Act III

The same hut. Winter. Nine months have passed since Act II. ANÍSYA,
plainly dressed, sits before a loom weaving. NAN is on the oven.

MÍTRITCH (an old laborer, enters and slowly takes off his outdoor
things). Oh Lord, have mercy! Well, hasn't the master come home yet?

ANÍSYA. What?

MÍTRITCH. Nikíta isn't back from town, is he?

ANÍSYA. No.

MÍTRITCH. Must have been on the spree. Oh Lord!

ANÍSYA. Have you finished in the stackyard?

MÍTRITCH. What d'you think? Got it all as it should be, and covered
everything with straw! I don't like doing things by halves! Oh Lord!
holy Nicholas! (Picks at the corns on his hands.) But it's time he was
back.

ANÍSYA. What need has he to hurry? He's got money. Merry-making with
that girl, I daresay....

MÍTRITCH. Why shouldn't one make merry if one has the money? And why
did Akoulína go to town?

ANÍSYA. You'd better ask her. How do I know what the devil took her
there!

MÍTRITCH. What! to town? There's all sorts of things to be got in town
if one's got the means. Oh Lord!

NAN. Mother, I heard myself. "I'll get you a little shawl," he says,
blest if he didn't; "you shall choose it yourself," he says. And she
got herself up so fine; she put on her velveteen coat and the French
shawl.

ANÍSYA. Really, a girl's modesty reaches only to the door. Step over
the threshold and it's forgotten. She is a shameless creature.

MÍTRITCH. Oh my! What's the use of being ashamed? While there's plenty
of money make merry. Oh Lord! It is too soon to have supper, eh?
(ANÍSYA does not answer.) I'll go and get warm meanwhile. (Climbs on
the stove.) Oh, Lord! Blessed Virgin Mother! Holy Nicholas!

NEIGHBOR (enters). Seems your good man's not back yet?

ANÍSYA. No.

NEIGHBOR. It's time he was. Hasn't he perhaps stopped at our inn? My
sister, Thekla, says there's heaps of sledges standing there as have
come from the town.

ANÍSYA. Nan! Nan, I say!

NAN. Yes?

ANÍSYA. You run to the inn and see! Mayhap, being drunk, he's gone
there.

NAN (jumps down from the oven and dresses). All right.

NEIGHBOR. And he's taken Akoulína with him?

ANÍSYA. Else he'd not have had any need of going. It's because of her
he's unearthed all the business there. "Must go to the bank," he says;
"it's time to receive the payments," he says. But it's all her
fooling.

NEIGHBOR (shakes her head). It's a bad look-out.

[Silence.

NAN (at the door). And if he's there, what am I to say?