How 2 read

9 Fun and Easy Tips

With the abundance of information out there, it can seem like there is no clear answer about how to teach a child to read. As a busy parent, you may not have time to wade through all of the conflicting opinions.

That’s why we’re here to help! There are some key elements when it comes to teaching kids to read, so we’ve rounded up nine effective tips to help you boost your child’s reading skills and confidence.

These tips are simple, fit into your lifestyle, and help build foundational reading skills while having fun!

Tips For How To Teach A Child To Read

1) Focus On Letter Sounds Over Letter Names

We used to learn that “b” stands for “ball.” But when you say the word ball, it sounds different than saying the letter B on its own. That can be a strange concept for a young child to wrap their head around!

Instead of focusing on letter names, we recommend teaching them the sounds associated with each letter of the alphabet. For example, you could explain that B makes the /b/ sound (pronounced just like it sounds when you say the word ball aloud).

Once they firmly establish a link between a handful of letters and their sounds, children can begin to sound out short words. Knowing the sounds for B, T, and A allows a child to sound out both bat and tab.

As the number of links between letters and sounds grows, so will the number of words your child can sound out!

Now, does this mean that if your child already began learning by matching formal alphabet letter names with words, they won’t learn to match sounds and letters or learn how to read? Of course not!

We simply recommend this process as a learning method that can help some kids with the jump from letter sounds to words.

2) Begin With Uppercase Letters

Practicing how to make letters is way easier when they all look unique! This is why we teach uppercase letters to children who aren’t in formal schooling yet.

Even though lowercase letters are the most common format for letters (if you open a book at any page, the majority of the letters will be lowercase), uppercase letters are easier to distinguish from one another and, therefore, easier to identify.

Think about it –– “b” and “d” look an awful lot alike! But “B” and “D” are much easier to distinguish. Starting with uppercase letters, then, will help your child to grasp the basics of letter identification and, subsequently, reading.

To help your child learn uppercase letters, we find that engaging their sense of physical touch can be especially useful. If you want to try this, you might consider buying textured paper, like sandpaper, and cutting out the shapes of uppercase letters.

Ask your child to put their hands behind their back, and then place the letter in their hands. They can use their sense of touch to guess what letter they’re holding! You can play the same game with magnetic letters.

3) Incorporate Phonics

Research has demonstrated that kids with a strong background in phonics (the relationship between sounds and symbols) tend to become stronger readers in the long-run.

A phonetic approach to reading shows a child how to go letter by letter — sound by sound — blending the sounds as you go in order to read words that the child (or adult) has not yet memorized.

Once kids develop a level of automatization, they can sound out words almost instantly and only need to employ decoding with longer words. Phonics is best taught explicitly, sequentially, and systematically — which is the method HOMER uses.

If you’re looking for support helping your child learn phonics, our HOMER Learn & Grow app might be exactly what you need! With a proven reading pathway for your child, HOMER makes learning fun!

4) Balance Phonics And Sight Words

Sight words are also an important part of teaching your child how to read. These are common words that are usually not spelled the way they sound and can’t be decoded (sounded out).

Because we don’t want to undo the work your child has done to learn phonics, sight words should be memorized. But keep in mind that learning sight words can be challenging for many young children.

So, if you want to give your child a good start on their reading journey, it’s best to spend the majority of your time developing and reinforcing the information and skills needed to sound out words.

5) Talk A Lot

Even though talking is usually thought of as a speech-only skill, that’s not true. Your child is like a sponge. They’re absorbing everything, all the time, including the words you say (and the ones you wish they hadn’t heard)!

Talking with your child frequently and engaging their listening and storytelling skills can increase their vocabulary.

It can also help them form sentences, become familiar with new words and how they are used, as well as learn how to use context clues when someone is speaking about something they may not know a lot about.

All of these skills are extremely helpful for your child on their reading journey, and talking gives you both an opportunity to share and create moments you’ll treasure forever!

6) Keep It Light

Reading is about having fun and exploring the world (real and imaginary) through text, pictures, and illustrations. When it comes to reading, it’s better for your child to be relaxed and focused on what they’re learning than squeezing in a stressful session after a long day.

We’re about halfway through the list and want to give a gentle reminder that your child shouldn’t feel any pressure when it comes to reading — and neither should you!

Although consistency is always helpful, we recommend focusing on quality over quantity. Fifteen minutes might sound like a short amount of time, but studies have shown that 15 minutes a day of HOMER’s reading pathway can increase early reading scores by 74%!

It may also take some time to find out exactly what will keep your child interested and engaged in learning. That’s OK! If it’s not fun, lighthearted, and enjoyable for you and your child, then shake it off and try something new.

7) Practice Shared Reading

While you read with your child, consider asking them to repeat words or sentences back to you every now and then while you follow along with your finger.

There’s no need to stop your reading time completely if your child struggles with a particular word. An encouraging reminder of what the word means or how it’s pronounced is plenty!

Another option is to split reading aloud time with your child. For emerging readers, you can read one line and then ask them to read the next. For older children, reading one page and letting them read the next page is beneficial.

Doing this helps your child feel capable and confident, which is important for encouraging them to read well and consistently!

