Page:Plays by Antov Tchekoff (Scribner's, 1912).djvu/32



. [Pouring some tea into a glass] Take a little tea, my son.

. [Takes the glass from her unwillingly] Somehow, I don’t seem to want any.

. Then will you have a little vodka instead?

. No, I don’t drink vodka every day, and besides, it is too hot now. [A pause] Tell me, nurse, how long have we known each other?

. [Thoughtfully] Let me see, how long is it? Lord—help me to remember. You first came here, into our parts—let me think—when was it? Sonia’s mother was still alive—it was two winters before she died; that was eleven years ago—[thoughtfully] perhaps more.

. Have I changed much since then?

. Oh, yes. You were handsome and young then, and now you are an old man and not handsome any more. You drink, too.