That Dr. Gaspar promised three fat men. Olesha Yuri Karlovich - (School Library)
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The book "Three Fat Men" is not only a children's fairy tale, because the main events are filled with allegories, and the plot tells about adult problems. But this does not mean at all that the child will not like the work. To remind young readers of the essence of the material read, the Literaguru team has prepared a short retelling for you.
(882 words) The story begins with the reader's acquaintance with the doctor and scientist Gaspar Arneri, whose wisdom is unmatched in the country. He lives in the city under the guidance of the gluttonous and stupid Three Fat Men. One summer morning Gaspar decides to take a walk and becomes an unwitting witness of a popular riot, the leaders of which are Prospero (a gunsmith) and Tibulus (a traveling circus artist). The doctor watches what is happening from the tower, while chaos reigns in the square below. The uprising is suppressed by the guards, and one of the leaders (Prospero) is taken into custody. A bomb explodes in the tower where Gaspar is sitting, and he loses consciousness. Only in the evening does the doctor come to his senses and sees the bodies of the dead around, the ruins left over from the tower. He is in a hurry to return home, but the excitement has not yet subsided on the square - the second leader of the riot, fleeing from the guards, demonstrates the skills of a tightrope walker - quickly walks along a narrow wire in the air and hides from the guards.
When, finally, Gaspar gets home, his preparation for sleep is interrupted by a man who has fallen out of the chimney above the fireplace - Tibulus. The doctor "magic" over the appearance of the gymnast Vaksa, the next morning no one in the city recognizes the wanted criminal in the newly minted servant. In the center of the city, 10 blocks are being prepared for the rebels, and the greedy seller of balloons is completely carried away into the sky, and then into the kitchen windows, where the preparation of a birthday cake for the Fat Men is in full swing. The cooks are afraid of the anger of the rulers and leave the seller with the balls in the cake, masking everything with ribbons. The audience of the rulers is described by their complete reflection, all eagerly trying to grab their piece and looking like a wolf at the human figure in the center. But there is another interesting person in the hall - Prospero, he was brought in for fun at the behest of the Three Fat Men. Suddenly, the crying heir of Tutti bursts into the refectory. He is brought up at the palace, and his uncles pamper him in every possible way. Fat men never got children of their own in life, so the boy became their successor, the future ruler and owner of all wealth. The boy is not allowed to communicate with other children, his uncles actively inspire Tutti with the idea of an iron heart, and all his lessons are organized in the menagerie. Instead of children's joys for the heir, they made a doll of amazing beauty, she grew up and was brought up together with the boy. Tutti loved and protected her, so when the rebels stabbed her, it was decided to entrust the repair of the doll only to the best "doctor" - Gaspar. The term of all "cures" is until the morning. The fat men were left in a bad mood, so the cake with all the balls filling is taken to the kitchen, where the smart seller, for air toys, the cooks are taken out through a secret passage made in a huge saucepan.
Fat men announce a holiday in the city on the occasion of the victory over the rebels. Circus performances, an entertainment program, games and comic agitation of the actors are made to distract the eyes of the people from the blocks that are being erected on the square. One such performance is played out before the eyes of Dr. Gaspard and his newly minted servant, but Tibulus drives the strongman Lapitula off the stage, and then reveals his identity. The hired actors start a fight, and the gymnast is forced to defend himself with cabbage heads, throwing them at Lapitula, one of which turns out to be the head of a balloon seller. This is how the gymnast learns about the secret passage from the palace of the Three Fat Men.
During a fight between Tibulus and a strongman from the circus troupe, envoys from the palace give Gaspar a doll with the order to fix it until morning. But it is impossible to "revive" Tutti's favorite in such a short time, you need at least 2 days. Then Arneri decides to confess to the Fat Men, but on the way to the palace he is deployed by the guards, who do not believe in the doctor's personality, and the only proof - the doll - was accidentally lost on the road. On the way back, the saddened and hungry scientist visits Uncle Brizak's booth. Gaspard finds a girl here, whom at first he confuses with a lost doll, and, indeed, their resemblance is striking. Her name is Suok. In Tibulus's head, Prospero's escape plan is born.
The next morning Gaspard delivers the doll to the palace, now it's even better. The girl shows excellent acting skills, and none of the Fatties' entourage knows about the cunning idea of the wandering artists. Suok dances like a real doll. Tutti is delighted, and the uncles are ready to give everything to the savior. The doctor asks to leave the lives of 10 prisoners, for whom the blocks have already been erected on the square. The fat men do not like the request, but they are forced to submit to the will of Gaspar, because the doll may break again.
After waiting for everyone to fall asleep, Suok goes down to the menagerie where Prospero is kept. Behind one of the bars she sees something that has almost lost its human form, overgrown with wool and long nails; he gives her the tablet and dies. His name is Tub - the greatest scientist and creator of the doll, eight years ago the Fatties asked him to make the heir a heart of iron, but he refused and was thrown here, to the beasts, to perish. Suok hides the message and helps Prospero free himself, opening the cage with the terrifying panther to buy time and escape. They run to the very saucepan, inside which there is a secret exit, but the girl is detained.
The trial of the impostor doll is scheduled for the next day. The heir is put to sleep so that he does not interfere with the process. Suok is silent and does not show interest in what is happening, which greatly anger Tolstyakov. They decide to set tigers on her, but they very soon become indifferent to the victim - in front of them lies an ordinary broken doll, which was taken from the dance teacher Razdvatris (he found it and brought it to the guards). Suok was hiding in the closet all this time, having successfully changed places with the toy.
Shots and exploding shells are heard, again, under the leadership of Tibulus and Prospero, people rise up against the power of the Three Fat Men. The people overthrow the hated rulers and seize the palace. And Suok recalls the tablet, given to her by a half-man in a menagerie, on which the main secret is revealed: Tutti is her brother, they were kidnapped at the age of 4 by order of the Fats and taken to the palace; the girl was exchanged for a parrot with a long red beard at the itinerant circus, and the boy was kept for himself as a foster and pupil.
Interesting? Keep it on your wall!
A RESTful DAY OF DOCTOR GASPAR ARNERY
The time of wizards is over. In all likelihood, they never actually existed. All these are fictions and fairy tales for very young children. It's just that some magicians knew how to deceive any onlookers so cleverly that these magicians were mistaken for sorcerers and wizards.
