Delphi Complete Works of Anton Chekhov (Illustrated) (371 page)

SCENE IX.

The SAME, without PETRIN and STCHERBOOK.

ANNA PETROVNA (coming out from behind the trees). Are they gone?

PLATONOV. Yes. . . .

ANNA PETROVNA {taking him by the shoulders). Shall we move on?

PLATONOV. Yes, let’s go! I’m going, but if you only knew how little I want to do it! It’s not I who’s coming to you, but the devil, who’s beating me across the nape of the neck, and saying: Go! Go!

[ANNA PETROVNA. What insolence! . . . (Hits Platonov with her whip.) Speak, speak! But don’t say too much! (Goes away from Platonov.) If you want to come, comej if you don’t want to, why, don’t! I’ll not beg... It’s too much to expect!

PLATONOV. But . . . It’s too late to feel hurt! (Follows her and takes her arm.)

ANNA PETROVNA (tears herself away from him).

PLATONOV. It’s all the same to me... I’m coming... Now you can’t stop the devil in me... You turn away? It’s too late to feel hurt! We are now left in a situation where no matter how much we may injure each other’s dignity we can’t part.

. . . We are weak! Don’t feel hurt, woman! (Embraces her.) I had no’idea of hurting you! I only wanted to express myself more clearly. ... I shall kill myself the moment I allow myself to hurt your feelings... You’re everything to me! Even in sin, you are great in my eyes!] Understand me! If my conscience does not accept your love, it’s only because of a deep conviction that you are committing an irretrievable mistake...

SASHA (from the window). Misha, Misha! Where are you?

PLATONOV. The deuce take it!

SASHA. Ah ... I see you... Who’s with you?

{Laughs.) Anna Petrovna! Good-evening!

ANNA PETROVNA. Good-evening, Alexandra Ivan- ovna!

SASHA. SO you’re in a riding-habit? You’ve been riding? A fine thing! It’s a lovely night! Misha and I will join you!

ANNA PETROVNA. I’ve had enough, Alexandra Ivan- ovna... I’m off for home now. . . .

SASHA. In that case, of course . . . Misha, come into the house! I really don’t know what to do! Kolya feels badly. . . .

PLATONOV. Which Kolya?

SASHA. Your brother Nikolai... He must have had a drop too much... Come in, please! You too come in, Anna Petrovna! I’ll run down into the cellar and get some cream... We’ll each have a glass... Cool cream!

ANNA PETROVNA. Thank you. ... I must go home. ... (To Platonov.) Go now... I’ll wait for you. . . .

SASHA. Come, Misha! (Disappears from view.)

PLATONOV. I’d quite forgotten about her existence... Go... I’ll get her to bed and come...

ANNA PETROVNA. Don’t delay...

PLATONOV. We’ve almost run into a scandal! Goodbye for the moment... (Goes into the school- house.)

SCENE X .

ANNA PETROVNA,

VENGEROVITCH ii, and later

OSSIP.

ANNA PETROVNA. A surprise. ... I too completely forgot her existence... (Pause.) It’s hard... Anyhow, it’s not the first time he deceived this poor little girl! Eh-h ... to sin! God alone knows about it! Not the first time! . . . knavery! Now wait till he gets her to bed! A whole hour will pass, if not longer. . . .

VENGEROVITCH II (approaching her). Anna Petrovna... (Falls on his knees bef ore her.) Anna Petrovna! (Seizes her hand.) Anna!

ANNA PETROVNA. Who’s this? Who are you? (Bends down to see.) Who are you? You, Isaac Abramitch? You? What’s the matter with you?

VENGEROVITCH II. Anna! (Kisses her hand.)

ANNA PETROVNA. GO away! It isn’t right! You’re a man!

VENGEROVITCH II. Anna!

ANNA PETROVNA. You’ve held my hand long enough! Get out! (She pushes his shoulder.)

