The story "The Captain's Daughter", the retelling of which is offered in this article, was written by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in 1836. It tells about the Pugachev uprising. The author, creating the work, was based on the events that actually happened in 1773-1775, when the Yaik Cossacks, under the leadership of Yemelyan Pugachev, who pretended to be Tsar Pyotr Fedorovich, began taking villains, thieves and runaway convicts as servants. Maria Mironova and Pyotr Grinev - however, the sad times of the civil war were truly reflected in their destinies.

1 chapter. Sergeant of the Guard

The story "The Captain's Daughter", the retelling of which you are reading, begins with Pyotr Grinev's story about his life. He was the only child who managed to survive out of 9 children of a poor noblewoman and a retired major, he lived in a noble family with an average income. The old servant was in fact the tutor of the young master. Peter received a poor education, as his father hired a Frenchman - a hairdresser Beaupré - as a tutor. This man led an immoral, dissolute life. For depraved actions and drunkenness, he was eventually expelled from the estate. And Petrusha, a 17-year-old boy, his father decided to send him to serve in Orenburg through old connections. He sent him there instead of Petersburg, where they were supposed to take the young man into the guard. To look after his son, he attached Savelich, an old servant, to him. Petrusha was very upset, because instead of the capital's parties, a bleak existence awaited him in this wilderness. Alexander Sergeevich writes about these events in the story "The Captain's Daughter" (1 chapter).

The retelling of the work continues. The young gentleman, during one of the stops along the way, meets Zurin, a rake-captain, because of whom he became addicted to playing billiards under the pretext of training. Soon Zurin offers the hero to play for money, and in the end Peter loses 100 rubles - a significant amount at that time. Savelyich, who was instructed to keep the "treasury" of the master, protests that Pyotr Grinev should pay the debt, but the master insists on this. Savelich had to submit and give the money.

Chapter 2 counselor

We continue to describe the events of the story "The Captain's Daughter". The retelling of the second chapter is as follows. Peter, in the end, begins to be ashamed of this loss and promises the servant not to play for money anymore. A long journey awaits them, and Savelich forgives his master. But again, because of Peter's imprudence, they get into trouble. Despite the impending storm, Grinev ordered the coachman to continue on their way, and they got lost and almost froze. However, luck was on the side of the heroes - they suddenly met a stranger. He helped travelers get to

We continue our retelling of Chapter 2 of The Captain's Daughter. Grinev recalls that he, tired after this unsuccessful trip, had a dream in a wagon, which he called prophetic: he saw his mother, who said that Peter's father was dying, and his house. After that, Grinev saw a man with a beard in the bed of his father, whom he did not know. The mother told the hero that this man is her named husband. Peter refuses to accept the "father's" blessing of the stranger, and then he grabs an ax, corpses appear everywhere. Grinev, however, he does not touch.

Here they are already approaching the inn, which resembles a thieves' haven. Frozen in one coat, a stranger asks for wine from Petrusha, and he treats him. An incomprehensible conversation in the thieves' language begins between the owner of the house and the peasant. Peter does not understand its meaning, but what he hears seems very strange to the hero. Grinev, leaving the rooming house, thanked, again to Savelich's displeasure, his escort, giving him a hare sheepskin coat. The stranger bowed in response, saying that he would never forget this favor.

When, finally, the hero gets to Orenburg, one of his father's colleagues, having read a letter with a request to keep the young man "sends him to serve in the Belogorsk fortress - an even more remote place. This upsets Peter, who had long dreamed of a guards uniform.

Chapter 3 Fortress

Chapter 3 of the story "The Captain's Daughter", a retelling of which is offered to your attention, begins with the following events. We get acquainted with the commandant of the fortress. Ivan Kuzmich Mironov was her master, but in fact everything was controlled by the chief's wife, Vasilisa Yegorovna. Peter immediately liked these sincere and simple people. The already middle-aged couple had a young daughter Masha, but so far her acquaintance with the main character has not taken place. In a fortress that turned out to be an ordinary village, a young man meets a lieutenant named Alexei Ivanovich Shvabrin. He was sent here from the guard for participating in a duel that ended in the death of his opponent. This hero often taunted about Masha, the captain's daughter, making her look like a fool, and generally had a habit of speaking unflatteringly about people. After Grinev himself met the girl, he expresses doubts about the lieutenant's remark. Let's continue our retelling. "The Captain's Daughter", Chapter 4, is brought to your attention in a summary below.

Chapter 4 Duel

Complacent and kind by nature, Grinev began to communicate more and more closely with the commandant's family, and gradually moved away from Shvabrin. Masha did not have a dowry, but she turned out to be a lovely girl. Peter did not like Shvabrin's caustic remarks. In the evenings, inspired by thoughts about this girl, he began to write poems to her and read them to Alexei Ivanovich. But he only ridiculed him, starting to humiliate the girl's dignity even more, saying that she would come at night to anyone who would give her earrings.

