The Seagull

epub:type="z3998:stage-direction">Reads. “And of course for society people to spoil novelists and to attract them to themselves is as dangerous as for a corn merchant to rear rats in his granaries. And yet they love them. And so, when a woman has picked out an author whom she desires to captivate, she lays siege to him by means of compliments, flattery and favours⁠ ⁠…” Well, that may be so with the French, but there is nothing like that with us, we have no set rules. Among us, before a woman sets to work to captivate an author, she is generally head over ears in love herself, if you please. To go no further, take Trigorin and me.⁠ ⁠… Enter Sorin, leaning on his stick and with him Nina; Medvedenko wheels an empty bath-chair in after them. Sorin In a caressing tone, as to a child. Yes? We are delighted, aren’t we? We are happy today at last? To his sister. We are delighted! Our father and stepmother have gone off to Tver, and we are free now for three whole days. Nina Sits down beside Madame Arkadin and embraces her. I am happy! Now I belong to you. Sorin Sits down in his bath-chair. She looks quite a beauty today. Madame Arkadin Nicely dressed and interesting.⁠ ⁠… That’s a good girl kisses Nina. But we mustn’t praise you too much for fear of ill-luck. Where is Boris Alexeyevitch? Nina He is in the bathing-house, fishing. Madame Arkadin I wonder he doesn’t get sick of it! Is about to go on reading. Nina What is that? Madame Arkadin Maupassant’s Sur l’eau, my dear reads a few lines to herself. Well, the rest isn’t interesting or true shuts the book. I feel uneasy. Tell me, what’s wrong with my son? Why is he so depressed and ill-humoured? He spends whole days on the lake and I hardly ever see him. Masha His heart is troubled. To Nina, timidly. Please, do read us something out of his play! Nina Shrugging her shoulders. Would you like it? It’s so uninteresting. Masha Restraining her enthusiasm. When he reads anything himself his eyes glow and his face turns pale. He has a fine mournful voice, and the gestures of a poet. There is a sound of Sorin snoring. Dorn Good night! Madame Arkadin Petrusha! Sorin Ah? Madame Arkadin Are you asleep? Sorin Not a bit of it a pause. Madame Arkadin You do nothing for your health, brother, and that’s not right. Sorin I should like to take something, but the doctor won’t give me anything. Dorn Take medicine at sixty! Sorin Even at sixty one wants to live! Dorn With vexation. Oh, very well, take valerian drops! Madame Arkadin It seems to me it would do him good to go to some mineral springs. Dorn Well, he might go. And he might not. Madame Arkadin What is one to make of that? Dorn There’s nothing to make of it. It’s quite clear a pause. Medvedenko Pyotr Nikolayevitch ought to give up smoking. Sorin Nonsense! Dorn No, it’s not nonsense. Wine and tobacco destroy the personality. After a cigar or a glass of vodka, you are not Pyotr Nikolayevitch any more but Pyotr Nikolayevitch plus somebody else; your ego is diffused and you feel towards yourself as to a third person. Sorin Laughs. It’s all very well for you to argue! You’ve lived your life, but what about me? I have served in the Department of Justice for twenty-eight years, but I haven’t lived yet, I’ve seen and done nothing as a matter of fact, and very naturally I want to live very much. You’ve had enough and you don’t care, and so you are inclined to be philosophical, but I want to live, and so I drink sherry at dinner and smoke cigars and so on. That’s all it comes to. Dorn One must look at life seriously, but to go in for cures at sixty and to regret that one hasn’t enjoyed oneself enough in one’s youth is frivolous, if you will forgive my saying so. Masha Gets up. It must be lunchtime walks with a lazy, lagging step. My leg is gone to sleep goes off. Dorn She will go and have a couple of glasses before lunch. Sorin She has no personal happiness, poor thing. Dorn Nonsense, your Excellency. Sorin You argue like a man who has had all he wants. Madame Arkadin Oh, what can be more boring than this sweet country boredom! Hot, still, no one ever doing anything, everyone airing their theories.⁠ ⁠… It’s nice being with you, my friends, charming to listen to you, but⁠ ⁠… to sit in a hotel room somewhere and learn one’s part is ever so much better. Nina Enthusiastically. Delightful! I understand you. Sorin Of course, it’s better in town. You sit in your study, the footman lets no one in unannounced, there’s a telephone⁠ ⁠… in the streets there are cabs and everything.⁠ ⁠… Dorn Hums. “Tell her, my flowers.” Enter Shamraev, and after him Polina Andreyevna. Shamraev Here they are! Good morning! Kisses Madame Arkadin’s hand and then Nina’s. Delighted to see you in good health. To Madame Arkadin. My wife tells me that you are proposing to drive into town with her today. Is that so? Madame Arkadin Yes, we are thinking of it. Shamraev Hm! that’s splendid, but how are you going, honoured lady? They are carting the rye today; all the men are at work. What horses are you to have, allow me to ask? Madame Arkadin What horses? How can I tell which? Sorin We’ve got carriage horses. Shamraev Growing excited. Carriage horses! But where am I to get collars for them? Where am I to get collars? It’s a strange thing! It passes my understanding! Honoured lady! forgive me, I am full of reverence for your talent. I would give ten years of my life for you, but I cannot let you have the horses! Madame Arkadin But if I have to go! It’s a queer thing! Shamraev Honoured lady! you don’t know