(_Enter_ MAID-SERVANT.) _Maid._ If you please, ma’am, the dressmaker has come. _Serafima._ Paul, dear Paul! I will come back in a minute. (_Exit._) _Paul._ What extraordinary fancies she has sometimes! I really can’t make out whether it’s from stupidity or from love for me. For that matter, it’s a very good thing that she’s so much in love with me. The idea of her asking me what I want! What I want? Why, money, of course. It seems it’s quite a true saying that women’s hearts are much tenderer than ours. I confess I used not to believe that; but now I see that, once love has taken a firm hold upon them, you can get anything you like out of them.... And then, she’s so pretty! Even if you look at it from quite another point of view—it’s delightful, there certainly is nothing else to be said about it.... I’d better ask her for a big sum at once; I must take advantage of her momentary exaltation. (_Re-enter_ SERAFÌMA.) Ah! Serafima! I wanted to speak to you. _Serafima._ And I wanted to speak to you, _Paul_. _Paul._ Very well; what is it? _Serafima._ No, you speak first. _Paul._ No, you, Serafima. _Serafima._ No, you. _Paul._ I give the precedence to you, as a lady, Serafima. _Serafima._ This is what I wanted to say, my Paul: you change your shirt every day; that is rather extravagant. _Paul._ Are you gone off your head! You can’t call that an extravagance, in our position! No; I wanted to talk to you about something altogether different. _Serafima._ All the same, my dear (_kisses him_), we must think about economy; there’s nothing unreasonable in that. _Paul._ Forgive me, Serafima! I understand you, my love; indeed it is a good thing that you are economical in trifles. Trifles are an important matter in life. I am glad that I have found in you such a housewife. But I want to speak to you about more serious business. _Serafima._ About what, Paul? No, no, stop! Why should we talk about business? We haven’t done talking about love, yet. We have nothing to do, now, as you didn’t go to the office. Why should we talk about business? Let us talk about love! (_Sighs, and raises eyes to heaven._) _Paul._ We can talk about love afterwards, whenever you like; but I must speak about business now. _Serafima._ Ah! Paul! you have stayed at home with me. Indeed I don’t want to think of anything else now! _Paul._ No, Serafima; I really must have a serious talk with you. _Serafima_ (_a little offended_). Well, what is it you want? _Paul._ How do you wish to employ your capital? _Serafima._ What a question! I don’t want to employ it anyhow. It can stop in the Council,[15] and we’ll live on the interest. _Paul._ But the interest is very little, my love; we had better put the capital into circulation. _Serafima._ Into what circulation? _Paul._ We might buy an estate, for instance. _Serafima._ No, no, no! Not for the world! What estate? _Paul._ Why, a village in some good fertile province—Orèl, or somewhere there.