Uncle Vanya

assure me? There’s no need. No need of unnecessary words.⁠ ⁠… Oh, how beautiful you are! What hands! Kisses her hands. Yelena That’s enough⁠ ⁠… go away⁠ ⁠… withdraws her hands. You are forgetting yourself. Astrov Speak, speak! Where shall we meet tomorrow? Puts his arm round her waist. You see, it is inevitable; we must meet kisses her; at that instant Voynitsky comes in with a bunch of roses and stands still in the doorway. Yelena Not seeing Voynitsky. Spare me⁠ ⁠… let me go lays her head on Astrov’s chest. No! Tries to go out. Astrov Holding her by the waist. Come to the plantation tomorrow..at two o’clock.⁠ ⁠… Yes? Yes? You’ll come? Yelena Seeing Voynitsky. Let me go! In extreme confusion goes to the window. This is awful! Voynitsky Lays the roses on a chair; in confusion wipes his face and his neck with his handkerchief. Never mind⁠ ⁠… no⁠ ⁠… never mind. Astrov Carrying it off with bravado. The weather is not so bad today, honoured Ivan Petrovitch. It was overcast in the morning, as though we were going to have rain, but now it is sunny. To tell the truth, the autumn has turned out lovely⁠ ⁠… and the winter corn is quite promising rolls up the map. The only thing is the days are getting shorter⁠ ⁠… goes out. Yelena Goes quickly up to Voynitsky. You will try⁠—you will do your utmost that my husband and I should leave here today! Do you hear? This very day! Voynitsky Mopping his face. What? Oh, yes⁠ ⁠… very well⁠ ⁠… I saw it all, Hélène⁠—all.⁠ ⁠… Yelena Nervously. Do you hear? I must get away from here today! Enter Serebryakov, Telyegin and Marina. Telyegin I don’t feel quite the thing myself, your Excellency. I have been poorly for the last two days. My head is rather queer.⁠ ⁠… Serebryakov Where are the others? I don’t like this house. It’s a perfect labyrinth. Twenty-six huge rooms, people wander in different directions, and there is no finding anyone rings. Ask Marya Vassilyevna and Yelena Andreyevna to come here. Yelena I am here. Serebryakov I beg you to sit down, friends. Sonya Going up to Yelena Andreyevna, impatiently. What did he say? Yelena Presently. Sonya You are trembling! You are agitated! Looking searchingly into her face. I understand.⁠ ⁠… He said that he won’t come here again⁠ ⁠… yes? A pause. Tell me: yes? Yelena Andreyevna nods. Serebryakov To Telyegin. One can put up with illness, after all; but what I can’t endure is the whole manner of life in the country. I feel as though I had been cast off the earth into some other planet. Sit down, friends, I beg! Sonya! Sonya does not hear him; she stands with her head drooping sorrowfully. Sonya! A pause. She does not hear. To Marina. You sit down too, nurse. Nurse sits down, knitting a stocking. I beg you, my friends, hang your ears on the nail of attention, as the saying is laughs. Voynitsky Agitated. Perhaps I am not wanted? Can I go? Serebryakov No; it is you whom we need most. Voynitsky What do you require of me? Serebryakov Require of you.⁠ ⁠… Why are you cross? A pause. If I have been to blame in any way, pray excuse me. Voynitsky Drop that tone. Let us come to business. What do you want? Enter Marya Vassilyevna. Serebryakov Here is maman. I will begin, friends a pause. I have invited you, gentlemen, to announce that the Inspector-General is coming. But let us lay aside jesting. It is a serious matter. I have called you together to ask for your advice and help, and, knowing your invariable kindness, I hope to receive it. I am a studious, bookish man, and have never had anything to do with practical life. I cannot dispense with the assistance of those who understand it, and I beg you, Ivan Petrovitch, and you, Ilya Ilyitch, and you, maman.⁠ ⁠… The point is that manet omnes una nox⁠—that is, that we are all mortal. I am old and ill, and so I think it is high time to settle my worldly affairs so far as they concern my family. My life is over. I am not thinking of myself, but I have a young wife and an unmarried daughter a pause. It is impossible for me to go on living in the country. We are not made for country life. But to live in town on the income we derive from this estate is impossible. If we sell the forest, for instance, that’s an exceptional measure which we cannot repeat every year. We must take some steps which would guarantee us a permanent and more or less definite income. I have thought of such a measure, and have the honour of submitting it to your consideration. Omitting details I will put it before you in rough outline. Our estate yields on an average not more than two percent on its capital value. I propose to sell it. If we invest the money in suitable securities, we should get from four to five percent, and I think we might even have a few thousand roubles to spare for buying a small villa in Finland. Voynitsky Excuse me⁠ ⁠… surely my ears are deceiving me! Repeat what you have said. Serebryakov To put the money in some suitable investment and with the remainder purchase a villa in Finland. Voynitsky Not Finland.⁠ ⁠… You said something else. Serebryakov I propose to sell the estate. Voynitsky That’s it. You will sell the estate; superb, a grand idea.⁠ ⁠… And what do you propose to do with me, and your old mother and Sonya here? Serebryakov We will settle all that in due time. One can’t go into everything at once. Voynitsky Wait a minute. It’s evident that up to now I’ve never had a grain of common sense. Up to now I have always imagined that the estate belongs to