Delphi Complete Works of Anton Chekhov (Illustrated) (376 page)

SCENE X .

PLATONOV, GLAGOLYEV i, and afterwards GLAGOLYEV II.

GLAGOLYEV I (enters, leaning on a stick). I’m glad to find you at home, Mikhail Vassilyitch! Very glad... I’m afraid I’ve disturbed you... But I won’t keep you long, only a minute or so. ... I want to ask you one question. You answer me, and I’ll go. What’s the matter, Mikhail Vassilyitch? You are pale, and you shake and tremble so... What’s the matter with you?

PLATONOV. The matter with me? Eh? I am drunk, or . . . I’m going out of my mind! X am drunk . . . drunk... My head goes round... GLAGOLYEV I {aside). I’ll ask him. What the sober man has in his soul, the drunken man has on his tongue. (To Platonov.) The question is a strange one. You may even think it stupid. But for God’s sake, answer me, Mikhail Vassilyitch! It’s a life question with me! I’ll believe your answer, because I know you for an honest man... Let my question seem strange or stupid or even humiliating, but for Heaven’s sake, give me an answer! I find myself in a terrible position. Our mutual acquaintance . . .

You know her very well. ... I considered her perfection in the human sense of the word . . . Anna’ Petrovna Voinitzev... {Supports Platonov.) Don’t fall, for God’s sake!

PLATONOV. Go! I always considered you a stupid old man!

GLAGOLYEV i. You are her friend, you know her as you know your five fingers... She has been either slandered, or else . . . my eyes have been opened... Is she an honest woman, Mikhail Vassilyitch? She . . . she . . . has she the right to be the wife of an honest man? {Pause.) I don’t know how to formulate my question... Please understand me, for God’s sake! I’ve been told that she . . .

PLATONOV. Everything’s degrading, low, filthy in this world! Everything . . . degrading . . . low... {Falls unconscious against Glagolyev and rolls on the ground.)

GLAGOLYEV II {entering). Are you going to stick here forever? I don’t feel like waiting! GLAGOLYEV I. Everything’s degrading, low, filthy... That means, she’s included too... GLAGOLYEV II {looking at Platonov). Father, what’s the matter with Platonov?

GLAGOLYEV I. Disgracefully drunk... Yes, degrading, filthy... The deep, pitiless, painful truth! {Pause.) We’re going to Paris! GLAGOLYEV II. What? To Pa . . . To Paris? What do you want to go to Paris for? {Laughs.)

GLAGOLYEV I. To lie about like this fellow does! GLAGOLYEV II. To lie about. ... In Paris? GLAGOLYEV I. We’re going to try our luck in a new arena! Enough! Enough of playing a comedy for oneself, and of tormenting oneself with ideals! I have no more faith, or love! There are no human beings! We’re going! GLAGOLYEV II. To Paris?

GLAGOLYEV i. Yes. ... If one is to sin, ‘tis better to sin on alien soil, and not in one’s own land! As we haven’t yet rotted, we’ll have a bit of life in human fashion! Be my teacher, son! We’re going to Paris!

GLAGOLYEV II. That’s the way to talk, father! You’ve taught me to read, and I’ll teach you to live! We’ll take the journey!

CURTAIN

ACT IV.

Scene:

Study of the late General Voinitzev. Two doors. Antique furniture, Persian rugs, flowers. The walls are adorned with rifles, pistols, Caucasian daggers, etc. Family portraits. Busts of Krylov, Pushkin and Gogol. Shelves with stuffed birds. A bookcase, filled with books. On top of the book-case: all manner of military relics, boxes, sticks, etc. The writing-table is submerged under a mass of papers, portraits, statuettes and weapons. Time: morning.

SCENE I .

Enter SOFYA EGOROVNA and KATYA.

[KATYA. I can’t find him anywhere!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Where did you look for him?

KATYA. Everywhere. I haven’t overlooked a single place... Not a nook in the school that I haven’t looked into. The doors and the windows are wide open, but he’s not to be seen anywhere. I looked even in the cellar. A carpenter was sitting near the cellar, and I asked him . . . but he had seen nothing of him. Then I thought I’d have a look in the woods. . . .

