Delphi Complete Works of Anton Chekhov (Illustrated) (370 page)

SCENE VI.

PLATONOV and ANNA PETROVNA (who enters in rid- in g-habit, and whip in her hand).

PLATONOV. Anna Petrovna!

ANNA PETROVNA.
HOW am I to get at him? Should I knock? (Seeing Platonov.) You here? How does that happen? I knew that you weren’t yet asleep... How can one sleep now? God had created winter for sleep... Good-evening, man! (Gives him her hand.) Well? What’s up? Your hand, please!

PLATONOV (stretches forward his hand).

ANNA PETROVNA. You’re not drunk?

PLATONOV. The devil knows! I’m either sober, or drunk, like the most hopeless drunkard... And what are you up to? Are you taking an airing, most esteemed somnambulist?

ANNA PETROVNA (sitting down beside him). N . . . yes-s . . . Yes, dearest Mikhail Vassilyitch! (Sings.) How much gladness, how much sorrow . . . (Laughs.) What large, astonished eyes! Don’t be afraid, my friend!

PLATONOV. I’m not afraid . . . not for myself, at all events... (Pause.) I see you’ve taken to nonsense.

ANNA PETROVNA. Blame it on old age...

PLATONOV. Old women may be forgiven... But you are no old woman! You are young, as the summer in June. Your life’s before you.

ANNA PETROVNA. I must have life now, and not the life before me. And I am young, Platonov, terribly young! I feel it... Devilishly young, I tell you... (Pause.)

PLATONOV. [What do you want from me?] (Jumps up.) [What do you want from me?] I don’t want to understand, or guess, or surmise. ... I don’t want anything! Go! Call me a boor, only leave me in peace! I implore you! H’m . . . Why do you look at me like that? You . . . you’d better think it over. . . .

ANNA PETROVNA. I’ve already done so.

PLATONOV. Just think it over, you proud, intelligent, lovely woman! Where and why you’ve come here! Ah . . .

ANNA PETROVNA. I’ve come with all speed! Pve come on horse-back, my dear! (Laughs.)

PLATONOV. With such a mind, with such beauty, youth ... to me? Neither my eyes nor my ears can believe it... So you’ve come to conquer, to take possession of the fortress! But I’m not a fortress! Y)u couldn’t have come to conquer. ... I am weakness itself, terrible weakness! Understand me!

ANNA PETROVNA (rises and comes near him). Self- abasement comes after pride... What is it to be, Misha dear? There must be some end to this. You yourself must see that. . . .

PLATONOV. I can’t end something which I didn’t begin!

ANNA PETROVNA. YOU with your loathsome philosophy! Aren’t you ashamed to lie? In such a night, and under such a sky ... to tell lies! Lie, if you must, in the Autumn, when the mud is thick, but not now, not here... You are being overheard, you are being overseen... Look up, strange man, at the sky! (Pause.) The stars blink at your lies! Enough, my dear! Now be good, as all this is good. Don’t destroy the mood of this marvellous silence... Defeat your devils! (Embraces him with one arm.) There’s no one else whom I might love as I love you! There’s no woman whom you might love as you love me... Just take love alone, and let the rest go! (Kisses him.) Take love alone...

PLATONOV. Odysseus was worthy of being sung to by the Sirens, but I’m not Odysseus, oh, Siren! (Embraces her.) If I could only give you happiness! How lovely you are! But I’ll not give you happiness! I’ll give you what I’ve given to all women who have flung themselves on my neck... I’ll give you misery!

ANNA PETROVNA. YOU think too much of yourself! Are you, really, as terrible as all that, Don Juan? (Laughs.) How nice you are in the moonlight! Quite handsome!

PLATONOV. I know myself! Only those romances end well in which I don’t appear...

ANNA PETROVNA. Let’s sit here. (They sit down on the railway bed.) What else have you to say, philosopher?

PLATONOV. If I were an honest man, I would run away from you. ... I had a presentiment of this tonight... Wretch that I am, why didn’t I run away?

