The Lottery Ticket

by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904)

安東·巴甫洛維奇·契訶夫( 英語：Аnton chekhov ) (1860～1904) 俄國小說家、戲劇家、十九世紀末期俄國批判現實主義作家、短篇小說藝術大師。1860年1月29日生于羅斯托夫省塔甘羅格市。但契訶夫只身留在塔甘羅格，靠擔任家庭教師以維持生計和繼續求學。1879年進莫斯科大學醫學系。1884年畢業后在茲威尼哥羅德等地行醫，廣泛接觸平民和了解生活，這對他的文學創作有良好影響。1904年6月，契訶夫因肺炎病情惡化，前往德國的溫泉療養地黑森林的巴登維勒治療，7月15日逝世。他和法國的莫泊桑，美國的歐·亨利齊名為三大短篇小說巨匠。

IVAN DMITRITCH, a middle-class man who lived with his family on an income of twelve hundred a year and was very well satisfied with his lot, sat down on the sofa after supper and began reading the newspaper.

"I forgot to look at the newspaper today," his wife said to him as she cleared the table. "Look and see whether the list of drawings is there."

"Yes, it is," said Ivan Dmitritch; "but hasn’t your ticket lapsed?"

"No; I took the interest on Tuesday."

"What is the number?"

"Series 9,499, number 26."

"All right . . . we will look . . . 9,499 and 26."

Ivan Dmitritch had no faith in lottery luck, and would not, as a rule, have consented to look at the lists of winning numbers, but now, as he had nothing else to do and as the newspaper was before his eyes, he passed his finger downwards along the column of numbers. And immediately, as though in mockery of his scepticism, no further than the second line from the top, his eye was caught by the figure 9,499! Unable to believe his eyes, he hurriedly dropped the paper on his knees without looking to see the number of the ticket, and, just as though some one had given him a douche of cold water, he felt an agreeable chill in the pit of the stomach; tingling and terrible and sweet!

"Masha, 9,499 is there!" he said in a hollow voice.

His wife looked at his astonished and panicstricken face, and realized that he was not joking.

"9,499?" she asked, turning pale and dropping the folded tablecloth on the table.