This technique also gets your child more acquainted with the natural flow of reading. While they look at the pictures and listen happily to the story, they’ll begin to focus on the words they are reading and engage more with the book in front of them.

Rereading books can also be helpful. It allows children to develop a deeper understanding of the words in a text, make familiar words into “known” words that are then incorporated into their vocabulary, and form a connection with the story.

We wholeheartedly recommend rereading!

8) Play Word Games

Getting your child involved in reading doesn’t have to be about just books. Word games can be a great way to engage your child’s skills without reading a whole story at once.

One of our favorite reading games only requires a stack of Post-It notes and a bunched-up sock. For this activity, write sight words or words your child can sound out onto separate Post-It notes. Then stick the notes to the wall.

Your child can then stand in front of the Post-Its with the bunched-up sock in their hands. You say one of the words and your child throws the sock-ball at the Post-It note that matches!

9) Read With Unconventional Materials

In the same way that word games can help your child learn how to read, so can encouraging your child to read without actually using books!

If you’re interested in doing this, consider using PlayDoh, clay, paint, or indoor-safe sand to form and shape letters or words.

Another option is to fill a large pot with magnetic letters. For emerging learners, suggest that they pull a letter from the pot and try to name the sound it makes. For slightly older learners, see if they can name a word that begins with the same sound, or grab a collection of letters that come together to form a word.

As your child becomes more proficient, you can scale these activities to make them a little more advanced. And remember to have fun with it!

Reading Comes With Time And Practice

Overall, we want to leave you with this: there is no single answer to how to teach a child to read. What works for your neighbor’s child may not work for yours –– and that’s perfectly OK!

Patience, practicing a little every day, and emphasizing activities that let your child enjoy reading are the things we encourage most. Reading is about fun, exploration, and learning!

And if you ever need a bit of support, we’re here for you! At HOMER, we’re your learning partner. Start your child’s reading journey with confidence with our personalized program plus expert tips and learning resources.

Author

How to Read a Book: The Ultimate Guide by Mortimer Adler

As part of our series on reading, this guide dives into how to read a book using the classical framework provided by Mortimer Adler.

By the time you finish reading, you’ll have a framework for reading at different levels that you can apply right away.

Let’s hit the books and explore the following:

• How We Learn to Read
• How You Read Matches Why You’re Reading
• The Four Levels of Reading
  1. Elementary Reading
  2. Inspectional Reading
  3. Analytical Reading
  4. Syntopical Reading
• Becoming a Demanding Reader

How We Learn To Read

I bet you already know how to read a book. You were taught in elementary school.

But do you know how to read well?

There is a difference between reading for understanding and reading for information.

If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t given much thought to how you read. And how you read makes a massive difference to knowledge accumulation.

A lot of people confuse knowing the name of something with understanding. While great for exercising your memory, the regurgitation of facts without solid understanding and context gains you little in the real world.

A useful heuristic: Anything easily digested is reading for information.

Consider the newspaper, are you truly learning anything new? Do you consider the writer your superior when it comes to knowledge in the subject? Odds are probably not. That means you’re reading for information. It means you’re likely to parrot an opinion that isn’t yours as if you had done the work.

This is how most people read. But most people aren’t really learning anything new. It’s not going to give you an edge, make you better at your job, or allow you to avoid problems.

“Marking a book is literally an experience of your differences or agreements with the author. It is the highest respect you can pay him.”

— Edgar Allen Poe

Learning something insightful requires mental work. It’s uncomfortable. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not learning. You need to find writers who are more knowledgeable on a particular subject than yourself. By narrowing the gap between the author and yourself, you get smarter.

The Four Levels of Reading

Mortimer Adler literally wrote the book on reading. Adler identifies four levels of reading:

1. Elementary Reading
2. Inspectional Reading
3. Analytical Reading
4. Syntopical Reading

How You Read Matches Why You’re Reading

The goal of reading determines how you read. Reading the latest Danielle Steel novel is not the same as reading Plato. If you’re reading for entertainment or information, you’re going to read a lot differently (and likely different material) than reading to increase understanding. While many people are proficient in reading for information and entertainment, few improve their ability to read for knowledge.

Before we can improve our reading skills, we need to understand the differences in the reading levels. They are thought of as levels because you can’t move to a higher level without a firm understanding of the previous one — they are cumulative.

1. Elementary Reading

This is the level of reading taught in our elementary schools. If you’re reading this website, you already know how to do this.

2. Inspectional Reading

We’ve been taught that skimming and superficial reading are bad for understanding. That is not necessarily the case. Using these tools effectively can increase understanding. Inspectional reading allows us to look at the author’s blueprint and evaluate the merits of a deeper reading experience.

There are two sub-types of inspectional reading:

• Systematic skimming — This is meant to be a quick check of the book by (1) reading the preface; (2) studying the table of contents; (3) checking the index; and (4) reading the inside jacket. This should give you sufficient knowledge to understand the chapters in the book, pivotal to the author’s argument. Dip in here and there, but never with more than a paragraph or two. Skimming helps you reach to a decision point: Does this book deserve more of my time and attention? If not, you put it down.
• Superficial reading — This is when you just read. Don’t ponder the argument, don’t look things up, don’t write in the margins. If you don’t understand something, move on. What you gain from this quick read will help you later when you go back and put more effort into reading. You now come to another decision point. Now that you have a better understanding of the book’s contents and its structure, do you want to understand it?

