The Lower Depths

BUBNOFF. Go on, crow! See if you can make your feathers white!

THE BARON. Well – continue!

NATASHA. Pay no attention to them.. what are they? They’re just jealous.. they’ve nothing to tell about themselves.

NASTYA [sits down again] I’m going to say no more! If they don’t believe me they’ll laugh. [Stops suddenly, is silent for a few seconds, then, shutting her eyes,continues in a loud and intense voice, swaying her hands as if to the rhythm of far music] And then I replied to him: “Joy of my life! My bright moon! And I, too, I can’t live without you – because I love you madly, so madly – and I shall keep on loving you as long as my heart beats in my bosom. But – ” I say – “don’t take your young life! Think how necessary it is to your dear parents whose only happiness you are. Leave me! Better that I should perish from longing for you, my life! I alone! I – ah – as such, such! Better that I should die – it doesn’t matter.. I am of no use to the world – and I have nothing, nothing at all – ” [Covers her face with her hand and weeps gently]

NATASHA [in a low voice] Don’t cry – don’t!

[Luka, smiling, strokes Nastya’s head.]

BUBNOFF [laughs] Ah – you limb of Satan!

THE BARON [also laughs] Hey, old man? Do you think it’s true? It’s all from that book “Fatal Love”.. it’s all nonsense! Let her alone!

NATASHA. And what’s it to you? Shut up – or God’ll punish you!

NASTYA [bitterly] God damn your soul! You worthless pig! Soul – bah! – you haven’t got one!

LUKA [takes Nastya’s hand] Come, dear! It’s nothing! Don’t be angry – I know – I believe you! You’re right, not they! If you believe you had a real love affair, then you did – yes! And as for him – don’t be angry with a fellow-lodger.. maybe he’s really jealous, and that’s why he’s laughing. Maybe he never had any real love – maybe not – come on – let’s go!

NASTYA [pressing her hand against her breast] Grandfather! So help me God – it happened! It happened! He was a student, a Frenchman – Gastotcha was his name – he had a little black beard – and patent leathers – may God strike me dead if I’m lying! And he loved me so – my God, how he loved me!

LUKA. Yes, yes, it’s all right. I believe you! Patent leathers, you said? Well, well, well – and you loved him, did you? [Disappears with her around the corner]

THE BARON. God – isn’t she a fool, though? She’s good-hearted – but such a fool – it’s past belief!

BUBNOFF. And why are people so fond of lying – just as if they were up before the judge – really!

NATASHA. I guess lying is more fun than speaking the truth – I, too.

THE BARON. What – you, too? Go on!

NATASHA. Oh – I imagine things – invent them – and I wait —

THE BARON. For what?

NATASHA [smiling confusedly] Oh – I think that perhaps – well – to-morrow somebody will really appear – some one – oh – out of the ordinary – or something’ll happen – also out of the ordinary… I’ve been waiting for it – oh – always… But, really, what is there to wait for? [Pause]

THE BARON [with a slight smile] Nothing – I expect nothing! What is past, is past! Through! Over with! And then what?

NATASHA. And then – well – to-morrow I imagine suddenly that I’ll die – and I get frightened.. in summer it’s all right to dream of death – then there are thunder storms – one might get struck by lightning.

THE BARON. You’ve a hard life.. your sister’s a wicked-tempered devil!

NATASHA. Tell me – does anybody live happily? It’s hard for all of us – I can see that.

KLESHTCH [who until this moment has sat motionless and indifferent, jumps up suddenly] For all? You lie! Not for all! If it were so – all right! Then it wouldn’t hurt – yes!

BUBNOFF. What in hell’s bit you? Just listen to him yelping!

[Kleshtch lies down again and grunts.]

THE BARON. Well – I’d better go and make my peace with Nastinka – if I don’t, she won’t treat me to vodka.

BUBNOFF. Hm – people love to lie.. with Nastka – I can see the reason why. She’s used to painting that mutt of hers – and now she wants to paint her soul as well.. put rouge on her soul, eh? But the others – why do they? Take Luka for instance – he lies a lot.. and what does he get out of it? He’s an old fellow, too – why does he do it?

