Page:Plays by Anton Tchekoff (1916).djvu/45

ACT II

. My heart is bursting. It is awful. No matter, though. I must go.

[He goes out.

. [Knocks at the door] Dr. Astroff! Are you awake? Please come here for a minute.

. [Behind the door] In a moment.

''He appears in a few seconds. He has put on his collar and waistcoat''.

. What do you want?

. Drink as much as you please yourself, if you don’t find it revolting, but I implore you not to let my uncle do it. It is bad for him.

. Very well; we won’t drink any more. I am going home at once. That is settled. It will be dawn by the time the horses are harnessed.

. It is still raining; wait till morning.

. The storm is blowing over. This is only the edge of it. I must go. And please don’t ask me to come and see your father any more. I tell him he has gout, and he says it is rheumatism. I tell him to lie down, and he sits up. To-day he refused to see me at all.

. He has been spoilt. [She looks in the sideboard] Won’t you have a bite to eat?

. Yes, please. I believe I will.

. I love to eat at night. I am sure we shall find something in here. They say that he has made a great many conquests in his life, and that the women have spoiled him. Here is some cheese for you.

[They stand eating by the sideboard.

. I haven’t eaten anything to-day. Your father has a very difficult nature. [He takes a bottle out of the sideboard] May I? [He pours himself a glass of vodka] We are alone here, and I can speak frankly. Do you know, I could not stand living in this house for even a month? This atmos-