Inspectional reading gives you the gist of things.

Sometimes that’s all we want or need. But sometimes we want more. Sometimes we want to understand.

Read more about Inspectional Reading.

3. Analytical Reading

Francis Bacon once remarked, “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”

You can think of analytical reading as doing that chewing and digesting. This is doing the work.

Analytical reading is a thorough reading.

If inspectional reading is the best you can do quickly, this is the best reading you can do given time.

At this point, you start to engage your mind and dig into the work required to understand what’s being said. I highly recommend you use marginalia to converse with the author.

There are four rules to Analytical Reading

• Classify the book according to kind and subject matter.
• State what the whole book is about with the utmost brevity.
• Enumerate its major parts in their order and relation, and outline these parts as you have outlined the whole.
• Define the problem or problems the author is trying to solve.

You’ll probably notice that while those sound pretty easy, they involve a lot of work. Luckily the inspectional reading you’ve already done has primed you for this.

After an inspectional read, you will understand the book and the author’s views.

But that doesn’t mean you’ll understand the broader subject. To do that, you need to use comparative reading to synthesize knowledge from several books on the same subject.

Read More About Analytical Reading.

4. Syntopical Reading

This is also known as comparative reading, and it represents the most demanding and difficult reading of all. Syntopical Reading involves reading many books on the same subject and comparing and contrasting ideas, vocabulary, and arguments.

This task is undertaken by identifying relevant passages, translating the terminology, framing and ordering the questions that need answering, defining the issues, and having a conversation with the responses.

The goal is not to achieve an overall understanding of any particular book, but rather to understand the subject and develop a deep fluency.

This is all about identifying and filling in your knowledge gaps.

There are five steps to syntopical reading:

• Finding the Relevant Passages — You need to find the right books and then the passages that are most relevant to filling your needs. So the first step is an inspectional reading of all the works that you have identified as relevant.
• Bringing the Author to Terms — In analytical reading, you must identify the keywords and how they are used by the author. This is fairly straightforward. The process becomes more complicated now as each author has probably used different terms and concepts to frame their argument. Now the onus is on you to establish the terms. Rather than using the author’s language, you must use your own. In short, this is an exercise in translation and synthesis.
• Getting the Questions Clear — Rather than focus on the problems the author is trying to solve, you need to focus on the questions that you want answered. Just as we must establish our own terminology, so too must we establish our own propositions by shedding light on our problems to which the authors provide answers. It’s important to frame the questions in such a way that all or most of the authors can be interpreted as providing answers. Sometimes we might not get an answer to our questions because they might not have been seen as questions by the authors.
• Defining the Issues — If you’ve asked a clear question to which there are multiple answers then an issue has been defined. Opposing answers, now translated into your terms, must be ordered in relation to one another. Understanding multiple perspectives within an issue helps you form an intelligent opinion.
• Analyzing the Discussion — It’s presumptuous to expect we’ll find a single unchallenged truth to any of our questions. Our answer is the conflict of opposing answers. The value is the discussion you have with these authors. You can now have an informed opinion.

Becoming a Demanding Reader

Reading is all about asking the right questions in the right order and seeking answers.

There are four main questions you need to ask of every book:

• What is this book about?
• What is being said in detail, and how?
• Is this book true in whole or in part?
• What of it?

Read More about How to Become a Demanding Reader

***

If all of this sounds like hard work, you’re right. Most people won’t do it. That’s what sets you apart.

I am different, part 2

Chapter 1 but the sky was already beginning to fill with a crimson, which dispersed the darkness of the night. The emerging, chasing darkness dawn, like millions of years ago, gave warmth and hope to all life on earth.

Keitashi Sato chose the place carefully. Brushing dust and dried blades of grass from a boulder that had almost completely sunk into the ground, the Japanese laid a rug on it and sat down, tucking his legs under him and turning his face towards the dawning day. The Japanese calculated the moment to the nearest second. As soon as he sighed relaxedly and closed his eyelids, the first timid ray touched his face. The most powerful imp on Earth, in whose chest the heart of a unique one hundred and one level quietly rustled, seemed to indulge in peaceful meditation. nine0003

Keitasha's hand slipped into the fold of the white kimono and pulled out a folded battle staff. Without opening his eyes, groping, Keitashi ran his fingers along the handle. The staff did not decompose to its full length. Its pommel was transformed into a kind of fork with eight needle-sharp teeth. Between the teeth, miniature lightning bolts of electric discharges moved lazily. Keitashi took a deep breath and stabbed the fork between his ribs with a sharp blow. His face was distorted by a grimace of unbearable suffering, but the Japanese, gritting his teeth, was able to hold back a cry of pain. His chest fell, his head drooped limply, and only his hand continued to grip the hilt of the combat staff. nine0003

Chapter 2

— To the medblock! Faster! Now to the right! Roma, who was running after the Nail, shouted hysterically.

