LVOFF.Who has given you the right to insult my sense of honour?
You have maddened and poisoned my soul.Before I came to this place I knew that stupid,crazy,deluded people existed,but Inever imagined that any one could be so criminal as to turn his mind deliberately in the direction of wickedness.I loved and esteemed humanity then,but since I have known you--IVANOFF.I have heard all that before.
LVOFF.You have,have you?
He goes out,shrugging his shoulders.He sees SASHA,who comes in at this moment dressed for riding.
LVOFF.Now,however,I hope that we can understand one another!
IVANOFF.[Startled]Oh,Sasha,is that you?
SASHA.Yes,it is I.How are you?You didn't expect me,did you?
Why haven't you been to see us?
IVANOFF.Sasha,this is really imprudent of you!Your coming will have a terrible effect on my wife!
SASHA.She won't see me;I came in by the back entrance;I shall go in a minute.I am so anxious about you.Tell me,are you well?
Why haven't you been to see us for such a long time?
IVANOFF.My wife is offended already,and almost dying,and now you come here;Sasha,Sasha,this is thoughtless and unkind of you.
SASHA.How could I help coming?It is two weeks since you were at our house,and you have not answered my letters.I imagined you suffering dreadfully,or ill,or dead.I have not slept for nights.I am going now,but first tell me that you are well.
IVANOFF.No,I am not well.I am a torment to myself,and every one torments me without end.I can't stand it!And now you come here.How morbid and unnatural it all is,Sasha.I am terribly guilty.
SASHA.What dreadful,pitiful speeches you make!So you are guilty,are you?Tell me,then,what is it you have done?
IVANOFF I don't know;I don't know!
SASHA.That is no answer.Every sinner should know what he is guilty of.Perhaps you have been forging money?
IVANOFF.That is stupid.
SASHA.Or are you guilty because you no longer love your wife?
Perhaps you are,but no one is master of his feelings,and you did not mean to stop loving her.Do you feel guilty because she saw me telling you that I love you?No,that cannot be,because you did not want her to see it--IVANOFF.[Interrupting her]And so on,and so on!First you say Ilove,and then you say I don't;that I am not master of my feelings.All these are commonplace,worn-out sentiments,with which you cannot help me.
SASHA.It is impossible to talk to you.[She looks at a picture on the wall]How well those dogs are drawn!Were they done from life?
IVANOFF.Yes,from life.And this whole romance of ours is a tedious old story;a man loses heart and begins to go down in the world;a girl appears,brave and strong of heart,and gives him a hand to help him to rise again.Such situations are pretty,but they are only found in novels and not in real life.
SASHA.No,they are found in real life too.
IVANOFF.Now I see how well you understand real life!My sufferings seem noble to you;you imagine you have discovered in me a second Hamlet;but my state of mind in all its phases is only fit to furnish food for contempt and derision.My contortions are ridiculous enough to make any one die of laughter,and you want to play the guardian angel;you want to do a noble deed and save me.Oh,how I hate myself to-day!I feel that this tension must soon be relieved in some way.Either Ishall break something,or else--
SASHA.That is exactly what you need.Let yourself go!Smash something;break it to pieces;give a yell!You are angry with me,it was foolish of me to come here.Very well,then,get excited about it;storm at me;stamp your feet!Well,aren't you getting angry?
IVANOFF.You ridiculous girl!
SASHA.Splendid!So we are smiling at last!Be kind,do me the favour of smiling once more!
IVANOFF.[Laughing]I have noticed that whenever you start reforming me and saving my soul,and teaching me how to be good,your face grows *****,oh so *****,and your eyes grow as wide as if you were looking at a comet.Wait a moment;your shoulder is covered with dust.[He brushes her shoulder]A ***** man is nothing better than a fool,but you women contrive to be ***** in such a way that in you it seems sweet,and gentle,and proper,and not as silly as it really is.What a strange way you have,though,of ignoring a man as long as he is well and happy,and fastening yourselves to him as soon as he begins to whine and go down-hill!Do you actually think it is worse to be the wife of a strong man than to nurse some whimpering invalid?
SASHA.Yes,it is worse.
IVANOFF.Why do you think so?[Laughing loudly]It is a good thing Darwin can't hear what you are saying!He would be furious with you for degrading the human race.Soon,thanks to your kindness,only invalids and hypochondriacs will be born into the world.
SASHA.There are a great many things a man cannot understand.Any girl would rather love an unfortunate man than a fortunate one,because every girl would like to do something by loving.A man has his work to do,and so for him love is kept in the background.To talk to his wife,to walk with her in the garden,to pass the time pleasantly with her,that is all that love means to a man.But for us,love means life.I love you;that means that I dream only of how I shall cure you of your sadness,how Ishall go with you to the ends of the earth.If you are in heaven,I am in heaven;if you are in the pit,I am in the pit.For instance,it would be the greatest happiness for me to write all night for you,or to watch all night that no one should wake you.