In the end, the friends had a big quarrel, and a duel was to take place. Vasilisa Egorovna found out about the duel, but the heroes pretended that they had reconciled, and they themselves decided to postpone the duel the next day. In the morning, as soon as they drew their swords, 5 invalids and Ivan Ignatich led them to Vasilisa Yegorovna under escort. Having scolded the duelists properly, she let them go. Alarmed by the news of this duel, Masha told Pyotr Grinev in the evening about Alexei Shvabrin's failed matchmaking for her. Then Grinev understood the motives of this man's behavior. The duel did take place. Peter turned out to be a serious opponent for Alexei Ivanovich. However, Savelich suddenly appeared at the duel, and, after hesitating, Peter was wounded.

Chapter 5 Love

The retelling of the story "The Captain's Daughter" continues, we have already reached chapter 5. Masha came out of the wounded Peter. The duel brought them closer, and they fell in love with each other. Grinev, wishing to marry a girl, writes a letter to his parents, but does not receive a blessing. The refusal of the father does not change the intentions of the hero, but Masha does not agree to marry secretly. The lovers move away from each other for a while.

Chapter 6 Pugachevshchina

We bring to your attention a retelling of Chapter 6 ("The Captain's Daughter"). The fortress is in turmoil. Mironov receives an order to prepare for an attack by robbers and rebels. Calling himself Peter III, he escaped from custody and now terrifies the local population. He is approaching Belogorsk. There are not enough people to defend the fortress. Mironov sends his wife and daughter to Orenburg, where it is more reliable. The wife decides not to leave her husband, and Masha says goodbye to Grinev, but she is no longer able to leave.

Chapter 7 massacre

Pugachev offers to surrender, but the commandant does not agree to this and opens fire. The battle ends with the transition of the fortress into the hands of Pugachev.

Emelyan decides to inflict reprisals on those who refused to obey him. He executes Mironov and Ivan Ignatich. Grinev decides to die, but not to swear allegiance to this man. But the servant Savelich rushes to the ataman at the feet, and he decides to pardon Peter. The Cossacks drag Vasilisa Yegorovna out of the house and kill her.

Chapter 8 Uninvited guest

This does not end the retelling of the story "The Captain's Daughter". Grinev understands that Masha will also be executed if they find out that she is here. In addition, Shvabrin took the side of the rebels. The girl is hiding in the house near the priest. In the evening, a friendly conversation between Peter and Pugachev took place. He remembered the good and in return granted the young man freedom.

Chapter 9 Parting

Pugachev ordered Peter to go to Orenburg in order to report his attack in a week. The young man leaves Belogorsk. Shvabrin becomes commandant and remains in the fortress.

Chapter 10 City siege

Grinev, upon arrival in Orenburg, reported on what was happening in the Council, everyone except the main character voted not for attack, but for defense.

The siege began, and with it want and famine. Peter secretly corresponds with Masha, and in one of the letters she informs the hero that Shvabrin is holding her captive and wants to marry. Grinev informs the general about this and asks the soldiers to save the girl, but he refuses. Then Peter alone decides to save his beloved.

Chapter 11 rebellious settlement

Grinev on the way gets to the people of Pugachev, he is sent for interrogation. Peter tells Pugachev about everything, and he decides to pardon him.

Together they go to the fortress, and on the way they have a conversation. Pyotr persuades the troublemaker to surrender, but Emelyan knows that it is already too late.

Chapter 12 An orphan

Pugachev learns from Shvabrin that Masha is the daughter of a former commandant. At first he is angry, but this time Peter manages to achieve Emelyan's favor.

Chapter 13 Arrest

Pugachev releases the lovers, and they go home to their parents. On the way they meet Zurin, the former head of the outpost. He persuades the young man to stay in the service. Peter himself understands that duty calls him. He sends Savelich and Masha to his parents.

In battles, Pugachev begins to suffer defeat. But he himself could not be caught. Zurin and his detachment are sent to suppress a new rebellion. Then comes the news that Pugachev has been captured.

Chapter 14 Court

Let's continue with our summary. Pushkin ("The Captain's Daughter") narrates further about the following events. Grinev is arrested as a traitor, at the denunciation of Shvabrin. The empress pardoned him, taking into account the merits of his father, but sentenced the hero to life exile. Masha decides to go to Petersburg to ask the Empress for her beloved.

By chance, the girl meets her on a walk in the garden and talks about her grief, not knowing who her companion is. After this conversation, Maria Mironova was invited to the palace, where she saw Catherine II. She pardoned Grinev. Pugachev was executed. The lovers reunited and continued the Grinev family.

Your attention was offered only a brief retelling of the chapters. It does not cover all the events and does not fully reveal the psychology of the characters, therefore, to form a more detailed idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthis work, we recommend that you refer to the original.

