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A man was begging alms. He said that he had not eaten anything for the

last three days. He did not even have five copecks to pay for a room to

spend the night at. He swore by God that he spoke the truth. He had

been a school teacher in a village for eight years but lost that job due to

the conspiracy of his colleagues. For the last one year he was without

work.

The advocate, Sergei, looked at the ragged, fawn-coloured overcoat of

the suppliant, at his dull, drunken eyes, at the red spot on either cheek,

and it seemed to him as if he had seen this man somewhere before.

Suppliant: a person making a humble plea to someone in power or

authority

An advocate named Sergei looked at the light brown coloured coat of

the beggar. The beggar had dull, drunken eyes. There were red spots on

both his cheeks. Sergei felt that he had seen the man before.

“I have now had an offer of a position in the province of Kaluga,” the

mendicant went on, “but I haven‟t the money to get there. Help me

kindly; I am ashamed to ask, but — I am obliged to

by circumstances.”

Mendicant: beggar

obliged to: compelled, forced

The beggar continued that he had got an offer of a job in the state of

Kaluga in Russia. He did not have enough money to travel to the place.

He wanted help though he felt ashamed asking for it, but his

circumstances forced him to do so.