Uncle Vanya

epub:type="z3998:persona">Voynitsky. Are you alone? No ladies here? Putting his arms akimbo sings. “Dance my hut and dance my stove, the master has no bed to lie on.” The storm woke me. Jolly good rain. What time is it? Voynitsky Goodness knows. Astrov I thought I heard Yelena Andreyevna’s voice. Voynitsky She was here a minute ago. Astrov A fine woman. Examines the medicine bottles on the table. Medicines! What a lot of prescriptions! From Harkov, from Moscow, from Tula. He has bored every town with his gout. Is he really ill or shamming? Voynitsky He is ill a pause. Astrov Why are you so melancholy today? Are you sorry for the Professor, or what? Voynitsky Let me alone. Astrov Or perhaps you are in love with the Professor’s lady? Voynitsky She is my friend! Astrov Already? Voynitsky What do you mean by “already”? Astrov A woman can become a man’s friend only in the following sequence: first agreeable acquaintance, then mistress, then friend. Voynitsky A vulgar theory. Astrov What? Yes⁠ ⁠… I must own I am growing vulgar. You see, I am drunk too. As a rule I get drunk like this once a month. When I am in this condition I become coarse and insolent in the extreme. I don’t stick at anything then! I undertake the most difficult operations and do them capitally. I make the most extensive plans for the future; I don’t think of myself as a crank at such times, but believe that I am being of immense service to humanity⁠—immense! And I have my own philosophy of life at such times, and all you, my good friends, seem to me such insects⁠ ⁠… microbes! To Telyegin. Waffles, play! Telyegin My dear soul, I’d be delighted to do anything for you, but do realise⁠—everyone is asleep! Astrov Play! Telyegin begins playing softly. Astrov We must have a drink. Come along, I fancy we have still some brandy left. And as soon as it is daylight, we will go to my place. Right? I have an assistant who never says “right,” but “roight.” He is an awful scoundrel. So we will go, shall we? Sees Sonya entering. Excuse me, I have no tie on goes out hurriedly, Telyegin following him. Sonya Uncle Vanya, you have been drinking with the doctor again. You are a nice pair! He has always been like that, but why do you do it? It’s so unsuitable at your age. Voynitsky Age makes no difference. When one has no real life, one has to live on illusions. It’s better than nothing, anyway. Sonya The hay is all cut, it rains every day, it’s all rotting, and you are living in illusions. You have quite given up looking after things.⁠ ⁠… I have to work alone, and am quite done up.⁠ ⁠… Alarmed. Uncle, you have tears in your eyes! Voynitsky Tears? Not a bit of it⁠ ⁠… nonsense.⁠ ⁠… You looked at me just now so like your dear mother. My darling⁠ ⁠… eagerly kisses her hands and face. My sister⁠ ⁠… my dear sister⁠ ⁠… where is she now? If she knew! Ah, if she knew! Sonya What, uncle? Knew what? Voynitsky It’s painful, useless.⁠ ⁠… Never mind.⁠ ⁠… Afterwards⁠ ⁠… it’s nothing⁠ ⁠… I am going goes out. Sonya Knocks at the door. Mihail Lvovitch, you are not asleep, are you? One minute! Astrov Through the door. I am coming! A minute later he comes out with his waistcoat and tie on. What can I do for you? Sonya Drink yourself, if it does not disgust you, but I implore you, don’t let my uncle drink! It’s bad for him. Astrov Very good. We won’t drink any more a pause. I am just going home. That’s settled and signed. It will be daylight by the time they have put the horses in. Sonya It is raining. Wait till morning. Astrov The storm is passing over, we shall only come in for the end of it. I’m going. And please don’t send for me again to see your father. I tell him it’s gout and he tells me it’s rheumatism; I ask him to stay in bed and he sits in a chair. And today he wouldn’t speak to me at all. Sonya He is spoiled. Looks into the sideboard. Won’t you have something to eat? Astrov Well, perhaps. Sonya I like eating at night. I believe there is something in the sideboard. They say he’s been a great favourite with the ladies, and women have spoiled him. Here, have some cheese. Both stand at the sideboard and eat. Astrov I have had nothing to eat all day, only drink. Your father has a difficult temper. Takes a bottle from the sideboard. May I? Drinks a glass. There is no one here and one may speak frankly. Do you know, it seems to me that I could not exist in your house for a month, I should be choked by the atmosphere.⁠ ⁠… Your father, who is entirely absorbed in his gout and his books, Uncle Vanya with his melancholy, your grandmother, and your stepmother too.⁠ ⁠… Sonya What about my stepmother? Astrov Everything ought to be beautiful in a human being: face, and dress, and soul, and ideas. She is beautiful, there is no denying that, but⁠ ⁠… You know she does nothing but eat, sleep, walk about, fascinate us all by her beauty⁠—nothing more. She has no duties, other people work for her.⁠ ⁠… That’s true, isn’t it? And an idle life cannot be pure a pause. But perhaps I am too severe. I am dissatisfied with life like your Uncle Vanya, and we are both growing peevish. Sonya You are dissatisfied with life, then? Astrov I love life as such, but our life, our everyday provincial life in Russia, I can’t endure. I despise it with every fibre of my being. And as for my own personal life, there is absolutely nothing nice in it, I can assure you. You know when you walk through a forest on a dark night, and a light gleams in the distance, you do not notice your weariness, nor the darkness, nor the sharp