A long, long time ago (this is how my grandmother began her story), at a time when I was still no more than sixteen years old, we lived - me and my late father - in the Nizhne-Ozernaya fortress, on the Orenburg line. I must tell you that this fortress did not at all resemble either the local city of Simbirsk, or that county town to which you, my child, went last year: it was so small that even a five-year-old child would not get tired running around it; the houses in it were all small, low, for the most part woven from twigs, smeared with clay, covered with straw and fenced with wattle. But Nizhne-ozernaya it also didn’t look like your father’s village, because this fortress had, in addition to huts on chicken legs, an old wooden church, a rather large and equally old house of the serf chief, a guardhouse and long log bakery shops. In addition, our fortress was surrounded on three sides by a log fence, with two gates and pointed turrets at the corners, and the fourth side tightly adjoined the Ural coast, as steep as a wall and as high as the local cathedral. Not only was Nizhneozernaya so well fenced off: there were two or three old cast-iron cannons in it, but about fifty of the same old and smoky soldiers, who, although they were a little decrepit, nevertheless kept on their feet, had long guns and cleavers, and after every evening dawn they cheerfully shouted: with god the night begins. Although our invalids seldom managed to show their courage, nevertheless it was impossible to do without them; because the local side was very restless in the old days: the Bashkirs rebelled in it, then the Kirghiz robbed - all the unfaithful Busurmans, fierce as wolves and terrible as unclean spirits. They not only captured Christian people in their filthy captivity and drove away Christian herds; but sometimes they even approached the very tyne of our fortress, threatening to chop and burn us all. In such cases, our soldiers had enough work: for whole days they shot back from the adversaries from small turrets and through the cracks of the old tyna. My late father (who received the captain's rank even in the blessed memory of Empress Elisaveta Petrovna) commanded both these honored old men and other residents of Nizhneozernaya - retired soldiers, Cossacks and raznochintsy; in short, he was in the present commandant, but in the old commander fortresses. My father (God remember his soul in the kingdom of heaven) was a man of the old age: fair, cheerful, talkative, called service a mother, and a sword sister - and in every business he loved to insist on his own. I no longer had a mother. God took her to himself before I could pronounce her name. So, in the big commander's house, which I told you about, only the father lived, and I, and a few old orderlies and maids. You might think that we were very bored in such a remote place. Nothing happened! Time rolled on just as quickly for us as it did for all Orthodox Christians. Habit, my child, adorns every share, unless the constant thought gets into the head that it's good where we're not as the proverb says. Besides, boredom attaches itself mostly to idle people; but my father and I rarely sat with our hands folded. He or learned his kind soldiers (it is clear that soldier science needs to be studied for a whole century!), Or read sacred books, although, to tell the truth, this happened quite rarely, because the deceased-light (God grant him the kingdom of heaven) was taught in old, and he himself used to say jokingly that the diploma was not given to him, like the infantry service to the Turk. On the other hand, he was a great master - and he looked after the work in the field with his own eyes, so that in the summer he used to spend whole God's days in the meadows and arable land. I must tell you, my child, that both we and the other inhabitants of the fortress sowed bread and mowed hay - a little, not like the peasants of your father, but as much as we needed for household use. You can judge the danger in which we then lived by the fact that our farmers worked in the field only under the cover of a significant convoy, which was supposed to protect them from the attacks of the Kirghiz, who constantly prowl about the line, like hungry wolves. That is why the presence of my father during the field work was necessary not only for their success, but also for the safety of the workers. You see, my child, that my father had enough to do. As for me, I did not kill time in vain. Without boasting, I will say that, despite my youth, I was a real mistress in the house, I was in charge both in the kitchen and in the cellar, and sometimes, in the absence of the priest, in the yard itself. The dress for myself (we have never heard of fashion stores) was sewn by me; and besides that, she found time to mend her father’s caftans, because the company tailor Trofimov began to see badly from old age, so that once (it was funny, it was true) he put a patch, past the hole, on the whole place. Being able to manage my household chores in this way, I never missed an opportunity to visit God's temple, unless our father Vlasy (God forgive him) was not too lazy to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. However, my child, you are mistaken if you think that the father and I lived alone within four walls, not knowing anyone and not accepting good people. True, we rarely managed to visit; but the priest was a great hospitality, but does a hospitality ever have no guests? Almost every evening they gathered in our reception room: the old lieutenant, the Cossack foreman, Father Vlasy and some other inhabitants of the fortress - I don’t remember everyone. They all liked to sip cherries and homemade beer, they liked to talk and argue. Their conversations, of course, were arranged not according to bookish writings, but so at random: it happened that whoever came up with something would grind, because the people were all so simple ... But only good things must be said about the dead, and our old interlocutors have long, long ago been buried in the cemetery.

The novel is based on the memoirs of the fifty-year-old nobleman Pyotr Andreyevich Grinev, written by him during the reign of Emperor Alexander and dedicated to the “Pugachevshchina”, in which the seventeen-year-old officer Pyotr Grinev, due to a “strange chain of circumstances”, took an involuntary part.

Pyotr Andreevich recalls with slight irony his childhood, the childhood of a noble undergrowth. His father Andrey Petrovich Grinev, in his youth, “served under Count Munnich and retired as prime minister in 17 .... Since then, he lived in his Simbirsk village, where he married the girl Avdotya Vasilievna Yu., the daughter of a poor local nobleman. The Grinev family had nine children, but all Petrusha's brothers and sisters "died in infancy." “Mother was still my belly,” recalls Grinev, “as I was already enrolled in the Semyonovsky regiment as a sergeant.”

