Complete Works of Anton Chekhov

SCENE I .

SOFYA EGOROVNA AND

PLATONOV.

PLATONOV (sleeping on the divan, by the window, his face covered with a straw hat).

SOFYA EGOROVNA (waking Platonov). Platonov! Mikhail Vassilyitch! (Shakes him.) Wake up! Misha! (Removes the hat from his face.) How can you put such a filthy hat on your face? Fie, what a slovenly, dirty man! He’s lost his shirt studs, and he sleeps with exposed breast, unwashed, and in a dirty shirt... Misha! I’m talking to you! Get up!

PLATONOV. Ah?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Wake up!

PLATONOV. Later... Very well. . . .

SOFYA EGOROVNA. You’ve slept enough! Get up!

PLATONOV. Who is it? (Raising his head.) Is it you, Sofya?

SOFYA EGOROVNA (showing him the watch). Look!

PLATONOV. Very well... (hies down again.)

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Platonov!

PLATONOV. What do you want? (Raises himself.) Well?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Look at the time!

PLATONOV. What of it? Here you are again, Sofya, with your whims!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Yes, I’m here again with my whims, Mikhail Vassilyitch! Please look at the watch! What’s the time?

PLATONOV. Half past seven!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Half past seven... Have you forgotten your promise?

PLATONOV. What promise? Speak clearly, Sofya! I’m neither disposed to joke today, nor solve nonsensical riddles!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. What promise? And so you’ve forgotten! What’s the matter with you? Your eyes are red, you look seedy... Are you ill? {Pause.) Your promise was to show up at the cottage at six o’clock! Have you forgotten? The hour is long past. . . .

PLATONOV. What then?

SOFYA EGOROVNA (sitting down beside him). Aren’t you ashamed? Why didn’t you come? You gave your word of honour. . . .

PLATONOV. I should have kept it too if I hadn’t fallen asleep... You saw that I was asleep. Why do you keep at it?

SOFYA EGOROVNA (shaking her head). You’re wholly without a conscience! Why do you look so spitefully at me? You surely haven’t shown much conscience in your relations with me... Think it over. . . .

Have you shown up even once when you promised? How many times have you broken your word?

PLATONOV. I am very glad to hear it!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. That’s not clever of you, Platonov. It’s shameful! Why are you ceasing to be noble and intelligent when I’m with you? Why are you acting in plebeian fashion, unworthy of a man to whom I’m obligated for a renewal of my spiritual life? Nowadays you conduct yourself before me like some monstrosity... Neither a single tender look, nor a tender word, and not one word of love! I come to you, and you reek of wine, you’re attired abominably, you’re unkempt, you answer rudely and irrelevantly.

PLATONOV (jumpingup and pacing back and forth). She’s come!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Are you drunk?

PLATONOV. What business is it of yours?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. HOW nice this is! (Weeps.)

PLATONOV. Oh, women!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Don’t talk to me about women! A thousand times a day you talk to me about them! I’m tired of it! (She rises.) What are you doing with me? I am ill because of you! Day and night I have a pain in my breast, by your grace! You don’t see it? You don’t want to know it! You loathe me! If you really loved me, you’d not dare to treat me like this! I’m not some common wench. ... I won’t allow anyone to . . . (Sits down.) For God’s sake! (Weeps.)

PLATONOV. Enough!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Why are you killing me? Not three weeks have passed by since that night, and look at me! Pm as thin as a rail! Where’s the happiness you promised me? How is it all going to end? Just think it over, if you’re an honest, noble, intelligent man! Think it over, Platonov, before it’s too late! Begin now. ... Sit down on this chair, chuck everything out of your head, and just reflect on one thing} what you’re going to do with me.

PLATONOV. I can’t think. (Pause.) You just think it over. (Approaches her.) Yes, think it over! Pve deprived you of family, welfare, future... Why? With what object? Pve robbed you, as if I were your worst enemy! What can I give you? How can I pay you for your sacrifices? This illegal knot is your un- happiness, your ruin! (He sits down.)

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Pve entered into a union with you, and you dare to call it an illegal knot!

PLATONOV. Eh-h . . . It’s no time for quibbling! You have your outlook on this union, I have mine... I’ve ruined you, that’s all there’s to it! And not you alone... Just wait and hear the song your husband will sing when he finds out!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. You’re afraid of what he’ll do to you?

PLATONOV. I’m not afraid of that... But I’m afraid that it’ll kill him. . . .

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Why, then, you faint-hearted man, did you come to me, if you knew that it would kill him?

PLATONOV. Please don’t make it so pathetic! And why did you ... In any case . . . (Makes a helpless gesture with his hand.) To talk with you is only to make you cry. . . .

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Yes, yes ... I never cried before I came to you! But tremble! He already knows!

PLATONOV. What!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. He already knows.

PLATONOV (rising to his feet). He?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Yes, he. ... I told him about it today. . . .

PLATONOV. You’re joking...

SOFYA EGOROVNA. You are pale! I ought to hate you instead of loving you! I went out of mind. ... I don’t know for what... Why do I love you? And he already knows! (Catching his sleeve.) Tremble, then tremble! He knows everything! I swear to you on my honour, he knows everything! Tremble!

PLATONOV. Impossible! That’s impossible. (Pause.)

SOFYA EGOROVNA. He knows everything. ... It had to be done sooner or later!

