 pages of text. However, Alyosha loses a magic seed, and therefore can no longer answer the lesson. He is locked in the bedroom until he completes the teacher's assignment. But his lazy memory can no longer do this job... At night, Chernushka reappears and returns him a precious gift underground king... Nigella also asks him to correct himself and once again reminds him that one should be silent about the magic kingdom. Alyosha promises to do both.
The next day the main character the fairy tale "The Black Hen, or Underground inhabitants" by Anthony Pogorelsky brilliantly responds to the lesson. But instead of praising his student, the teacher begins to pester him when he has managed to learn the set. If Alyosha does not tell everything, he will be whipped. Out of fear, Alyosha forgot about all his promises and told about his acquaintance with the kingdom of underground inhabitants, their king and Chernushka. But no one believed him, and still he was punished. Already at this stage, you can understand the main idea of the "Black Hen, or Underground inhabitants". Alyosha betrayed his friends, but the main vice that caused all his troubles was banal laziness.
The end of the story
The inhabitants of the underworld had to leave their homes, the minister Chernushka was shackled, and the magic seed disappeared forever. Because of a painful feeling of guilt, Alyosha fell ill with a fever and did not get out of bed for six weeks. After recovery, the main character becomes obedient and kind again. His relationship with his teacher and companions becomes the same as before. Alyosha becomes a diligent student, although not the best. This is the ending of the tale "The Black Hen, or Underground inhabitants."
The main ideas of the tale
Chernushka gives Alyosha a lot of advice with which he could save himself, not become angry and lazy. The minister underworld warns him that it is not so easy to get rid of vices - after all, vices "enter the door and leave through a crack." It is worth noting that Chernushka's advice coincides with the conclusions made by Alyosha's school teacher. Labor, according to both the teacher, and the Black Hen is the basis of morality and inner beauty of any person. Idleness, on the other hand, only corrupts - reminds Pogorelsky in the work "The Black Hen, or Underground Dwellers". the main idea magic story - there is good in every person, but in order for it to manifest itself, you need to make efforts, try to cultivate and manifest it. No other way. If this is not done, trouble can fall not only on the person himself, but also on those close and dear to him people who are next to him.
Lessons from the story
Pogorelsky's tale is interesting not only for its magical plot, but also for the morality that Pogorelsky tried to convey to his pupil. From literary heritage there is very little left of the writer, and that is why it is worth listening to the ideas that can be found in the works that have come down to our times. What does The Black Hen or Underground People teach, and who will benefit from these lessons? They will be useful to every student, regardless of their academic performance. After all, they teach everyone to be better. And first of all, you should not try to put yourself above other people, even if you have any outstanding talents and abilities.
© Design. LLC "Publishing house" E ", 2016
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Anthony Pogorelsky
Black hen, or Underground inhabitants
Forty years ago, in St. Petersburg, on Vasilievsky Island, in the First Line, there was a keeper of a male boarding house, who, probably, still remains in the fresh memory of many people, although the house where the boarding house was located has long been has already given way to another, not in the least like the previous one. At that time, our Petersburg was already famous throughout Europe for its beauty, although it was far from being what it is now. At that time, there were no cheerful shady alleys on the avenues of Vasilyevsky Island: wooden scaffoldings, often knocked together from rotten boards, took the place of today's beautiful sidewalks. St. Isaac's Bridge, narrow at that time and uneven, was a completely different view than it is now; and St. Isaac's Square itself was not at all like that. Then the monument to Peter the Great was separated from St. Isaac's Church by a ditch; The Admiralty was not tree-lined; The Konnogvardeisky Manege did not adorn the square with its beautiful current facade - in a word, Petersburg then was not what it is today. Cities have an advantage over people, by the way, that they sometimes become more beautiful with age ... However, this is not the point now. On another occasion and on another occasion, perhaps, I will talk with you more at length about the changes that have taken place in Petersburg during my century, but now we will turn again to the boarding house, which was located on Vasilievsky Island, in the First Line, forty years ago.
