A somewhat humorous tale of transformation and intrinsic human value coming to the fore. Anna, an 18-year-old girl marries an older man for his status and money, out of love for her father. Her late mother showed her the art of elegance and trained her to act like a lady. When her new husband takes her to her first ball, she has her Cinderella moment and suddenly transforms with far-reaching benefit to everyone involved.

This story of loveless marriage is told from Anna's point of view. Chekhov does a brilliant job showing the reader what happens behind the scenes in the head of a young woman. And offers an interesting caricature of a person's strength stemming from their own sense of self worth.

Translation by Avrahm Yarmolinsky, read from The Portable Chekhov