CHOIR (sings). O Lord, have mercy. (Three times.)
DEACON. Let us also pray for our most devout, most autocratic Great Sovereign our Emperor Aleksandr Aleksandrovich of all the Russias, for his power, victory, well-being, peace, health, his salvation, and may our Lord God help and succor him in all things and humble beneath his feet all his foes and adversaries.
CHOIR (sings three times). O Lord, have mercy.
A groan. Movement in the crowd.
KOKOSHKINA. What’s going on? (To the lady beside her.) This is impossible, darling. They might at least open the doors . . . You could die from the heat.
IN THE CROWD. They’re taking her out, but she won’t let them . . . Who is she? Ssh!
DEACON. Let us also pray for his consort, the most devout sovereign lady, the Empress Mariya Fyodorovna . . .
CHOIR (sings). Lord, have mercy.
DEACON. Let us also pray for his heir, the true believer lord, tsarevich and Grand Duke Nikolay Aleksandrovich and all the imperial household.
CHOIR (sings). Lord, have mercy!
SABININ. Oh, my God . . .
OLENINA. What?
DEACON. Let us also pray for the most holy official Synod and our most reverend lord Theophilus, Bishop of Hither and Yon, and all our brothers in Christ.
CHOIR (sings). Lord, have mercy.
IN THE CROWD. Yesterday at the Hotel Europa some other woman poisoned herself.
—Yes. They say, some doctor’s wife.
— How come, do you know?
DEACON. Let us also pray for all their Christ-loving host . . .
CHOIR (sings). Lord, have mercy.
VOLGIN. It sounds like somebody’s crying . . . The public is really behaving indecently here.
DEACON. Let us also pray for our brethren, priests, and holy monks, and all our brothers in Christ.
CHOIR (sings). Lord, have mercy.
MATVEEV. The choirs are in splendid voice today.
COMIC ACTOR. Wish we had a few of those, Zakhar Ilyich!
MATVEEV. Is that all you want, jerkface!
Laughter.
Ssh!
DEACON. Let us also pray for the grace, life, peace, health, salvation to the devoted servants of God Pyotr and Vera.
CHOIR (sings). O Lord, have mercy!
DEACON. Let us also pray for the blessed . . .
IN THE CROWD. Yes, some doctor’s wife . . . at the hotel . . .
DEACON. . . . and never to be forgotten, most holy orthodox patriarchs . . .
IN THE CROWD. That’s the fourth one to pull a Tatyana Repina and poison herself. Try and explain these poisonings to me, my good man!
—A psychosis. Nothing else.
—Are they copycats, do you think?
DEACON. . . . and the devout tsars and true believing tsarinas, and the founders of this holy temple, and all the fathers and brothers who have gone before us . . .
IN THE CROWD. Suicide is contagious . . .
—The number of these female psychopaths that are turning up, it’s horrible!
— Ssh! Will you stop moving around!
DEACON. . . . Orthodox folk who lie here and everywhere.
IN THE CROWD. Stop yelling, please.
A groan.
CHOIR (sings). O Lord, have mercy!
IN THE CROWD. Repina poisoned the air with her suicide. All the young ladies have caught the contagion and gone crazy thinking they’ve been abused.
— Even the air in the church is poisoned. Can you feel the tension?
DEACON. Let us also pray for those who bring fruit and do good in this holy and reverend temple, for those who labor in the sweat of their brows, those who await Thy grace and compassion . . .
CHOIR (sings). O Lord, have mercy . . .
FR. IVAN. For a merciful God art Thou and one That loves mankind and to Thee we offer up glory, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, world without end.
CHOIR (sings). Amen.
SABININ. Kotelnikov!
KOTELNIKOV. What?
SABININ. Nothing . . . Oh my God . . . Tatyana Repina’s here . . . She’s here . . .
KOTELNIKOV. Have you gone out of your mind?
SABININ. The lady in black . . . that’s her. I recognized her . . . I saw . . .
KOTELNIKOV. There’s no resemblance . . . She’s just a brunette too and that’s all.
DEACON. Let us pray to the Lord!
KOTELNIKOV. Stop whispering to me, it’s indecent. You’re being watched . . .
SABININ. For heaven’s sake . . . I can hardly stand on my feet. It is her.
A groan.
CHOIR. O Lord, have mercy!
IN THE CROWD. Quiet! Ssh! People, who’s shoving at the back? Ssh!
—They’ve taken her behind a pillar . . .
— I can’t move anywhere what with all the ladies . . . They should stay at home!
SOMEONE (shouts). Quiet!
FR. IVAN (reads). O Lord our God, in Thy redemptive care, as in Cana of Galilee . . . (Casts a glance at the public.) What people, honestly . . . (Reads.) . . . Thou didst show marriage to be honorable by Thy presence . . . (Raising his voice.) Please be more quiet! You are preventing us from performing the sacrament! Don’t walk around the church, don’t engage in conversation, and don’t make noise, just stand quietly and pray to God. That’s right. You should be God-fearing. (Reads.) Our Lord God, in Thy redemptive care, as in Cana of Galilee, Thou didst show marriage to be honorable by Thy presence, do Thou now Thyself keep Thy servants Pyotr and Vera, whom Thou hast already been pleased to conjoin with one another, in peace and concord, consecrate their marriage also, watch that their bed be undefiled, vouchsafe that their cohabitation be blameless and bestow on them a venerable old age, with a pure heart, keeping Thy commandments. For Thou art our God, the God of mercy and salvation, we offer up glory to Thee, with Thine eternal father, and with Thine all-holy and good and life-endowing spirit, now and forever, world without end.
DIOCESAN CHOIR (sings). Amen.
SABININ (to Kotelnikov). Did they go and tell the police not to let anybody in . . .
KOTELNIKOV. Who else can they let in? The church is packed to the rafters. Shut up . . . stop whispering.
SABININ. She . . . Tatyana’s here.
KOTELNIKOV. You’re raving. She’s lying in her grave.
DEACON. Succor us, save us, have mercy on us and preserve us, God, by Thy grace abounding!
CATHEDRAL CHOIR (sings). Lord, have mercy.
DEACON. That all the day may be perfect, holy, peaceful, and without sin we pray the Lord . . .
CATHEDRAL CHOIR (sings). Grant it, O Lord.
DEACON. For an angel of peace, a true preceptor, a preserver of our souls and bodies we pray the Lord.