“I know,” he answered through his teeth, squeezing through the opening, not waiting for the corridor door to open completely, and painfully kissing his back on the jamb.

The heavy burden on his hands - Keitashi with a blood-drenched kimono - prevented him from acting more dexterously. Red on white looked very contrasting, giving the incident some kind of fake, cinematic shade. Gvozd knew where to run even without the engineer's prompting. Yesterday the Japanese gave them a short tour of the base. And the first thing they looked at was the medical block. The equipment that was there also cleaned up Laska and patched up the cuts and abrasions they had all earned in their fight with the Arbiters. Now the owner of the base needed help. nine0003

Although as a host. The Japanese occupied one of the centers of the DEKS program, put it in order and maintained the equipment in working order. Moreover, Nail has never come across such a large and well-preserved DEKS base.

The medical office shone with cleanliness and even whiteness, painful for the eyes. Having dragged the Japanese to the autosurgeon's chair, Gvozdev laid Keitashi on him and tried to pull the staff out of his chest.

— No! - the engineer's shout stopped him, - you can damage something! Doc can handle it! nine0003

Roma frantically flipped through the menu items on the autosurgeon control screen. The robot hanging over the chair shuddered, looking like a steel spider with thin long legs. He lowered himself over Keitasha's body and pulled the staff from his chest with two manipulators.

— Your mother! The nail rushed towards Keitasha's body. A natural bloody fountain was beating from the chest of the Japanese.

- Don't interfere! Roma rushed across Gvozdev.

With a white-hot needle, the surgeon cauterized the vessel and stopped the bleeding. nine0003

— What are you talking about? - a sleepy Weasel looked into the infirmary.

And then she saw the body lying on the couch.

— Is that you?

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Nail waved the girl away and asked the engineer, “is there anything else we can help him with?”

- Hardly. I launched the algorithm, but I'm not sure that it will save Keitashi, Roma admitted.

— What actually happened?! Laska continued to wonder.

- He himself. He wanted to kill himself. We talked to him yesterday and he . ..

— What?! What did you say to him?! - the engineer attacked Gvozdev with his fists.

— Quiet! Take it easy! — Gvozdev grabbed the engineer's hands and shook him slightly, — Keitashi asked about the expedition, I told him…

After they patched up their wounds, Keitashi Sato took them to the habitation module, which turned out to be extremely comfortable. No hostels or capsule hotels for you. Cozy separate quarters for four beds with their own bathroom. Weasel got a job separately, and Roma asked for cohabitation with the Nail. The engineer immediately collapsed on his bunk, vowing to take a shower and brush his teeth in the morning, and Keitashi, having wished him good night, froze in the doorway. nine0003

Read more Book 2, Vyacheslav Shishkov - LitRes

In St. Petersburg, Prokhor Petrovich managed to do a lot. I visited a huge machine-building plant, where, according to the approved Protasov drawings, I ordered a turbine of five thousand kilowatts for my power plant, I visited the mining department to consult on an extract from America for a dredge for gold mines. Finally, he found Lieutenant Priperentyev, who inherited from his brother a gold-bearing plot, staked out in the taiga. nine0003

Lieutenant Priperentiev lived in two rooms on Mokhovaya Street, with a German woman; walk through the kitchen. An untidy, sleepy-faced orderly, picking his nose, did not immediately understand what the visitor wanted from him. Prokhor gave him two rubles - the batman instantly grew wiser and ran to report to the master.

Lieutenant received Prokhor in a smoky, sour-smelling room. He has a puffy face, a black mustache, a belly, and, out of rank, a bald head. The lieutenant also did not immediately understand the purpose of Prokhor's visit, and finally, having clarified something, he said:0003

- Never ever... I'm retiring. However… damn it!.. Well, well… I feel like I have dropsy, it’s like my heart is enlarged… In a word, do you understand? Yes. I'm retiring and going myself to the taiga, to the mine...

It was obvious to Prokhor that the lieutenant was stunned by his appearance, that the lieutenant had long ago forgotten about the mine and now deliberately mumbles, inventing nonsense.

- A lot of capital is needed to operate the site. Do you have it? Prokhor hit him on the forehead with a question.

Lieutenant Priperentiev clutched his forehead, backed away and sat down. nine0003

- Please sit down. As for capital - how can I tell you? .. Yes and no ... However, most likely - yes. I'm getting married... A bride with a decent fortune... Sidorenko! Coffee...

The lieutenant wrinkled his eyebrows, pouted his lips, and with an air of independence began to fill his pipe.

– However… You know what? Eat coffee. Do you want a cigar? However... I don't have any... That donkey batman! Ugh!.. You know what? Come to my house tonight to play bank. Do you believe in fortune, in a star? Aha! You can win a plot in cards. I value him at a hundred thousand. nine0003

- I could offer you a thousand...

- What? As?! - The lieutenant bulged his bleary, glaring eyes and shed a tear.

“A thousand,” Prokhor said coolly, pushing his coffee cup away. - In essence, you lost all rights to it ... There was no exploitation for about twenty years, the statute of limitations has passed. But I don't want to start troubles about renting in the department, I would like to get along with you... From hand to hand...