From the age of five, Petrusha has been looked after by the stirrup Savelich, “for sober behavior” granted to him as uncles. “Under his supervision, in the twelfth year, I learned Russian literacy and could very sensibly judge the properties of a greyhound male.” Then a teacher appeared - the Frenchman Beaupre, who did not understand the "meaning of this word", since he was a hairdresser in his own country, and a soldier in Prussia. Young Grinev and the Frenchman Beaupré quickly got along, and although Beaupré was contractually obliged to teach Petrusha “in French, German and all sciences,” he preferred to soon learn from his student “to chat in Russian.” Grinev's upbringing ends with the expulsion of Beaupre, convicted of debauchery, drunkenness and neglect of the duties of a teacher.

Until the age of sixteen, Grinev lives "undersized, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the yard boys." In the seventeenth year, the father decides to send his son to the service, but not to St. Petersburg, but to the army "to smell gunpowder" and "pull the strap." He sends him to Orenburg, instructing him to serve faithfully "to whom you swear", and to remember the proverb: "take care of the dress again, and honor from youth." All the "brilliant hopes" of the young Grinev for a cheerful life in St. Petersburg collapsed, ahead of him was "boredom in the deaf and distant side."

Approaching Orenburg, Grinev and Savelich fell into a snowstorm. A random person who met on the road leads a wagon lost in a snowstorm to a litter. While the wagon was “quietly moving” towards the dwelling, Pyotr Andreevich had a terrible dream in which the fifty-year-old Grinev sees something prophetic, connecting it with the “strange circumstances” of his later life. A man with a black beard lies in the bed of Father Grinev, and mother, calling him Andrei Petrovich and “an imprisoned father,” wants Petrusha to “kiss his hand” and ask for blessings. A man swings an ax, the room is filled with dead bodies; Grinev stumbles over them, slips in bloody puddles, but his "terrible man" "calls affectionately", saying: "Do not be afraid, come under my blessing."

In gratitude for the rescue, Grinev gives the “counselor”, dressed too lightly, his hare coat and brings a glass of wine, for which he thanks him with a low bow: “Thank you, your honor! God bless you for your goodness." The appearance of the “counselor” seemed “wonderful” to Grinev: “He was about forty, medium height, thin and broad-shouldered. Gray hair showed in his black beard; living large eyes and ran. His face had a rather pleasant, but roguish expression.

The Belogorsk fortress, where Grinev was sent to serve from Orenburg, meets the young man not with formidable bastions, towers and ramparts, but turns out to be a village surrounded by a wooden fence. Instead of a brave garrison - disabled people who do not know where the left and where the right side is, instead of deadly artillery - an old cannon clogged with garbage.

The commandant of the fortress Ivan Kuzmich Mironov is an officer "from soldiers' children", an uneducated man, but an honest and kind one. His wife, Vasilisa Egorovna, manages him completely and looks at the affairs of the service as if they were her own business. Soon, Grinev becomes “native” to the Mironovs, and he himself “invisibly ‹…› became attached to a good family.” In the daughter of the Mironovs, Masha, Grinev "found a prudent and sensitive girl."

The service does not burden Grinev, he became interested in reading books, practicing translations and writing poetry. At first, he becomes close to Lieutenant Shvabrin, the only person in the fortress who is close to Grinev in terms of education, age and occupation. But soon they quarrel - Shvabrin mockingly criticized the love "song" written by Grinev, and also allowed himself dirty hints about the "custom and custom" of Masha Mironova, to whom this song was dedicated. Later, in a conversation with Masha, Grinev will find out the reasons for the stubborn slander with which Shvabrin pursued her: the lieutenant wooed her, but was refused. “I do not like Alexei Ivanovich. He is very disgusting to me, ”admits Masha Grinev. The quarrel is resolved by a duel and wounding Grinev.

Masha takes care of the wounded Grinev. Young people confess to each other "in a heartfelt inclination", and Grinev writes a letter to the priest, "asking for parental blessings." But Masha is a dowry. The Mironovs have “only one girl Palashka”, while the Grinevs have three hundred souls of peasants. The father forbids Grinev to marry and promises to transfer him from the Belogorsk fortress "somewhere far away" so that the "nonsense" will pass.

After this letter, life became unbearable for Grinev, he falls into gloomy thought, seeks solitude. "I was afraid to either go crazy or fall into debauchery." And only “unexpected incidents,” Grinev writes, “which had an important impact on my whole life, suddenly gave my soul a strong and good shock.”

At the beginning of October 1773, the commandant of the fortress received a secret message about the Don Cossack Emelyan Pugachev, who, posing as "the late Emperor Peter III", "gathered a villainous gang, made an outrage in the Yaik villages and already took and ruined several fortresses." The commandant was asked to "take appropriate measures to repulse the aforementioned villain and impostor."

