CHAPTER 10 - News From Yalta
The chapter begins in the second‑floor office of the Variety Theatre, where financial director Rimsky is in a bad mood and administrator Varenukha is restless. A fresh batch of posters announcing Professor Woland’s “Seances of Black Magic” is put up, provoking Rimsky’s contempt. A uniformed messenger arrives with a “super‑lightning” telegram from Yalta; the message is garbled but mentions a brown‑haired man, director Likhodeev, a criminal investigation, and Woland. Varenukha reads it and a second telegram follows, containing cryptic words about “hypnosis,” “wire,” and confirming Likhodeev’s identity. A third telegram, written on photographic paper, claims to be proof of Likhodeev’s handwriting and signature. Rimsky and Varenukha compare the script with Styopa Likhodeev’s known signatures and conclude it matches.
Rimsky, incensed, orders Varenukha to send the telegrams back to their source. Varenukha places the three telegrams in an envelope, seals it, and Rimsky gives him 500 roubles from the fire‑proof safe to pay the messenger. While trying to call Likhodeev, the line is dead, but a voice claims Woland is staying in Likhodeev’s apartment. A second messenger brings another telegram confirming the Yalta investigation; Rimsky interprets “Yalta” as a new Georgian tavern in Pushkino where Likhodeev may be drinking. The money is handed to the messenger, and Varenukha is instructed to deliver the envelope personally.
Varenukha hurries to the box office, reserves thirty prime seats for Woland’s upcoming performances, then returns to the office. The telephone rings; a harsh, nasal voice warns him not to show the telegrams to anyone. Varenukha refuses, the call ends abruptly, and a storm intensifies outside. Varenukha darts into the summer garden, where two grotesque figures appear: a short, fat, cat‑like man who smacks him on the ear, and a short, red‑haired, left‑handed man with a fang who delivers a second blow; a third unseen blow makes his nose bleed. The cat‑like attacker snarls about the briefcase and telegrams, and the two seize Varenukha, dragging him through the rain‑soaked streets toward the infamous cursed flat No. 302‑bis.
Inside the building, they force Varenukha into the fifth‑floor hallway of Styopa Likhodeev’s apartment. The attackers vanish, leaving Varenukha alone. A completely naked red‑haired girl materializes, places icy palms on his shoulders, offers a tender kiss, and Varenukha collapses, fainting from the shock. The chapter ends with Varenukha unconscious, his briefcase missing, and the supernatural menace looming over the Variety Theatre staff.