THE BARON [smiling and walking away] All people have drab-colored souls – and they like to brighten them up a bit.

LUKA [appearing from round the corner] You, sir, why do you tease the girl? Leave her alone – let her cry if it amuses her.. she weeps for her own pleasure – what harm is it to you?

THE BARON. Nonsense, old man! She’s a nuisance. Raoul to-day, Gaston to-morrow – always the same old yarn, though! Still – I’ll go and make up with her. [Leaves]

LUKA. That’s right – go – and be nice to her. Being nice to people never does them any harm.

NATASHA. You’re so good, little father – why are you so good?

LUKA. Good, did you say? Well – call it that! [Behind the brick wall is heard soft singing and the sounds of a concertina] Some one has to be kind, girl – some one must pity people! Christ pitied everybody – and he said to us: “Go and do likewise!” I tell you – if you pity a man when he most needs it, good comes of it. Why – I used to be a watchman on the estate of an engineer near Tomsk – all right – the house was right in the middle of a forest – lonely place – winter came – and I remained all by myself. Well – one night I heard a noise —

NATASHA. Thieves?

LUKA. Exactly! Thieves creeping in! I took my gun – I went out. I looked and saw two of them opening a window – and so busy that they didn’t even see me. I yell: “Hey there – get out of here!” And they turn on me with their axes – I warn them to stand back, or I’d shoot – and as I speak, I keep on covering them with my gun, first the one, then the other – they go down on their knees, as if to implore me for mercy. And by that time I was furious – because of those axes, you see – and so I say to them: “I was chasing you, you scoundrels – and you didn’t go. Now you go and break off some stout branches!” – and they did so – and I say: “Now – one of you lie down and let the other one flog him!” So they obey me and flog each other – and then they begin to implore me again. “Grandfather,” they say, “for God’s sake give us some bread! We’re hungry!” There’s thieves for you, my dear! [Laughs] And with an ax, too! Yes – honest peasants, both of them! And I say to them, “You should have asked for bread straight away!” And they say: “We got tired of asking – you beg and beg – and nobody gives you a crumb – it hurts!” So they stayed with me all that winter – one of them, Stepan, would take my gun and go shooting in the forest – and the other, Yakoff, was ill most of the time – he coughed a lot.. and so the three of us together looked after the house.. then spring came.. “Good-bye, grandfather,” they said – and they went away – back home to Russia.

NATASHA. Were they escaped convicts?

LUKA. That’s just what they were – escaped convicts – from a Siberian prison camp.. honest peasants! If I hadn’t felt sorry for them – they might have killed me – or maybe worse – and then there would have been trial and prison and afterwards Siberia – what’s the sense of it? Prison teaches no good – and Siberia doesn’t either – but another human being can .. yes, a human being can teach another one kindness – very simply! [Pause]

BUBNOFF. Hm – yes – I, for instance, don’t know how to lie.. why – as far as I’m concerned, I believe in coming out with the whole truth and putting it on thick.. why fuss about it?

KLESHTCH [again jumps up as if his clothes were on fire, and screams] What truth? Where is there truth? [Tearing at his ragged clothes] Here’s truth for you! No work! No strength! That’s the only truth! Shelter – there’s no shelter! You die – that’s the truth! Hell! What do I want with the truth? Let me breathe! Why should I be blamed? What do I want with truth? To live – Christ Almighty! – they won’t let you live – and that’s another truth!

BUBNOFF. He’s mad!

LUKA. Dear Lord.. listen to me, brother —

KLESHTCH [trembling with excitement] They say: there’s truth! You, old man, try to console every one.. I tell you – I hate every one! And there’s your truth – God curse it – understand? I tell you – God curse it!

[Rushes away round the corner, turning as he goes.]

LUKA. Ah – how excited he got! Where did he run off to?

NATASHA. He’s off his head.

BUBNOFF. God – didn’t he say a whole lot, though? As if he was playing drama – he gets those fits often.. he isn’t used to life yet.

PEPEL [comes slowly round the corner] Peace on all this honest gathering! Well, Luka, you wily old fellow – still telling them stories?

LUKA. You should have heard how that fellow carried on!