We were stationed in the little town of the life of an officer in the
army is well known. in the morning, drill and the riding-school; dinner with
the colonel or at a jewish restaurant; in the evening, punch and cards. in
n—— there was not one open house, not a single marriageable girl. we used
to meet in each other's rooms, where, except our uniforms, we never saw
anything.
one civilian only was admitted into our society. he was about thirtyfive
years of age, and therefore we looked upon him as an old fellow. his
experience gave him great advantage over us, and his habitual taciturnity,
stern disposition and caustic tongue produced a deep impression upon our
young minds. some mystery surrounded his existence; he had the
appearance of a russian, although his name was a foreign one. he had
formerly served in the hussars, and with distinction. nobody knew the cause
that had induced him to retire from the service and settle in a wretched little
village, where he lived poorly and, at the same time, extravagantly.
he always went on foot, and constantly wore a shabby black overcoat,
but the officers of our regiment were ever welcome at his table. his dinners,
it is true, never consisted of more than two or three dishes, prepared by a
retired soldier, but the champagne flowed like water.
nobody knew what his circumstances were, or what his income was,
and nobody dared to question him about them. he had a collection of books,
consisting chiefly of works on military matters and a few novels.
he willingly lent them to us to read, and never asked for them back;
on the other hand, he never returned to the owner the books that were lent
to him. his principal amusement was shooting with a pistol. the walls of his
room were riddled with bullets, and were as full of holes as a honeycomb.
a rich collection of pistols was the only luxury in the humble cottage
where he lived.”
based on the passage, which aspect of the story's setting most affects the way the narrator views the civilian? a. the fact that he is the only character from the local area b. the hard work his lifestyle clearly requires c. his few possessions d. the simple style of his home