The Gentleman from San Francisco
A Story
by Ivan Bunin“Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city!”
—Revelation of St. John
The Gentleman from San Francisco—neither at Naples nor on Capri
could any one recall his name—with his wife and daughter, was on his way to Europe, where he intended to stay for two whole years, solely for the pleasure of it.
He was firmly convinced that he had a full right to a rest, enjoyment, a long comfortable trip, and what not. This conviction had a two-fold reason: first he was rich, and second, despite his fifty-eight years, he was just about to enter the stream of life’s pleasures. Until now he had not really lived, but simply existed, to be sure—fairly well, yet putting off his fondest hopes for the future.
