Thanks to the likes of you there’ll soon be only whiners and psychopaths born into the world.

SASHA: Men don’t understand a lot of things. Every young girl is going to be drawn more to a failure than to a successful man, because they’re all attracted by the notion of active love ... Do you understand? Active. Men are busy with their work, and therefore for them love is something right in the background. A conversation with the wife, a stroll with her in the garden, a nice time, a cry on her grave - that’s all. But for us love is life. I love you, that means that I dream of how I’ll cure you of your depression, of how I’ll go with you to the ends of the earth ... When you’re up, so am I; when you’re down, so am I. For example, it would be a great happiness for me to spend all night copying out your papers or watching that no one woke you, or to walk a hundred versts with you. I remember once, three years ago, at threshing time, you came to us all covered with dust, sunburnt and exhausted, and asked for a drink. I brought you a glass but you were already lying on the sofa and sleeping like the dead. You slept in our house for twelve hours and the whole time I stood guard outside your door so that no one came in. And I felt so happy! The more work there is, the better love is - that is, the more strongly love is felt, do you see.

IVANOV : Active love ... Hm ... It blights everything, a young girl’s philosophy, or perhaps that’s the way things ought to be ... [Shrugs his shoulders.] The devil only knows! [Cheerfully] Shura, I swear, I’m a decent man! ... Think about this: I have always liked to philosophize, but I’ve never in my life said, ‘Our women are depraved’ or ‘Woman has set out on the wrong road.’ I’ve just been grateful and nothing more! That’s all. My dear, beautiful girl, how entertaining you are! And what a ridiculous idiot I am! I embarrass God-fearing people, I spend whole days being sorry for myself. [Laughs.] Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo! [Quickly moves away.] But go away, Sasha! We’ve forgotten ourselves ...

SASHA: Yes, it’s time for me to go. Goodbye! I’m afraid your honest doctor might report my presence here to Anna Petrovna out of a sense of duty. Listen to me: go now to your wife and stay with her, stay, stay ... If you have to stay a year - then stay for a year. If ten years - then stay for ten years. Do your duty. Grieve and ask her forgiveness and weep - all that just as it should be. But most of all don’t forget your task in life.

IVANOV : Again I feel as if I’ve been gorging on toadstools. Again!

SASHA: Well, God preserve you! You needn’t think of me at all. In two weeks you can scribble me a line - and I’ll be grateful even for that. And I will write to you ...

[BORKIN looks in through the doorway.]

VIII

[The same and BORKIN.]

BORKIN : Nikolay Alekseyevich, may I? [Seeing Sasha] I’m sorry, I hadn’t seen you ... [Enters.] Bonjour! [Bows.]

SASHA [embarrassed]: How are you? ...

BORKIN : You’ve become a little plumper and prettier.

SASHA [to Ivanov]: Well, I’m going, Nikolay Alekseyevich ...