Act I - Page 2

again, my conscience tortured me as if I had killed the man. I sat down and closed my eyes--like this--and thought: will our descendants two hundred years from now, for whom we are breaking the road, remember to give us a kind word? No, nurse, they will forget.

MARINA
Man is forgetful, but God remembers.

ASTROFF
Thank you for that. You have spoken the truth.

Enter VOITSKI from the house. He has been asleep after dinner and looks rather dishevelled. He sits down on the bench and straightens his collar.

VOITSKI
H'm. Yes. [A pause] Yes.

ASTROFF
Have you been asleep?

VOITSKI
Yes, very much so. [He yawns] Ever since the Professor and his wife have come, our daily life seems to have jumped the track. I sleep at the wrong time, drink wine, and eat all sorts of messes for luncheon and dinner. It isn't wholesome. Sonia and I used to work together and never had an idle moment, but now Sonia works alone and I only eat and drink and sleep. Something is wrong.

MARINA
[Shaking her head] Such a confusion in the house! The Professor gets up at twelve, the samovar is kept boiling all the morning, and everything has to wait for him. Before they came we used to have dinner at one o'clock, like everybody else, but now we have it at seven. The Professor sits up all night writing and reading, and suddenly, at two o'clock, there goes the bell! Heavens, what is that? The Professor wants some tea! Wake the servants, light the samovar! Lord, what disorder!

ASTROFF
Will they be here long?

VOITSKI
A hundred years! The Professor has decided to make his home here.

MARINA
Look at this now! The samovar has been on the table for two hours, and they are all out walking!

VOITSKI
All right, don't get excited; here they come.

Voices are heard approaching. SEREBRAKOFF, HELENA, SONIA, and TELEGIN come in from the depths of the garden, returning from their walk.

SEREBRAKOFF
Superb! Superb! What beautiful views!

TELEGIN
They are wonderful, your Excellency.

SONIA
To-morrow we shall go into the woods, shall we, papa?

VOITSKI
Ladies and gentlemen, tea is ready.

SEREBRAKOFF
Won't you please be good enough to send my tea into the library? I still have some work to finish.

SONIA
I am sure you will love the woods.

HELENA, SEREBRAKOFF, and SONIA go into the house. TELEGIN sits down at the table beside MARINA.

VOITSKI
There goes our learned scholar on a hot, sultry day like this, in his overcoat and goloshes and carrying an umbrella!

ASTROFF
He is trying to take good care of his health.

VOITSKI
How lovely she is! How lovely! I have never in my life seen a more beautiful woman.

TELEGIN
Do you know, Marina, that as I walk in the