Ivanov

maintain that it does not pay to have capital at all nowadays. Investments yield a very small dividend and to put money into business is extremely risky. The way I look at it, mesdames, is that the man who has capital in the present day is in a much more critical position than a man who⁠ ⁠… Madame Babakin Sighing. That’s true! First Guest yawns. Madame Babakin Is that the way to behave before ladies? First Guest Pardon, mesdames, it was an accident. Zinaida Savishna gets up and goes out at the door on right. Prolonged silence. Yegorushka Two of diamonds. Avdotya Pass. Second Guest Pass. Kossih Pass. Madame Babakin Aside. O Lord, how deadly dull it is! Enter Zinaida Savishna and Lebedyev. Zinaida Coming out of door on right with Lebedyev, quietly. What do you want to stick there for all alone! As though you were a prima-donna! Sit with your visitors sits down in the same place as before. Lebedyev Yawns. Oh dear, oh dear! Seeing Madame Babakin. Saints alive, here is strawberry cream! Turkish delight! Shakes hands. How is your precious self? Madame Babakin All right, thanks ever so much. Lebedyev Well, thank God for that! Sits down. Yes, yes.⁠ ⁠… Gavril! Gavril brings him a wineglass of vodka and a tumbler of water; he drinks up the vodka and sips the water. First Guest To your very good health! Lebedyev Very good health indeed!⁠ ⁠… I must be thankful I’ve not snuffed it altogether. To his wife. Zyuzushka, where is the queen of the day? Kossih Plaintively. I should like to know why it is we have taken no tricks jumps up. Why have we lost every game? May the devil flay me entirely! Avdotya Jumps up and says angrily. Why, because if you can’t play, my good man, you had better not take a hand. Whatever business had you to lead your opponent’s suit? That’s why you were left with your ace in pickle! They both run forward from the table. Kossih In a tearful voice. Listen.⁠ ⁠… I had the ace, king, queen and eight more diamonds, the ace of spades and one little heart, you know.⁠ ⁠… And she could not declare a little slam⁠—the devil knows why! I said no trumps⁠ ⁠… Avdotya It was I who said no trumps! You said two and no trumps.⁠ ⁠… Kossih It’s revolting!⁠ ⁠… Excuse me⁠ ⁠… you had⁠ ⁠… I had⁠ ⁠… you had⁠ ⁠… To Lebedyev. Just think, Pavel Kirillitch⁠ ⁠… I had the ace, king, queen and eight more diamonds.⁠ ⁠… Lebedyev Putting his fingers in his ears. Let me alone, if you don’t mind⁠ ⁠… Avdotya Shouts. It was I said no trumps! Kossih Ferociously. May I be damned and disgraced if I ever sit down again to play with that cross old crab! Goes quickly into the garden. Second Guest goes after him. Yegorushka is left at the table. Avdotya Ugh! I am hot all over.⁠ ⁠… A crab!⁠ ⁠… You are a crab yourself! Madame Babakin You are a hasty one, too, Granny.⁠ ⁠… Avdotya Seeing Madame Babakin, flings up her hands. My joy, my beauty! She is here, and me so blind as not to see her!⁠ ⁠… My darling⁠ ⁠… kisses her on the shoulder and sits down beside her. How delightful! Let me have a look at you, my white swan!⁠ ⁠… I’ll knock on the wood! Lebedyev Now you are off.⁠ ⁠… You’d much better be finding her a husband.⁠ ⁠… Avdotya I will find her one! I won’t lay my sinful old bones in my coffin till I have married her off, and Sasha too!⁠ ⁠… I won’t!⁠ ⁠… a sigh. Only where are they to be found nowadays, these husbands? Here they sit ruffling up their feathers like cocks in the rain, our young men! Third Guest A very unhappy comparison. In my opinion, mesdames, if young men nowadays prefer a bachelor existence, the reason is to be found in social conditions, so to say.⁠ ⁠… Lebedyev Come, come, no moralising!⁠ ⁠… I don’t care for it⁠ ⁠… Enter Sasha. Sasha Goes up to her father. Such glorious weather, and you all sit here in this stuffy room. Zinaida Sashenka, don’t you see that Marfa Yegorovna is here? Sasha I am sorry goes up to Madame Babakin and shakes hands. Madame Babakin You are growing proud, Sasha. You have not been to see me once kisses her. I congratulate you, darling.⁠ ⁠… Sasha Thank you sits down beside her father. Lebedyev Yes, Avdotya Nazarovna, it is a difficult job with the young men nowadays. One can’t get a decent best man for a wedding, let alone a husband. Nowadays young people (no offence to present company) are so limp and flabby, God help them!⁠ ⁠… They can’t talk, they can’t dance, they can’t drink.⁠ ⁠… Avdotya Oh, they are all equal to drinking if they have the chance. Lebedyev There’s no great art in drinking⁠—even a horse can drink.⁠ ⁠… The thing is to drink like a gentleman. In our time we used to be struggling all day with lectures, and as soon as evening came on we would go off anywhere and be twirling like a top till morning⁠ ⁠… and we danced and amused the young ladies and had a good drink too. We talked nonsense or talked philosophy till our tongues were tired.⁠ ⁠… But the young men nowadays⁠ ⁠… waves his hand. I can’t make them out.⁠ ⁠… Neither a candle to God nor a poker to the devil. There’s only one sensible fellow in the district, and he is married sighs, and I fancy he is beginning to go off his head too.⁠ ⁠… Madame Babakin Who is that? Lebedyev Nikolasha Ivanov. Madame Babakin Yes, he is a nice gentleman makes a grimace. Only unfortunate!⁠ ⁠… Zinaida How could he be fortunate, my dear? Sighs. What a mistake he made, poor fellow! He married his Jewess and reckoned, poor fellow! that her father and mother would give mountains of gold with her; but it has turned out quite the other way.⁠ ⁠… Ever since she changed her religion her father