Soon everyone was talking about Pugachev. A Bashkir with "outrageous sheets" was captured in the fortress. But it was not possible to interrogate him - the Bashkir's tongue was torn out. From day to day, the inhabitants of the Belogorsk fortress expect an attack by Pugachev,

The rebels appear unexpectedly - the Mironovs did not even have time to send Masha to Orenburg. At the first attack, the fortress was taken. Residents greet the Pugachevites with bread and salt. The prisoners, among whom was Grinev, are taken to the square to swear allegiance to Pugachev. The first to die on the gallows is the commandant, who refused to swear allegiance to the "thief and impostor." Under the blow of a saber, Vasilisa Yegorovna falls dead. Death on the gallows awaits Grinev, but Pugachev pardons him. A little later, Grinev learns from Savelich "the reason for mercy" - the ataman of the robbers turned out to be the tramp who received from him, Grinev, a hare sheepskin coat.

In the evening, Grinev was invited to the “great sovereign”. “I pardoned you for your virtue,” Pugachev says to Grinev, “‹…› Do you promise to serve me with diligence?” But Grinev is a “natural nobleman” and “sweared allegiance to the empress”. He cannot even promise Pugachev not to serve against him. “My head is in your power,” he says to Pugachev, “let me go - thank you, execute me - God will judge you.”

Grinev's sincerity amazes Pugachev, and he releases the officer "on all four sides." Grinev decides to go to Orenburg for help - after all, Masha remained in the fortress in a strong fever, whom the priest passed off as her niece. He is especially worried that Shvabrin, who swore allegiance to Pugachev, was appointed commandant of the fortress.

But in Orenburg, Grinev was denied help, and a few days later the rebel troops surrounded the city. Long days of siege dragged on. Soon, by chance, a letter from Masha falls into Grinev's hands, from which he learns that Shvabrin is forcing her to marry him, threatening otherwise to extradite her to the Pugachevites. Again, Grinev turns to the military commandant for help, and is again refused.

Grinev and Savelich leave for the Belogorsk fortress, but they are captured by the rebels near Berdskaya Sloboda. And again, providence brings Grinev and Pugachev together, giving the officer a chance to fulfill his intention: having learned from Grinev the essence of the matter on which he is going to the Belogorsk fortress, Pugachev himself decides to free the orphan and punish the offender.

On the way to the fortress, a confidential conversation takes place between Pugachev and Grinev. Pugachev is clearly aware of his doom, expecting betrayal, first of all, from his comrades, he knows that he can’t wait for the “mercy of the empress”. For Pugachev, as for an eagle from a Kalmyk fairy tale, which he tells Grinev with “wild inspiration”, “than eating carrion for three hundred years, it is better to drink living blood once; and then what God will give!”. Grinev draws a different moral conclusion from the tale, which surprises Pugacheva: “To live by murder and robbery means for me to peck at carrion.”

In the Belogorsk fortress, Grinev, with the help of Pugachev, frees Masha. And although the enraged Shvabrin reveals the deceit to Pugachev, he is full of generosity: “Execute, execute like this, favor, favor like that: this is my custom.” Grinev and Pugachev part "friendly".

Grinev sends Masha as a bride to his parents, and he remains in the army due to his “debt of honor”. The war "with robbers and savages" is "boring and petty." Grinev's observations are filled with bitterness: "God forbid to see a Russian rebellion, senseless and merciless."

The end of the military campaign coincides with the arrest of Grinev. Appearing before the court, he is calm in his confidence that he can be justified, but Shvabrin slanders him, exposing Grinev as a spy sent from Pugachev to Orenburg. Grinev is condemned, shame awaits him, exile to Siberia for an eternal settlement.

Grinev is saved from shame and exile by Masha, who goes to the queen to "beg for mercy." Walking through the garden of Tsarskoye Selo, Masha met a middle-aged lady. In this lady, everything "involuntarily attracted the heart and inspired confidence." Having learned who Masha was, she offered her help, and Masha sincerely told the lady the whole story. The lady turned out to be the empress, who pardoned Grinev in the same way that Pugachev had pardoned both Masha and Grinev in his time.