The house, which now - as I have already told you - you will not find, was about two floors, covered with Dutch tiles. The porch through which it was entered was wooden and protruded into the street ... From the entrance a rather steep staircase led to the upper dwelling, which consisted of eight or nine rooms, in which the owner of the boarding house lived on one side, and classes on the other. The dortoirs, or children's bedrooms, were located on the lower floor, on the right side of the vestibule, and on the left lived two old women, Dutch women, each of whom was more than a hundred years old and who saw Peter the Great with their own eyes and even talked to him ...
Among the thirty or forty children who studied at that boarding school, there was one boy named Alyosha, who was then no more than nine or ten years old. His parents, who lived far, far from Petersburg, had brought him to the capital two years before, sent him to a boarding school and returned home, having paid the teacher the agreed wages several years in advance. Alyosha was a smart, sweet boy, he studied well, and everyone loved and caressed him. However, despite the fact, he was often bored at the boarding house, and sometimes even sad. Especially at first he could not get used to the idea that he was separated from his relatives. But then, little by little, he began to get used to his position, and there were even moments when, playing with his comrades, he thought that it was much more fun in the boarding house than in his parents' house.
In general, the days of teaching passed quickly and pleasantly for him; but when Saturday came and all his comrades hurried home to their relatives, then Alyosha bitterly felt his loneliness. On Sundays and holidays he was alone all day, and then his only consolation was to read books that the teacher allowed him to borrow from his small library. The teacher was by birth German, and at that time the fashion for knightly novels and fairy tales prevailed in German literature - and the library that our Alyosha used, mostly consisted of books of this kind.
So, Alyosha, still at the age of ten, already knew by heart the deeds of the most glorious knights, at least as they were described in the novels. His favorite pastime on long winter evenings, on Sundays and other holidays, was mentally transported to ancient, long past centuries ... wandered through knightly castles, terrible ruins or dark, dense forests.
I forgot to tell you that a rather spacious courtyard belonged to this house, separated from the alley by a wooden fence made of Baroque boards. The gate and the gate leading to the alley were always locked, and therefore Alyosha never managed to visit this alley, which greatly aroused his curiosity. Whenever he was allowed to play outside during his leisure hours, his first move was to run up to the fence. Here he stood on tiptoe and gazed intently into the round holes with which the fence was dotted. Alyosha did not know that these holes came from wooden nails with which the barges had been hammered together, and it seemed to him that some kind sorceress had purposely drilled these holes for him. He kept expecting that someday this sorceress would appear in the alley and through the hole would give him a toy, or a talisman, or a letter from papa or mama, from whom he had not received any news for a long time. But, to his extreme regret, no one even looked like a sorceress.
Another occupation of Alyosha was to feed the chickens who lived near the fence in a house specially built for them and played and ran in the yard all day. Alyosha got to know them very briefly, knew everyone by name, broke up their fights, and the bully punished them with the fact that sometimes for several days in a row he did not give them anything from the crumbs, which he always collected from the tablecloth after lunch and dinner. Among the chickens, he especially loved one black crested, named Chernushka. Nigella was more affectionate to him than others; sometimes she even allowed herself to be stroked, and therefore Alyosha brought her the best pieces. She had a quiet disposition; she rarely walked with others and seemed to love Alyosha more than her friends.
Once (it was during the winter vacations - the day was beautiful and unusually warm, no more than three or four degrees of frost) Alyosha was allowed to play in the yard. That day the teacher and his wife were in great trouble. They gave lunch to the director of the schools, and even the day before, from morning until late at night, everywhere in the house they washed the floors, wiped the dust and waxed mahogany tables and chests of drawers. The teacher himself went to buy provisions for the table: white Arkhangelsk veal, a huge ham and Kiev jam. Alyosha also contributed to the preparations as much as he could: he was forced to cut a beautiful net for the ham out of white paper and decorate the six wax candles that had been bought on purpose on purpose with paper carvings. On the appointed day, early in the morning, the hairdresser appeared and showed his skill over the curls, the dull and long scythe of the teacher. Then he began to work on his wife, poured and powdered her curls and a hairpiece, and perched on her head a whole greenhouse of different colors, between which two diamond rings, skillfully placed, once presented to her husband by the parents of the pupils, gleamed. At the end of the headdress, she threw on an old, worn-out cloak and went to fuss about the housework, observing, moreover, strictly so that her hairstyle did not deteriorate in some way; and for this she herself did not enter the kitchen, but gave orders to her cook, standing in the doorway. When necessary, she sent her husband there, whose hair was not so high.