- However... What kind of precinct is this? What area are you talking about? nine0003

– How about what? Yes, in the taiga, gold-bearing...

- Oh, that one! the lieutenant shouted in a bass voice and shook his head. - Seventy-five thousand... Ha-ha... Yes, last year they gave me two hundred thousand for it... I had money, I neglected the deal...

- Who gave it?

- Gold miner Pupkov, Petr Semenovich.

- There is no such thing ...

- Something like that, you understand: Pupkov, Noskov, Khvostov ... You know, one with a beard. So, seventy-five thousand...

- A thousand...

- I don't like jokes. However, I will consult with someone. Call tomorrow 39-64. Adyo... I'm in the regiment. .. Hey, Sidorenko!..

Prokhor, of course, didn't call and didn't see the lieutenant again. And Yakov Nazaritch, having treated Sidorenko to vodka, beer and eggs and ham in the tavern, found out from him what he needed. The master is a spendthrift, a gambler, a drunkard, sometimes with a lot of money, but more often he makes his way through a loan of money on trifles: either from the mistress Emilia Karlovna, or from the unfortunate batman Sidorenko. Recently, the master was sitting in the guardhouse, recently the master was beaten on the head by gamblers with a candlestick, and the next day the master beat an innocent batman. You should complain to the authorities, but God bless him. nine0003

Saying this, the tipsy Sidorenko wept bitterly.

And exactly at twelve, Prokhor Petrovich was at the reception of a comrade minister. In a new tailcoat, with a top hat in his hand, slightly powdered, with a mustache and beard, brought into a cultured look, he stood in the waiting room, admiring himself in the wide mirror over the marble fireplace.

- Their Excellency is asking you.

Prokhor, with his head held high, entered a vast office covered with crimson carpet. A ruddy-faced old man, in a particular frock coat, with the Order of Vladimir around his neck, sitting at a black oak table, pointed him to an armchair. Prokhor bowed and sat down. The old man threw an experienced glance at him, stroked his dyed beard, took off his glasses. nine0003

- I received you immediately because I know who you are. State.

Prokhor presented the case orally and submitted a memorandum.

“Yeah,” the old man said and smiled softly. - Well, well, well, well ... Come back in three days ... However, in a week. Are you in no hurry? So, a week later, exactly at four o'clock... - And he made a mark on the calendar.

Prokhor got up. The old man held out his dry, red-haired hand. Prokhor said:

- Can I, Your Excellency, hope that my request will be respected? nine0003

– Hm… I find it difficult to answer right away. The matter is rather nebulous. You know, these soldiers. This one is yours, like his... Zapiralsky...

- Priperentiev, Your Excellency.

“Yes, yes… Priperentiev… Well…” The ruddy-faced old man smiled broadly, exposing his even, pearl-like false teeth. - I will pass your note on to the conclusion of the senior legal adviser, he is on this part of the dock. Hopefully, young man. We must hope.

Exactly a week later, at four o'clock, Prokhor was again at the minister's comrade. This time the old man was in a uniform, with a star, so when they met he behaved with proper grandeur. nine0003

- Well? Oh yes. Sit down,” he said dryly and pompously. - You, it seems ... You seem to be ... Regarding ...

- Regarding the seizure of the gold-bearing area from Lieutenant Priperentyev and transferring it to me, Your Excellency.

- Yes, yes ... I remember perfectly. So many things, so much trouble. Endless meetings, committees, conferences... Go crazy... - He said it quickly, wrinkling his face in pain and shaking his head. - On your case, my dear sir, some information is being made. In our capital, such things are done too, too slowly... A sea of ​​papers, a sea of ​​reports... We perish, we perish! Come back in a week. But I’ll warn you, don’t create rosy illusions for yourself - Lieutenant Priperentyev filed a counter-petition ... But what, you have a big business there, at home? nine0003

– Solid in our area…

– Working capital?

- Ten million - twelve, Your Excellency.

The dignitary suddenly raised his shoulders, stretched out his neck, and quickly turned to face Prokhor, who was sitting to his left.

- Oh! he exclaimed encouragingly, and all his greatness melted away. - It's commendable. Very, very commendable, sir. So…” He got up impetuously and ingratiatingly shook Prokhor’s hand.

The doorman, dressed in braids and galloons, asked Prokhor as he handed over his overcoat:

- How are you, Your Honor, if I may ask?

“They don’t matter,” Prokhor growled and recalled Innokenty Filatych’s long-standing advice: “The Swiss will teach you either a lackey, go to him. ” A broad-bearded, gray-haired porter, resembling in his embroidered livery the king of clubs, weighed with an experienced look how much money the gentleman had. Prokhor handed him a quarter ticket and walked slowly towards the exit. The porter, ahead of him, opened the door and, bowing low, muttered:

- Much, much, much thanks to you, your honor. And... let me tell you... It's uncomfortable in the hallway, folks. My advice to you, in case of a penalty or any delay, act through the female, excuse me, part ... That is ... Well, you yourself perfectly understand: love blazeer, noble cupids. Yes, sir… For example, like this. For example, Their Excellency is accredited to Madame Zamoyska. nine0003

- Countess?! - Prokhor was amazed, and his heart ached. Before my eyes quickly flashed: Nizhny Novgorod, the fair, the green slope of the Kremlin, a gang of thieves. - Zamoyskaya? Countess?