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Did you look in at the priest’s?

KATYA. Yes, and the reverend father said he hadn’t seen Mikhail Vassilyitch in a week. ... I looked in at the deacon’s too... And I saw Aleksey Makaritch, the copying clerk, and he knows no more than the rest... Then I looked and looked for him in the wood. . . .]

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Be calm! Talk sense!

KATYA. Something wicked is happening, Madam! The doors are all open, everything in the room is turned topsy-turvy... The door’s broken from

its hinges... Something awful’s happened! No wonder one of our hens crowed like a cock! ,

SOFYA EGOROVNA. What do you think could have happened?

KATYA. I don’t know what to think, Madam. I only know, something’s happened... Either Mikhail Vassilyitch left altogether, or else he’s put an end to himself. He’s very hot-headed!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Have you been to the village?

KATYA. Yes... He wasn’t there either. ... I walked about for four hours...

SOFYA EGOROVNA (.sitting down). What’s to be done? What’s to be done? {Pause.) Are you sure that he’s nowhere to be found? Are you sure?

KATYA. I don’t know, Madam... Something awful’s happened... Something in my heart tells me! Why don’t you chuck it all, Madam! After all, it’s a sin! (Weeps.) I’m sorry for the master, Sergey Pavlovitch... He was such a handsome man, and look at him now! He’s walking about like one out of his wits... I’m sorry for him... He used to be such a cheery man, and now he looks like death itself... Chuck it, Madam!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Chuck what?

KATYA. Love. What sense is there in it? It only makes for scandal. I’m sorry for you too. You’ve changed these last days. You’ve grown thin, you neither eat nor drink, you don’t sleep, and you do nothing but cough!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. GO, Katya! Try once more. Maybe, he’s returned to the school by now.

KATYA. At once. (Pause.) You’d better lie down.

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Go, Katya, and try again!

KATYA (desperately). Where is there left for me to go?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. I must go to bed. I haven’t slept all night. Don’t shout so! Go away!

KATYA. Very well. You’re using yourself up . . . all for nothing! You ought to go to bed and have some rest, Madam! (Goes.)

SCENE II.

SOFYA EGOROVNA and afterwards VOINITZEV.

SOFYA EGOROVNA. It’s terrible! Yesterday he gave me his word to appear at the cottage at ten o’clock, and didn’t show up. ... I waited until dawn for him. And he gave his word of honour! He doesn’t love me! [He doesn’t. Or he wouldn’t subject me to this torture. ... I love him only as a woman can love a man! I love even his faults. And he? {Pause.) No . . . he does love me... Something must have happened... Perhaps the school inspector had called him out into town... No, no . . . He didn’t come yesterday, he’ll come today. . . .

VOINITZEV {entering). I’ll lie down, perhaps I’ll manage to get to sleep. (Seeing Sofya Egorovna.) You ... in my room? In my study?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. I here? (Looks round her.) Yes •
              
. . I’ve come in here not meaning to... (Goes to the door.)

VOINITZEV. One minute!

SOFYA EGOROVNA (stopping). Well?

VOINITZEV. Please give me two or three minutes.

•
             
.
             
. . You don’t mind staying three minutes here?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Speak! Have you something to tell me?
   
i VOINITZEV. Yes... (Pause.) The time is past when we two had not been strangers in this room. . . .

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Yes, it’s past.

VOINITZEV. Are you leaving?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Yes.

VOINITZEV. H’M . . . Soon?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Today.

VOINITZEV. With him?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Yes.