In the course of all these worries, our Alyosha was completely forgotten, and he took advantage of this to play outdoors in the open air. As usual, he went first to the board fence and looked for a long time into the hole; but on that day almost no one passed along the alley, and with a sigh he turned to his amiable hens. Before he had time to sit down on a log and had just begun beckoning them to him, he suddenly saw a cook with a large knife beside him. Alyosha never liked this cook - angry and scolding. But since he noticed that she was the reason that from time to time the number of his chickens decreased, he began to love her even less. When one day he accidentally saw in the kitchen one pretty, very beloved cockerel, hanged by his legs with his throat cut, he took on horror and disgust for her. Seeing her now with a knife, he immediately guessed what it meant, and feeling with sorrow that he could not help his friends, he jumped up and ran far away.
- Alyosha, Alyosha, help me catch a chicken! Shouted the cook.
But Alyosha began to run even harder, hid by the fence behind the chicken coop and himself did not notice how tears one after another rolled out of his eyes and fell to the ground.
For a long time he stood by the chicken coop, and his heart was beating violently, while the cook ran around the yard - sometimes beckoning the chickens: “Chick, chick, chick!” - then she scolded them.
Suddenly, Alyosha's heart beat even stronger: he heard the voice of his beloved Chernushka! She clucked in the most desperate way, and it seemed to him that she was shouting:
Where x, where x, where xy!
Alyosha, save Chernukha!
Kudu hu, kudu hu,
Chernukha, Chernukha!
Alyosha could not stay in his place any longer. He, sobbing loudly, ran to the cook and threw himself on her neck the very minute she caught Chernushka by the wing.
- Dear, dear Trinushka! - he cried, shedding tears, - please, don't touch my Chernukha!
Alyosha suddenly threw himself on the cook's neck, and she let Chernushka out of her hands, who, taking advantage of this, flew up from fear to the roof of the barn and continued to cluck.
But Alyosha now heard that she was teasing the cook and shouting:
Where x, where x, where xy!
You didn't catch Chernukha!
Kudu hu, kudu hu,
Chernukha, Chernukha!
Meanwhile, the cook was beside herself with annoyance and wanted to run to the teacher, but Alyosha would not allow her. He clung to the hem of her dress and began to beg so sweetly that she stopped.
- Darling, Trinushka! - he said, - you are so pretty, clean, kind ... Please, leave my Chernushka! Look at what I’ll give you, if you’re kind.
Alyosha took out of his pocket the imperial that made up his entire estate, which he protected more than his eyes, because it was a gift from his good grandmother ... The cook looked at the gold coin, looked around the windows of the house to make sure that no one saw them, and held out her hand behind the imperial. Alyosha was very, very sorry for the imperial, but he remembered Chernushka and gave the precious gift with firmness.
Thus, Chernushka was saved from a cruel and inevitable death.
As soon as the cook retired into the house, Chernushka flew off the roof and ran up to Alyosha. She seemed to know that he was her deliverer: she circled around him, flapped her wings and clucked in a cheerful voice. All morning she followed him around the yard, like a dog, and it seemed as if she wanted to tell him something, but could not. At least he couldn't make out her clucking.
About two hours before dinner, guests began to gather. Alyosha was called upstairs, put on a shirt with a round collar and cambric cuffs with small folds, white trousers and a wide silk blue sash. Long Brown hair, which hung from him almost to the waist, were thoroughly combed, divided into two even parts and placed in front on both sides of the chest.
So then they dressed up children. Then they taught him how he should shuffle his foot when the director enters the room - and what he should answer if any questions were asked to him.
At another time, Alyosha would have been very glad to see the director, whom he had long wanted to see, because, judging by the respect with which the teacher and the teacher spoke of him, he imagined that it must be some famous knight in shiny armor and helmet with large feathers. But this time this curiosity gave way to a thought that only then occupied him: about a black chicken. He kept imagining how the cook was running after her with a knife and how Chernushka clucked in different voices. Moreover, he was very annoyed that he could not make out what she wanted to say to him, and he was drawn to the chicken coop ... But there was nothing to do: he had to wait until dinner was over!
Finally the director arrived. His arrival was announced by his teacher, who had been sitting at the window for a long time, staring intently in the direction from which they were waiting for him.
