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1. What does Marya Vassilyevna do for work? How long has she had the occupation? Where is she going at the start of "The Schoolmistress"?

Marya is a schoolmistress and has been for 13 years. She is taking the long trek to town to retrieve her salary.

2. What do readers learn of Marya's past at the start of "The Schoolmistress"?

Marya's parents died when she was only 10 years old. She has a brother who was an officer. She and her brother used to write each other until he stopped responding. Marya no longer thinks of her past life and family.

3. What is the only thing Marya keeps from her past?

The only thing Marya keeps from her past in an old, faded photograph of her mother.

4. What news from Moscow does Semyon tell Marya he heard at Ivan Ionov's tavern?

Semyon tells Marya that he heard that the government clerk who is said to have killed the Mayor of Moscow was recently caught.

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