Pushkin A.S. “The Captain's Daughter” Historical story, summary.
The story, written by the great and, is the first artistic historical work. The plot for this story was a real event that happened during.
The story is written on behalf of the elderly nobleman Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, who tells about his youth, which fell during the reign of the grandmother of the current Emperor Alexander,.
As an epigraph to the work “The Captain's Daughter”, he cites the Russian proverb “Take care of the dress again, and honor from a young age”
Grinev begins his story with the remark that sometimes an insignificant event can change a person's life and direct him along a different path.
In his family, Petrusha Grinev was the ninth, the only surviving child. His childhood and adolescence passed quite freely, like most landowner undergrowths. At first, a former soldier Savelich looked after him, who, for reasonable behavior, was assigned to him as uncles. Then the turn of the tutor came and a Frenchman was assigned to this role, of whom there were a lot of people left in Russia after the defeat of Napoleon. This former French hairdresser could not teach anything sensible until he was expelled for drunkenness and dissolute behavior.
And so Petrusha lived to the age of seventeen, when the priest decided to assign him to military service. Only the young nobleman had to go not to the capitals, but to the army so that he could “smell gunpowder.” Faithful Savelich is sent to serve, but more to look after the unreasonable young master.
Getting to the fortress, where they were to serve, they got into a blizzard, and they would have disappeared if a random person had not taken their wagon to the road. In gratitude for the rescue, Petrusha Grinev, a kind soul, gives a rabbit sheepskin coat to the savior, not even suspecting that he is saving his life with this gift.
The fortress, where Grinev was assigned to serve, in fact turned out to be an ordinary village surrounded by a wooden palisade. The military garrison consisted of peasants who did not distinguish left from right. The fortress was defended from enemies with an old cannon, which was clogged with garbage.
In fact, the wife of commandant Mironov, Vasilisa Yegorovna, commanded the fortress. Grinev was accepted as a native, and he himself became very attached to the family, especially since the commandant had a very attractive daughter, Masha. Sweet, calm and well-behaved Masha Mironova made such an impression on the young unlucky barchuk that he became interested in reading books, began to practice translations from French and compose poetry.
Everything seems to be going well and calmly, but officer Shvabrin, to whom Masha has denied her affection, insults her and forces Grinev to a duel. He is more experienced in military affairs and wounded Grinev in a duel. While he lies wounded, the rebels under the leadership of Pugachev attack the fortress. The commandant and his wife refuse to swear allegiance to him as emperor and perish. Pugachev releases Grinev when he honestly says that he cannot take the oath twice.
Grinev is trying to get military help in the fortress of Orenburg, but there they themselves are afraid that Pugachev will reach Orenburg. And so it happened. Emelyan Pugachev laid siege to Orenburg.
By chance, Grinev learns that Shvabrin is trying to force Masha Mironova to marry him and goes to the Belogorsk fortress. He is captured and, appearing again before Pugachev, honestly tells what brought him back to Belogorsk. Pugachev shows himself to be a noble man and orders Shvabrin, who has gone over to his side, to release the orphan. Shvabrin had to obey, but he writes a denunciation of Grinev that he is a Pugachev spy. After the defeat of Pugachev, Grinev awaits trial and exile to Siberia on false charges. The captain's daughter Masha goes to St. Petersburg to convey a letter to Empress Catherine with a request to pardon Pyotr Grinev. The meeting took place almost by chance in the garden of Tsarskoye Selo, where Masha told the whole story and the Empress pardoned Grinev, thereby saving him from dishonor.
The summary of the story The Captain's Daughter can be expressed in one, but very emotional phrase of Grinev: “God forbid to see a Russian rebellion, senseless and merciless”

Chapter I
Sergeant of the Guard

If he were a guard, he would be a captain tomorrow.
- That is not necessary; let him serve in the army.
- Pretty well said! let him push it...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Who is his father?

My father, Andrei Petrovich Grinev, served under Count Munnich in his youth and retired as prime minister in 1717. Since then, he lived in his Simbirsk village, where he married the girl Avdotya Vasilievna Yu., the daughter of a poor local nobleman. We were nine children. All my brothers and sisters died in infancy.

My mother was still my belly, as I was already enrolled in the Semenovsky regiment as a sergeant, by the grace of the major of the guard, Prince V., our close relative. If, more than any hope, the mother had given birth to a daughter, then the father would have announced the death of the non-appearing sergeant, and the matter would have ended. I was considered on vacation until graduation. At that time, we were brought up not in the modern way. From the age of five, I was given into the hands of the aspirant Savelich, who was granted me uncles for sober behavior. Under his supervision, in the twelfth year, I learned to read and write Russian and could very sensibly judge the properties of a greyhound dog. At this time, the priest hired a Frenchman for me, Monsieur Beaupre, who was discharged from Moscow along with a year's supply of wine and olive oil. Savelitch did not like his arrival much. “Thank God,” he grumbled to himself, “it seems that the child is washed, combed, fed. Where should you spend extra money and hire Monsieur, as if your own people were gone!”

Beaupré was a hairdresser in his own country, then a soldier in Prussia, then he came to Russia pour être outchitel, not really understanding the meaning of this word. He was a kind fellow, but windy and dissolute to the extreme. His main weakness was a passion for the fair sex; often for his tenderness he received shocks, from which he groaned for whole days. Moreover, he was not (as he put it) and bottle enemy, i.e. (speaking in Russian) liked to sip too much. But as wine was served with us only at dinner, and then by a glass, and the teachers usually carried it around, my Beaupré very soon got used to the Russian tincture and even began to prefer it to the wines of his fatherland, as unlike more useful for the stomach. We got along right away, and although he was contractually obligated to teach me in French, German and all sciences, but he preferred to hastily learn from me how to chat in Russian, - and then each of us went about his own business. We lived soul to soul. I didn't want another mentor. But soon fate separated us, and here's the occasion:

The laundress Palashka, a fat and pockmarked girl, and the crooked cowherd Akulka somehow agreed at one time to throw themselves at mother's feet, confessing their criminal weakness and complaining with tears about the Monsieur who had seduced their inexperience. Mother did not like to joke about this and complained to the father. His reprisal was short. He immediately demanded a French canal. It was reported that Monsieur was giving me his lesson. Father went to my room. At this time, Beaupré slept on the bed with the sleep of innocence. I was busy with business. You need to know that a geographical map was issued for me from Moscow. It hung on the wall without any use and had long tempted me with the breadth and goodness of the paper. I made up my mind to make a snake out of her, and taking advantage of Beaupré's dream, I set to work. Batiushka came in at the same time as I was fitting a wash tail to the Cape of Good Hope. Seeing my exercises in geography, the priest pulled my ear, then ran up to Beaupre, woke him very carelessly and began to shower reproaches. Beaupré, in dismay, wanted to get up, but could not: the unfortunate Frenchman was dead drunk. Seven troubles, one answer. Batiushka lifted him out of bed by the collar, pushed him out of the door, and on the same day drove him out of the yard, to Savelich's indescribable joy. That was the end of my upbringing.

