The House with the Mezzanine

Plot
The narrator, a painter who is staying at the estate of Piotr Petrovich Bielokurov, takes a walk and discovers a nearby estate, Sholkovka. Bielokurov introduces him to its residents, the widow Ekaterina Pavlovna and her attractive daughters Lydia and Genya Volchaninov. Lydia teaches in a local school and tries to raise money to help poor villagers, while Genya, who is younger, seems to take no interest in political or social causes. The narrator visits frequently and gets along with Genya and the mother, but Lydia acts aloof. One day he gets into an argument with her about the effectiveness of charity. He claims that practical assistance, such as hospitals and schools, will not truly help the common people but only further burden them with debt; he says that they require things to improve their souls, such as art and religion. Lydia claims that the narrator's argument is merely an attempt to excuse his own indifference. The narrator takes his leave and walks with Genya from the house toward the road. She says that she agrees with him instead of her sister. He kisses her, and she returns his affection. She then bids him goodbye until the following day. When he returns the next day, Lydia says that her sister and mother have left to visit a relative and that they will subsequently go abroad. He then receives a note from Genya saying that she told Lydia about their tryst, that Lydia had insisted that she leave, and that she could not disobey her sister. Sometime later, the narrator runs into Bielokurov, who says that Lydia remains at Sholkovka continuing her charitable work but that Genya is not there and that he does not know where she is.

Characters
 Piotr Petrovich Bielokurov Ekaterina Pavlovna Genya Volchaninov Lydia Volchaninov 