BELIAYEV. What?
NATALYA PETROVNA. Stay, and may God be our judge! [She hides her head in her hands.]
BELIAYEV [goes swiftly to her and holds out his hands to her]. Natalya Petrovna. . . . [At that instant the garden door opens and RAKITIN appears in the doorway. He gazes at them for some time, then goes suddenly up to them.]
RAKITIN [in a loud voice']. They are looking for you everywhere, Natalya Petrovna. . . . [NATALYA PETROVNA and BELIAYEV look round.]
NATALYA PETROVNA [taking her hands from her face and seeming to come to herself]. Ah, it's you. . . . Who is looking for me? [BELIAYEV in confusion bows to NATALYA PETROVNA and is going out.] Are you going, Alexey Nikolaitch? . . . Don't forget, you know what. . . . [He bows to her a second time and goes out into the garden.]
RAKITIN. Arkady is looking for you. ... I must say I didn't expect to find you here . . . but as I passed by ...
NATALYA PETROVNA [with a smile']. You heard our voices. ... I met Alexey Nikolaitch here and have had a complete explanation with him. . . . To-day seems a day of explanations; but now we can go into the house. . . . [Goes towards door into corridor.,]
RAKITIN [with some emotion]. May I ask . . . what decision?
NATALYA PETROVNA [affecting surprise]. Decision? . . . I don't understand you.
RAKITIN [after a long pause, sadly]. If that's so, I understand.
NATALYA PETROVNA. Well, there it is.... Mysterious hints again! Oh, well, I have spoken to him and now everything is set right. ... It was all nonsense, exaggeration. . . . All you and I talked about was childish. It must be forgotten now.
RAKITIN. I am not asking you for explanations, Natalya Petrovna.
NATALYA PETROVNA [with forced ease]. What on earth was it I wanted to say to you. ... I don't remember. Never mind. Let us go. It's all at an end . . . it's over.
RAKITIN [looking at her intently]. Yes, it's all at an end. How vexed you must be with yourself now ... for your openness this morning. [She turns away.]
NATALYA PETROVNA. Rakitin. . . . [He glances at her again; she obviously does not know what to say.] You've not spoken to Arkady yet?
RAKITIN. No ... I haven't thought of anything yet.... You see I must make up some story. . , .
NATALYA PETROVNA. How insufferable it is! What do they want of me? I'm followed about at every step I take. Rakitin, I'm really conscience-stricken you should have . . .
RAKITIN. Oh, Natalya Petrovna, pray don't distress yourself. . . . Why, it's all in the natural order of things. But how obviously this is Mr. Beliayev's first experience! Why was he so embarrassed, why did he take to flight? . . . But with time ... [In an undertone] you will both learn to keep up appearances. . . . [Aloud.] Let us go.
[NATALYA PETROVNA is about to go up to him but stops short. At that instant ISLAYEV'S voice is heard in the garden: 'He went in here, you say?' and then ISLAYEV and SHPIGELSKY come in.]
ISLAYEV. To be sure . . . here he is. Well, well, well! And Natalya Petrovna too! [Going up to her.] How's this? The continuation of this morning's talk? It's evidently an important matter.
RAKITIN. I met Natalya Petrovna here as I walked.
ISLAYEV. Met her? [Looking round.] A queer place for a walk!
NATALYA PETROVNA. Well, you've walked in, too. . .
ISLAYEV. I came in because . . . [Breaks off.]
NATALYA PETROVNA. You were looking for me?
ISLAYEV [after a pause]. Yes--I was looking for you. Won't you come into the house? Tea's ready. It will soon be dark.
NATALYA PETROVNA [taking his arm]. Come along.
ISLAYEV [looking round]. This place might be turned into two good rooms for the gardeners--or another servants' hall--don't you think, Shpigelsky?
SHPIGELSKY. To be sure it could.
ISLAYEV. Let us go by the garden, Natasha. [Goes towards the garden door. Throughout the scene he has not once looked at RAKITIN. In the doorway he turns half round.'] Well, gentlemen. Let us go in to tea.
[Goes out with NATALYA PETROVNA.]
SHPIGELSKY [to RAKITIN]. Well, Mihail Alexandritch, come along. . . . Give me your arm. . . . It's clear we are destined to follow in the rear. . . .
RAKITIN [wrathfully]. Oh, Doctor, I'm sick of you.
SHPIGELSKY [with affected good-humour]. Ah, Mihail Alexandritch, if only you know how sick I am of myself! [RAKITIN cannot help smiling.] Come along, come along. [They go out into the garden.]
ACT V
[The scene is the same as in the 1st and 3rd Acts. Morning. ISLAYEV is sitting at the table looking through papers. He suddenly jumps up.]
ISLAYEV. No! impossible. I can't work to-day. I can't get it out of my mind. [Walks up and down.] I confess I didn't expect this; I didn't expect I should be so upset... as I am now. How is one to act? . . . that's the problem. [Ponders and suddenly shouts.'] Matvey!
MATVEY [entering]. Yes, Sir?
ISLAYEV. Send the bailiff to me. . . . And tell the men digging at the dam to wait for me. . . . Run along.
MATVEY. Yes, Sir. [Goes out.]
ISLAYEV [going back to the table and turning over the papers]. Yes . . . it's a problem!
ANNA SEMYONOVNA [comes in and goes up to ISLAYEV]. Arkasha. . . .
ISLAYEV. Ah! it's you, Mamma. How are you this morning?
ANNA SEMYONOVNA [sitting down on the sofa]. I'm quite well, thank God. [Sighs.] I'm quite well. [Sighs still more audibly.] Thank God. [Seeing that ISLAYEV is not attending to her, she sighs very emphatically, with a faint moan.]
ISLAYEV. You're sighing . .. what's the matter?
ANNA SEMYONOVNA [sighs again but less emphatically]. Oh! Arkasha, as though you don't know what makes me sigh!
ISLAYEV. What do you want to say?
ANNA SEMYONOVNA [after a pause]. I'm your mother, Arkasha. Of course you're a man, grown-up and sensible; but still--I'm your mother. It's a great word--mother!
ISLAYEV. Please explain.
ANNA SEMYONOVNA. You know what I am hinting at, my dear. Your wife, Natasha ... of course, she's an excellent woman . . . and her conduct hitherto has been most exemplary . . . but she is still so young, Arkasha! And youth... .
ISLAYEV. I see what you want to say. . . . You fancy her relations with Rakitin. . . .
ANNA SEMYONOVNA. God forbid! I never thought of such a thing.
ISLAYEV. You didn't let me finish. . . . You fancy her relations with Rakitin are not altogether . . . clear. These mysterious conversations, these tears--all strike you as strange.
ANNA SEMYONOVNA. Well, Arkasha, has he told you at last what their talks were about? . . . He has told me nothing.
ISLAYEV. I haven't asked him, Mamma, and he is apparently in no hurry to satisfy my curiosity.
ANNA SEMYONOVNA. Then what do you intend to do now?