PLATONOV. Then why don’t you tremble? What did you tell him?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. I told him that I had already . . . that I couldn’t . . .

PLATONOV. What did he do?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. He looked like you... He was frightened! Your face at this moment looks unbearable!

PLATONOV. What did he say?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. He thought at first I was joking. But when he was convinced to the contrary, he grew pale, then tottered, began to cry, to crawl on his knees before me... His face was as repulsive as yours is now!

PLATONOV. What have you done, you insolent woman? (Presses his hands to his head.) You’ve killed him! How can you, how dare you speak so coldbloodedly? You’ve killed him! Did you . . . name me. . . .

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Yes. ... I couldn’t have done it otherwise.

PLATONOV. What did he say?

SOFYA EGOROVNA (springing to her feet). Isn’t it time you showed some sense of shame, Platonov? You don’t know what you’re saying! You seem to think I shouldn’t have told!

PLATONOV. It wasn’t necessary! (Flings himself on the divan, face down.)

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Honest man, what are you saying?

PLATONOV. It would have been more honest not to say anything. This will kill him! We’ve killed him!

So he cried, and crawled on his knees... Ah! (He springs to his feet.) Unhappy man! If it were not for you, he’d never have known of our union . . . not if we waited until he died!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. I was obliged to have an explanation with him. I’m an honest woman.

PLATONOV. Do you know what you’ve done? You’ve parted with your husband forever!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Yes, forever... Could it have been otherwise? Platonov, you’re a scoundrel to talk like that!

PLATONOV. Forever... What will become of you when we part company? And we shall part soon! You’ll be the first to see the mistake you’ve made, you’ll be the first to open your eyes... You yourself will want to leave me! ... In any case . . . do as you like, Sofya! You are more honest and intelligent than I . . . take this badly cooked stew into your hands! ... I leave it to you to say and to do! Resurrect me from the dead, if you can! Raise me to my feet! Only be quick, for God’s sake, or I’ll go out of my mind!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. We leave here tomorrow.

PLATONOV. Yes, yes . . . The sooner the better!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. It’s necessary to take you away from here... I’ve written about you to mother. We’ll go to her. . . .

PLATONOV. Where you like! I leave it to you!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Misha! We shall start our new life... Please understand that! . . . Listen to me, Mikhail! Leave it all to me! My mind is fresher than yours. Believe me, my dear! I will raise you to your feet! I’ll take you where there’s more light, where there’s none of this filth, this dust, this laziness. ... I shall make a human being of you... I shall give you happiness! Yes, understand me... (Pause.) I shall make a worker of you! We shall be human beings, Mikhail! We shall eat our own bread, we shall earn it by the sweat of our brows... (Puts her head, on his breast.) I mean to work, Misha. . . .

PLATONOV. Where will you work? There are stronger women than you, and even they act like lazy animals! You don’t know how to work. Tell me what you will do? Our situation, Sofya, demands that we discuss the matter sanely and not try to console ourselves with illusions. . . .

SOFYA EGOROVNA. You’ll see! I know the strong women you have in mind, but I’m stronger than they... Believe me, Mikhail! I shall light up your path! You’ve resurrected me from the dead, and all my life shall be an expression of my gratitude... Shall we leave tomorrow? Yes? I’m leaving now. ... I must prepare for the journey... You too get ready... Come to the cottage at ten, and bring your things... You’ll come?

PLATONOV. I’ll come.

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Give me your word of honour that you’ll come!

PLATONOV. Ah-a-a-a . . . I’ve already given it!

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Your word of honour!

PLATONOV. Here’s my word! . . . I’ll come!

SOFYA EGOROVNA {laughing). I believe! I believe! Come even earlier... I’ll be ready before ten... We’ll travel by night! We’ll live yet, Mikhail! You don’t understand your own happiness, you stupid man! I mean, our life, our happiness! Tomorrow you’ll be another man! We’ll breathe new air; new blood shall course through our veins... (Laughs.) Say good-bye to the decrepit man! Here’s my hand! Press it hard! (Gives him her hand.)

PLATONOV (kisses her hand).

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Just wait, you clumsy man! I’ll look for you. Don’t get into a funk! Good-bye until later! I’ll get ready in good time! (Kisses him.)

PLATONOV. Good-bye... Did you say eleven or ten?

SOFYA EGOROVNA. Ten... Come even earlier! Good-bye! Dress a bit decently for the journey... (Laughs.) I have money in my purse too... We’ll sup on the way... Good-bye! I must be off and get ready. ... Be cheerful now! I’ll look for you at ten! (Runs away.)

hard, boorish, rude fellow! If this letter, too, goes unanswered, then I shall appear at your place in person, the devil take you! I’ve waited a whole day for you. That’s stupid of you, Platonov! One might think that you are ashamed of that night. Let’s forget it, if it appears so banal to you! Sergey and Sofya are conducting themselves very poorly . . . it’s the end of their honeymoon too. And all because a certain eloquent little blockhead hasn’t been around. Good-bye!” {Pause.) What handwriting! So precise, yet so bold... Commas, periods, the t’s crossed and the i’s dotted . . . everything’s in its place. ... A woman writing so accurately is a rare phenomenon... (Enter Marko.) I suppose I’ll have to write her a letter, or else she’ll show up here... {Seeing Marko.) An apparition. . . .