There was such a doctor. His name was Gaspar Arneri. A naive person, a fairground reveler, an undergraduate student could also take him for a magician. Indeed, this doctor did such amazing things that they really sounded like miracles. Of course, he had nothing to do with wizards and charlatans who fooled too gullible people.
Dr. Gaspar Arneri was a scientist. Perhaps he studied about a hundred sciences. In any case, there was no one in the country wiser and more learned Gaspar Arneri.
Everyone knew about his scholarship: the miller, and the soldier, and the ladies, and the ministers. And the schoolchildren sang a song about him with the following chorus:
How to fly from the ground to the stars
How to catch a fox by the tail
How to make steam out of stone
Our doctor Gaspar knows.
One summer, in June, when the weather was very good, Dr. Gaspar Arneri decided to go on a long hike to collect some species of tavas and beetles.
Dr. Gaspard was not a young man and therefore was afraid of rain and wind. When he left the house, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck, put on goggles against dust, took a cane so as not to stumble, and generally prepared for a walk with great precautions.
It was a wonderful day this time; the sun only did that which shone; the grass was so green that there was even a sensation of sweetness in the mouth; dandelions flew, birds whistled, a light breeze fluttered like an airy ball gown.
“That's good,” said the doctor, “but you still need to take a raincoat, because summer weather is deceiving. It can start raining.
The doctor ordered about the housework, blew on his glasses, grabbed his box, like a suitcase, made of green leather and went.
The most interesting places were outside the city - where the Palace of the Three Fat Men was located. The doctor visited these places most often. The Palace of the Three Fat Men stood in the middle of a huge park. The park was surrounded by deep canals. Black iron bridges hung over the canals. The bridges were guarded by palace guards - guards in black oilcloth hats with yellow feathers. Around the park, to the very skyline, there were meadows covered with flowers, groves and ponds. It was a great place to walk here. The most interesting species of herbs grew here, the most beautiful beetles rang here and the most skillful birds sang.
“But walking is a long way. I will reach the city rampart and find a cab. He will take me to the palace park, ”thought the doctor.
There were more people near the city rampart than ever.
“Is it Sunday today? - the doctor doubted. - I do not think. Today is Tuesday".
The doctor came closer.
The whole square was crowded with people. The doctor saw artisans in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs; clay-faced sailors; wealthy townspeople in colorful vests, with their wives, whose skirts were like rose bushes; merchants with decanters, trays, ice cream makers and braziers; skinny street actors, green, yellow and motley, as if sewn from a patchwork quilt; very small guys pulling the tails of red-haired funny dogs.
Everyone crowded in front of the city gates. The huge iron gates as high as a house were tightly closed.
"Why is the gate closed?" - the doctor was surprised.
The crowd was noisy, everyone was talking loudly, shouting, swearing, but nothing really could be made out. The doctor approached a young woman holding a fat gray cat in her arms and asked:
- Would you please explain what is happening here? Why are there so many people, what is the reason for their excitement and why are the city gates closed?
- Guardsmen do not let people out of the city ...
- Why aren't they released?
- So that they do not help those who have already left the city and went to the Palace of the Three Fat Men.
- I don't understand anything, citizen, and I beg your pardon ...
“Oh, don't you know that today the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibulus led the people to storm the Palace of the Three Fat Men?
- Gunsmith Prospero?
- Yes, citizen ... The shaft is high, and on the other side the guards riflemen sat down. No one will leave the city, and those who went with the gunsmith Prospero will be killed by the palace guards.
Indeed, several very distant shots rang out.
The woman dropped the fat cat. Kosha plopped like raw dough. The crowd roared.
“So I missed such a significant event,” the doctor thought. - True, I did not leave the room for a whole month. I worked locked up. I didn't know anything ... "
At this time, even further, the cannon struck several times. The thunder bounced like a ball and rolled in the wind. Not only the doctor was frightened and hastily retreated a few steps - the whole crowd jumped aside and collapsed. The children began to cry; pigeons flew away, fluttering their wings; the dogs sat down and began to howl.
Strong cannon fire began. The noise was unimaginable. The crowd pressed on the gate and shouted:
- Prospero! Prospero!
- Down with the Three Fat Men!
Dr. Gaspard was completely at a loss. He was recognized in the crowd, because many knew him by sight. Some rushed to him, as if seeking his protection. But the doctor himself almost cried.
“What's going on there? How to find out what is going on there, outside the gate? Maybe the people are winning, or maybe everyone has already been shot! "
Then about ten people ran in the direction where three narrow streets began from the square. On the corner was a house with a tall old tower. Together with the others, the doctor decided to climb the tower. Downstairs there was a laundry room that looked like a bathhouse. It was as dark as a basement. A spiral staircase led up. Light penetrated the narrow windows, but there was very little of it, and everyone climbed slowly, with great difficulty, especially since the staircase was dilapidated and with broken railings. It is not hard to imagine how much work and excitement it cost Dr. Gaspar to climb to the top floor. In any case, even on the twentieth step, in the darkness, his cry rang out:
- Ah, my heart is breaking and I have lost my heel!
The doctor lost his cloak on the square, after the tenth cannon shot.
At the top of the tower there was a platform surrounded by a stone railing. From here there was a view of at least fifty kilometers around. There was no time to admire the view, although the view deserved it. Everyone was looking in the direction where the battle was taking place.
- I have binoculars. I always carry binoculars with eight glasses with me. Here it is, ”the doctor said, and unfastened the strap.
The binoculars passed from hand to hand.
Dr. Gaspar saw many people in the green space. They fled to the city. They ran away. From a distance, people looked like multi-colored flags. Guardsmen on horseback chased the people.
Dr. Gaspard thought it all looked like a picture of a magic lantern. The sun was shining brightly, the green shone. The bombs exploded like pieces of cotton wool; the flame appeared for one second, as if someone were throwing sunbeams into the crowd. The horses pranced, reared and spun around. The Park and the Palace of the Three Fat Men were shrouded in white transparent smoke.
- They run!
- They are running ... The people are defeated!
