Complete Works of Anton Chekhov

SCENE VIII.

OSSIP and VENGEROVITCH I.

VENGEROVITCH i (comes out of the house). Who called me?

OSSIP (quickly taking his hat off). It’s I, Your Worship!

VASSILY (rises to his feet, then sits down on a form and weeps).

VENGEROVITCH I. What do you want?

OSSIP. You made inquiries for me at the tavern. So here I’ve come.

VENGEROVITCH i. To be sure. Couldn’t you find a better place?

OSSIP. For good people, Your Excellency, every place is good.

VENGEROVITCH i. I have need of you... Let’s go elsewhere. There’s a form over there. (They go to the form standing in the depth of the scene.) Stand a little way off from me, so that it won’t look as if you talked with me... Thus! Did the tavern- keeper, Liov Solomonitch, send you here?

OSSIP. Quite so.

VENGEROVITCH I. Really . . . it’s not you I wanted, but . . . well, what’s one to do? I shouldn’t like dealing with you... You’re such a wicked man. . . .

OSSIP. Very wicked! The worst on earth. [Abram Abramitch, you surely aren’t in want of good peo- pie!]

VENGEROVITCH I. Not so loud, please! It’s terrible how much money I’ve given you! You don’t seem to appreciate it any more than if it were a stone or some useless object... You allow yourself such insolences, and you’re always thieving. ... So you turn away? The truth doesn’t please you?

OSSIP. I’m not worried about your truth, Your Excellency. Did you call me here only to lecture me?

VENGEROVITCH i. Not so loud, please! . . . Do you know Platonov?

OSSIP. The teacher? Why shouldn’t I know him?

VENGEROVITCH I. Yes, the teacher. The teacher who teaches only how to abuse. How much will you take to cripple this same teacher?

OSSIP. What d’you mean, cripple him?

VENGEROVITCH I. I don’t want you to kill him, but only cripple him. ... It isn’t necessary to kill people... Why kill them? Murder is such a . . . well . . . But to cripple is to beat him up so that he’ll remember it for the rest of his life...

OSSIP. I can manage that.

VENGEROVITCH I. Just break a bone or two. Put a blemish or two on his face... How much will you take? Tsss . . . Someone’s coming... Let’s go a little farther . . . (They go into the depth of the scene. Platonov and Grekova come out of the house.)