Redemption and two other plays Part 51

TaNYA. Why, has he been writing?

[Hides her face in her ap.r.o.n.

SECOND PEASANT. It's evident he's written! But it's a bad business he's imagined here. I see the lad's got spoilt!

TaNYA (quickly). No, he's not at all spoilt! Shall I send him to you?

SECOND PEASANT. Why send him? All in good time. Where's the hurry?

VASiLY LEONiDITCH (desperately, behind scene). Gregory! Where the devil are you?...

[Enters from his room in shirt-sleeves, adjusting his pince-nez.

VASiLY LEONiDITCH. Is every one dead?

TaNYA. He's not here, sir.... I'll send him to you at once.

[Moves towards the back door.

VASiLY LEONiDITCH. I could hear you talking, you know. How have these scarecrows sprung up here? Eh? What?

TaNYA. They're peasants from the Koursk village, sir.

[PEASANTS bow.

VASiLY LEONiDITCH. And who is this? Oh yes, from Bourdier.

[VASiLY LEONiDITCH pays no attention to the PEASANTS' bow. TaNYA meets GREGORY at the doorway and remains on the scene.

VASiLY LEONiDITCH (to GREGORY). I told you the other boots.... I can't wear these!

GREGORY. Well, the others are also there.

VASiLY LEONiDITCH. But where is there?

GREGORY. Just in the same place!

VASiLY LEONiDITCH. They're not!

GREGORY. Well, come and see.

[Exeunt GREGORY and VASiLY LEONiDITCH.

THIRD PEASANT. Say, now, might we not in the meantime just go and wait, say, in some lodging-house or somewhere?

TaNYA. No, no, wait a little. I'll go and bring you some plates to put the presents on.

[Exit.

[Enter SAHaTOF and LEONiD FYoDORITCH, followed by THEODORE IVaNITCH.

[The PEASANTS take up the presents, and pose themselves.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH (to PEASANTS). Presently, presently! Wait a bit!

(Points to PORTER.) Who is this?

PORTER. From Bourdey's.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Ah, from Bourdier.

SAHaTOF (smiling). Well, I don't deny it: still you understand that, never having seen it, we, the uninitiated, have some difficulty in believing.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. You say you find it difficult to believe! We do not ask for faith; all we demand of you is to investigate! How can I help believing in this ring? Yet this ring came from there!

SAHaTOF. From there? What do you mean? From where?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. From the other world. Yes!

SAHaTOF (smiling). That's very interesting--very interesting!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Well, supposing we admit that I'm a man carried away by an idea, as you think, and that I am deluding myself. Well, but what of Alexey Vladimiritch Krougosvetlof--he is not just an ordinary man, but a distinguished professor, and yet he admits it to be a fact. And not he alone. What of Crookes? What of Wallace?

SAHaTOF. But I don't deny anything. I only say it is very interesting.

It would be interesting to know how Krougosvetlof explains it!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. He has a theory of his own. Could you come to-night?--he is sure to be here. First we shall have Grossman--you know, the famous thought-reader?

SAHaTOF. Yes, I have heard of him but have never happened to meet him.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Then you must come! We shall first have Grossman, then Kaptchitch, and our mediumistic seance.... (To THEODORE IVaNITCH.) Has the man returned from Kaptchitch?

THEODORE IVaNITCH. Not yet, sir.

SAHaTOF. Then how am I to know?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Never mind, come in any case! If Kaptchitch can't come we shall find our own medium. Marya Ignatievna is a medium--not such a good one as Kaptchitch, but still....

[TaNYA enters with plates for the presents, and stands listening.

SAHaTOF (smiling). Oh, yes, yes. But here is one puzzling point:--how is it that the mediums are always of the, so-called, educated cla.s.s, such as Kaptchitch and Marya Ignatievna? If there were such a special force, would it not be met with also among the common people--the peasants?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Oh yes, and it is! That is very common. Even here in our own house we have a peasant whom we discovered to be a medium.

A few days ago we called him in--a sofa had to be moved, during a seance--and we forgot all about him. In all probability he fell asleep. And, fancy, after our seance was over and Kaptchitch had come to again, we suddenly noticed mediumistic phenomena in another part of the room, near the peasant: the table gave a jerk and moved!

TaNYA (aside). That was when I was getting out from under it!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. It is quite evident he also is a medium. Especially as he is very like Home in appearance. You remember Home--a fair-haired naf sort of fellow?