Running people approached the city. Heaps of people fell along the road. It seemed that colorful patches were falling on the greenery.
The bomb whizzed over the square.
Someone, frightened, dropped the binoculars.
The bomb exploded, and everyone at the top of the tower rushed back down into the tower.
The locksmith caught his leather apron on a hook. He looked around, saw something terrible and shouted to the whole square:
- Run! They've got the gunsmith Prospero! They will enter the city now!
A commotion began on the square.
The crowd rushed away from the gate and ran from the square to the streets. Everyone was deaf from the gunfire.
Dr. Gaspard and two others stopped on the third floor of the tower. They looked out of a narrow window pierced in a thick wall.
Only one could look properly. The others looked with one eye.
The doctor also looked with one eye. But even for one eye, the sight was scary enough.
The huge iron gates swung open in full width. About three hundred people flew into this gate at once. They were artisans in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs. They fell bleeding.
Guardsmen galloped over their heads. The guardsmen chopped down with sabers and fired their guns. Yellow feathers fluttered, black oilcloth hats glittered, horses opened red mouths, twisted their eyes and scattered foam.
- Look! Look! Prospero! Shouted the doctor.
The gunsmith Prospero was dragged in a noose. He walked, fell down and got up again. He had matted red hair, a bloody face, and a thick noose around his neck.
- Prospero! He was captured! Shouted the doctor.
At this time, a bomb flew into the laundry. The tower tilted, swayed, lingered for one second in an oblique position and collapsed.
The doctor went somersaults, losing his second heel, cane, briefcase and glasses.
TEN PLAH
The doctor fell down happily: he did not break his head and his legs remained intact. However, this does not mean anything. Even a happy fall with a shot down tower is not entirely pleasant, especially for a person who is not young, but rather old, such as Dr. Gaspard Arneri. In any case, the doctor lost consciousness from a single fright.
When he came to, it was already evening. The doctor looked around:
- What a shame! The glasses, of course, were broken. When I look without glasses, I can probably see the way a non-myopic person sees when wearing glasses. This is very unpleasant.
Then he grumbled about the broken heels:
“I’m not big anyway, but now I’m going to be one inch shorter. Or maybe two inches because two heels broke off? No, of course, only one inch ...
He was lying on a pile of rubble. Almost the entire tower collapsed. A long and narrow piece of the wall stuck out like bone. Music played very far away. The merry waltz flew away with the wind - disappeared and did not return. The doctor raised his head. Above, black broken rafters hung from all sides. Stars shone in the greenish evening sky.
- Where is it played? - the doctor was surprised.
It grew cold without a cloak. Not a single voice sounded in the square. The doctor, groaning, rose among the stones that had tumbled on top of each other. On the way, he caught on someone's big boot. The locksmith lay stretched out across the beam and looked at the sky. The doctor stirred it. The locksmith did not want to get up. He died.
The doctor raised his hand to take off his hat.
- I lost my hat too. Where should I go?
He left the square. There were people lying on the road; the doctor bent low over each and saw the stars reflected in their wide eyes. He touched their foreheads with his palm. They were very cold and wet with blood, which seemed black at night.
- Here! Here! The doctor whispered. - So the people have been defeated ... What will happen now?
After half an hour, he reached crowded places. He is very tired. He was hungry and thirsty. Here the city had an ordinary look.
The doctor stood at the crossroads, resting from a long walk, and thought: “How strange! Colored lights are burning, carriages are racing, glass doors are ringing. The semicircular windows shine with a golden glow. There, along the pillars, vapors flicker. There is a fun ball. Chinese colored lanterns circle over the black water. People live as they did yesterday. Don't they know what happened this morning? Didn't they hear the shots and groans? Don't they know that the leader of the people, the gunsmith Prospero, has been taken prisoner? Maybe nothing happened? Maybe I had a bad dream? "
On the corner, where the three-armed lantern was burning, carriages stood along the sidewalk. The flower girls sold roses. The coachmen talked to the flower girls.
“They dragged him in a noose across the city. Poor thing!
- Now they put him in an iron cage. The cage is in the Palace of the Three Fat Men, ”said the fat coachman in a blue top hat with a bow.
Then a lady and a girl came up to the flower girls to buy roses.
- Who was put in the cage? - she became interested.
- Gunsmith Prospero. The guards took him prisoner.
- Well, thank God! - said the lady.
The girl whimpered.
- Why are you crying, silly? - the lady was surprised. "Do you feel sorry for the gunsmith Prospero?" Don't feel sorry for him. He wanted to harm us ... Look what beautiful roses ...
Large roses, like swans, floated slowly in bowls full of bitter water and leaves.
- Here are three roses for you. And there is no need to cry. They are rebels. If they are not put in iron cages, then they will take our houses, dresses and our roses, and they will cut us up.
At this time a boy ran past. He pulled first the lady by her cloak, embroidered with stars, and then the girl by her pigtail.
- Nothing, Countess! - shouted the boy. “The gunsmith Prospero is in the cage, and the gymnast Tibulus is free!
- Ah, impudent!
The lady stamped her foot and dropped her purse. The flower girls began to laugh loudly. The fat coachman took advantage of the commotion and invited the lady to get into the carriage and go.
The lady and the girl drove off.
- Wait, jumper! - shouted the flower girl to the boy. - Come here! Tell us what you know ...
Two coachmen got off the box and, getting tangled in their hoods with five capelets, went up to the flower girls.
“Here is a whip, so a whip! Whipping! " - thought the boy, looking at the long whip, which the coachman was waving. The boy really wanted to have such a whip, but it was impossible for many reasons.
- So what are you saying? Asked the coachman in a bass voice. - Is the gymnast Tibulus free?
- So they say. I was at the port ...
“Didn't the guards kill him?” Asked the other coachman, also in a bass voice.
- No, papa ... Pretty woman, give me one rose!
- Wait, you fool! You better tell me ...
- Yes. So, so, so ... At first, everyone thought that he was killed. Then they looked for him among the dead and did not find him.
- Maybe he was thrown into the canal? Asked the coachman.
A beggar intervened in the conversation.
- Who is in the channel? - he asked. - Gymnast Tibulus is not a kitten. You can't drown him! Gymnast Tibulus is alive. He managed to escape!
