Loneliness by Alexandr Kuprin. Short summary

5 seconds

Because of the increased heat, passengers who had settled in first and second class began to move to the upper deck. On the upper floors, passengers turned their attention to the boiling river.

1 minute

When mid-afternoon arrived, the heat only intensified. Because of this, those in first- and second-class rooms moved to the upper levels. Once they reached the upper levels of the ship, the passengers looked down.

And below, the surface of the river was already boiling. And this despite the fact that there was no wind outside. The boiling was carried out by a fine shivering ripple where the sun’s rays were crushing. The water rounded the ripple only on the shoals, where the shore was already in close proximity to the river.

The Pokromtsevs, who were not frightened by the crowds on deck, had come on deck by this time. Moreover, husband and wife felt good in such a crowd and thus their relationship only grew closer. The Pokromtsevs’ marriage had recently been three months old. There are no conflicts between them so far. Except that little remarks about each other sometimes slipped out.

Meanwhile, the sounds of pistons working, the smell of oil, and the continuous hissing intermingled with sighs continued to be heard from below.