The classic short story of gambling and obsessive greed by the celebrated Russian author and poet. An engineer with the Imperial Russian Army, Hermann never gambles with the other officers. But then he overhears the story of a countess who won a fortune using the secret of three magic cards. Obsessed with learning the secret, Hermann locates the elderly woman and poses as a suitor to her young ward. But when his deceitful plan takes a tragic turn,...

Charsky used every possible endeavor to rid himself of the intolerable appellation. He avoided the society of his literary brethren, and preferred to them the men of the world, even the most shallow-minded: but that did not help him. His conversation was of the most commonplace character, and never turned upon literature. In his dress he always observed the very latest fashion, with the timidity and superstition of a young Moscovite arriving in St....

A seventeen-year-old girl, Maria Gavrilovna, falls in love with a young officer, Vladimir Nikolayevich. Her parents disapprove of the relationship, which continues into the winter through correspondence. Finally, they decide to elope, marry quickly, and then throw themselves at the feet of her parents to beg forgiveness.