- You're lying, camel! Said the coachman.
- Gymnast Tibulus is alive! - shouted the flower girls in delight.
The boy pulled off the rose and ran. Drops from the wet flower fell on the doctor. The doctor wiped the drops from his face, bitter as tears, and came closer to listen to what the beggar had to say.
Some circumstance interfered with the conversation. An extraordinary procession appeared in the street. Ahead rode two horsemen with torches. Torches fluttered like beards of fire. Then a black carriage with a coat of arms moved slowly.
And behind were the carpenters. There were a hundred of them.
They walked with their sleeves rolled up, ready to go - in aprons, with saws, planes and drawers under their arms. Guards rode on both sides of the procession. They held back the horses that wanted to gallop.
- What is it? What is it? - passers-by were worried.
An official of the Council of Three Fat Men was sitting in a black carriage with a coat of arms. The flower girls were frightened. Raising their palms to their cheeks, they looked at his head. She was visible through a glass door. The street was brightly lit. The black head in the wig swayed as if dead. It seemed that a bird was sitting in the carriage.
- Stay away! - shouted the guards.
- Where are the carpenters going? - asked the little flower girl of the senior guard.
And the guard shouted to her very face so ferociously that her hair swelled as if in a draft:
- The carpenters are going to build the chopping blocks! Understood? The carpenters will build ten blocks!
The flower girl dropped the bowl. The roses poured out like compote.
- They are going to build chopping blocks! - repeated Dr. Gaspard in horror.
- Plahi! - shouted the guardsman, turning around and grinning his teeth under the mustache that looked like boots. - Plah all the rebels! Everyone's heads will be cut off! To everyone who dares to rebel against the power of the Three Fat Men!
The doctor felt dizzy. It seemed to him that he would faint.
“I have been through too much this day,” he said to himself, “and besides, I am very hungry and very tired. We must hurry home. "
Indeed, it was time for the doctor to rest. He was so excited by everything that happened, seen and heard that he did not even attach any importance to his own flight with the tower, the absence of a hat, cloak, cane and heels. The worst thing was, of course, without glasses. He hired a carriage and went home.
SQUARE STARS
The doctor was returning home. He drove along the widest asphalt streets, which were brighter than the halls, and a chain of lanterns ran high above him in the sky. The lanterns were like balls filled with dazzling boiling milk. Midges rained, sang and died around the lanterns. He drove along the embankments, along the stone fences. There, bronze lions held shields in their paws and stuck out their long tongues. Below, the water flowed slowly and thickly, black and shiny as tar. The city toppled into the water, sank, floated away and could not float away, only dissolved in delicate golden spots. He rode bridges, curved in the form of arches. From below or from the other side, they looked like cats arching their iron backs before jumping. Here, at the entrance, there were guards on each bridge. The soldiers sat on drums, smoked pipes, played cards and yawned at the stars. The doctor rode, looked and listened.
From the street, from the houses, from the open windows of the taverns, from the fences of the amusement gardens, separate words of the song rushed:
Hit Prospero well-aimed
Strait collar -
Sits in an iron cage
Zealous gunsmith.
The tipsy dandy picked up this verse. The dandy's aunt died, who had a lot of money, even more freckles and did not have a single relative. The dandy inherited all the aunt's money. Therefore, he was, of course, dissatisfied with the fact that the people were rising up against the rule of the rich.
There was a big show in the menagerie. On a wooden stage, three fat, shaggy monkeys portrayed the Three Fat Men. Fox Terrier played mandolin. A clown in a crimson suit, with a golden sun on his back and a golden star on his belly, recited verses to the beat of the music:
Like three sacks of wheat
Three Fat Man Collapsed!
They have no worries more important
As soon as you grow your belly!
Hey watch out Fatties:
The last days have come!
- The last days have come! - bearded parrots shouted from all sides.
The noise was incredible. Animals in different cages began to bark, growl, click, whistle.
The monkeys darted across the stage. It was impossible to understand where their hands were, where their legs were. They jumped into the audience and ran away. There was also a scandal in the public. Those who were thicker were especially noisy. Fat people with flushed cheeks, shaking with anger, threw hats and binoculars at the clown. The fat lady swung her umbrella and, catching a fat neighbor, tore off her hat.
- Oh, oh, oh! - the neighbor cackled and raised her hands, because the wig fell off along with the hat.
The monkey, running away, slapped the lady's bald head with his palm. The neighbor fainted.
- Ha ha ha!
- Ha ha ha! - the other part of the audience poured, thinner in appearance and worse dressed. - Bravo! Bravo! Atu them! Down with the Three Fat Men! Long live Prospero! Long live Tibulus! Long live the people!
At this time, a very loud cry was heard:
- Fire! The city is on fire ...
People, crushing each other and overturning benches, ran to the exits. The watchmen were catching the scattered monkeys.
The driver who was carrying the doctor turned and said, pointing ahead of him with a whip:
- Guardsmen burn down workers' quarters. They want to find the gymnast Tibulus ...
Over the city, over the black pile of houses, a pink glow trembled.
When the doctor's crew found themselves at the main city square, which was called the Star Square, it was impossible to pass. At the entrance, a mass of carriages, carriages, horsemen, pedestrians were crowded.
- What? The doctor asked.
No one answered anything, because everyone was busy with what was happening in the square. The driver rose to his full height on the box and began to look there too.
This square was called the Star Square for the following reason. It was surrounded by huge houses of the same height and shape and covered with a glass dome, which made it look like a colossal circus. In the middle of the dome, at a terrible height, the world's largest lantern was burning. It was a ball of amazing size. Enveloped across an iron ring, hanging on powerful cables, it resembled the planet Saturn. Its light was so beautiful and so unlike any earthly light that people gave this lantern a wonderful name - Star. So they began to call the entire area.
No more light was needed in the square, in the houses, or in the streets nearby. The star illuminated all the nooks and crannies and closets in all the houses that surrounded the square with a stone ring. Here people did without lamps and candles.
The driver looked over the carriages, carriages and coachman's cylinders that looked like the heads of pharmaceutical vials.
- What do you see? .. What is happening there? - the doctor worried, peering out from behind the coachman. The little doctor could not see anything, especially since he was short-sighted.