ANNA PETROVNA. Defeat your devils, Misha! Don’t let them poison you. ... A woman has come to you, not a wild beast... What a face you make! Fie! If you’re not pleased, I’ll go away... Do you want me to? (Laughs.) You silly! Take, seize, grasp... What more do you want? Act as if you were smoking a cigarette. Smoke to the end, then take the stub and cast it aside. ... Be a man! (Teasingly.) How absurd you are!

PLATONOV. [Don’t I know why your eyes sparkle? You want happiness, the triumph of youth, passion, fire... The courageous and honest words of love.] . . . Are you really mine? Were you created for me? (Kisses her hands.) Go to another, my dear... Go to him who is worthy of you...

ANNA PETROVNA. Oh! You’ve talked enough nonsense! Why, it’s very simple: a woman has come to you . . . she loves you, and you love her... The weather is lovely... What could be more simple?

Where does philosophy come in? Or politics? Or do you want to show off?

PLATONOV. H’m . . . (Rising.) But suppose you came to sport with me, play the wanton? Then what? I’ll not let you play with me! I’ll not enter into any petty intrigue... (Seizes his head in his hands.) To respect and love you, and at the same time . . . that’s pettiness, vulgarity, a plebeian game!

ANNA PETROVNA (coming close to him). You love and respect me. Why, then, tormented soul, do you bargain with me, and say such insolent things to me? Where does “suppose” come in here? I love you... I’ve told you, and you know yourself, that I love you... What more do you want? I want peace... (She puts her head on his breast.) Peace... Please, once and for all, understand me! I want to rest ... to forget and nothing more... You don’t know... You don’t know how hard my life is, and I . . . want to live!

PLATONOV. I shan’t be able to give you peace!

ANNA PETROVNA. If you only weren’t able to philosophize! . . . Live! Everything lives, moves... There is life all around us... Let us also live! Tomorrow we’ll solve problems, but today, in this night, let us live, live... Live, Misha! (Pause.)

PLATONOV (seizing her hand). Listen! . . . For the last time ... I speak as an honest man... Go away! For the last time! Go away!

ANNA PETROVNA (laughing). Are you joking? Don’t be silly, man! I’ll not leave you now! (Flings herself on his neck.) Do you hear? For the last time I tell you: I’ll not let you go? No matter what happens! You may ruin me, you may perish yourself; I stay here! To live! Tra-ta-ta-ta . . . ra-ra-ra . . . Why do you try to get away, you strange man? You are mine! Now fire away with your philosophy!

PLATONOV. Once more ... As an honest man . . .

ANNA PETROVNA. I have not taken with honour, I will take by force... Love me if you love me . . . and don’t make yourself out to be a fool! Tra- ta-ta-ta . . . Ring, bells of triumph! Come to me, come to me! (Flings a black kerchief over his head.) Come to me!

PLATONOV. TO you? (Laughs.) You silly woman! You don’t know your own good... You’ll end up by crying! I shan’t be your husband, because you were not made for me, and I shan’t allow you to play with me... We’ll see who’ll do the playing with the other... We’ll see...

ANNA PETROVNA (laughing). Allons! (Takes his arm.) Wait... Someone’s coming. Let’s get behind the tree... (They hide behind a tree.) It’s someone in a frock-coat, not a peasant... Why don’t you write leaders for the newspapers? You ought to write well... [If you like, I’ll give you a letter to an editor, whom I happen to know... I’m not joking. . . .]

(Enter Triletzky.)

SCENE VII.

The SAME and TRILETZKY.

TRILETZKY (knocking on a schoolhouse window). Sasha! Little sister! Sasha!

SASHA (opening the window). Who’s there? It’s you, Kolya! What do you want?

TRILETZKY. Aren’t you yet asleep? Let me in, darling, for a night’s shelter!

SASHA. Of course!