VENGEROVITCH II (jailing to the ground). Oh, how stupid! How stupid!

OSSIP (appearing). Comedians! Is it you, Your Ex

cellency? (Bows to her.) How did you come to fall into our sacred places?

ANNA PETROVNA. IS it you, Ossip? Have you been watching? Spying? (Takes hold, of his chin.) Have you seen everything?

OSSIP. Everything.

ANNA PETROVNA. Why are you so pale? Eh? (Laughs.) Are you in love with me, Ossip?

OSSIP. AS you please...

ANNA PETROVNA. In love with me?

OSSIP. I don’t understand you... (Crying.) I respected you as a saint. ... If you had ordered me to go through fire, I should have gone through fire. . . .

ANNA PETROVNA. Why, then, didn’t you go to Kiev?

OSSIP. What’s Kiev to me? I respected you as a saint... There were no people for me holier than you. . . .

ANNA PETROVNA. Enough, fool... Bring me some more of your little hares... I’ll accept them... Well, good-bye... Come tomorrow to me, and I’ll give you some money: it’ll pay for a rail journey to Kiev... Good-bye... Don’t you dare to touch Platonov! Do you hear?

OSSIP. From now on I don’t take any orders from you. . . .

ANNA PETROVNA. Tell me, please! Are you going to order me to a convent? His business! . . . Well, well! . . . He’s crying. Are you only a little boy?

Enough! . . . When he comes to me, please shoot! . . .

OSSIP. At him?

ANNA PETROVNA. No, into the air... Good-bye, Ossip! Shoot as loudly as you can! Will you shoot?

OSSIP. I’ll shoot.

ANNA PETROVNA. That’s a smart boy...

OSSIP. Only he’ll not come to you... He’s now with his wife.

ANNA PETROVNA. GO on arguing... Good-bye, murderer! (Runs away.)

SCENE XI.

OSSIP and VENGEROVITCH II.

OSSIP (beating the ground with his hat and crying). All’s ended! All’s ended, and may the earth swallow it all!

VENGEROVITCH II (lying on the ground). What’s he saying?

OSSIP. I saw all, and heard all! My eyes were bursting, and a mighty hammer kept hammering at my ears! I heard all! Well, how am I not to kill him, when everything in me wants to tear him to pieces... (Sits down on a mound, his back to the school.) I must kill him. . . .

VENGEROVITCH II. What’s he saying? Kill whom?

SCENE XII.

The SAME,

PLATONOV and TRILETZKY.

PLATONOV (-pushing Triletzky out of the school- house). Get out! Go this instant to the sick shopkeeper! March!

TRILETZKY (stretching). Much better if you had waited to drive me out with a stick tomorrow than wake me out of my sleep tonight!

PLATONOV. You’re a wretch, Nikolai, a wretch! D’you understand?

TRILETZKY. What’s one to do if God made me one?

PLATONOV. Suppose the shopkeeper’s already died!

TRILETZKY. If he’s died, then the Kingdom of Heaven to him... But if he’s still alive, then you speak these terrible words in vain... I’m not going to the shopkeeper! I want to sleep!

PLATONOV. You’ll go, you beast! You’ll go! (Pushes him.) I shan’t let you sleep! What do you think you are? What are you making of yourself! Why aren’t you doing anything? You are wasting your best days. . . .

TRILETZKY. Stop worrying me... What right, brother, have you . . .

PLATONOV. What sort of creature are you, will you tell me? For what do you live? Why don’t you continue with your science? Eh, beast?

TRILETZKY. We’ll discuss this interesting subject when I feel less sleepy... Now let me go and sleep... (Scratches his head.) The devil know what! Neither here, nor there, but wake up, you wretch! H’m . . . Honest rules . . . May the devil swallow them, these honest rules!

PLATONOV. What God do you serve, you strange object? What kind of a man are you? Where shall we end?

TRILETZKY. Listen, Mikhail Vassilyitch, who gave you the right to stick your cold paws into others’ hearts? Your lack of ceremony is amazing!