- Pretty much yes. Baroness, sir... And deign to write down their address.

In the meantime, Innokenty Filatych's time was coming to an end. Prokhor missed him. Yakov Nazaritch is completely engrossed in business, don’t approach him about “God forgive me.” And that cheerful old man, with an invention - perhaps some slight disgrace, together with him, would have been created. Yes, it's a pity ... And the devil of the toothless decent people managed to bite their noses ...

In the morning they knocked on the room. A tall man in the uniform of the prison department entered. The muzzle is bullish, with a skew. He half smiled, half wrinkled his nose to sneeze, and handed over a pink packet smeared with oil:

- Letter, sir! From the eminent Siberian gold miner Innokenty Filatych Gruzdev and his sons.

- He has a widowed daughter. Yes, and there is no such gold miner. Why is he there?

- Please read.

“Dear Proshenka. Forgive God for. Your money is two and a half thousand, which the whole prison drank away. And that's boredom. My legs are swollen, and my face is swollen, but I still recognize strangers, I don’t go astray. This Friday, please bring some clothes according to your height and boots. Another little card. And I’ve drunk everything that was stolen, I’m sitting in a Restan dressing gown, the louse is eating.” nine0003

– Well, does it come out on Friday? asked Prokhor, passing the letter to Yakov Nazaritch.

- That's right, sir ... - said the big man, standing in front and holding the saber with his hand.

- Cheerful old man?

- Very much, sir ... Why the assistant to the head of the prison, and that ordinary day of God twice drunk in the board, sir. And the guards are drunk, and the whole cell is drunk.

Prokhor gave him three rubles and let him go. Yakov Nazaritch laughed.

On the day the old man was released, the evening "Birzhevka" published a slanderous feuilleton: "Merry Prison". Talentedly describing the drunken bacchanalia in one of the St. Petersburg prisons, the author of the feuilleton demanded an immediate investigation of this unheard-of case and exemplary punishment of those responsible, led by the head of the prison and the hero of "world drunkenness" Siberian I. F. Gruzdev, imprisoned for biting the nose of the chief conductor Khrapov. nine0003

The released Innokenty Filatych bought up about a hundred issues of this newspaper and sent it to everyone he knew with the inscription pasted under the note: "In good memory from Petersburg."

Innokenty Filatych felt himself ascended to heaven. He walked around St. Petersburg with the air of a world-famous hero, smiled at everyone, looked into the eyes, as if he wanted to say: “Read it? Innokenty Gruzdev is me.”

- Would you like to take a walk, madam?

- Why... I'm always glad to be with you. You are always busy, do not approach you.

Nina, in a white dressing gown smeared with fresh earth, was digging in her garden.

- What? Selection experiments, hybrids, American tricks? Andrey Andreyevich Protasov sat down on the bench next to her.

- Yes. Look, what an amazing cactus... Completely without thorns. Is it a miracle or not? Where have you seen cacti without thorns?. . Well, well?

- What's the difference: is this rubbish with thorns or without thorns? Grass is not a person. nine0003

- First of all, it's not grass. And secondly...

- And secondly, I am very sorry that you, in your character, do not have a single thorn. But it wouldn't hurt...

- Why?

- Well, at least in order to hurt, to inject into the blood. Well, for example ... Whom? Well, your husband, for example... Forgive me... For his unscrupulousness... For him, I would say... well, you yourself know why...

Nina straightened up, threw down an iron shovel, and her worn-out work shoes became toes abruptly apart. nine0003

– How, how?! hotly, she exclaimed bitterly. - Oh, if only he were a cactus, a jasmine, an apple tree!.. Then it would be possible to graft, ennoble... But, unfortunately, he is a man. And what: stone, steel!

- You ask me how? Hm. - Protasov smiled and began, in embarrassment, to pick the ground with a cane. - It is important that in your mind the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bbeating force with force, and convictions with counter-beliefs, mature. And how exactly, that is, a matter of tactics? .. X... Excuse me, I have no right to interfere in this... You are somehow on your own, with your mind and heart. nine0003

Their eyes met and quickly parted. Nina sighed and said:

- Let's go, I'll show you my progress.

They moved along the path. Engineer Protasov - sluggishly and laxly, Nina - with a clear, quick step. They passed two plaster statues of Apollo and Venus with broken noses, rounded a Chinese gazebo standing on a hillock, entwined with wild grapes, and found themselves in a vast orchard surrounded by a high fence with a watchtower. Long, even, berry-lined ridges and rows of young fruit-bearing trees. nine0003

– Where has it been seen that apples, cherries, plums could grow in our cold land?.. Here they are! Rip, eat. And here is raspberry on a walnut, and here is a ripening blackberry. A special kind of her, I'm very, very grateful to Mr. Cook.

- Actually, not to him, but to Luther Burbank. It seems so?

