Uncle Vanya

am saying it all wrong⁠—all wrong; but you ought to understand us, father. You must be merciful! Yelena In agitation, to her husband. Alexandr, for God’s sake make it up with him.⁠ ⁠… I beseech you! Serebryakov Very well, I will talk to him.⁠ ⁠… I am not accusing him of anything, I am not angry with him. But you must admit that his behaviour is strange, to say the least of it. Very well, I’ll go to him goes out by middle door. Yelena Be gentle with him, soothe him⁠ ⁠… follows him out. Sonya Hugging Nurse. Oh, Nurse, darling! Nurse, darling! Marina Never mind, child. The ganders will cackle a bit and leave off.⁠ ⁠… They will cackle and leave off.⁠ ⁠… Sonya Nurse, darling! Marina Stroking her head. You are shivering as though you were frozen! There, there, little orphan, God is merciful! A cup of lime-flower water, or raspberry tea, and it will pass.⁠ ⁠… Don’t grieve, little orphan. Looking towards the middle door wrathfully. What a to-do they make, the ganders! Plague take them! A shot behind the scenes; a shriek from Yelena Andreyevna is heard; Sonya shudders. Marina Ough! Botheration take them! Serebryakov Runs in, staggering with terror. Hold him! hold him! He is out of his mind! Yelena Andreyevna and Voynitsky struggle in the doorway. Yelena Trying to take the revolver from him. Give it up! Give it up, I tell you! Voynitsky Let me go, Hélène! Let me go! Freeing himself from her, he runs in, looking for Serebryakov. Where is he? Oh, here he is! Fires at him. Bang! A pause. Missed! Missed again! Furiously. Damnation⁠—damnation take it⁠ ⁠… flings revolver on the floor and sinks on to a chair, exhausted. Serebryakov is overwhelmed; Yelena leans against the wall, almost fainting. Yelena Take me away! Take me away! Kill me⁠ ⁠… I can’t stay here, I can’t! Voynitsky In despair. Oh, what am I doing! What am I doing! Sonya Softly. Nurse, darling! Nurse, darling! Curtain.

Act IV

Voynitsky’s room: it is his bedroom and also his office. In the window there is a big table covered with account books and papers of all sorts; a bureau, bookcases, scales. A smaller table, for Astrov; on that table there are paints and drawing materials; beside it a big portfolio. A cage with a starling in it. On the wall a map of Africa, obviously of no use to anyone. A big sofa covered with American leather. To the left a door leading to other apartments. On the right a door into the hall; near door, on right, there is a doormat, that the peasants may not muddy the floor. An autumn evening. Stillness.

	Telyegin and Marina sitting opposite each other winding wool.
Telyegin	You must make haste, Marina Timofeyevna, they will soon be calling us to say goodbye. They have already ordered the horses.
Marina	Tries to wind more rapidly. There is not much left.
Telyegin	They are going to Harkov. They’ll live there.
Marina	Much better so.
Telyegin	They’ve had a fright.⁠ ⁠… Yelena Andreyevna keeps saying, “I won’t stay here another hour. Let us get away; let us get away.” “We will stay at Harkov,” she says; “we will have a look round and then send for our things.⁠ ⁠…” They are not taking much with them. It seems it is not ordained that they should live here, Marina Timofeyevna. It’s not ordained.⁠ ⁠… It’s the dispensation of Providence.
Marina	It’s better so. Look at the quarrelling and shooting this morning⁠—a regular disgrace!
Telyegin	Yes, a subject worthy of the brush of Aivazovsky.
Marina	A shocking sight it was a pause. We shall live again in the old way, as we used to. We shall have breakfast at eight, dinner at one, and sit down to supper in the evening; everything as it should be, like other people⁠ ⁠… like Christians with a sigh. It’s a long while since I have tasted noodles, sinner that I am!
Telyegin	Yes, it’s a long time since they have given us noodles at dinner a pause. A very long time.⁠ ⁠… As I was walking through the village this morning, Marina Timofeyevna, the man at the shop called after me, “You cadger, living upon other people.” And it did hurt me so.
Marina	You shouldn’t take any notice of that, my dear. We all live upon God. Whether it’s you or Sonya or Ivan Petrovitch, none of you sit idle, we all work hard! All of us.⁠ ⁠… Where is Sonya?
Telyegin	In the garden. She is still going round with the doctor looking for Ivan Petrovitch. They are afraid he may lay hands on himself.
Marina	And where is his pistol?
Telyegin	In a whisper. I’ve hidden it in the cellar!
Marina	With a smile. What goings-on!
	Enter Voynitsky and Astrov from outside.
Voynitsky	Let me alone. To Marina and Telyegin. Go away, leave me alone⁠—if only for an hour! I won’t endure being watched.
Telyegin	Certainly, Vanya goes out on tiptoe.
Marina	The gander says, ga-ga-ga! Gathers up her wool and goes out.
Voynitsky	Let me alone!
Astrov	I should be delighted to. I ought to have gone away ages ago, but I repeat I won’t go till you give back what you took from me.
Voynitsky	I did not take anything from you.
Astrov	I am speaking in earnest, don’t detain me. I ought to have gone long ago.
Voynitsky	I took nothing from you. Both sit down.
Astrov	Oh! I’ll wait a little longer and then, excuse me, I must resort to force. We shall have to tie your hands and search you. I am speaking quite seriously.
Voynitsky	As you please a pause. To have made such a fool of myself: to have fired twice and missed him! I shall never forgive myself for that.
Astrov	If you wanted to be playing with firearms, you would have done better to take a pop at yourself.
Voynitsky	Shrugging his shoulders. It’s queer. I made an