PLATONOV. We shall come to nothing! We are a lost people! We’re not worth a farthing! (Weeps.) There’s not a soul who might rest one’s eyes! How drab everything is, how filthy, how threadbare... Get out, Nikolai! Go away!

TRILETZKY (shrugging). He’s crying! (Pause.) Very well, I’ll go and see the shopkeeper! D’you hear? I’m going!

PLATONOV. AS you like!

TRILETZKY. Yes, I’m going! As you see, I’m going. . . .

PLATONOV (stamping his feet). Get out!

TRILETZKY. Very well... You’d better go to bed, Misha! It isn’t worth being cut up about it! Goodbye! (Goes, then pauses.) One word before I go.

. . . Counsel all preachers, including yourself, to practise what they preach... Another thing... One shouldn’t waste words on you... One ought to give you a good drubbing; make mincemeat of you... And I ought to break with you forever on account of the little girl. ... I ought to tell you something which you haven’t heard before! But . . . I can’t! I’m a poor sort of duellist! That’s your luck! . . . (Pause.) Good-bye! (Walks away.)

SCENE XIII.

PLATONOV,

VENGEROVITCH II AND OSSIP.

PLATONOV {seizing his head). Not I alone am like that! Everyone is! Everyone! My God, what’s humankind coming to? [Where’s their strength, their reason?] What can I be thinking of! [The soul weeps, while some accursed force, some kind of demon goads one on. . . .] Don’t go to her! She’s not yours! You’ll spoil her life, you’ll injure her forever! Leave this place! No! I shall go to her, I shall go on living here, I shall go on drinking and scandal-mongering... They’re all vicious here, all stupid, all drunk... Eternally drunk! A stupid mother ... a drunken father! Father . . . mother! Father . . . May your bones have no peace because you’ve made me what I am! (Pause.) No . . . what did I say? God will forgive me... The Kingdom of Heaven... (Stumbling on Ven- gerovitch who’s lying on the ground.) Who’s this?

VENGEROVITCH ii (rising to his knees). A wild, monstrous, infamous night. . . .

PLATONOV. Ah-a-a-a . . .
Go and note this wild night in your fool’s diary with inks of paternal conscience! Get out from here!

VENGEROVITCH II. Yes . . . I’ll note it down! (Goes.)

PLATONOV. What was he doing here? Was he listening? (To Ossip.) And who are you? What are you doing here? Were you also listening? Get out! Stop... Go after Vengerovitch and take his chain from him!

OSSIP. What chain?

PLATONOV. He has a large golden chain hanging on his breast! Catch up with him and take it from him! Step lively! (Stamping his feet.) Lively ... or you won’t catch up with him! He’s running to the village like one mad!

OSSIP. And are you going to the widow?

PLATONOV. Run, you wretch! Don’t beat him up, but only take his chain! Go on! Why are you standing there? Run!

OSSIP (runs).

PLATONOV (after a pause). To go . . . To go, or not to go? (Sighs.) To go ... I’ll go, and begin a long, banal, ugly song. ... I thought I was clad in sound armour! In reality ... A woman has said a word and raised a storm in me... Men try to settle world questions, but I have a woman! All one’s life ... a woman! Csesar had his Rubicon, but I have a woman... An empty-headed woman- chaser! It wouldn’t be pitiful if I didn’t try to struggle against it, but I do struggle! I am weak, hopelessly weak!

SASHA (from the window). Misha, are you there?

PLATONOV. Yes, I am here, my poor golden one!

SASHA. Come in!

PLATONOV. No, Sasha! I want the air. My head aches horribly. Sleep, my angel!

SASHA. Good-night! (Shuts the window.)

PLATONOV. It’s hard to deceive anyone who has infinite faith! and here am I perspiring and flushing... I’m going! (Goes. He meets Katya and Yakov, coming toward him.)