- Yes, mainly, of course, to him - this medicine man, this "spontaneous Darwinist", as he is called in America. But if not for Mr. Cook, I would not have suspected the existence of Burbank. nine0003

Indeed, Mr. Cook, who was hopelessly in love with Nina, having noticed in her a penchant for gardening, ordered three more years from America and presented her with a magnificent twelve-volume edition of Luther Burbank, His Methods and Discoveries, from one and a half Thousands of colorful, artistically executed charts highlighting the life stages of this brilliant self-taught botanist from California.

Engineer Protasov knew about the gift and examined this essay with interest, but he could not suspect that shortly after presenting the gift, Mr. Cook, with the help of threats to kill himself, begged Nina for an evening meeting. A secret, unpleasant meeting for Nina took place in a cedar grove, not far from the "Look at both" tower. A young sickle of the moon floated in the clear sky, the cool air smelled of resin. Mr. Cook kissed Nina's hand, fell on his knees before her and wept. Nina had a fever. Mr. Cook lost all Russian words from a terrible excitement and, leaning his high forehead against her dusty shoes, mumbled something incoherently in a language Nina did not understand. Nina lifted the unfortunate man, held his cold hands in her hot hands, and said to him:0003

- Dear Albert Genrikhovich, my dear! I appreciate your feelings for me. I will respect you, I will love you as a glorious person. Not more.

- Oh yes! Oh yeah! Do not open your mouth on someone else's bed! .. - Mr. Cook yelled in a frenzy, rushed sharply, grabbed a revolver from his pocket and resolutely pointed it at his temple. Nina screeching at him. He rushed to run and on the run fired twice from a revolver into the air, up. Suddenly, a woman's scream was heard nearby.

- Help, help! Guard!! - and through the gaps of the grove, the magnificent frills of the dress of the ubiquitous Nadenka flashed, rushing to the tower "Look at both." nine0003

Engineer Protasov, of course, knew nothing about this strange incident. Nina would have forgotten about him too, if not for the blackmailer Nadenka. From time to time, she comes to the Gromovs' house like a flattering cat, receives from the owner either earrings, or a ring, or velvet on her dress, and every time, saying goodbye, she says:

- I won't disturb you anymore.

And Mr. Cook, if he had the gift of a seer, perhaps he would not have started to shoot from a revolver empty upwards, he, perhaps, would then have been able to carry out his threat. He could not assume that the object of his unsuccessful desires - Nina - had long been fraught with love for the happy Protasov in his heart. However, this feeling, semi-legal, but strong, is driven by Nina to the backyard of her soul, covered in a thick fog of internal contradictions of the mind and heart, weighed down by a heavy stone of sorrowful reflections over what the "light" will say. In a word, this feeling was strange, terrible and mysterious even for Nina herself. It is not surprising, therefore, that not only Mr. Cook, who was simple in the subtleties of life, but also the thoughtful, attentive Protasov himself could not think about what lurks in the heart of such a strict to herself, puritanical hostess. Meanwhile, Andrei Andreyevich Protasov himself was slightly poisoned with the same wondrous poison as Mr. Cook. But principles ... First of all, principle, purposefulness - the very ideas in which he existed, and, shackled by moods other than Nina's, he put these ideas that captured him above all love. nine0003

So there was a secret labyrinth of intersections hidden for the time being from heart to heart, from mind to mind. And above everything stood life itself with its inevitable laws, and not a single living one will pass them.

- Yes, yes ... Very beautiful apples! .. And plums are even tastier, - Protasov said juicy champing. – Well, well... Your new positive side... In general, you...

– What?

Engineer Protasov wiped his hands on a handkerchief, wiped his clean-shaven stern mouth and looked impassively through his pince-nez into Nina's large, alert eyes. nine0003

- You could be pure gold, but you still have too much ligature.

Nina's eyes lit up with joy for a moment and became sad again.

– Ligature? That is, what needs to be burned? For example?

- Burn everything that prevents you from being a real person. Burn the childish faith in an inscrutable fate, in everything supernatural, transcendent...

- Drive out Father Alexander, turn the church into a club, rob your soul forever... So? Thank you!

- Your intellect, I will not say - the soul, will not be robbed in the least. On the contrary, he will enrich himself...

– What?

- Freedom of outlook. You will rise to the highest level of man. You will not subordinate your "I" to fetishes invented by people, abstruse fata morgans, you will elevate yourself above all this. After all, truth is always concrete. The aspirations of your mind will throw off the fetters, the goal of your life will come closer to you, become real, executable, you will forget yourself with your free will and give your strength to people, a collective of people, society. nine0003

- My friend! Nina exclaimed with ardor, but holding back her growing irritation. – Do you really think that I, a Christian, do not work for society? My faith calls me, pushes me, orders me to be among the humiliated and offended. And to the best of my ability, I am with them. As for fetishism, I have my fetish, you have yours.

- I have people.

- Me too.

- You have a husband, a family, a well-fed life. Through the head of wealth, it is difficult for you to observe poverty, the resentment of the exploited. nine0003

- Do you want me to give up my family, my husband, my wealth? You demand a lot from me, Protasov.

- If I'm not mistaken - your Christ just demands from you what you cannot refuse. It means that either his voice is weak, or you are weak.

