SOLENI. I cannot live without you. [Follows her] Oh, my happiness! [Through his tears] Oh, joy! Wonderful, marvellous, glorious eyes, such as I have never seen before.... IRINA. [Coldly] Stop it, Vassili Vassilevitch! SOLENI. This is the first time I speak to you of love, and it is as if I am no longer on the earth, but on another planet. [Wipes his forehead] Well, never mind. I can’t make you love me by force, of course... but I don’t intend to have any more-favoured rivals.... No... I swear to you by all the saints, I shall kill my rival.... Oh, beautiful one! [NATASHA enters with a candle; she looks in through one door, then through another, and goes past the door leading to her husband’s room.] NATASHA. Here’s Andrey. Let him go on reading. Excuse me, Vassili Vassilevitch, I did not know you were here; I am engaged in domesticities. SOLENI. It’s all the same to me. Good-bye! [Exit.] NATASHA. You’re so tired, my poor dear girl! [Kisses IRINA] If you only went to bed earlier. IRINA. Is Bobby asleep? NATASHA. Yes, but restlessly. By the way, dear, I wanted to tell you, but either you weren’t at home, or I was busy... I think Bobby’s present nursery is cold and damp. And your room would be so nice for the child. My dear, darling girl, do change over to Olga’s for a bit! IRINA. [Not understanding] Where? [The bells of a troika are heard as it drives up to the house.] NATASHA. You and Olga can share a room, for the time being, and Bobby can have yours. He’s such a darling; to-day I said to him, “Bobby, you’re mine! Mine!” And he looked at me with his dear little eyes. [A bell rings] It must be Olga. How late she is! [The maid enters and whispers to NATASHA] Protopopov? What a queer man to do such a thing. Protopopov’s come and wants me to go for a drive with him in his troika. [Laughs] How funny these men are.... [A bell rings] Somebody has come. Suppose I did go and have half an hour’s drive.... [To the maid] Say I shan’t be long. [Bell rings] Somebody’s ringing, it must be Olga. [Exit.] [The maid runs out; IRINA sits deep in thought; KULIGIN and OLGA enter, followed by VERSHININ.] KULIGIN. Well, there you are. And you said there was going to be a party. VERSHININ. It’s queer; I went away not long ago, half an hour ago, and they were expecting entertainers. IRINA. They’ve all gone. KULIGIN. Has Masha gone too? Where has she gone? And what’s Protopopov waiting for downstairs in his troika? Whom is he expecting? IRINA. Don’t ask questions... I’m tired. KULIGIN. Oh, you’re all whimsies.... OLGA. My committee meeting is only just over. I’m tired out. Our chairwoman is ill, so I had to take her place. My head, my head is aching.... [Sits] Andrey lost 200 roubles at cards yesterday... the whole town is talking about it.... KULIGIN. Yes, my meeting tired me too. [Sits.]