Plays by Anton Chekhov, Second Series

GAEV. Everybody’s leaving us. Varya’s going away… we’ve suddenly become unnecessary.

CHARLOTTA. I’ve nowhere to live in town. I must go away. [Hums] Never mind.

[Enter PISCHIN.]

LOPAKHIN. Nature’s marvel!

PISCHIN. [Puffing] Oh, let me get my breath back… I’m fagged out… My most honoured, give me some water…

GAEV. Come for money, what? I’m your humble servant, and I’m going out of the way of temptation. [Exit.]

PISCHIN. I haven’t been here for ever so long… dear madam. [To LOPAKHIN] You here? Glad to see you… man of immense brain… take this… take it… [Gives LOPAKHIN money] Four hundred roubles… That leaves 840…

LOPAKHIN. [Shrugs his shoulders in surprise] As if I were dreaming. Where did you get this from?

PISCHIN. Stop… it’s hot… A most unexpected thing happened. Some Englishmen came along and found some white clay on my land… [To LUBOV ANDREYEVNA] And here’s four hundred for you… beautiful lady… [Gives her money] Give you the rest later… [Drinks water] Just now a young man in the train was saying that some great philosopher advises us all to jump off roofs. “Jump!” he says, and that’s all. [Astonished] To think of that, now! More water!

LOPAKHIN. Who were these Englishmen?

PISCHIN. I’ve leased off the land with the clay to them for twenty-four years… Now, excuse me, I’ve no time… I must run off… I must go to Znoikov and to Kardamonov… I owe them all money… [Drinks] Good-bye. I’ll come in on Thursday.

LUBOV. We’re just off to town, and to-morrow I go abroad.

PISCHIN. [Agitated] What? Why to town? I see furniture… trunks… Well, never mind. [Crying] Never mind. These Englishmen are men of immense intellect… Never mind… Be happy… God will help you… Never mind… Everything in this world comes to an end… [Kisses LUBOV ANDREYEVNA’S hand] And if you should happen to hear that my end has come, just remember this old… horse and say: “There was one such and such a Simeonov-Pischin, God bless his soul…” Wonderful weather… yes… [Exit deeply moved, but returns at once and says in the door] Dashenka sent her love! [Exit.]

LUBOV. Now we can go. I’ve two anxieties, though. The first is poor Fiers [Looks at her watch] We’ve still five minutes…

ANYA. Mother, Fiers has already been sent to the hospital. Yasha sent him off this morning.

LUBOV. The second is Varya. She’s used to getting up early and to work, and now she’s no work to do she’s like a fish out of water. She’s grown thin and pale, and she cries, poor thing… [Pause] You know very well, Ermolai Alexeyevitch, that I used to hope to marry her to you, and I suppose you are going to marry somebody? [Whispers to ANYA, who nods to CHARLOTTA, and they both go out] She loves you, she’s your sort, and I don’t understand, I really don’t, why you seem to be keeping away from each other. I don’t understand!

LOPAKHIN. To tell the truth, I don’t understand it myself. It’s all so strange… If there’s still time, I’ll be ready at once… Let’s get it over, once and for all; I don’t feel as if I could ever propose to her without you.

LUBOV. Excellent. It’ll only take a minute. I’ll call her.

LOPAKHIN. The champagne’s very appropriate. [Looking at the tumblers] They’re empty, somebody’s already drunk them. [YASHA coughs] I call that licking it up…

LUBOV. [Animated] Excellent. We’ll go out. Yasha, allez. I’ll call her in… [At the door] Varya, leave that and come here. Come! [Exit with YASHA.]

LOPAKHIN. [Looks at his watch] Yes… [Pause.]

[There is a restrained laugh behind the door, a whisper, then VARYA comes in.]

VARYA. [Looking at the luggage in silence] I can’t seem to find it…

LOPAKHIN. What are you looking for?

VARYA. I packed it myself and I don’t remember. [Pause.]

LOPAKHIN. Where are you going to now, Barbara Mihailovna?

VARYA. I? To the Ragulins… I’ve got an agreement to go and look after their house… as housekeeper or something.

LOPAKHIN. Is that at Yashnevo? It’s about fifty miles. [Pause] So life in this house is finished now…

VARYA. [Looking at the luggage] Where is it?.. perhaps I’ve put it away in the trunk… Yes, there’ll be no more life in this house…

LOPAKHIN. And I’m off to Kharkov at once… by this train. I’ve a lot of business on hand. I’m leaving Epikhodov here… I’ve taken him on.

VARYA. Well, well!

LOPAKHIN. Last year at this time the snow was already falling, if you remember, and now it’s nice and sunny. Only it’s rather cold… There’s three degrees of frost.

VARYA. I didn’t look. [Pause] And our thermometer’s broken… [Pause.]

VOICE AT THE DOOR. Ermolai Alexeyevitch!

LOPAKHIN. [As if he has long been waiting to be called] This minute. [Exit quickly.]

[VARYA, sitting on the floor, puts her face on a bundle of clothes and weeps gently. The door opens. LUBOV ANDREYEVNA enters carefully.]

LUBOV. Well? [Pause] We must go.

VARYA. [Not crying now, wipes her eyes] Yes, it’s quite time, little mother. I’ll get to the Ragulins to-day, if I don’t miss the train…

LUBOV. [At the door] Anya, put on your things. [Enter ANYA, then GAEV, CHARLOTTA IVANOVNA. GAEV wears a warm overcoat with a cape. A servant and drivers come in. EPIKHODOV bustles around the luggage] Now we can go away.

ANYA. [Joyfully] Away!

GAEV. My friends, my dear friends! Can I be silent, in leaving this house for evermore? – can I restrain myself, in saying farewell, from expressing those feelings which now fill my whole being…?

ANYA. [Imploringly] Uncle!

VARYA. Uncle, you shouldn’t!

GAEV. [Stupidly] Double the red into the middle… I’ll be quiet.

[Enter TROFIMOV, then LOPAKHIN.]

TROFIMOV. Well, it’s time to be off.

LOPAKHIN. Epikhodov, my coat!

LUBOV. I’ll sit here one more minute. It’s as if I’d never really noticed what the walls and ceilings of this house were like, and now I look at them greedily, with such tender love…

GAEV. I remember, when I was six years old, on Trinity Sunday, I sat at this window and looked and saw my father going to church…

LUBOV. Have all the things been taken away?