The driver transmitted everything he saw. And this is what he saw.
There was a great commotion in the square. People were running around the huge circular space. The circle of the square seemed to revolve like a carousel. People rolled from one place to another in order to better see what was happening above.
The monstrous lantern, blazing at the height, dazzled the eyes like the sun. People lifted their heads up and covered their eyes with their palms.
- Here it is! Here it is! Shouts rang out.
- Here, look! There!
- Where? Where?
- Tibulus! Tibulus!
Hundreds of index fingers extended to the left. There was an ordinary house. But on six floors, all the windows were open. Heads protruded from every window. They were different in appearance: some in tasseled nightcaps; others in pink caps with kerosene-colored beads; others in headscarves; upstairs, where the poor youth lived - poets, artists, actresses - peeped cheerful, beardless faces, in clouds of tobacco smoke, and the heads of women, surrounded by such a shine of golden hair that it seemed as if they had wings on their shoulders. This house, with open latticed windows from which multicolored heads protruded like a bird's, looked like a large cage filled with goldfinches. The head-holders tried to see something very significant happening on the roof. It was as impossible as seeing your own ears without a mirror. Such a mirror for these people, who wanted to see their own roof from their own house, was the crowd raging in the square. She saw everything, screamed, waved her arms: some expressed delight, others - indignation.
There, a small figure was moving on the roof. She slowly, carefully and confidently descended the slope of the triangular top of the house. Iron thundered under her feet.
She waved her cloak, catching balance, just as a tightrope walker in a circus finds balance with the help of a yellow Chinese umbrella.
It was the gymnast Tibulus.
The people shouted:
- Bravo, Tibulus! Bravo, Tibulus!
- Hold on! Remember how you walked the tightrope at the fair ...
- He won't fall! He is the best gymnast in the country ...
- It’s not the first time for him. We have seen how skillful he is at tightrope walking.
- Bravo, Tibulus!
- Run! Save yourself! Free Prospero!
Others were outraged. They shook their fists:
- You can't run away, you pathetic buffoon!
- Rebel! You will be shot like a hare ...
- Watch out! We will drag you from the roof to the block. Ten blocks will be ready tomorrow!
Tibulus continued on his terrible path.
- Where did he come from? People asked. - How did he come to this square? How did he get to the roof?
“He escaped from the hands of the Guards,” answered the Others. - He fled, disappeared, then he was seen in different parts of the city - he moved over the roofs. He is as agile as a cat. His art was useful to him. No wonder the fame of him spread throughout the country.
The guardsmen appeared in the square. Onlookers fled to the side streets. Tibulus stepped over the barrier and stood on the ledge. He stretched out his cloak-wrapped hand. The green cloak fluttered like a banner.
With the same cloak, in the same tights, sewn from yellow and black triangles, people are accustomed to seeing him during performances at fairs and Sunday festivities. Now high, under a glass dome, small, thin and striped, he looked like a wasp crawling along the white wall of a house. When the cloak swelled, the wasp seemed to unfold its shiny green wings.
- Now you will fall down, market rogue! They'll shoot you now! - cried a tipsy dandy who inherited from his freckled aunt.
The guardsmen had chosen a comfortable position. The officer was running extremely preoccupied. He held a pistol in his hands. His spurs were as long as runners.
There was complete silence. The doctor clutched at his heart, which was jumping like an egg in boiling water.
Tibulus paused for a second on the ledge. He needed to get to the opposite side of the square - then he could run from the Star Square towards the workers' quarters.
The officer stood in the middle of the square on a flowerbed, dappled with yellow and blue flowers. There was a pool and a fountain that gushed from a round stone bowl.
- Stop! - said the officer to the soldiers. - I'll shoot him myself. I'm the best shooter in the regiment. Learn how to shoot!
From nine houses, on all sides, to the middle of the dome, to the Star, there were nine steel cables (wires thick as a sea rope).
It seemed that from the lantern, from the flaming magnificent Star, nine long black rays were flying over the square.
It is not known what Tibulus was thinking at that moment. But, probably, he decided this: “I will cross over the square along this wire, as I walked on a tightrope at a fair. I won't fall. One wire runs to the lantern, the other from the lantern to the opposite house. Passing along both wires, I will reach the opposite roof and be saved. "
The officer raised his pistol and began to aim. Tibulus walked along the ledge to the point where the wire began, separated from the wall and moved along the wire to the lantern.
The crowd gasped.
He walked very slowly, then suddenly started almost at a run, stepping quickly and carefully, swaying, straightening his arms. Every minute it seemed that he would fall. Now his shadow appeared on the wall. The closer he got to the lantern, the lower the shadow fell on the wall and the larger and paler it became.
There was an abyss below.
And when he was in the middle of the way to the lantern, the officer's voice rang out in complete silence:
- Now I will shoot. It will fly straight into the pool. One two Three!
The shot crashed.
Tibulus continued to walk, and for some reason the officer fell straight into the pool.
He was killed.
One of the guardsmen was holding a pistol, from which came blue smoke. He shot the officer.
- Dog! - said the guard. “You wanted to kill a friend of the people. I prevented this. Long live the people!
- Long live the people! - other guardsmen supported him.
- Long live the Three Fat Men! - shouted their opponents.
They scattered in all directions and opened fire at the man who was walking along the wire.
He was already a stone's throw from the lantern. With waves of his cloak, Tibulus protected his eyes from the glitter. Bullets flew past. The crowd roared with delight.
- Hooray! Past!
Tibulus climbed the ring that surrounded the lantern.
- Nothing! - shouted the guards. - He will go to the other side ... He will go on the other wire. From there we will take it off!
Then something happened that no one expected. The striped figure, which had become black in the glare of the lantern, sat down on a green ring, turned a lever, something clicked, tinkled - and the lantern instantly went out. No one had time to say a word. It became terribly dark and terribly quiet, as in a chest.
And the next minute, high, high, something again hit and rang. A pale square opened in the dark dome. Everyone saw a piece of the sky with two small stars. Then a black figure crawled into this square, against the background of the sky, and you could hear someone quickly run across the glass dome.
Gymnast Tibulus escaped from the Plaza of the Stars through a trapdoor.
The horses were frightened by the shots and the sudden darkness.