VOINITZEV. I wish you happiness! (Pause.) Good material for happiness! Passions of the flesh and the unhappiness of another. The unhappiness of another is always a source for someone’s happiness! It’s an old story. ... A new lie is always more eagerly listened to than an old truth... God be with you! Live as you know best!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. YOU wanted to tell me something. VOINITZEV. Am I silent, then? Well, yes . . . This is what I wanted to say. ... I want to be perfectly clean before you, not be in your debt, and so I ask you to forgive me for my yesterday’s conduct... I said many rude, spiteful things to you yesterday... Forgive me, please... You do forgive me?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. I forgive you. (Starts to go out.) VOINITZEV. Don’t go yet. I haven’t said all I wanted to say! One thing more. (He sighs.) I’m mad, Sofya! I’m not strong enough to withstand this terrible shock... I’m mad, but I’m still able to understand everything. In the immeasurable fog of my mind there’s one bright spot, which enables me to understand everything... When this one bright spot leaves me, then . . . that will mean, I’m lost forever. I understand everything... (Pause.) I am now standing in my study. This study once belonged to my father, His Excellency, Major-General Voinitzev, Cavalier of St. George, a great and splendid man! They saw only the spots on him... They saw how he beat people and stamped on them, but how they beat him and stamped on him, no one wanted to see... (Points to Sofya Egorovna.) This is my ex-wife.

SOFYA EGOROVNA (trying to leave). VOINITZEV. Don’t go yet. Allow me to finish! I speak stupidly, but you must hear me to the end . . . after all, it’s the last time!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Why, you’ve said everything... What else can you say? We must part... What is there to say? You want to show that I’m guilty before you? Don’t waste the effort! I know what I ought to think of myself... VOINITZEV. What can I say? Oh, Sofya, Sofya! You know nothing! Nothing. Or else you wouldn’t look at me with such scorn! [It’s terrible just to remember it! Do you know, what happened yesterday? Yesterday I almost killed Platonov! I brought a knife with me! If he hadn’t awakened, I would have killed him. I went for the sleeping, unarmed man with a knife in my hand!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. When? VOINITZEV. Last evening! He saw!

SOFYA EGOROVNA (sits down and covers her face). What happened?

VOINITZEV. I wanted to kill him for taking my wife from me! I didn’t want to let you go to him easily! If he hadn’t awakened I would have killed him with that accursed dagger!] Ah, you don’t know what’s transpiring in my soul . . . it’s something horrible! (Falls on his knees before her.) Think of what you are doing, Sofya! Where are you goading me on . . . and yourself? For God’s sake, have pity! I’ll go out of my mind! Stay with me! I’ll forget everything, and I’ve already forgiven you. ... I shall be your slave, I shall love you. ... I shall love you as I have not loved before! I shall give you happiness! You shall be happy with me as a goddess! He’s not the man to give you happiness! You’ll only ruin yourself, and ruin him! You’ll ruin Platonov, Sofya! ... I know that one can’t be loving by force, but stay! You’ll be gay again... You are so deathly pale now, so unhappy... Again I’ll be a human being, and he’ll come and see us . . . Platonov! Please stay! We’ll bring back the past, before it’s too late! Platonov will agree. ... I know him... He doesn’t love you... It’s just that you gave yourself to him, and he took you. . . .

(.He rises.) Are you crying?

SOFYA EGOROVNA [rising). Don’t take these tears to your account! Perhaps, Platonov will agree. Let him agree! (Sharply.) You’re all nasty people! Where’s Platonov?

VOINITZEV. I don’t know where he is.

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Leave me in peace, won’t you! I hate you! Get out! Where’s Platonov? What nasty people... Where is he? [Did you frighten him away with your knife.?] I hate you!

VOINITZEV. Why?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. [You wanted to kill a sleeping man. Why, then, didn’t you kill him when he awoke? Was it because a man awake is more dangerous than a man asleep?] Where is he?

VOINITZEV. I gave him some money, and he promised to go away.

SOFYA EGOROVNA. You bribed him? Why do you lie?

VOINITZEV. I gave him a thousand roubles, and he renounced you. Well, I am lying! It’s all a lie! Don’t believe me, for God’s sake! This accursed Platonov is alive and well. Go, take him, exchange kisses with him! . . . No, I didn’t bribe him! But surely, will you . . . will he ... be happy? And this is my wife, my Sofya... What does it all mean? I can’t believe it even now! Are you on platonic relations with him? Did it get to . . . the last stage?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. I am his wife, his mistress. What more do you want? (Starts to go.) Why do you hold me? I haven’t the time to listen to all sorts of . . . VOINITZEV. Wait, Sofya! So you’re his mistress? Y6U speak rather insolently! (Seizes her hand.) And you could do it! You could do it! (Enter Anna Petrovna.)

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Leave me in peace! (Exit.)