| YELENA |
I'm leaving. (Offers ASTROV her hand.)1 Good-bye.
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| ASTROV |
Already?
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| YELENA |
The carriage is waiting.
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| ASTROV |
Goodbye.
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| YELENA |
You promised me today that you would go away.
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| ASTROV |
I remember. I'm leaving shortly. (a pause) Are you that frightened? (Taking her hand.) Are things here so terrible?
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| YELENA |
Yes.
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| ASTROV (Makes a gesture of impatience.) |
You had better stay anyway! Yes? Tomorrow in the forest . . .
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| YELENA |
No. It's settled. And I'm not afraid to look at you just because it is settled. I have only one favor to ask of you: think better of me. I'd like to have your respect.
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| ASTROV |
Ah--! Please stay. I'm asking you to stay. Don't you see, you have nothing to do in this world, you have no object in life, you have nothing to occupy your mind, and sooner or later you will give in to your feelings--it's inevitable. And it had better not be at Kharkov, or somewhere in Kursk, but here, in the lap of nature . . . At least it's poetical, even the autumn is beautiful. . . . We have the forest nursery here, half-ruined homesteads in the Turgenev style . . .
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| YELENA |
| How silly you are . . . I'm angry with you, but--even so--I'll remember you with pleasure. You are an interesting, original man. We will never meet again, and so--why hide it? I really was a little bit in love with you. Come on, let's shake hands and say goodbye like friends. Don't think badly of me. |