The doctor's crew nearly capsized. The coachman turned abruptly and took the doctor in a roundabout way.
Thus, having survived an extraordinary day and an extraordinary night, Dr. Gaspard Arneri finally returned home. His housekeeper, Aunt Ganymede, met him on the porch. She was very excited. Indeed: the doctor was absent for so long! Aunt Ganymede threw up her hands, groaned, shook her head:
- Where are your glasses? .. Did they break? Ah, doctor, doctor! Where is your cloak? .. Have you lost it? Ahah!..
- Auntie Ganymede, I also broke off both heels ...
- Oh, what a misfortune!
“A more serious misfortune happened today, Aunt Ganymede: the gunsmith Prospero was taken prisoner. They put him in an iron cage.
Aunt Ganymede knew nothing of what was happening during the day. She heard cannon fire, she saw the glow over the houses. A neighbor told her that a hundred carpenters were building blocks for the rebels on the Square of the Court.
- I was very scared. I closed the shutters and decided not to go out. I have been waiting for you every minute. I was very worried ... Lunch got cold, dinner got cold, but you still are not ... - she added.
The night is over. The doctor began to go to bed.
Among the hundred sciences he studied was history. The doctor had a large leather-bound book. In this book, he wrote down his reflections on important events.
“You have to be careful,” the doctor said, holding up a finger.
And, in spite of his fatigue, the doctor took his leather book, sat down at the table and began to write.
“Craftsmen, miners, sailors - all the poor working people of the city rose up against the power of the Three Fat Men. The guards won. The gunsmith Prospero was taken prisoner, and the gymnast Tibulus fled. A guardsman had just shot his officer in Zvezda Square. This means that soon all the soldiers will refuse to fight against the people and protect the Three Fat Men. However, one has to fear for the fate of Tibulus ... "
Then the doctor heard a noise behind him. He looked around. There was a fireplace. A tall man in a green cloak climbed out of the fireplace. It was the gymnast Tibulus.
- Tibulus- tightrope walker, one of the leaders of the revolutionaries. Works in the troupe of circus performers "Uncle Brizak's Show", is the best gymnast in the country.
- Suok- a young circus artist of 12 years old. A brave girl and faithful partner Tibula.
- Prospero- a gunsmith, one of the leaders of the revolutionaries.
- Three fat men- the greedy rulers of the country. In the tale, their names are unknown, but the First, Second and Third refer to them.
- Gaspar Arneri- the most famous doctor in the country, sympathizes with the common people.
Other heroes
- Tutti- 12-year-old boy, heir to the Three Fat Men.
- Tuba- the scientist who created the doll for Tutti.
Revolt of the revolutionaries
In a country ruled by the very greedy Three Fat Men, there lived one very smart doctor Gaspar Arneri. And there was no country in the country who could compare with him in wisdom. One summer he goes for a walk and sees a crowd of artisans fleeing from the palace, pursued by the guards. It turns out that it was a rebellion against the Three Fat Men, led by the tightrope walker Tibulus and the gunsmith Prospero.
But it ended unsuccessfully and Prospero and several other rebels were captured. Passing through the square, the doctor watches Tibulus fleeing from the guards. In the evening, a tightrope walker comes to Gaspar through the fireplace.
Heir to tutti
Meanwhile, the Three Fat Men want to see the captured Prospero and then continue their breakfast. A boy whose name is Tutti runs into the hall crying. The rulers have no children or other relatives, so they decided to make this boy their heir, who lives in the palace like a real prince and everyone is trying to please him. They do not allow him to communicate with other children and want to make his heart out of iron. The boy is engaged in the menagerie. Tutti had an unusual doll that grew up like him. But Prospero's revolutionaries pounded her with bayonets. The Three Fat Men can't afford to get upset with Tutti and decide to send for Gaspard to fix the doll.
Gaspar saves the rebels from execution
The Three Fat Men arrange a party during which the artists they bribed are to praise the rulers. But Tibulus could not stand it and a fight broke out between him and the dummy artists. During it, the revolutionary becomes aware of the existence of a secret passage. Meanwhile, Gaspar is given the order of the Fat Men and the doll.
The doctor realizes that he will not have time to finish the work and goes to the palace to explain everything. But he is not allowed inside, and his proof is a doll, he lost on the way. Gaspar finds her in "Uncle Brizak's Cottage" and is amazed to see the girl Suok, who is indistinguishable from the Tutti doll. Then the doctor has a plan: the young artist had to play the heir's doll. Suok does an excellent job with his task, and as a reward, Gaspar asks to release the rebels. Despite the discontent, the Fatties had to agree.
Liberation of Prospero and the storming of the palace
At night, Suok enters the menagerie and tries to find the cage in which the gunsmith is being kept. Instead, he finds the scientist Tuba, the creator of the Tutti doll. For the fact that he did not begin to make the boy an iron heart, he was placed in a cage, where he began to resemble a beast. Suok finds Prospero and, taking the panthers, they try to escape through a secret passage. But the girl is being caught by the guards.
The Suok trial begins the next day. So that Tutti does not interfere, he is put to sleep. But the girl does not react to anything, and then the substitution of the heir for the doll is revealed. At this time, the assault on the Palace begins under the leadership of Tibulus and Prospero. The reign of the Three Fat Men comes to an end. And on the plaque given to the dying scientists by Suok, it is written that Tutti and Suok are brother and sister, separated by order of the Fat Men. The reunited brother and sister begin performing together.
Yuri Olesha
Three Fat Men
Dedicated to Valentina Leontyevna Grunzaid
Part one. Tibulus the tightrope walker
Chapter I. The Troubled Day of Dr. Gaspar Arneri
The TIME of wizards has passed. In all likelihood, they never actually existed. All these are fictions and fairy tales for very young children. It's just that some magicians knew how to deceive any onlookers so cleverly that these magicians were mistaken for sorcerers and wizards.
There was such a doctor. His name was Gaspar Arneri. A naive person, a fairground reveler, or an undergraduate student might also mistake him for a wizard. Indeed, this doctor did such amazing things that they really sounded like miracles. Of course, he had nothing to do with wizards and charlatans who fooled too gullible people.