They left the garden a long time ago, walked along the village, to its outskirts. Embarrassed, Nina looked at the ground. Engineer Protasov internally considered the meaning of his speeches to be a great tactlessness and reproached himself for having started, in essence, an idle, unpleasant conversation. nine0003

Passing by the family barracks. Four crowns of logs above the ground and a fathom into the ground. There is a crowd of playing children with tight bellies at the door.

“I have never been here,” Nina said. - I am afraid of these people: all gold diggers are drunkards and brawlers.

- Love for flowers and for nature in general takes a person out of his world. Here we are now in a different world, not like our world. Maybe we can take a look? Engineer Protasov smiled cautiously.

And they went down the crooked steps and entered a semi-underground dwelling. From a bright day - to a barrack, as to a crypt; dark. Nina was shattered by the pernicious air, full of years of stench. She covered her nose with a perfumed handkerchief and looked around. A sazhen of earth, a grave. From the tiny windows, a faint light glimmers. Along the earthen walls - bunks. There are people on the bunk beds: some are sleeping on festive occasions, some are mending rags, some, having stripped themselves, are catching lice. Men, women, children. Noise, harmonica, spitting, squabbling, song. Cradles, huts, two Russian stoves, tubs of slop, dogs, cats, exorbitant dirt and cramped quarters. nine0003

- Friends! Nina said loudly. - Why don't you open the windows? God knows what stink you have. After all, this is terribly harmful...

– Ah, harmful?! shouted voices from three places. - Who are you?

"This is a lady, a lady," there was a warning rustle in the barracks, and the noise began to stop.

- Oh, mistress? Nina Yakovlevna? Good! Sit where you are. Vascorodie, sit down too. We have shame. Crowded... Lice. Don't pick up lice. They are vicious, biting... There is an old man dying in that corner. And now the woman will give birth, toils. Yes, twelve people are sick, caught a cold, all in the water and in the water, but Gromov does not give shoes. Greed! .. Forgive me, mistress. You are not into it, you are with the concept. Bow down to us sinners...

Ten people spoke at the same time. Nina's ears were on fire. I didn't know how or what to answer.

- You see: we're dying! - grew up in front of Nina drunk, with a bandage over his head, a bearded man with red sore eyelids. - Let's go, let's go! Can you put our life upside down, so that in a human way? Can not? Well, then go to hell.

- Yashka! Fool! What you?! - ran into him.

And Protasov said, flashing his narrowed eyes:

- Listen, buddy... Be a man...

- Hello, master!.. Didn't notice you. Dark. We respect you, master, you yourself are in submission. And these…” he yelled, waving a rag. - Thunder... Wow! ..

- Stop! Yashka, you fool!.. Don't beep! - they ran into him again. - You can’t offend Nina Yakovlevna ...

- All of them are a viper’s nest ... - And Yashka began to swear with black abuse. They grabbed him, dragged him into a corner. "I'm telling the truth," he snapped. - The foremen deceive us, the office shortchanges us, the owner fines us and treats us to the teeth. Where is the truth? Where is God? Beat them, Herods! Bay bailiff! nine0003

Nina was shaking. She wanted to scream and cry. Protasov bit his lips. Earthen walls, earthen, in squishy mud, floor. Near the table, puffing out its webbed throat, a toad puffed. The girl was chasing a hurriedly crawling black and yellow snake, beating it with a broom. It was already curling up into a ball, hissing, frightening the girl with a harmless sting.

- Broadsword! Why are you torturing an animal?.. I'm the one! - threatened the gray-haired old woman with a hollow mouth.

In the corner, near the head of the dying man, a woman was lighting wax candles. In another corner, a woman in labor howled wildly. nine0003

Streams crept over moldy logs.

The bearded man Yashka raged: he overturned benches, threw other people's chests with goods. They attacked him like bears, just as drunk, just as brutalized as he himself:

- Yashka! What are you... Come on, guys, knit him!.. Dragged into the closet...

A crowd of children added their loud crying to the general abuse. The groaning woman in labor burst into such a terrible, unbearable roar that Nina, plugging her ears and shuddering all over, jumped out and greedily, as if freed from a noose, began to inhale the fresh air. nine0003

- Now let's go to another barracks, to the bachelors.

– Thank you… Enough.

Prokhor! I don't receive letters from you at all. You sent fifty-two telegrams to the office, not a sound to me. How can this be explained? Papa and Gruzdev are also silent. Are you drunk, right? Yesterday Andrei Andreyevich and I visited Barrack No. 21. The situation is worse than hard labor. It evokes a just reproach to the owner, who reduced people to the state of cattle, and bad feelings towards these very people-slaves who are able to endure such hard labor and tolerate such a hard-hearted master as you. Sorry for the harshness. But I can't anymore. I ordered a party of lumberjacks to prepare materials for the construction of residential buildings, spacious and bright. You don't cry out. It is not a loss from this, but a benefit. In extreme cases, I take on half of the costs. I can not do it anymore. I do not want to participate in such a criminal attitude towards human lives. Do not be angry, understand me and, having understood, forgive me. nine0351

Nina.