TRILETZKY. YOU can put me in the class-room... And please don’t tell Misha I’m here . . . he’ll keep me up with his philosophy! My head goes round. I’m seeing double... I’m seeing two windows. Through which one shall I get in? It’s well I’m not married, or I’d imagine I was a bigamist.

•
             
. . And you have two heads on your two necks! That reminds me: near the tree stump, by the river •
        
. . that is, I sneezed there, and when I drew out my handkerchief I dropped forty roubles... Do get there early tomorrow, and pick them up... Have a good look round... You may keep them. . . .

SASHA. Most likely the carpenters will pick up the money at dawn... What a clown you are, Kolya!

Oh, yes! I’d almost forgotten . . . The shopkeeper’s wife was here and begged you to come and see her husband as soon as ever you can... He was suddenly taken ill... Had a stroke or something... Go quickly!

TRILETZKY. God be with him! How can I ... I myself have pains in the head and in the stomach . . . (Climbs through the window.) Stand to one side. . . .

SASHA. Come, be quick! You’ve caught me with your foot... (Shuts the window.)

PLATONOV. The devils are sending someone else here!

ANNA PETROVNA. Don’t move.

PLATONOV. Don’t hold on to me... I’ll do what I like! Who’s coming?

ANNA PETROVNA. Petrin and Stcherbook. (Enter Pe- trin and Stcherbook reeling, without their frock-coats. The first is wearing a black top-hat, the other a grey.)

SCENE VIII.

VENGEROVITCH II (in the depth of the scene),

PLATONOV,

ANNA PETROVNA, PETRIN and STCHERBOOK.

PETRIN. Hurrah! Hurrah! Where’s the road? Where have we come to? What’s this? (Laughs.) Here, dear Paul, is the place of national education! Here they teach fools to forget God and cheat folk! That’s where we’ve got to... H’m . . . So . . . Here, brother, is he who . . . how’s he called? Oh, yes, Plat-tonov... Platty ... a civilized man... Paul, where’s Platty now? Tell me, don’t be ashamed! D’you think he’s singing a duet with the general’s widow? Oh, God, it’s your will... (Shouts.) Glagolyev’s a fool! She snubbed him, and he had a stroke!

STCHERBOOK. I want to go home, Gerasya. ... I feel terribly sleepy. . . .

PETRIN. Where are our frock-coats, Paul? We’re going to the station-master’s for the night, and we haven’t our coats... (Laughs.) The girls have taken them, eh? Oh, you cavalier, cavalier! (Sighs.) Ah, Paul . . . did you drink champagne? Anyhow, you’re drunk... D’you know whose champagne you drank? Mine! What you drank was mine, and what you ate was mine... The widow’s frock is mine, and her Sergey’s socks are mine . . . all’s mine! They got it all from me! And the heels on my own boots are all askew. ... I gave them everything, and what have I received in return? They thumbed their noses at me, that’s all! Yes . . .

PLATONOV. I’m sick of this!

ANNA PETROVNA. Don’t . . . They’ll leave in a minute! What a beast, this Petrin! How he lies! And the old rag with him believes . . . PETRIN. The Jew gets more respect . . . The Jew’s at the head, while we’re at the feet . . . Why? Because the Jew hands out more money . . . From now on, not another penny! I’ll protest my note! Tomorrow! I’ll shove her ungrateful head into the mud!

[PLATONOV (walking up to them). Get out! PETRIN. What?

PLATONOV. Get out!

PETRIN. Why be angry? It’s not necessary to be angry! Where’s the road here? There it is! Good-bye, Mr. Platonov! Did you hear me abuse her?

PLATONOV. Yes, I heard you.

PETRIN. Don’t say a word to her! I’ve only joked. ... I said to Paul . . .

PLATONOV. Good . . . Only get out! I say, Gerasim Kuzmitch . . . If I see you again at the Voinitzevs, or if I hear say but a single word about the sixteen thousand, you old scoundrel, then . . . I’ll throw you out of the window! ]

[PETRIN. I understand, young man! . . . Take me, Paul, by the arm! You’re my one friend... (They go.)]