THE COLLECTED WORKS OF ANTON CHEKHOV. Anton Chekhov

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      SCENE V

       Table of Contents

      THE SAME, DYADIN AND SEMYON

      DYADIN: You’ve an eye, Misha, for the right place. You’ve chosen an exquisite spot to work in. It’s an oasis! A pure oasis! Imagine that you are surrounded with palm trees, Julie here — a gentle hind, you — a lion, I — a tiger! …

      KHROUSCHOV: You’re a good fellow, a gentle soul, Ilya Ilyich, but your manners! Treacly words, shuffling feet, hunched shoulders! … If a stranger were to see you, he’d think that you weren’t a man, but the devil knows what! … It is annoying! …

      DYADIN: I think this must be my destiny… Fatal predestination.

      KHROUSCHOV: At it again … fatal predestination! Stop it all. (Fixing a chart on the table.) I’m going to stay the night with you here.

      DYADIN: I’m extremely glad… Now, Misha, you are cross, while in my soul there’s inexpressible joy! As though a bird were sitting in my heart and singing a song.

      KHROUSCHOV: Rejoice then. (A pause.) There’s a bird in your heart, but there’s a frog in mine. Twenty thousand scandals! Shimansky has sold his forest for timber. That’s one! Elena Andreyevna has run away from her husband, and nobody knows now where she is. That’s two! I feel that every day I’m getting more foolish, petty, and stupid… . That’s three! I meant to tell you yesterday, but I lacked the courage. You may congratulate me. George left a diary. That diary got first into Orlovsky’s hands; I went over and read it a dozen times… .

      JULIE: Our people have also read it.

      KHROUSCHOV: George’s affair with Elena Andreyevna, with which the whole district rang, turns out to be an abominable, dirty slander. … I believed that slander and slandered along with the rest; I hated, despised, insulted… .

      DYADIN: That’s certainly wrong.

      KHROUSCHOV: The first person whose word I ^ook was your brother, Julie dear. Yes, I too am a fine fellow! I believed your brother, whom I don’t respect; and disbelieved the woman, who before my very eyes was sacrificing herself. Imore readily believe evil than good, and see no further than my nose. And this means that I am as stupid as the rest.

      DYADIN (to JULIE): Come, let’s go to the mill, my dear. Let the cross baby work here, and we will go for a walk… . Work away, Misha, old chap! [Goes out with JULIE.

      KHROUSCHOV (alone; mixing the colours in a saucer): One night I saw him leaning his face against her hand. In his diary, that night is described in full; he tells how I came there, what I said to him. He quotes my words and calls me a fool and narrow-minded. (A pause.) … It’s too thick! … It should be thinner… And then he blames Sonya for having fallen in love with me… She never loved me… Now, there’s a blot… (Scraping the paper with a knife.) If even I admit that there’s some truth in it, yet I must not think of it… It began foolishly, and ended foolishly… (SEMYON and the labourers bring in a large table.) What’s this? What’s it for?

      SEMYON: Ilya Ilyich told us to bring it in. Company is coming from the Zheltoukhin estate to have tea here.

      KHROUSCHOV: All right. No work for me now… I’ll pack up my things and go home.

      Enter ZHELTOUKHIN with SONYA on his arm.