The Storm

KUDRIASH (sings and plays guitar)

  Come out, lassie, while you may

  Till the glow of setting day!

  Ai-lalee, while you may,

  Till the glow of setting day!

VARVARA (at the gate).

  Aye, my laddie, while I may,

  Till the glow of break of day!

  Ai-lalee, while I may,

  Till the glow of break of day!

KUDRIASH.

  When the sun has risen fair

  And I may not linger mair.

    [Exit singing.

ACT IV

SCENE I

In the foreground a narrow arcade running round an old building which has begun to fall into decay; bushes and grass about it; in the background the banks of the Volga and view beyond it.

(Several Persons of both Sexes approach the Arcade.)

FIRST.

It's spotting with rain, seems as though it might be a storm coming on.

SECOND.

Look, it's gathering yonder.

FIRST.

A good thing we've somewhere to take shelter.

[They all go under the arches.

A WOMAN. What a lot of folks out on the parade, too! To-day being a holiday, everyone's out walking. The merchants' ladies all pranked out in their best.

FIRST.

They'll stand up somewhere out of the rain.

SECOND.

Look, at the people hurrying this way now!

FIRST (staring round at the walls). I say, old fellow, it must have been covered with paintings once, do you know. One can make them out even now, here and there.

SECOND. To be sure! Of course the walls were covered with paintings. Now it's all been let go to rack and ruin, and the old place is falling to pieces. There's been nothing done to it since the fire. But to be sure you don't remember that fire, it will be forty years ago.

FIRST. Whatever's this picture here, old fellow? It's not easy to make out what it's about.

SECOND.

That's a picture of the torments of hell.

FIRST.

Oh! so that's what it is!

SECOND. And there's folks of all sorts and conditions going down into the fire, see?

FIRST.

To be sure, yes, I understand it now.

SECOND.

Of every sort and rank.

FIRST.

And niggers too?

SECOND.

Yes, niggers too.

FIRST.

And I say, old fellow, what's this?