Twenty-six Men and a Girl () is an 1899 short story by the Russian writer Maxim Gorky.
Twenty-six men labor making kringles in a cellar, which is effectively a sweatshop. They are looked down upon by all around them, including the bun bakers. Their only seeming solace is the sixteen-year-old housemaid Tanya who visits them every morning for kringles they secretly give her. They adore her, and when speaking about her, they never allow themselves their usual dirty talk about women.
A new baker, a soldier, joins the bun bakers. Unlike all others they know, he befriends them, boasting of his virility with women. He bets he can seduce Tanya and actually does this, inviting them to peep for a proof.
After witnessing the meeting of the soldier and Tanya, the bakers surround her and yell abuse at her. After regaining her composure, she rebukes them. Afterwards, Tanya never stops at the bakery again.