Everything was in motion: the teacher rushed headlong out of the door to meet him below, at the porch; the guests got up from their seats, and even Alyosha forgot about his chicken for a minute and went to the window to watch the knight dismount from the zealous horse. But he did not manage to see him, for he had already managed to enter the house. At the porch, instead of a zealous horse, there was an ordinary cab sled. Alyosha was very surprised by this! "If I were a knight," he thought, "I would never ride a cab, but always on horseback!"
Meanwhile, all the doors were opened wide, and the teacher began to squat in anticipation of such a respectable guest, who soon showed up. At first it was impossible to see him behind the fat teacher's neck, who was standing in the very doorway; but when she, having finished her long greeting, sat down below the usual one, Alyosha, to extreme surprise, saw from behind her ... not a feathered helmet, but just a small bald head, completely powdered, the only decoration of which, as Alyosha later noticed, was a small bunch! When he entered the drawing-room, Alyosha was even more surprised to see that, in spite of the simple gray tailcoat that the director was wearing instead of shiny armor, everyone treated him with extraordinary respect.
However strange it all seemed to Alyosha, no matter how at other times he would have been delighted with the extraordinary decoration of the table, but on that day he did not pay much attention to it. The morning incident with Chernushka was still wandering in his head. Dessert was served: different kinds jam, apples, bergamot, dates, wine berries and walnuts; but even here he did not for a single moment stop thinking about his chicken. And they had just got up from the table when, with a heart trembling with fear and hope, he approached the teacher and asked if it was possible to go and play in the yard.
- Come on, - answered the teacher, - just stay there not long: it will soon become dark.
Alyosha hastily put on his red bekesha with squirrel fur and a green velvet hat with a sable band and ran to the fence. When he arrived there, the hens began to gather for the night and, sleepy, were not very happy with the crumbs they brought. One Chernushka, it seemed, did not feel the desire for sleep: she ran up to him merrily, flapped her wings and began to cluck again. Alyosha played with her for a long time; finally, when it got dark and it was time to go home, he himself closed the chicken coop, making sure in advance that his dear hen was seated on a pole. When he left the chicken coop, it seemed to him that Chernushka's eyes were glowing in the dark, like stars, and that she was quietly saying to him:
- Alyosha, Alyosha! Stay with me!
Alyosha returned to the house and spent the whole evening alone in the classrooms, while at the other half of one o'clock until eleven the guests stayed. Before they left, Alyosha went to lower floor, into the bedroom, undressed, went to bed and put out the fire. For a long time he could not sleep. Finally the dream overcame him, and he had just managed to talk to Chernushka in his sleep, when, unfortunately, he was awakened by the noise of the guests leaving.
A little later, the teacher, who was accompanying the director with a candle, entered his room, saw if everything was in order, and went out, locking the door with a key.
It was a monthly night, and through the shutters, which were not tightly closed, a pale ray of the moon fell into the room. Alyosha lay with open eyes and listened for a long time as in the upper dwelling, over his head, they walked through the rooms and put chairs and tables in order.
Finally everything calmed down ... He glanced at the bed beside him, slightly illuminated by the monthly glow, and noticed that white sheet, hanging almost to the floor, moved easily. He began to peer more intently ... he heard as if something was scratching under the bed - and a little later it seemed that someone was calling him in a low voice:
- Alyosha, Alyosha!
Alyosha was frightened ... He was alone in the room, and it immediately occurred to him that there must be a thief under the bed. But then, realizing that the thief would not have called him by name, he was somewhat encouraged, although his heart was trembling.
He raised himself a little in bed and saw even more clearly that the sheet was moving ... even more distinctly he heard someone say:
- Alyosha, Alyosha!
Suddenly the white sheet lifted, and from under it came out ... a black hen!
- Ah! it's you, Chernushka! - Alyosha cried involuntarily. - How did you come in here?
Nigella flapped her wings, flew up onto his bed and said in a human voice:
- It's me, Alyosha! You are not afraid of me, are you?
- Why should I be afraid of you? - he answered. - I love you; only for me it is strange that you speak so well: I did not know at all that you can speak!
“If you’re not afraid of me,” the chicken continued, “then follow me. Get dressed soon!