I lived underage, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog with the yard boys. Meanwhile, I was sixteen years old. Here my fate changed.

Once in autumn, my mother was making honey jam in the living room, and I, licking my lips, looked at the effervescent foam. Father at the window read the Court Calendar, which he receives every year. This book always had a strong influence on him: he never reread it without special participation, and reading this always produced in him an amazing excitement of bile. Mother, who knew by heart all his habits and customs, always tried to shove the unfortunate book as far away as possible, and in this way the Court Calendar did not catch his eye, sometimes for whole months. On the other hand, when he accidentally found him, he would not let go of his hands for whole hours. So, the father read the Court calendar, occasionally shrugging his shoulders and repeating in an undertone: “Lieutenant General! .. He was a sergeant in my company! .. Cavalier of both Russian orders! on the sofa and plunged into thoughtfulness, which did not bode well.

Suddenly he turned to his mother: “Avdotya Vasilievna, how old is Petrusha?”

Yes, the seventeenth year has gone, - answered mother. - Petrusha was born in the same year that Aunt Nastasya Garasimovna became crooked, and when else ...

“Good,” the priest interrupted, “it’s time for him to serve. It’s enough for him to run around girls’ rooms and climb dovecotes.”

The thought of an imminent separation from me struck my mother so much that she dropped the spoon into the saucepan, and tears flowed down her face. On the contrary, it is difficult to describe my admiration. The thought of service merged in me with thoughts of freedom, of the pleasures of Petersburg life. I imagined myself as an officer of the guard, which, in my opinion, was the height of human well-being.

Batiushka did not like either to change his intentions or to postpone their fulfillment. The day of my departure was fixed. The day before, the priest announced that he intended to write with me to my future boss, and demanded a pen and paper.

Do not forget, Andrey Petrovich, - said mother, - to bow from me to Prince B.; I, they say, hope that he will not leave Petrusha with his favors.

What nonsense! - replied the father frowning. - Why should I write to Prince B.?

Why, you said that you would like to write to Petrusha's chief?

Well, what is there?

Why, the chief Petrushin is Prince B. After all, Petrusha is enrolled in the Semyonovsky regiment.

Recorded by! What do I care if it's recorded? Petrusha will not go to Petersburg. What will he learn by serving in St. Petersburg? wind and hang? No, let him serve in the army, let him pull the strap, let him sniff gunpowder, let him be a soldier, not a shamaton. Registered in the guard! Where is his passport? bring it here.

Mother found my passport, which was kept in her casket along with the shirt in which I was baptized, and handed it to the priest with a trembling hand. Batiushka read it with attention, put it on the table in front of him, and began his letter.

Curiosity tormented me: where are they sending me, if not to Petersburg? I did not take my eyes off Batiushkin's pen, which moved rather slowly. Finally, he finished, sealed the letter in the same package with his passport, took off his glasses and, calling me, said: “Here is a letter for you to Andrey Karlovich R., my old comrade and friend. You are going to Orenburg to serve under his command.”

So, all my brilliant hopes collapsed! Instead of a cheerful Petersburg life, boredom awaited me in a deaf and distant side. The service, which for a minute I thought with such enthusiasm, seemed to me a grave misfortune. But there was nothing to argue. The next day, in the morning, a traveling wagon was brought up to the porch; they put a suitcase in it, a cellar with a tea set, and bundles of rolls and pies, the last signs of home pampering. My parents blessed me. The father said to me: “Goodbye, Peter. Serve faithfully to whom you swear; obey the bosses; do not chase after their affection; do not ask for service; do not excuse yourself from the service; and remember the proverb: take care of the dress again, and honor from youth. Mother, in tears, ordered me to take care of my health, and Savelich to look after the child. They put a hare coat on me, and a fox coat on top. I got into the wagon with Savelich and set off on the road, shedding tears.

