Pause.
Have you read Buckle?36
Pause.
I should like to distress you, Avdotya Fyodorovna, with a couple of words.
DUNYASHA. Go ahead.
YEPIKHODOV. I would be desirous to see you in private . . . (Sighs.)
DUNYASHA (embarrassed). All right . . . only first bring me my wrap . . .37 It’s next to the cupboard . . . it’s a bit damp here.
YEPIKHODOV. Yes, ma’am . . . I’ll fetch it, ma’am . . . . Now I know what I have to do with my revolver . . . (Takes the guitar and exits playing it.)
YASHA. Tons of Trouble! Pretty stupid, take it from me. (Yawns.)
DUNYASHA. God forbid he should shoot himself.
Pause.
I’ve got jittery, nervous all the time. Just a little girl, they brought me to the master’s house, now I’m out of touch with ordinary life, and my hands are white as white can be, like a young lady’s. I’ve got sensitive, so delicate, ladylike, afraid of every little thing . . . Awfully so. And, Yasha, if you deceive me, then I don’t know what’ll happen to my nerves.
YASHA (kisses her). Tasty little pickle! Of course, a girl ought to know how far to go, and if there’s one thing I hate, it’s a girl who misbehaves . . .
DUNYASHA. I love you ever so much, you’re educated, you can discuss anything.
Pause.
YASHA (yawns). Yes’m . . . The way I look at it, it’s like this: if a girl loves somebody, that means she’s immoral.
Pause.
Nice smoking a cigar in the fresh air . . . (Listening.) Someone’s coming this way . . . The masters . . .
DUNYASHA impulsively embraces him.
Go home, pretend you’d been to the river for a swim, take this bypath or you’ll run into them, and they’ll think I’ve been going out with you. I couldn’t stand that.
DUNYASHA (coughs quietly). Your cigar’s given me a headache . . . (Exits.)
YASHA remains, seated beside the shrine. Enter LYUBOV ANDREEVNA, GAEV, and LOPAKHIN.
LOPAKHIN. You’ve got to decide once and for all — time won’t stand still. The matter’s really simple, after all. Do you agree to rent land for cottages or not? Give me a one-word answer: yes or no? Just one word!
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. Who’s been smoking those revolting cigars around here . . . (Sits.)
GAEV. Now that there’s a railroad, things are convenient.38 (Sits.) You ride to town and have lunch . . . yellow to the center! I should go home first, play one game . . .
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. You’ll have time.
LOPAKHIN. Just one word! (Pleading.) Give me an answer!
GAEV (yawning). How’s that?
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA (looking into her purse). Yesterday I had lots of money, but today there’s very little left. My poor Varya feeds everybody milk soup to economize, in the kitchen the old people get nothing but beans, and somehow I’m spending recklessly . . . (Drops the purse, scattering gold coins.) Oh dear, they’ve spilled all over . . . (Annoyed.)
YASHA. Allow me, I’ll pick them up at once. (Gathers the money.)
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. That’s sweet of you, Yasha. And why did I go out to lunch . . . That nasty restaurant of yours with its music, the tablecloths smelt of soap . . . Why drink so much, Lyonya? Why eat so much? Why talk so much? Today in the restaurant you started talking a lot again and all beside the point. About the seventies, about the decadents.39 And who to? Talking to waiters about the decadents!
LOPAKHIN. Yes.
GAEV (waves his hand in dismissal). I’m incorrigible, it’s obvious . . . (Irritably, to Yasha.) What’s the matter, forever whirling around in front of us . . .
YASHA (laughing). I can’t hear your voice without laughing.
GAEV (to his sister). Either he goes or I do . . .
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. Go away, Yasha, run along . . .
YASHA (handing the purse to Lyubov Andreevna). I’ll go right now. (Barely keeping from laughing.) Right this minute . . .
Exits.
LOPAKHIN. Deriganov the rich man intends to purchase your estate. They says he’s coming to the auction in person.
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. Where did you hear that?
LOPAKHIN. They were talking about it in town.
GAEV. Our auntie in Yaroslavl promised to send something, but when or how much she’ll send, we don’t know . . .
LOPAKHIN. How much is she sending? A hundred thousand? Two hundred?
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. Well . . . around ten or fifteen thousand, and we’re glad to have it . . .
LOPAKHIN. Excuse me, such frivolous people as you, my friends, such unbusinesslike, peculiar people I’ve never run into before. Somebody tells you in plain words your estate is about to be sold, and you act as if you don’t understand.
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. But what are we supposed to do? Teach us, what?
LOPAKHIN. I teach you every day. Every day I tell you one and the same thing. Both the cherry orchard and the land have got to be leased as lots for cottages, do it right now, immediately—the auction is staring you in the face! Can’t you understand! Decide once and for all that there’ll be cottages, they’ll lend you as much money as you want, and then you’ll be saved.
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. Cottages and vacationers—it’s so vulgar, excuse me.
GAEV. I absolutely agree with you.
LOPAKHIN. I’ll burst into tears or scream or fall down in a faint. It’s too much for me! You’re torturing me to death! (To Gaev.) You old biddy!
GAEV. How’s that?
LOPAKHIN. Old biddy! (Starts to exit.)
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA (frightened). No, don’t go, stay, dovey . . . Please. Maybe we’ll think of something.
LOPAKHIN. What’s there to think about?
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. Don’t go, please. With you here somehow it’s more fun . . .
Pause.
I keep anticipating something, as if the house were about to collapse on top of us.
GAEV (rapt in thought). Off the cushion to the corner . . . doublette to the center . . .
LYUBOV ANDREEVNA. We’ve sinned so very much . . .
LOPAKHIN. What kind of sins have you got . . .
GAEV (pops a hard candy into his mouth). They say I’ve eaten up my whole estate in hard candies . . . (Laughs.)