Dr. Gaspard Arneri was a scientist. Perhaps he studied about a hundred spiders. In any case, there was no one in the country wiser and more learned Gaspar Arneri.
Everyone knew about his scholarship: the miller, the soldier, and the ladies, and the ministers. And the schoolchildren sang a whole song about him with such a refrain;
How to fly from the ground to the stars
How to catch a fox by the tail.
How to make steam out of stone, -
Our doctor Gaspar knows.
One day, when the weather was very good, in the summer, in June, Dr. Gaspar Arneri decided to go on a long walk to collect some species of grasses and beetles.
Dr. Gaspard was not a young man and therefore was afraid of rain and wind. When he left the house, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck, put on goggles against dust, took a cane so as not to stumble, and generally prepared for a walk with great precautions.
It was a wonderful day this time; the sun only did that which shone; the grass was so green that there was even a sensation of sweetness in the mouth; dandelions were flying, birds were whistling, a light breeze was fluttering like a ball gown.
That's good, ”said the doctor,“ but you still need to take a raincoat, because summer weather is deceiving. It can start raining.
The doctor ordered about the housework, blew on his glasses, grabbed his box, sort of like a suitcase made of green leather, and went.
The most interesting places were outside the city - where the Palace of the Three Fat Men was located. The doctor visited these places most often. The Palace of the Three Fat Men stood in the middle of a huge park. The park was surrounded by deep canals. Black iron bridges hung over the canals. The bridges were guarded by palace guards: guards in black oilcloth hats with yellow feathers. Meadows covered with flowers, groves and ponds swirled around the park to the sky. It was a great place to walk here. The most interesting species of grass grew here, the most beautiful beetles rang here, and the most skillful birds sang.
“But walking is a long way. I will reach the city rampart and hire a cab. He will take me to the palace park, ”thought the doctor.
There were more people near the city rampart than ever.
“Is it Sunday today? - the doctor doubted. - I do not think. Today is Tuesday".
The doctor came closer.
The whole square was crowded with people. The doctor saw artisans in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs; clay-faced sailors; wealthy townspeople in colorful vests, with their wives, whose skirts were like rose bushes; merchants with decanters, trays, ice cream makers and braziers; skinny street actors, green, yellow and motley, as if sewn from a blanket; very little guys pulling the tails of red-haired funny dogs.
Everyone crowded in front of the city gates. The huge iron gates high into the house were tightly closed.
"Why is the gate closed?" - the doctor was surprised.
The crowd was noisy, everyone was talking loudly, shouting, swearing, but nothing really could be made out.
The doctor went up to a young woman who was holding a fat gray cat on her arm and asked:
Please explain what is happening here. Why are there so many people, what is the reason for their excitement, and why are the city gates closed?
Guardsmen do not let people out of the city ...
Why aren't they released? ..
So that they do not help those who have already left the city and went to the Palace of the Three Fat Men ...
I don't understand anything, citizen, and I beg your pardon ...
Oh, don't you know that today the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibulus led the people to storm the Palace of the Three Fat Men?
Yuri Karlovich Olesha (1899-1960) is a writer who is considered one of the best stylists in Russian literature of the 20th century.
Its virtuoso language is difficult to appreciate when reading the incomplete text of the work, but only its brief content. Three Fat Men is a fairy tale novel published in 1928. It is the embodiment of the spirit of the romantic revolutionary struggle against injustice and oppression, it is full of exciting events and amazing characters.
Part one. Tibulus the tightrope walker. A restless day for Dr. Gaspar Arneri. Ten blocks
Summary: "Three Fat Men", chapters 1-2. Everyone in the city knew about the scholarship of Gaspar Arneri, doctor of all sciences, from street boys to noble persons. Once he was going for a long walk outside the city, to the palace of evil and greedy rulers - Three Fat Men. But nobody was allowed out of the city. It turned out that on that day the gunsmith Prospero and the circus gymnast Tibulus led the storming of the government palace.
By evening, it turned out that the insurgent people had been defeated, the gunsmith Prospero had been captured by the guards and, by the order of the Three Fat Men, was put into a cage in the menagerie of the heir to Tutti, and the gymnast Tibulus remained free to find him, the guardsmen burned down the workers' quarters.
Star area
Summary: "Three Fat Men", Chapter 3. The rich rejoiced at the capture of Prospero, and the working people rejoiced that Tibulus was free and laughed at the performance in the menagerie, where the rulers were represented by three fat monkeys. Returning home, Dr. Gaspard came to the Star Square. It was called so because the largest lantern in the world, similar to the planet Saturn, hung on cables above it. Tibulus appeared over the crowd that filled the square. He walked along a cable that held a huge lantern. The guardsmen were also divided into those who supported the people, and those who shouted: "Long live the three fat men!" Having reached the lantern along the wire, Tibulus turned off the light and disappeared into the darkness that followed.
Having reached home, where the housekeeper, Aunt Ganymede, was worried about him, the doctor, as a true historian, was going to record the events of the day. Then there was a noise behind him, the doctor looked around and saw that Tibulus had climbed out of the fireplace.
Part two. Doll of the heir to Tutti. The Amazing Adventure of a Balloon Seller
A summary of "Three Fat Men", chapter 4. The execution of the captured insurgents was being prepared on the Souda Square. A strong wind blew a huge bunch of balloons into the air along with a stupid and greedy salesman. He flew towards the Palace of the Three Fat Men and through the open window of the royal kitchen hit the middle of a huge birthday cake. To avoid the wrath of the gluttonous rulers, the pastry chefs covered up the seller with cream and candied fruits and served him to the table.
Celebrating the victory over the rebellious people, the fat men are ordered to bring Prospero. The gunsmith contemptuously says that the power of the rich will soon come to an end, which frightens the guests of the fat rulers. "We will execute you together with Tibulus when we capture him!" Prospero is taken away, everyone is about to start eating the cake, but they are interrupted by loud shouts of the heir to Tutti.
A twelve-year-old boy, the future heir of the Three Fat Men, a spoiled prince, was in anger: some of the guards, who had gone over to the side of the people, hacked the heir's favorite doll with sabers. Growing with him, this doll was Tutti's only friend, and he demanded to fix it.