That very night I arrived in Simbirsk, where I had to stay for a day to purchase the necessary things, which was entrusted to Savelich. I stopped at a tavern. Savelich went to the shops in the morning. Getting bored of looking out the window at the dirty lane, I went to wander through all the rooms. Entering the billiard room, I saw a tall gentleman of about thirty-five, with a long black mustache, in a dressing gown, with a cue in his hand and with a pipe in his teeth. He played with a marker that, when he won, drank a glass of vodka, and when he lost, he had to crawl under the billiards on all fours. I started watching them play. The longer it went on, the more frequent the walks on all fours, until at last the marker remained under the pool table. The master uttered several strong expressions over him in the form of a funeral word and invited me to play a game. I reluctantly refused. It seemed to him, apparently, strange. He looked at me as if with regret; however, we talked. I learned that his name was Ivan Ivanovich Zurin, that he was a captain of the ** hussar regiment and was in Simbirsk when recruiting, but was standing in a tavern. Zurin invited me to dine with him, like God sent, like a soldier. I readily agreed. We sat down at the table. Zurin drank a lot and regaled me too, saying that one must get used to the service; he told me army jokes, from which I almost collapsed with laughter, and we got up from the table perfect friends. Then he volunteered to teach me how to play billiards. “This,” he said, “is necessary for our service brother. On a hike, for example, you come to a place - what do you want to do? After all, it’s not all the same to beat the Jews. Involuntarily you will go to a tavern and start playing billiards; And for that you need to know how to play!” I was completely convinced and set to work with great diligence. Zurin loudly encouraged me, marveled at my rapid progress, and after several lessons suggested that I play money, one penny each, not to win, but in such a way as not to play for nothing, which, according to him, is the worst habit. I agreed to this, and Zurin ordered punch to be served and persuaded me to try, repeating that I need to get used to the service; and without a punch, what is a service! I obeyed him. Meanwhile, our game continued. The more I sipped from my glass, the bolder I became. Balloons kept flying over my side; I got excited, scolded the marker, who considered God knows how, multiplied the game from hour to hour, in a word - behaved like a boy who broke free. In the meantime, time has passed imperceptibly. Zurin glanced at his watch, put down his cue stick, and announced to me that I had lost a hundred roubles. This confused me a little. Savelich had my money. I began to apologize. Zurin interrupted me: “Have mercy! Don't you dare worry. I can wait, but for now let's go to Arinushka.

What do you order? I ended the day as dissolutely as I started. We dined at Arinushka's. Zurin poured me every minute, repeating that it was necessary to get used to the service. Rising from the table, I could barely stand on my feet; at midnight Zurin took me to a tavern.

Savelich met us on the porch. He gasped, seeing the unmistakable signs of my zeal for the service. “What, sir, has become of you? - he said in a pitiful voice, - where did you load it? Oh my God! there has never been such a sin!” - "Shut up, bastard! - I answered him, stammering, - you must be drunk, go to bed ... and put me to bed.

The next day I woke up with a headache, vaguely remembering yesterday's events. My reflections were interrupted by Savelich, who came in with a cup of tea. “It’s early, Pyotr Andreevich,” he said to me, shaking his head, “you start walking early. And who did you go to? It seems that neither father nor grandfather were drunkards; there is nothing to say about mother: from birth, except for kvass, they did not deign to take anything in their mouths. And who's to blame? damn monsieur. Every now and then, it happened, he would run to Antipievna: “Madame, wow, vodka.” So much for you! There is nothing to say: good instructed, dog son. And it was necessary to hire a basurman as uncles, as if the master had no more of his own people!

I was ashamed. I turned away and said to him: “Get out, Savelich; I don't want tea." But Savelich was hard-pressed to appease when he used to set about preaching. “You see, Pyotr Andreevich, what it’s like to play along. And the head is hard, and you don’t want to eat. A person who drinks is good for nothing... Drink some cucumber pickle with honey, but it would be better to get drunk with half a glass of tincture. Won't you tell me?"

At this time the boy came in and handed me a note from I. I. Zurin. I opened it and read the following lines:

“Dear Pyotr Andreevich, please send me with my boy a hundred rubles, which you lost to me yesterday. I am in dire need of money.

Ready for service
Ivan Zurin.

There was nothing to do. I took on an air of indifference and turned to Savelich, who was and money, and underwear, and my deeds are a caretaker, ordered to give the boy a hundred rubles. "How! why?" asked the astonished Savelich. "I owe them to him," I replied with all sorts of coldness. "Should! Savelich objected, more astonished from time to time, “but when, sir, did you manage to owe him a debt?” Something is not right. Your will, sir, but I will not give out money.

I thought that if at this decisive moment I didn’t argue with the stubborn old man, then later on it would be difficult for me to free myself from his guardianship, and looking at him proudly, I said: “I am your master, and you are my servant. My money. I lost them because I felt like it. And I advise you not to be smart and do what you are ordered.

Savelich was so struck by my words that he clasped his hands and was dumbfounded. "Why are you standing there!" I shouted angrily. Savelich wept. “Father Pyotr Andreich,” he said in a trembling voice, “do not kill me with sadness. You are my light! listen to me, old man: write to this robber that you were joking, that we don’t even have that kind of money. One hundred rubles! God you are merciful! Tell me that your parents firmly ordered you not to play, except as nuts ... "-" It's full of lies, - I interrupted sternly, - give the money here or I'll drive you away.

Savelich looked at me with deep sorrow and went to collect my duty. I felt sorry for the poor old man; but I wanted to break free and prove that I was no longer a child. The money was delivered to Zurin. Savelich hurried to take me out of the accursed tavern. He came with the news that the horses were ready. With a troubled conscience and silent remorse I left Simbirsk, without saying goodbye to my teacher and not thinking of seeing him again.