From Tarnoga to Paris

The women were seldom in. There were only old people and children. It was also an obstacle. But even under such unfavorable circumstances I managed to collect for the Museum quite a number of valuable works of art that day. In the evening I took the same bus back to Tarnoga with a heavy load. The day was not wasted, but a sharp pail, as a foil, ran through my heart.
«Что же мне делать? Что делать мне? Как поступить, чтоб не сорвать экспедицию?» — это не выходило из моей головы.
“What should I do? What can I do? How should I act not to ruin the expedition?” – the question did not go out of my mind. It was late (but it was not dark at white nights), when the driver took me to the Post Office in Tarnoga. I carried my load up to the second floor, where the Telegraph was and, as always, asked the telegrapher to keep my museum items for some days. An elderly man turned to me from the telegram window and said:
- You look, like a cloud of clay.
- It is always so, commented the telegrapher, - all our buses are old and our roads are sandy. And this is the result. We all get out of the bus like that.
We went out and my companion helped to shake dust off my clothes. Shaking my coat, he ran from a cloud of dust. He repeated the procedure several times. Meanwhile I sat down on the bench, took my tablets, rub dust of my face and beat sand out of my bag. I felt better. The pain would stop soon.
- Well, let me introduce myself, - said the stranger cheerfully.
- Especially, as I can see your face now.

He saw that I could not take my breath and sat down beside me. He happened to be an actor and a manager of a small group from the capital. Their group was to go from Tarnoga to the most remote and wild corners with concerts every day. They had a new hermetical bus of the Vologda Philharmonic Society. And they were only seven.
- Oh, how rich you are! – I cried from the bottom of my heart.
And then I said, what I was and why I was in Tarnoga. I also told him that I was afraid I would fail to fulfill my task because of the weather:
- It is real Sahara! Even my strong character did not help me today.
— - Well, let’s travel together! I’m sure it’ll be easier for you. We leave in the evening, give three concerts at different places and come back at night. In the morning and hot noon we have rest in the Peasant House. And at three in the afternoon we leave again. It seems a good schedule. I think that in such hot weather the real life starts in the evening. People do not go to bed before midnight at white nights. Come with us. We’ll go to our concerts and you’ll collect distaffs.