A Month in the Country

VERA. What do you do in Moscow?

BELIAYEV. What do we do? We study, listen to the professors.

VERA. What do they teach you?

BELIAYEV. Everything.

VERA. I expect you're a very good student. Better than all the rest.

BELIAYEV. No, I'm not very good. Better than all the rest, indeed! I'm lazy.

VERA. Why are you lazy?

BELIAYEV. Goodness knows! I was born so, apparently.

VERA [after a pause]. Have you any friends in Moscow?

BELIAYEV. Of course. ... I say, this string isn't strong enough.

VERA. And are you fond of them?

BELIAYEV. I should think so. Aren't you fond of your friends?

VERA. I haven't any.

BELIAYEV. I meant the girls you know.

VERA [slowly]. Yes.

BELIAYEV. I suppose you have some girl-friends?

VERA. Yes . . . only I don't know why ... for some time past I've not thought much about them. ... I haven't even answered Lisa Moshnin, though she begged me to in her letter.

BELIAYEV. How can you say you have no friends . . . what am I?

VERA [with a smile]. Oh, you ... that's a different thing. [After a pause], Alexey Nikolaitch.

BELIAYEV. Well?

VERA. Do you write poetry?

BELIAYEV. No. . . . Why?

VERA. Oh, nothing. [After a pause] A girl in our school used to write poetry.

BELIAYEV [pulling the knot with his teeth]. Did she? Was it good?

VERA. I don't know. She used to read it to us, and we cried.

BELIAYEV. What did you cry for?

VERA. Pity. We were all so sorry for her.

BELIAYEV. Were you educated in Moscow?

VERA. Yes, at Madame Beauluce's school in Moscow. Natalya Petrovna took me away last year.

BELIAYEV. Are you fond of Natalya Petrovna?

VERA. Yes, she's so kind. I'm very fond of her.

BELIAYEV [with a smile]. And you're afraid of her, I bet.

VERA [also with a smile]. A little.

BELIAYEV [after a pause]. And who sent you to school?

VERA. Natalya Petrovna's mother. I grew up in her house. I'm an orphan.

BELIAYEV [letting his hands fall]. You're an orphan? And you don't remember your father or your mother?

VERA. No.

BELIAYEV, My mother is dead too. We are both motherless. Well we must put up with it! We mustn't be down-hearted for all that.

VERA. They say orphans quickly make friends with one another.

BELIAYEV [looking into her eyes]. Do they? And do you think so?

VERA [looks into his eyes with a smile]. I think they do.

BELIAYEV [laughs and sets to work on the kite again]. I should like to know how long I've been in these parts.

VERA. This is the twenty-eighth day.

BELIAYEV. What a memory you have! Well, here's the kite finished. Look what a tail! We must go and fetch Kolya.

KATYA [Coming up to him with the basket]. Won't you have some more raspberries?

BELIAYEV. No, thanks, Katya. [KATYA goes off without speaking.]

VERA. Kolya's with Lizaveta Bogdanovna.

BELIAYEV. How absurd to keep a child indoors in this weather!

VERA. Lizaveta Bogdanovna would only be in our way. . .

BELIAYEV. But I'm not talking about her. . . .

VERA [hurriedly]. Kolya couldn't come with us without her. . . . She was praising you ever so yesterday, though.

BELIAYEV. Really?

VERA. Don't you like her?

BELIAYEV. Oh, I don't mind her. Let her enjoy her snuff, bless the woman. Why do you sigh?

VERA [after a pause]. I don't know. How clear the sky is!

BELIAYEV. Does that make you sigh? [A silence.] Perhaps you are depressed?

VERA. Depressed? No! I never know myself why I sigh. . . . I'm not depressed at all. On the contrary . . . [A pause.] I don't know.... I think I can't be quite well. Yesterday I went upstairs to fetch a book--and all at once, fancy, on the staircase, I sat down and began to cry. Goodness knows why, and my tears kept on coming into my eyes for a long while afterwards. . . . What's the meaning of it? And yet I am quite happy.

BELIAYEV. It's because you're growing. It's growing up. It does happen so. ... Of course, I noticed your eyes looked swollen yesterday evening.

VERA. You noticed it?

BELIAYEV. Yes.

VERA. You notice everything.

BELIAYEV. Oh no, not everything.

VERA [dreamily]. Alexey Nikolaitch . . .

BELIAYEV. What is it?

VERA [after a pause]. What was it I was going to ask you? I've forgotten what I was going to say.

BELIAYEV. You are absent-minded! VERA. No . . . but ... oh yes! This is what I meant to ask. I think you told me--you have a sister?

BELIAYEV. Yes.

VERA. Tell me, am I like her?

BELIAYEV. Oh no. You're much better looking.

VERA. How can that be? Your sister ... I should like to be in her place.

BELIAYEV. What? You'd like to be in our poor little house at this moment?

VERA. I didn't mean that. ... Is your home so small?

BELIAYEV. Tiny. Very different from this house.

VERA. Well, what's the use of so many rooms?

BELIAYEV. What's the use? You'll find out one day how useful rooms are.

VERA. One day. . . . When?

BELIAYEV. When you're the mistress of a house yourself. . . .

VERA [dreamily]. Do you think so?

BELIAYEV. Yes, you will see. [A pause.] Hadn't we better go and fetch Kolya, Vera Alexandrovna?

VERA. Why don't you call me Verotchka?

BEHAYEV. You can't call me Alexey, can you?

VERA. Why not?... [Suddenly starting.] Oh!