Page:Plays by Anton Tchekoff (1916).djvu/37

ACT II

been old I have been hateful to myself, and I am sure, hateful to you all as well.

. You speak as if we were to blame for your being old.

. I am more hateful to you than to any one.

gets up and walks away from him, sitting down at a distance.

. You are quite right, of course. I am not an idiot; I can understand you. You are young and healthy and beautiful, and longing for life, and I am an old dotard, almost a dead man already. Don’t I know it? Of course I see that it is foolish for me to live so long, but wait! I shall soon set you all free. My life cannot drag on much longer.

. You are overtaxing my powers of endurance. Be quiet, for God’s sake!

. It appears that, thanks to me, everybody’s power of endurance is being overtaxed; everybody is miserable, only I am blissfully triumphant. Oh, yes, of course?

. Be quiet! You are torturing me.

. I torture everybody. Of course.

. [Weeping] This is unbearable! Tell me, what is it you want me to do?

. Nothing.

. Then be quiet, please.

. It is funny that everybody listens to Ivan and his old idiot of a mother, but the moment I open my lips you all begin to feel ill-treated. You can’t even stand the sound of my voice. Even if I am hateful, even if I am a selfish tyrant, haven’t I the right to be one at my age? Haven’t I deserved it? Haven’t I, I ask you, the right to be respected, now that I am old?

. No one is disputing your rights. [The window slams in the wind] The wind is rising, I must shut the window.