Uncle Vanya

twigs that lash you in the face.⁠ ⁠… I work⁠—as you know⁠—harder than anyone in the district, fate is forever lashing at me; at times I am unbearably miserable, but I have no light in the distance. I expect nothing for myself; I am not fond of my fellow creatures.⁠ ⁠… It’s years since I cared for anyone. Sonya You care for no one at all? Astrov No one. I feel a certain affection for your nurse⁠—for the sake of old times. The peasants are too much alike, undeveloped, living in dirt, and it is difficult to get on with the educated people. They are all wearisome. Our good friends are small in their ideas, small in their feelings, and don’t see beyond their noses⁠—or, to put it plainly, they are stupid. And those who are bigger and more intelligent are hysterical, morbidly absorbed in introspection and analysis.⁠ ⁠… They are forever whining; they are insanely given to hatred and slander; they steal up to a man sideways, and look at him askance and decide “Oh, he is a neurotic!” or “he is posing.” And when they don’t know what label to stick on my forehead, they say “he is a queer fellow, very queer!” I am fond of forestry⁠—that’s queer; I don’t eat meat⁠—that’s queer too. There is no direct, genuine, free attitude to people and to nature left among them.⁠ ⁠… None, none! Is about to drink. Sonya Prevents him. No, please, I beg you, don’t drink any more! Astrov Why not? Sonya It’s so out of keeping with you! You are so refined, you have such a soft voice.⁠ ⁠… More than that even, you are unlike everyone else I know⁠—you are beautiful. Why, then, do you want to be like ordinary people who drink and play cards? Oh, don’t do it, I entreat you! You always say that people don’t create but only destroy what heaven gives them. Then why do you destroy yourself, why? You mustn’t, you mustn’t, I beseech you, I implore you! Astrov Holds out his hand to her. I won’t drink any more! Sonya Give me your word. Astrov My word of honour. Sonya Presses his hand warmly. Thank you! Astrov Enough! I have come to my senses. You see, I am quite sober now and I will be so to the end of my days looks at his watch. And so, as I was saying, my time is over, it’s too late for me.⁠ ⁠… I have grown old, I have worked too hard, I have grown vulgar, all my feelings are blunted, and I believe I am not capable of being fond of anyone. I don’t love anyone⁠ ⁠… and I don’t believe I ever shall. What still affects me is beauty. That does stir me. I fancy if Yelena Andreyevna, for example, wanted to, she could turn my head in one day.⁠ ⁠… But that’s not love, that’s not affection⁠ ⁠… covers his face with his hands and shudders. Sonya What is it? Astrov Nothing.⁠ ⁠… In Lent one of my patients died under chloroform. Sonya You ought to forget that by now a pause. Tell me, Mihail Lvovitch⁠ ⁠… if I had a friend or a younger sister, and if you found out that she⁠ ⁠… well, suppose that she loved you, how would you take that? Astrov Shrugging his shoulders. I don’t know. Nohow, I expect. I should give her to understand that I could not care for her⁠ ⁠… and my mind is taken up with other things. Anyway, if I am going, it is time to start. Goodbye, my dear girl, or we shall not finish till morning presses her hand. I’ll go through the drawing-room if I may, or I am afraid your uncle may detain me goes out. Sonya Alone. He has said nothing to me.⁠ ⁠… His soul and his heart are still shut away from me, but why do I feel so happy? Laughs with happiness. I said to him, you are refined, noble, you have such a soft voice.⁠ ⁠… Was it inappropriate? His voice trembles and caresses one⁠ ⁠… I still feel it vibrating in the air. And when I spoke to him of a younger sister, he did not understand.⁠ ⁠… Wringing her hands. Oh, how awful it is that I am not beautiful! How awful it is! And I know I am not, I know it, I know it!⁠ ⁠… Last Sunday, as people were coming out of church, I heard them talking about me, and one woman said: “She is a sweet generous nature, but what a pity she is so plain.⁠ ⁠…” Plain.⁠ ⁠… Enter Yelena Andreyevna. Yelena Opens the window. The storm is over. What delicious air! A pause. Where is the doctor? Sonya He is gone a pause. Yelena Sophie! Sonya What is it? Yelena How long are you going to be sulky with me? We have done each other no harm. Why should we be enemies? Let us make it up.⁠ ⁠… Sonya I wanted to myself⁠ ⁠… embraces her. Don’t let us be cross any more. Yelena That’s right. Both are agitated. Sonya Has father gone to bed? Yelena No, he is sitting in the drawing-room.⁠ ⁠… We don’t speak to each other for weeks, and goodness knows why.⁠ ⁠… Seeing that the sideboard is open. How is this? Sonya Mihail Lvovitch has been having some supper. Yelena And there is wine too.⁠ ⁠… Let us drink to our friendship. Sonya Yes, let us. Yelena Out of the same glass⁠ ⁠… fills it. It’s better so. So now we are friends? Sonya Friends. They drink and kiss each other. I have been wanting to make it up for ever so long, but somehow I felt ashamed⁠ ⁠… cries. Yelena Why are you crying? Sonya It’s nothing. Yelena Come, there, there⁠ ⁠… weeps. I am a queer creature, I am crying too⁠ ⁠… a pause. You are angry with me because you think I married your father from interested motives.⁠ ⁠… If that will make you believe me, I will swear it⁠—I married him for love. I was attracted by him as a learned, celebrated man. It was not