Mikhail Bulgakov. The Master and Margarita -
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the details. ... So Woland had come. When he arrived he had been met by
Grunya the maid, who explained that she herself had only just arrived
because she lived out, that Berlioz wasn't at home and that if the gentleman
wanted to see Stepan Bogdanovich he should go into the bedroom.. Stepan
Bogdanovich had been sleeping so soundly that she had been unable to wake
him. Seeing the condition that Stepa was in, the artiste had sent Grunya out
to the nearest delicatessen for some vodka and snacks, to the chemist for
some ice and . . .
'You must let me settle up with you,' moaned Stepa, thoroughly
crushed, and began hunting for his wallet.
'Oh, what nonsense! ' exclaimed the artiste and would hear no more of
it.
So that explained the vodka and the food; but Stepa was miserably
confused: he could remember absolutely nothing about a contract and he would
die before admitting to having seen Woland the previous day. Khustov had
been there all right, but not Woland.
'Would you mind showing me the contract?' asked Stepa gently.
'Oh, but of course. . . .'
Stepa looked at the sheet of paper and went numb. It was all there :
his own bold signature, the backward-sloping signature of Rimsky, the
treasurer, sanctioning the payment to Woland of a cash advance of ten
thousand roubles against his total fee of thirty-five thousand roubles for
seven performances. And what was more--Woland's receipt for ten thousand
roubles!
'What the hell? ' thought the miserable Stepa. His head began to spin.
Was this one of his lapses of memory? Well, of course, now that the actual
contract had been produced any further signs of disbelief would merely be
rude. Stepa excused himself for a moment and ran to the telephone in the
hall,. On the way he shouted towards the kitchen :
'Grunya! '
There was no reply. He glanced at the door of Berlioz's study, which