The festive breakfast was urgently stopped and the execution was postponed, the State Council sent the captain of the palace guard Bonaventure with a broken doll to Dr. Arneri, with the order to fix the doll by morning.
The balloon seller really wanted to disappear from the palace. The cooks showed him a secret passage, starting in one of the giant pans, and for this they asked for a ball. The seller disappeared into the pan, and the balls flew into the sky.
Negro and cabbage head
Yu.K. Olesha, "Three Fat Men", summary, chapter 5. In the morning, having gone to the doctor, Aunt Ganymede was very surprised when she saw a Negro in his office.
The government bribed the artists and a circus performance was held in one of the squares, glorifying the Tolstyakov. The doctor and the negro went there too. The spectators chase away the clown who called for the execution of the rebels, and the negro is mistaken for the same sold-out circus performer. It turned out to be Tibulus. Fleeing from those who wanted to catch him and hand him over to the authorities, throwing cabbage heads at them, the gymnast stumbles upon a seller of balls and discovers a secret passage to the palace kitchen.
Contingency
Yu. K. Olesha, "Three Fat Men", summary, chapter 6. Dr. Gaspar turned Tibulus into a black man with the help of special liquids and was terribly upset when he inadvertently opened himself at the performance, and then disappeared.
A captain of the guards came to the scientist with a broken doll and an order to fix it by morning. The doctor is surprised at the skill with which the doll is made and realizes that he has seen her face somewhere. Having disassembled the mechanism, he realizes that he will not have time to fix the doll by morning and goes to the palace to explain this to the fat men.
Strange Doll's Night
"Three Fat Men", summary, chapter 7. On the way, the doctor falls asleep in a wheelchair, and when he wakes up, he discovers that the doll is missing, he even fancied that she came to life and left him. He looked for a doll for a long time, until he got into the booth of the troupe of wandering artists of Uncle Brizak. Here he remembered where he saw the face of the heir's doll - a little artist from Uncle Brizak's troupe, a dancer named Suok, looked like it.
Part three. Suok. The difficult role of a little actress
"Three Fat Men", summary, chapter 8. When the doctor saw Suok, for a long time he could not believe that she was not a doll. Only Tibulus, who appeared in the booth, managed to convince him of this. When the doctor told about the extraordinary similarity of the girl and the doll and about his loss, the gymnast laid out his plan: Suok will play the role of the heir's doll, open the armourer's cage Prospero and they will leave the palace through a secret passage that Tibulus discovered.
On the way to the palace, they saw the dance teacher Razdvatris, who was carrying the found broken doll of the heir in his hands.
Doll with good appetite
Yu. Olesha, "Three Fat Men", summary, chapter 9. Suok played her part well. The doctor announced that he not only changed the toy into a new dress, but also taught her to sing, compose songs and dance. Tutti's heir was delighted. The fat rulers were also pleased, but they were terribly angry when the doctor, as a reward, demanded that the execution of the insurgent workers be canceled. Then the doctor said that the doll would break again if his demand was not fulfilled and the heir was very unhappy. A pardon was announced, the doctor went home, Suok remained in the palace.
She really liked the cakes and the doll had an appetite, which Tutti was very happy about - he was so bored with having breakfast alone. And Suok also heard the beating of the iron heart of the heir to Tutti.
Menagerie
A summary of the story "Three Fat Men", chapter 10. The fat men wanted to raise Tutti to be cruel, so they deprived him of living children, gave him a menagerie so that he could see only evil wild animals. Suok told him that there is wealth and poverty, cruelty and injustice in the world, that the working people will surely overthrow the rule of the fat and rich. She told him a lot about the circus, that she knows how to whistle music. Tutti liked the way she whistles a song on the key that hung on his chest that he did not notice how the key remained with Suok.
At night, the girl made her way into the menagerie and began to look for a cage with Prospero. Suddenly, a terrible creature resembling a gorilla called out to her by name. The terrible beast died, having managed to hand over to Suok a small tablet: "Everything is written there."
Part four. Gunsmith Prospero. The death of the confectionery. Dance teacher Razdvatris
Yuri Olesha, "Three Fat Men", summary, chapters 11-12. The fat men received terrible news that the rebels were going to the palace. All the supporters of the authorities rushed out of the palace, but at the menagerie they stopped in fear: Prospero was moving on them, holding a huge panther by the collar in one hand, and Suok in the other.
He released the panther, and he, together with Suok, began to make his way into the pastry shop - to look for the pan, where the secret passage from the palace began. The guards loyal to the fat men seized the young dancer when she was about to jump into the underground passage after Prospero. The gunsmith was released, Suok was to be executed.
The dance teachers of Razdvatris were supposed to be brought to the Palace by the order of the Three Fat Men, but he was stopped by the guards, who went over to the side of the people. They also got the broken doll of Tutti's heir.
Victory
Yuri Olesha, "Three Fat Men", summary, chapter 13. While Prospero was running through the underground passage, three people entered Tutti's bedroom by order of the chancellor. They poured sleeping pills into Tutti's ear, putting him to sleep for three days so that he would not interfere with the massacre of Suok with his tears.
She sat in a guardhouse guarded by guardsmen still loyal to the fat men. At that moment, when the terrible chancellor came for her to take her to the trial of the Three Fat Men, three guards went to the guardhouse, who had gone over to the side of the rebels. The Chancellor received a terrible blow and fell unconscious, and instead of Suok, a broken doll was taken to the court.
The judges could not get a word from the doll. The parrot, who was called as a witness, repeated Suok's conversation with Prospero and the creature that died in the cage called Tub.
Suok was sentenced to death by wild animals. But when they put her in front of the tigers, they did not react in any way to the torn, dirty doll. A scandal erupted, but then the storming of the palace by the rebellious people began.
The victory of the rebels was complete, and the three fat men were put in the cage where Prospero was sitting.
Epilogue
The story of the great scientist Tuba was written on the tablet. By order of the Fats, brother and sister - Tutti and Suok - were separated. Tutti became the heir, and Suok was given to itinerant artists. Tub, on the orders of the Three Fat Men, made a doll that was supposed to stay with the heir. When he was ordered to replace Tutti's living heart with an iron one, he refused, for which he was thrown into a cage. Tutti in the language of the disadvantaged means "torn apart" and Suok means "all life."