A Little Hero by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Short summary

5 seconds

A boy found a lost love letter to a married lady. She was in love with her and, to save the woman’s honor, he secretly returned the lover’s message to her. The lady kissed the boy.

1 minute

The narrator recalls how he, an eleven-year-old boy, was sent to the village to visit a relative. Many of the host’s friends were visiting there.

The ladies loved to hug and caress the boy, but he got special attention from a blond beauty. He tormented the boy with her attentions and jokes, which sometimes seemed cruel to him.

The boy was in love with M. M. The blonde beauty noticed this and began to make jokes about the boy and called him a pageboy. But when he rode a wild horse, the girl admired his act and they became friends.

One day the boy saw in the grove how M. M. was saying goodbye to a young man N-im. He kissed the lady and handed her a letter. On the way, the lady dropped it. The boy picked up the envelope and, keeping the woman’s secret, hid it in the bouquet he gave her. The lady was very grateful and kissed the boy.